Enlargement of the European Union is one of the priorities of Croatia’s chairmanship of the Central European Initiative (CEI), said Croatian Foreign Minister Marija Pejcinovic-Buric at the CEI meeting in the Adriatic city of Split on Monday.

“Considering the fact that the process of EU enlargement represents a strategic investment in peace, democracy, security and stability in Europe, it is at the same time an investment in progress of South-east European countries,” Pejcinovic-Buric said.

The initiative has its headquarters in the northern Italian city of Trieste, and consists of ten EU member states from Central and Southeast Europe, as well as Southeast European EU aspirants.

Next year marks the 30th anniversary of the initiative, said CEI secretary general Giovanni Caracciolo di Vietri, adding that he was pleased to see Croatia at the head of the initiative.

We are a unique organisation that combines those who receive and those who give. We act as a single partner in the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. We promote programmes tied to this region and have small funds for that purpose and that is the essence of our existence, Di Vietri said.

As the chair of the CEI this year, Croatia organised a conference in April for an exchange of experience aimed at building stronger partnerships in the process of European integration. The aim of the conference was to present experiences and lessons learned while implementing technical assistance through national and EU instruments in an effort to help countries in the process of EU ascension, Pejcinovic-Buric said.

Croatia is the youngest EU member, which is why its experience and views on the enlargement process are important for EU member states, but also those who wish to be part of the EU, and strengthen their relations with the bloc, she added.

“At the end of the year a parliamentary assembly of CEI states will be held and the final event will be a summit of CEI heads of governments along with a business forum in November,” Pejcinovic Buric said.

Managing migrations is a priority of Croatia’s chairmanship, she said.

The topic of today’s meeting was the CEI’s future, with a special emphasis on experiences and challenges of integration processes, as well as joint efforts in strengthening regional stability.