The Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni arrived at Zagreb International Airport Franjo Tudman, welcomed by the Italian Ambassador to Croatia, Pierfrancesco Sacco, by the Ambassador of the Republic of Croatia to Italy, Jasen Mesic, and by the Director General for Europe of the Croatian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Zrinka Ujevic.
The dinner, organized by European Council President Charles Michel, aims to continue the debate on the EU’s strategic agenda to be adopted for the next legislative period. In addition to Meloni and Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovich, Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela and Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki will be present at the meeting. Upon her arrival at Banski Dvori, the Croatian government building where the dinner took place, Meloni was greeted by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia, Andrej Plenković, with whom she will have a bilateral meeting tomorrow.
EU expansion to the Western Balkans and refugee dossiers: are the main themes that will be at the heart of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s two days in Croatia, where in the evening she will attend the dinner organized by the President of the EU Council Charles Michel to start the debate on the Strategic Agenda 2024- The EU 2029 began in Granada. Friday will instead be dedicated to bilateral meetings with Croatian institutions, which, it is emphasized, have been missing for two decades. first with Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovich, then with the President of the Croatian Parliament, the Sabor, Gordan Jandrokovic. In the last few days, two of the four limited dinners organized by Michel with 6-7 leaders have already taken place, the first on the 13th in Berlin (Germany, Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Greece, Lithuania, Hungary present) and on the 13th in Copenhagen November 14th (now Denmark, Bulgaria, Finland, Ireland, Sweden and Latvia), while the Paris event, which was due to take place on November 10th, was postponed. In Zagreb this evening, in addition to Meloni and Plenkovich, Michel will also bring together Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela and outgoing Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. However, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico will not be there as he is involved in the parliamentary procedures for a vote of confidence in his government.
Italy is suspending Schengen for another 20 days, as is Slovenia
“I have requested a further 20-day extension of the Schengen suspension measure.”. Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi announced this on SkyTg24’s “Live in Genoa” program. “This is not a pleasant thing for us,” he emphasized.
The Slovenian government has formalized the extension of border controls with Croatia and Hungary until December 9th, extending the measure introduced on October 21st by another 20 days to a maximum of two months. The aim of the restrictive measure is to combat the threats of crime and terrorism linked to ongoing migration flows across the Balkans. A similar suspension of the Schengen regime on freedom of movement was decided by Italy on the border with Slovenia. After the intention to extend the current regime of increased border controls emerged in recent days, the Council of Ministers, as expected, decided at its meeting in Ljubljana today and at the same time announced that Slovenia intends to introduce six-monthly border controls from December 21st on Croatia and Hungary, as Interior Minister Boštjan Poklukar explained. Poklukar also added that auxiliary police officers will be brought in by the end of the year due to a shortage of personnel due to illness, vacation and assignments to special forces.
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