Potocnik made the statement on Friday at the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts (HAZU) in Zagreb, where he held a lecture on the European Union's science policy.
Potocnik said that Croatia was the leading country in the region in terms of science and research and that it could be of great help to other countries in the region in meeting European standards.
The EU official and Croatia's Science, Education and Sports Minister Dragan Primorac today signed a memorandum of understanding on Croatia's accession to the European Community's Sixth Framework Programme (FP6) for research and technological development. The document grants Croatia the status of an associate member in the programme.
Potocnik said that the FP6 would create new possibilities for Croatia and pave the way for its participation in the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7).
An institution with such rich tradition and great reputation as the HAZU can considerably contribute to the successful integration of Croatian science and research into European processes by encouraging young people to become involved in science, raising the level of awareness about the importance of the prosperity of society in general and by encouraging the establishment of excellence centres, Potocnik said.
Speaking about the FP7, Potocnik said that most funds from that programme were intended for cooperation and support for programmes resulting in new ideas.
Another important segment of the FP7 is the establishment of a technological platform for debate on important development issues. One of them is the fact that Europe has great scientific and research potential, but there are also problems in the implementation of the results of scientific research, which can be removed only through cooperation, coordination and competition, Potocnik said.