Open Society representatives told a news conference that the purpose of stepped-up engagement was to support the process of democratisation and consolidation of Croatia, with the foundation viewing the combination of the last stage in Croatia's EU entry talks, a serious economic crisis and the other current circumstances as a challenge for Open Society.
The advisor to Open Society Croatia, Tin Gazivoda, said the projects would cover the areas of human rights, transparency and good governance, education, culture, media, the position of people with intellectual difficulties and mental health, the Roma and other marginalised groups, and scholarship programmes.
A conference on Croatia's European Union accession negotiations will be organised in mid-May by Open Society together with the German Heinrich Boll foundation.