OPATIJA OPATIJA, Feb 28 (Hina) - A conference on trans-border regional cooperation started in the northern Adriatic resort of Opatija, pooling participants from ten regional parties from Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia and
Montenegro and Slovenia. The event was organised by the Primorje-Gorski Kotar Alliance (PGS).
OPATIJA, Feb 28 (Hina) - A conference on trans-border regional
cooperation started in the northern Adriatic resort of Opatija,
pooling participants from ten regional parties from Croatia,
Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro and Slovenia. The event was
organised by the Primorje-Gorski Kotar Alliance (PGS). #L#
Opening the conference, PGS leader Nikola Ivanis said that
trans-border regional cooperation was one of the most topical
political issues in Europe and that the goal of the conference was to
improve relations between regions and states in South-East Europe on
their way to the European Union.
Croatian European Integration Minister Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic said
that the development of individual regions was the basis of
development of the state and that regional development was one of the
priorities of the incumbent government and the EU. Once Croatia is
admitted to the EU, its regions should become the centres of
development and be granted access to regional development funds, she
said.
The minister said that Croatia contributed to the stabilisation and
sustainable development of the countries in South-East Europe and
supported them on their way to the EU.
Primorje-Gorski Kotar County prefect Zlatko Komadina warned about what
he called a long-term government policy of not stimulating regional
development. A result of that, among other things, is the unbalanced
development of the country, which has led to depopulation and a
backward economy in some areas, Komadina said.
The conference was also addressed by Rijeka mayor Vojsko Obersnel and
Istria County prefect Ivan Jakovcic. Jakovcic said that constitutional
provisions on decentralisation were not transformed into laws and that
decentralisation in Croatia had not even started.
The conference resumes with speeches by a parliament vice-president,
Vesna Pusic, the chairmen of the parliament's committees on European
integration and foreign policy, Neven Mimica and Nikola Ivanis
respectively, and the leaders of regional parties participating in the
event.
The conference ends on Sunday.
(Hina) rml