The Foreign Ministry of Croatia

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia

Born:

1963

Nationality: 

Croatian

Languages:

French, English, Spanish – active knowledge;

German - passive knowledge

Education

1993 - 1994 College of Europe, Bruges (Belgium) and Warsaw (Poland), Post-graduate study – Master in European Studies

1980 - 1985 University of Zagreb, Faculty of Economics, Zagreb, Croatia Bachelor of Science Degree 

Work Experience

June 2017 - Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs

May – November 2018 Chairperson of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe 

November 2016 – June 2017 State Secretary, the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs

2013 - 2016 European Policy Expert – Independent consultancy (work on EU, UNDP and bilaterally funded projects in the candidate and potential candidate countries, as well as in European Neighbourhood countries)

2008 - 2011 Deputy in the Croatian Parliament (HDZ):
Chairperson - Delegation of the Croatia - EU Joint Parliamentary Committee;
Head of the delegation of the Croatian Parliament to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly;
Member of the European Integration Committee, the Foreign Affairs Committee, the National Committee for the Follow-up of Negotiations;
Member or alternate member of the Croatian Parliament delegations to Parliamentary Assemblies (PA) of: the Council of Europe, the Western European Union, the Parliamentary Mediterranean Union;
Member of the Parliamentary Public Relations Committee, PA Western European Union; the Economic and Development Committee, PA Council of Europe;
Chairperson of the Sub-committee for Development, PA Council of Europe;
Chairperson of the Croatian – USA Friendship Society in the Croatian Parliament

2005 - 2008 State Secretary, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration

2004 - 2005 State Secretary, the Ministry of European Integration

2000 - 2004 Assistant Minister, the Ministry of European Integration

2006 - 2008 Member of the Croatian Negotiation Team for membership in the EU, Negotiator for Chapters: 30 External Relations, 31 Foreign, Security and Defense Policy, 34 Institutions and 35 Other Issues 

2006 - 2008 Chairperson for Croatia in the EU Stabilisation and Association Committee 

2005 - 2006 Member of the working group “Free movement of capital” in the Croatian Negotiation Team for EU membership

2005 - 2006 National Coordinator for Assistance Programmes and Co-operation with the EU 

2004 - 2006 National Coordinator for ISPA Programme

2000 - 2001 Member of Negotiating team for Stabilisation and Association Agreement Croatia - EU 

1997 - 2000 Director of Corporate Communications, PLIVA Inc., Zagreb 

1995 - 1997 Director of the Europe House Zagreb, Zagreb 

1991 - 1994 Secretary General of the Europe House Zagreb; Deputy Secretary General of the European Movement Croatia 

1988 - 1991 Expert Associate for Foreign Trade, “Končar Engineering”, Zagreb

Other Work Experience

2003 - 2011; 2017 -  Lecturer at the seminars of the Diplomatic Academy of Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia, History of European Integration and Founding Treaties; Parliamentary Democracy; EU Institutions and the Decision   Making Process; Croatia as the member of European Union - challenges and opportunities

2012 - 2013  Lecturer at the seminars of the State School for Public Administration - the Lisbon Treaty

1991 - Lecturer at seminars and conferences on European integration in Croatia and abroad 

Board Memberships and Projects

President of the Initiative  - Partnership for Open Government, Croatia, 2017

Member of the Board of Directors of CEPS (Centre for European Policy Studies), Brussels, since 2016

Member of the Board of Management of the Alliance française in Zagreb, 2003-2013

Member of the Board of Management of the Foundation for Civil Society Development, 2003 – 2008; 2017

Member of the Steering Committee of the “Public Administration” magazine, since 2005

Participant in the scientific project “Europeisation of the Croatian Public Administration”, 2006 – 2011

Member of the Steering Committee of the “civilsociety.hr” magazine,  2004 - 2008

Representative of the Republic of Croatia at Le Conseil permanent de la Francophonie 2012. - 2015.

Vice-President for Central Europe, Institute Robert Schuman for Europe (IRSE), Chantilly, 1996-1997

Representative of the Croatian Section at the European Committee of the Europe at School/ L’Europe a l’Ecole, 1995-1996

Permanent Representative of the Republic of Croatia, Alps Adriatic Working Community, Working Group for Youth, 1991 -1993

Author and editor of articles on topics related to European Integration

Role of the Croatian Parliament in the European Integration, Etudes europeennes, ENA, Strasbourg, 2011

Reversing the sharp Decline in Youth Unemployment, Report to the PA Council of Europe, Strasbourg, 2011

Council of Europe as a Promoter of European Integration: Case Study Croatia, Crossroads, Skopje, 2010

The Efficiency of the Use of the EU Pre-Accession Funds in Croatia, Croatian Public Administration – 3, Zagreb, 2010

EUphorie in Kroatien, Kulturreport, Fortschritt Europa, Stuttgart, 2004

Should we discard Croatian Identity while joining the EU?, Croatian Identity in the EU, Centre for Advancing of the Church Social Tenet, Zagreb, 2003

A brief Overview of the History of European Integration, Croatia and Europe, European Movement Croatia and Europe House Zagreb, Zagreb 1997

Co-operation in the south-east Europe, Europe House Zagreb Seminar, Zagreb, 1996

Last Chance for Peace in Bosnia and Croatia, The Sunday Times, Valletta, February, 1996

Istria and European Integration, Istrian Club Conference, Zagreb, 1995

Phare: a part of Strategy for EU Integration, Europe House Zagreb Seminar, 1995

All about Phare Programme, Pan Liber, Osijek, 1994

The Goals and Consequences of the Previous Enlargements, Europe House Zagreb Seminar, April 1994

The European East Today: Romania and Bulgaria; Hungary and Albania EM Magazine, Zagreb, May-June 1994

L’Elargissement de l’Union europeenne, Collège d’Europe, La these de DEA, Bruges – Varsovie, 1994

Editor in Chief of PLIVA Magazine (1997 – 1999) and Euroforum, Magazine of the Ministry of the European Integration of the Republic of Croatia (2002 – 2005)

Other Professional Training

Advanced language learning and "au pair" work in Paris (1.5 years), London (1 year) and Salamanca (6 months), 1985 - 1988

Diplomatic course, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Croatia and the Law School of Zagreb, April-July 1992, Zagreb

Study visit to Germany – Berlin, Land Brandenberg: Postdam, Frankfurt am Oder, 2011

Study visit to Belgium and Netherlands: Permanent Representative USA to NATO - headquarter NATO, Brussels and Brunssum, 2009.

Study visit to Japan: Japan – diplomatic and economic history, relations EU – Japan, Tokyo, Kyoto, 2009.

Study visit to Denmark: “Strategic Planning in Public Administration”, 2008, Copenhagen

Study visit to Slovakia: “Pre-accession funds”, “Structural and Cohesion Funds”, 2005, Bratislava

Study visit to Ireland: “Structural and Cohesion Funds”, 2005, Dublin

Study visit to Finland: “Structural and Cohesion Funds”, 2005, Helsinki,

Study visit to Germany: “Germany as a Transition Country”, Konrad Adenauer Foundation, 2002, Berlin and Leipzig

Study visit to Hungary, Albania, Bulgaria and Romania, March – April 1994              

Study visit to the Council of Europe and the European Parliament, invitation by L’Ecole Centrale from Paris, 1990, Strasbourg

Course in professional management: "Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Management", Management Centre Europe, 1998, Brussels

Seminar: "The European Union After 1996", Salzburg Seminar Foundation scholarship, 1995, Salzburg

Participant at number of other professional training courses on management, communication skills etc., since 1990

Membership in political parties: