Sanader: Croatia Is In Good Standing In Brussels

Prime Minister Ivo Sanader said this evening that the desire of the counties for special representation in Brussels was understandable.

When asked to comment on the recent opening of the Office of the County of Osijek-Baranja and of the City of Osijek in Brussels this evening in Osijek, Prime Minister Ivo Sanader said that the counties' desire to have special representation in Brussels was understandable, but that this should be within the framework of a single Croatian office. 

"Croatia is in good standing in Brussels and it promotes all of its provinces well. One can understand the desire of certain local and regional government units to have special representation in Brussels, but this needs to be within a single Croatian office, where all Croatian counties could present themselves, and I think that is what we will do," said Prime Minister Sanader this evening, after the opening of the Esseker Centre.

On Wednesday, March 14, the new Office of Croatian Regions was opened in Brussels. It will represent the interests of the counties of Varazdin, Medjimurje, Zagreb, Sisak-Moslavina, Dubrovnik-Neretva, Karlovac, and Osijek-Baranja, as well as of the cities of Rijeka, Dubrovnik, Osijek, and Karlovac. The Office of Istrian County had already been opened in Brussels and on Tuesday, March 13, the offices of the counties Osijek-Baranja and Slavonia-Pozega were also opened. 

Reporters asked the Prime Minister for a comment on the Vienna court's decision made yesterday, which set a million euros' bail for Zagorec and they asked Sanader when Zagorec was expected to arrive to Croatia.

"Those are the court's autonomous decisions. What I expect as a prime minister is that a law-based state works in every case, including the case of the retired general Zagorec," said Sanader. 

When asked by reporters if Croatian Democratic Union's (HDZ) list at the upcoming elections in the 4^th constituency (Osijek-Baranja and Virovitica-Podravina counties) will be carried by Vladimir Seks or someone else, Sanader replied as the party's president that "Parliament president Seks will definitely be one of the party's greatest assets in the election campaign" and that HDZ is sure to win in the 4^th constituency.