Mr. Baričević, in addition to introducing students to the role of the European Union and Croatia's position in the EU, also answered a number of students' questions...
VERN's 2nd year undergraduate Journalism students, as part of their fieldwork in the Thematic Reporting course, accompanied by lecturer Zlatko Herljević , visited the House of Europe in Zagreb, where they spoke with Branko Baričević , Ambassador and Head of the European Commission Representation in the Republic of Croatia.
In addition to introducing students to the role of the European Union and Croatia's position in the EU, Mr. Baričević also answered a number of student questions related to education and employment prospects for young people, in the context of demand and knowledge and skills for the labor market.
"Unemployment is at its lowest level in Europe," he emphasized, supporting this with statistical data and optimistic economic indicators of GDP growth in all EU member states. However, he also warned that although Croatia is achieving successful results, the EU has sent us recommendations for improvements in the health, education, labor, judiciary and pension sectors.
Among other issues, the Head of the Representation pointed to a number of projects intended to strengthen the EU's military and defense systems, and regarding Croatia's entry into the eurozone, he expects that it will take five to six years to introduce the euro, with the stabilization of the exchange rate and public debt and the fulfillment of other conditions.
The students also learned about the White Paper on the Future of Europe , which envisages five scenarios for the development of Europe by 2025, each scenario based on the assumption that the Union consists of 27 member states.
"As we decide which way to go, we must remember that Europe has always worked best when we were united, bold and confident that we could shape our future together," wrote Jean-Claude Juncker , President of the European Commission, in the foreword to the White Paper .
(Igor Jurdana, Ivan Vukovic)
