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 
  • 2005 - 2006 Member of the working group “Free movement of capital” in the Croatian Negotiation Team for EU membership
  • 2006 - 2008  Chairperson for Croatia in the EU Stabilisation and Association Committee 
  • 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 à 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 européennes, 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 européenne, 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

  • Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ)