ZAGREB
Marija Pejčinović-Burić, the centre-right Croatian Minister of Foreign Affairs (FM), has been elected as a Secretary General of the Council of Europe (CoE), EURACTIV’s partner Jutarnji list reported.
With 159 votes from 268 members of the EPP-dominated Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in Strasbourg, Pejcinovic Buric beat Belgian rival Didier Reynders.
In Zagreb, Pejčinović-Burić’s election is considered a real success, but it also causes a political headache for Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, as he has to choose a new FM ahead of Croatia’s EU Presidency due to start on 1 January 2020.
The PM wanted Davor Božinović, currently minister of interior, but this is not possible since he would be difficult to replace. EURACTIV.hr reports that the most likely candidate is Andrea Metelko-Zgombić, state secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She is an experienced diplomat but is not a member of the governing party and this will be a problem for Plenković as HDZ’s right-wing faction would like to have a party official in that post.
Sources suggest that the PM may even reshuffle the government, also in light of a scandal involving Minister of Public Administration Lovro Kuščević, who has been accused of not declaring some of his property.
Pejčinović-Burić’s election was, however, overshadowed by the walkout of several delegations following the ratification of Russia’s return to the assembly. Moscow had been suspended following the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine.
Moscow’s return marks the first relaxation of the international sanctions that were imposed on Moscow for seizing Crimea.
