As one of the founders of the Intergroup of the European Parliament for the Seas, Rivers, Islands and Coastal Areas in which he is the department for islandvice president in charge of the islands, Picula is the preparation of the draft of the new law on Islands, as well as the establishment of the department for the islands, which has been operating in Ministry within last two months.
Picula informed the Minister about the latest European legislative and policy initiatives related to islands and welcomed the efforts of the Ministry for more effective management of the development of our islands. Minister Žalac and MEP Picula both agreed that Croatia has many opportunities for using European experiences and island funds, and that Croatian experience in managing island development can be very useful to the creators of the European island policy. Both oh them pointed out that the islands and Adriatic Croatia are one of the topics that the Croatia can put on the agenda for its EU Presidency in 2020 and become one of the leaders of the island's development in the Union.
Thanks to the parliamentary Intergrup in which Picula is in charge of the islands, the European Parliament has adopted a Resolution on the special situation of islands that represents a milestone in the European approach for islands whose development requires cross-sector cooperation. The working meeting therefore had a number of topics, from the need to strengthen inter-island connectivity, the idea to develop more the Croatian island product project to innovative solutions in water resources management.
In cooperation with the Royal Institute for Technology in Stockholm, MEP Picula will gather representatives of eight islands from France, Greece, Ireland and Croatia on island Vis, this September. They will put together an international Water Saving Challenge project for water resource management based on innovative technologies and politics. Croatia is represented by 2 islands, Lastovo and Vis. MEP Picula invited Minister Žalac and her associates to participate in the work of the central project conference to be held in Komiža at the end of September.
Also at the end of August, at the invitation of Minister Žalac, MEP Picula will participate in the work of the Island Council on Lastovo, which will contribute to the development policy of the Croatian islands and its integration into European framework.
