At the first plenary session in Strasbourg in 2018, MEP Tonino Picula participated in the debate on the implementation of the EU macro-regional strategies. Croatia actively participates in two: the EU Strategy for the Danube Region and the Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region.

On suggestion of the S&D group, the European Parliament discussed extending Schengen to Croatia, today in Strasbourg. MEP Tonino Picula is pleased that he achived that this topic gets priority at the last plenary session in 2017.

"I expect that European institutions will not allow the political blockade of Croatia's entry into Schengen when we meet the criteria. The European Union must be equal to all its Member States and there cannot be any kind of discrimination," said Tonino Picula at a plenary session in Strasbourg.

The European Parliament voted a draft decision on the application of the provisions relating to the Schengen information system (SIS), which is a very first step towards the lifting checks at the EU internal borders to Croatia.

The European Parliament in Strasbourg adopted on Wednesday a package of measures, to tighten and harmonize regulations on checks and inspections in the food chain.

"Principle of constitutionality and federalism are very important for the functioning of such a complex and asymmetric country like BiH. Their further breach can expose the country's stability to greater risks than any external pressures", said the President of the Delegation for relations with BiH and Kosovo Tonino Picula, during the discussion of the Report on the progress of BiH for 2016., in Strasbourg.

MEP Tonino Picula said that the urgent end to the conflict and protection of civilians are a clear priority in which the EU must be an active factor, during the debate on the situation in Eastern Ukraine, on plenary session in Strasbourg.

MEP Tonino Picula requested that European Union Solidarity Fund increase the rate of advance payment from the current 10% to cover a larger share of total cost of the damage from natural disasters, during the discussion on the assessment of the Solidarity Fund tonight in Brussels. He was the shadow rapporteur of the Committee on Regional Development (REGI) on this file.

Political group S&D named MEP Tonino Picula shadow rapporteur for Macedonia. He will be traveling to early parliamentary elections as an observer, already in December. "I hope that these important elections will mark a turning point on Macedonia's way into the EU", Picula said after the appointment.