"I have been lucky to intertwine my passion for politics with travel throughout my professional career, while in music and nature I find sanctuary to this day. Notes, which I have been systematically writing for the past 20 years, are constantly inviting me to edit, link and offer them to the public – for both reading and judgement".
Member of the European Parliament in the third term.
Four term representative in the Croatian Parliament.
Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Croatia and former mayor of Velika Gorica.
Member of the Social Democratic Party of Croatia (SDP).
Born on August 31, 1961 in Mali Lošinj.
Lives with his wife Marijana and daughter Petra, has worked in and travelled to almost all member countries of EU and OSCE.
Croatian Homeland War veteran.
Education
Completed primary and secondary education in Šibenik.
Graduated Sociology from the University of Zagreb and became sociology professor (MA) in 1986.
Political career
2013 – … Member of the European Parliament
• 2019 – today Member of the European Parliament, Parliament’s 9th term
Coordinator of the Socialists and Democrats Group (S&D) at the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee.
Chair of the Working Group on the Western Balkans under the Committee on Foreign Policy (AFET) of the European Parliament.
European Parliament standing rapporteur for relations with the United States of America.
European Parliament standing rapporteur for relations with Montenegro.
Chair of EP Intergroup for Seas, Rivers, Islands and Coastal Areas.
European Parliament Rapporteur for Recommendations on the Western Balkans ahead of the Zagreb summit.
Member: (AFET) Committee on Foreign Affairs, (ING2) Special Committee on foreign interference in all democratic processes in the European Union, including disinformation (INGE 2), (DSEE) Delegation for relations with Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo, (DEPA) Delegation to the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly
Substitute: (ECON) Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs, (AGRI) Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, (D-RS) Delegation to the EU-Serbia Stabilisation and Association Parliamentary Committee, (D-US) Delegation for relations with the United States
• 2014 – 2019 Member of the European Parliament, Parliament's 8th term
Elected with the highest number of preferential votes.
Chair of Delegation for relations with Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo.
Member: Committee on Foreign Affairs, Subcommittee on Security and Defence, Delegation to the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly.
Substitute: Committee on Regional Development, Delegation to the EU-Serbia Stabilisation and Association Parliamentary Committee.
Vice-Chair of Intergroup for Seas, Rivers, Islands and Coastal Areas in charge of islands.
• 2013 – 2014 Member of the European Parliament, 7th term
Elected with the highest number of preferential votes.
Vice-Chair of Delegation for relations withs Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro and Kosovo.
Member: Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Substitute: Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean, Committee on Petitions.
• 2012 – 2013 Croatian Parliament observer in the European Parliament
2003 – 2013 Member of the Croatian Parliament
• 2011 – 2013 Member of the Croatian Parliament, 7th term
Vice-President of the Delegation of the Croatian Parliament to the Joint Parliamentary Committee of the Republic of Croatia – EU.
Head of the Croatian Parliamentary Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean.
Member: Foreign Affairs Committee, European Affairs Committee, Committee on the Constitution, Standing Orders and Political System, Interparliamentary Co-operation Committee, Delegation of the Croatian Parliament to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
Appointed Special Coordinator and Head of the OSCE election observer missions in Russia (2012), Georgia (2012) and Armenia (2013).
Croatian Parliament observer in the European Parliament.
• 2008 – 2011 Member of the Croatian Parliament, 6th term
Vice-chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee.
Head of the Croatian Parliament Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.
Member: Committee on the Constitution, Standing Orders and Political System, War Veterans Committee, Interparliamentary Co-operation Committee.
Deputy of Head of Delegation of the Croatian Parliament to the Croatia - EU Joint Parliamentary Committee.
Vice president of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly since 2011.
Rapporteur of the OSCE Polling Station Commissions (PSC) Committee on Political and Security Affairs (2010-2011).
Special Coordinator and Head of the OSCE election observer missions on elections in Moldova (2010) and Kazakhstan (2011).
•2003 – 2008 Member of the Croatian Parliament, 5th term
Head of the Croatian Parliament Delegation to the OSCE.
Member: Foreign Affairs Committee, Interparliamentary Co-operation Committee.
• 2000 – 2003 Elected as Member of the Croatian Parliament, 4th term (mandate suspended due to incompatibility with the duty of a Minister of Foreign Affairs in Government of Croatia)
2005 – 2009 Mayor of the City of Velika Gorica
Re-elected after early elections in 2006
2000 – 2003 Minister for Foreign Affairs of Croatian Goverment
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2018 – today Member of the PES Presidency (Party of European Socialists)
1992 – today Social Democratic Party of Croatia (SDP)
2016 Vice President of SDP
2008 – 2012 Member of the SDP Presidency
2004 – 2008 Chair of SDP Central Committee
1997 – 2000 Head of the SDP branch in Velika Gorica and Councilor in the Zagreb County Assembly
1993 – 2000 Secretary for International Relations of the Social Democratic Party of Croatia
1992 – 1993 Cabinet Secretary of the SDP President - Mr. Ivica Račan
Other
Secretary of the Croatian Society of Friendship with Bosnia and Herzegovina (1994-2000)
Co-founder and member of the board of directors of the 'Wings of Love' organization from Velika Gorica for protection of abused and traumatized children (2005-2011)
Expert Associate at the Center for the preliminary theoretical work (1989-1990)
Expert Associate for Croatian Cultural Association and Secretary of mag,azine „Kulturni radnik“ (1987-1989)
Member of Matica Hrvatska and the Croatian Sociological Association
Fluent in English. Basic Italian and German.
