During the one-week professional practice program, employees of the Virovitica-Podravina and Požega-Slavonia Counties and VIDRA-e-Agency for Regional Development of the Virovitica-Podravina County stayed in Brussels.

On the first day of professional practice, colleagues had the opportunity to learn about the work of the European Committee of the Regions with an emphasis on the legislative framework of cross-border cooperation in the context of the preparation and implementation of EU projects from Osijek's Slaven Klobučar, an employee of the European Committee of the Regions.
Among the first activities of professional practice, we held a meeting with the Representative Office of the Greater Poland Voivodeship in Brussels. The topic of the meeting was the previous work of the Representation, which started its work in 2002, as well as topics that are currently high on the list of priorities for Poland. Colleagues also presented the characteristics and investment potential of Požega-Slavonia and Virovitica-Podravina Counties, strategic projects that have been implemented in the counties, as well as the work of VIDRA.
This was followed by a meeting in the European Parliament with MP Sunčana Glavak. We talked about the challenges in Croatia's demography and the importance of regional development with an emphasis on improving infrastructure in rural areas, and our colleagues got an insight into the work of the European Parliament itself. We also participated in the opening of the exhibition of graphics by the renowned Croatian artist Tomislav Buntak. The exhibition presents 25 graphic works imbued with specific motifs of biblical iconography and special internal considerations.
Colleagues had the opportunity to learn more about the work of the EU Council from Hrvoje Butigan, the diplomatic advisor for the area of Cohesion Policy and cooperation with regional representations in the EU Council, the place where the voice of the governments of the EU member states is heard. The Permanent Representation of the Republic of Croatia to the European Union is the key voice of Croatian interests.
At the invitation of the representative office of the German federal state of Hessen, we attended the conference "The role of Europe in the world: value-driven foreign policy in the light of global crisis management". The theme of the conference was that current wars and crises in the world are a challenge for the EU to strengthen the foundations of its value-driven foreign and security policy. The European Union is the result of a large number of successfully overcome crises. Having started as a peace project, the EU is now an important player for peace, security and sustainability in the world. It is not only bound by its core values in its inner workings; human rights, rule of law and democracy are also guiding principles of its foreign policy.
Professional practice in the office of the Representative Office enabled the employees of the Virovitica-Podravina and Požega-Slavonia Counties and VIDRA to become familiar with the work of the European Union institutions and the perspective of the role of the Republic of Croatia in the creation of European policies, as well as opportunities to involve local and regional communities in their creation.

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