Remarks by Commissioner Dombrovskis at IMF-Croatia National Bank joint conference on growth and resilience in central, eastern, and southeastern Europe

European Commission -Speech [Check Against Delivery] Remarks by Commissioner Dombrovskis at IMF-Croatia National Bank joint conference on growth and resilience in central, eastern, and southeastern Europe Dubrovnik, 29 May 2025 Dear Boris, Dear Kristalina, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for the opportunity to participate in this important and timely conference, and for the honour of addressing you this evening. It is a pleasure to be in this beautiful city for the first time. It is especially fitting that we gather here to discuss how best to navigate challenging times. Dubrovnik has demonstrated its capacity to adapt and thrive in the face of adversity throughout its long history. If we cast our minds back to the era of the Republic of Ragusa, the maritime republic centred here in Dubrovnik, we are reminded that its leaders chose not to pursue conquest and war. Instead, it secured its safety and “libertas” through strong trade relations, excellent diplomacy and wise economic policy. Today, of course, Dubrovnik has become a magnet for TV fans thanks to the Game of Thrones series. Events in the world today might even make you think that we were living through one of its episodes! Our economies and societies are going through a period of unprecedented turbulence. Multiple new challenges have emerged. Russia's brutal full-scale invasion of Ukraine is in its fourth year, with Russia launching its largest airstrikes against Ukraine in recent days. Here in...