Neven Mimica

Neven Mimica has enjoyed a prestigious career in domestic and international politics. Neven was the first Croatian Commissioner to the European Union serving in the Barroso Commission as Commissioner for Consumer Protection. He continued his second mandate as Commissioner for International Development and Cooperation under Juncker’s Presidency.

Prior to his European career, Neven served as Deputy Minister of the Economy from 1997 to 2001, where he played a pivotal role in initiating the negotiations on the Stabilization and Association Agreement between Croatia and the European Union. At that time, he was also the chief negotiator of the Croatian Government for the admission of the Republic of Croatia to the World Trade Organization (WTO). Following this, he served as the Croatian Minister of European Integration until 2003.

Neven’s commitment to public service extended into the Croatian Parliament, where he served two terms from 2003 to 2011. During this period, he chaired the parliamentary Committee for European Integration from 2003 to 2011 and was elected Deputy Speaker of the Croatian Parliament from 2008 to 2011. Assuming additional responsibilities, Neven took on the role of Deputy Prime Minister, overseeing internal affairs, foreign policy, and European affairs until 2013. Subsequently, with Croatia’s accession to the EU, Neven was appointed to the European Commission.

Neven holds an MA in Economics from the University of Zagreb, where he had previously obtained a degree in foreign trade. Neven is also an avid reader, keeping up to date on the history books and graphic novels.