COVID-19: Croatia postpones all EU informal meetings

By Talha Ozturk

BELGRADE, Serbia (AA) - The Croatian EU presidency postponed all informal meetings scheduled in the country until 15 May due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"In order to limit the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and to mitigate its effects, the Croatian Presidency of the Council of the European Union has decided to postpone until 15 May all Croatian Presidency related informal meetings scheduled to take place in Croatia," said the statement.

Also, a new date will be sought for the EU-Western Balkans summit in the capital Zagreb, which was initially scheduled for May 7.

The summit in Zagreb has been planned as one of the main events of the Croatian Presidency, aimed at gathering the leaders of the EU and region for the first time since Sofia Summit in May 2018.

A 4-month-old infant tested positive for coronavirus in Croatia, which has reported 1,343 cases so far. The death toll is 19, and 179 people have recovered from the disease.

Since the virus emerged last December in China's Wuhan city, it has spread to at least 184 countries and regions.

There are more than 1.44 million confirmed cases worldwide, with over 83,400 deaths, and above 308,200 recoveries, according to the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.