Croatian member of the European Parliament Dubravka Suica organised a conference in Brussels on Wednesday entitled "Dubrovnik: Valorisation of Croatian Intangible Cultural Heritage in the European Context."

The conference was held to mark 17 centuries following the death of the town's patron saint, St. Blaise.

"When we entered the European Union (EU) we said we had a lot to give Europe and visa versa. I wanted to bring the European public and my colleagues in the European Parliament (EP) closer to the way we worship St. Blaise, not just in Dubrovnik but in Zagreb too," Šuica said.

She expressed satisfaction that Croatian Prime Minister-Designate Andrej Plenković and fellow MEP Davor Ivo Stier attended the conference. The two tendered their resignations in the EP on Wednesday.

Plenković too was pleased to be able to attend the conference and said that one of the main tasks as European parliamentarians was to inform other MEPs about Croatian culture, history and tradition.

Art historian Maja Nodari, who deserves the greatest credit for the Feast of St. Blaise being included on the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage, underscored its importance.

Even though St. Blaise is worshipped around the world, Dubrovnik has worshipped him for more than a thousand years, "so he is mostly ours," Nodari said.

Guest speakers at the conference included MEPs Antonio Lopez-Isturiz White and Esteban Gonzalez Pons, and several officials from Dubrovnik.

https://aboutcroatia.net/news/croatia/croatian-mep-organises-conference-dubrovnik-ep-40115