A DELEGATION of 24 European Union ambassadors last week begun its tour of Western Australia by learning about the historic Croatian roots of the Swan Valley wine region.

The delegation is touring the state to deepen engagement and understanding of the mining sector following the signing of the EU-Australia Critical Minerals MoU earlier this year.

The bilateral commitment is aimed at enabling the European Union and Australia to collaborate on the future supply of sustainable critical minerals as Europe and Australia embark on their roadmap to net zero emissions by 2050.

The ambassadors kicked off their tour with a visit to the Swan Valley’s Nikola Estate, which has been growing vines since 1929 and laid the backdrop to the annual Croatian Wine Festival.

Croatian ambassador to Australia, Betty Pavelich said it was a fascinating experience for the group to gain insight into the how the valley’s Croatian heritage had contributed culturally and financially to the state.

“It is always such an honour to come back to the Swan Valley for the Croatian Wine Festival, hosted by the WA Croatian Chamber (WACCC). I am truly grateful to chamber president Luke Jurcevic, the owners of Nikola Estate the Yukich family, and all of the volunteers for the effort that they put into organising this incredible festival.

“Families of Croatian heritage have been in the wine making business in the Swan Valley for more than 100 years. Some of the vineyards even started with vines from the Croatian Island of Vis, where winemaking began some 2500 years ago.

“I’m particularly pleased that more than 20 of my fellow European Union ambassadors were able to join me at Nikola Estate for what was a fabulous afternoon of Croatian culture, great food and wine. I congratulate the WA Croatian Chamber on this successful event,” Ms Pavelich said.

WACCC president Luke Jurcevic said the visit was one of the most influential and high-profile encounters in recent history.

“If there was ever an issue about the Swan Valley not being on the international map, I suspect that won’t be an issue any longer,” he said.

“The region’s door to Europe has been opened far and wide and I would expect the tourism interest to the valley to be significantly boosted coupled with much greater awareness about the important cultural and financial role the Croatian community has played in the region and within the wider Western Australian community.”

Fourteen ambassadors representing the European Union, Austria, Germany, Estonia, France, Finland, Croatia, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, The Netherlands, Romania, Sweden, Slovenia, and Spain were in attendance.