Prime Minister Andrej Plenković met tonight, in the Elysee Palace, with the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, at whose invitation he is on a two-day official visit to Paris. After the meeting, the Action Plan for the implementation of the Croatian-French Strategic Partnership, the Contract for the procurement of Caesar self-propelled howitzers and the Letter of Intent on the procurement of improved Rafale aircraft capabilities were signed. “We continue to strengthen the Croatian-French partnership. The goal of these activities is also complementarity with strengthening European resilience and competitiveness, as well as preserving the common values ​​on which the European Union rests,” it was said after the meeting.
The Three-Year Action Plan for the period 2026-2028 was signed by the Croatian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman and the French Delegated Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Benjamin Haddad, the Contract for the procurement of Caesar MK2 self-propelled howitzers for the Croatian Army and the Letter of Intent for the procurement of improved Rafale aircraft capabilities for the Croatian Air Force by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Ivan Anušić and the French Minister of the Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs Catherine Vautrin.
In a statement to the media after the signing of the agreement, French President Emmanuel Macron said that the signed Action Plan defines new areas for deepening cooperation for the benefit of our two peoples and joint action within the European Union.
Macron: Strategic Partnership a major step in strengthening relations between France and Croatia
He emphasized that the friendship between the two countries has been built since Croatia’s independence and that for more than 30 years, Croatia and France have been nurturing relations of trust based on shared values.
“In 2021, we took a major step in this relationship by adopting an ambitious Strategic Partnership, which allowed us to intensify our cooperation in the political, economic, defense, scientific, educational and cultural fields,” said President Macron, adding that this partnership is visible in very concrete and measurable results.
In this context, he added that trade exchange increased by 40% between 2021 and 2024, and since 2021, investments by French companies in Croatia have almost tripled.
“Likewise, I can say that the French love Croatia, since 600 thousand people visited it in 2024,” said President Macron.
Defense cooperation one of the pillars of our relationship
We will support the strengthening of our economic exchanges, and the success of today’s Economic Forum is a testament to the interest of French and Croatian companies in our countries, particularly in the areas of infrastructure, energy and digital transition, the French President stressed.
“Our defense cooperation has become one of the pillars of our relationship,” Macron said, recalling Croatia’s important decision to modernize its air force by purchasing 12 Rafale aircraft in 2021, a symbol of French and European industrial excellence.
“We share priorities, we share the need to strengthen our collective defense position, our ability to respond more effectively to crises,” Macron stressed.
We want a strong and lasting peace for both Ukrainians and Europeans
Emphasizing that they are also closely cooperating on the issue of Russian aggression against Ukraine, he said that he had informed Prime Minister Plenković about the talks held this afternoon in London with Prime Minister Starmer, Chancellor Merz and President Zelensky.
In this context, he stressed that from day one, France and Croatia have stood shoulder to shoulder, and the Croatian Prime Minister reiterated the importance of respecting international law, territorial integrity and national sovereignty, as the Prime Minister of a country that has experienced first-hand the consequences of disregard of sovereignty.
“We want to build a strong, lasting peace for Ukrainians and for Europeans. And we will continue to do so together, especially within the Coalition of the willing,” he said.
Croatia – a success story within the European Union
They also discussed, Macron said, issues that will concern all EU members in the coming period: competitiveness, migration, the European budget, but also the enlargement of the European Union to the Western Balkans.
“France supports the European perspective of these countries, which is a strategic choice, but also an imperative for the stability of our continent. And Croatia plays a key role here thanks to its intimate knowledge of the region,” he pointed out.
“I firmly believe that you have contributed greatly to the quality of relations between our two countries, to what we have managed to achieve, but also to Croatia becoming a success story within the European Union. And that you have shown how sincere pro-European commitment can bring concrete results for your country and your people,” said President Macron at the end of his statement to Prime Minister Plenković.
Strengthening economic and defense cooperation
Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said that his official visit to Paris is part of a very meaningful mosaic of relations between Croatia and France, and in the talks, as well as at the successful Economic Forum, all aspects of cooperation were touched upon.
He expressed satisfaction with the signing of a new Action Plan, following on from the Strategic Partnership they signed during Macron’s visit to Zagreb in 2021, which will structure cooperation in all sectoral policies.
He was particularly pleased, he added, that economic exchange had grown in the past few years, reaching 2.3 billion euros last year. France is Croatia’s seventh trading partner, he added.
“We believe that today’s meetings and agreements will contribute to increasing this exchange even further,” he said.
We are also particularly pleased with the accelerated dynamics of cooperation in the defense sector, emphasized Plenković, adding that part of the funds from the SAFE Instrument loan will be invested in the purchase of Caesar self-propelled howitzers.
This, he emphasized, is a continuation of the main project of cooperation, which was the purchase of 12 French Rafale fighter jets.
Thanks to this, he emphasized, Croatia today has the strongest air force in the part of Europe between Germany and Greece.
Support for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine and the enlargement of the European Union
They also discussed, Prime Minister Plenković emphasized, the most important international issues, especially the Russian aggression against Ukraine.
“Croatia stands for a just, sustainable and lasting peace,” he said, adding that it is important that international law and the principle of territorial integrity be respected in the peace process.
They also discussed the topic of the enlargement of the European Union, which Croatia, like France, supports, especially in our neighboring countries, said Prime Minister Plenković.
“I particularly sensitized the president to the issue of Bosnia and Herzegovina, to the constitutive nature of all three peoples, and especially to the rights of the Croatian people,” he emphasized, recalling that in a few days the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Dayton Agreement, which was signed at the Élysée Palace, will be marked.
They also talked about other countries, and Croatia always advocates that those who meet the criteria move forward in the negotiation process with the European Union, he added.
Focus on the Mediterranean
Croatia will host two major summits next year, announced Prime Minister Plenković.
The first is the Three Seas Initiative summit, and the second is the MED-9 group.
We want to work on strengthening cooperation with the Mediterranean countries, and the Pact for the Mediterranean is the framework that will help structure cooperation, especially in the policy of combating illegal migration, said the Croatian Prime Minister.
“I believe that my visit to Paris contributed to strengthening our relations, and we want such a well-defined and elaborated Strategic Partnership to bring the Croatian and French people closer together,” concluded Prime Minister Plenković.
After statements to the media, French President Macron hosted a dinner for the Croatian delegation and representatives of Croatian companies participating in the Croatian-French economic forum.