Europe Asia News

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic hosted European Council President Antonio Costa in Zagreb and discussed the European Union’s policies on defense, competitiveness, enlargement and support for Ukraine.

Plenkovic said he and Costa exchanged views on the EU’s future activities.

The meeting also addressed Croatia’s work under the EU Recovery and Resilience Facility.

Plenkovic said Croatia had successfully completed the implementation of measures under the mechanism and would soon submit two additional requests for the disbursement of the remaining funds.

Noting that Croatia’s use of EU funds is a strong driver of economic development, Plenkovic said they also exchanged views on the new Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for the 2028-2034 period.

Plenkovic said it is of great importance for Croatia, the EU’s youngest member, that the new financial framework continue to serve as an important lever for the development of all regions of the country and the strengthening of the economy.

The EU enlargement process was also on the agenda of the meeting.

Plenkovic said Croatia strongly supports EU enlargement based on the individual progress of candidate countries in fulfilling the membership criteria.

Emphasizing the critical importance of taking fundamental European values such as good-neighborly relations into account in the enlargement process, Plenkovic stressed that supporting Bosnia and Herzegovina’s European path is particularly important for Croatia.

Plenkovic also said that ensuring the equality of the three constituent peoples in Bosnia and Herzegovina is of great importance to Croatia.

The meeting covered defense, competitiveness, EU enlargement, support for Ukraine and the Multiannual Financial Framework for the 2028-2034 period.