Economic cooperation, security, migration and EU enlargement focus of PM’s official visit to Italy

Prime Minister Andrej Plenković paid an official visit to the Italian Republic in Rome today, where he met with the President of the Italian Republic Sergio Mattarella, the President of the House of Representatives Lorenzo Fontana, and the Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The delegation also included the representative of the Italian national minority in the Croatian Parliament, Furio Radin, which once again confirmed the quality care for the position of the Italian national minority in Croatia and the Croatian national minority in Italy.

The official visit to Italy began with a meeting with the President of the House of Representatives of the Italian Republic, Lorenzo Fontana.

Intensifying cooperation on the broader European and Mediterranean agenda

"We have confirmed good relations and close cooperation in the European Union, NATO and other international forums. Croatia has taken over the presidency of the EU MED-9 group, which provides us with an opportunity to intensify cooperation on a number of issues on the broader European and Mediterranean agenda. Our common goal is to achieve a just and sustainable peace in Ukraine, a European perspective for Southeast Europe, as well as stabilizing the situation in the Middle East," said Prime Minister Plenković after the meeting on Platform X.

He then met with the President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella, who visited Croatia in July this year.

"Croatia and Italy continue to cooperate closely on a number of European and global issues, and we want to put good neighborly relations into the function of further strengthening economic exchange between Croatia and Italy," said Prime Minister Plenković about the meeting.

Continuation of good relations and opening of a new partnership

After the meeting with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, joint statements were made to the media, and relations between Italy and Croatia were assessed as excellent. A common desire to further strengthen the already strong economic cooperation was also expressed.

Prime Minister Meloni expressed her satisfaction with Prime Minister Plenković's visit, recalling that she had visited Zagreb two years ago. It was the first official visit by an Italian prime minister to Croatia in 20 years.

She added that today's meeting is a continuation of mutual meetings, bilateral cooperation and an indicator of good relations and the desire to open a new partnership.

There are long historical ties, and now it is time for the future, to see how much Croatia and Italy can do together in Brussels to create a new, stronger and safer Europe, she said.

Meloni emphasized that the two countries share the opinion that the process of European integration of the Western Balkans should be accelerated by giving these countries a concrete perspective.

"Europe will not be truly united until all European nations enter the European Union family," said the Italian Prime Minister, adding that this is in the strategic interest of both countries.
 
Prime Minister Plenković visited Italy a day after he addressed the participants of the first International Conference on Italophony via video link, where he said that the Italian language is popular and widespread in Croatia and that its learning, as well as literary translation and publishing activities, are constantly supported and encouraged. Prime Minister Meloni thanked him, emphasizing that he is an ambassador of the Italian language in the world.

Strengthening economic cooperation

Prime Minister Plenković pointed out that both Croatia and Italy are allies and partners within NATO and the European Union, and joint action continues within a number of regional initiatives, such as the Adriatic-Ionian, Central European or the EU MED-9 initiative.

Speaking about bilateral relations, the Prime Minister stated that trade exchange has reached almost 9 billion euros, while Italy has been Croatia's first or second foreign trade partner for years.

"This indicates very strong relations between our economies," said the Prime Minister, adding that there is a mutual desire to further intensify this segment of cooperation.

In this context, he added that, after this year's successful economic forum between the two countries held in Croatia, special thematic economic forums could be a great opportunity to deepen economic cooperation.

He reported that they had agreed to organize a meeting between the two governments in 2026., in a narrower format, with priority areas of cooperation.

As we mark the 30th anniversary of the Agreement on the Protection of National Minorities, Prime Minister Plenković said, efforts will be made to give new dynamics to policies supporting numerous programs.

Cooperation in the fight against illegal migration, in the field of defense and energy

They also discussed the issue of illegal migration, on which the positions of the Croatian and Italian governments converge, and Prime Minister Plenković thanked the Italian and Slovenian police for the cooperation in patrolling the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina with Croatian forces.

The Prime Minister emphasized a special interest in strengthening cooperation in the field of defense, reporting that Croatia is currently leading a major process of abandoning Eastern military technology and switching to Western technology.

Along these lines, he also mentioned the preparation of an agreement between the Italian agency and the Croatian agency Alan, which deals with the procurement of weapons.

Regarding strengthening energy cooperation, Prime Minister Plenković emphasized that Croatia is important as a regional energy hub, especially in the Northern Adriatic, where there is both an LNG terminal and an oil terminal.

"We want to be fully connected to key European energy flows," he said.

They also discussed the broader international situation, especially the situation in Ukraine, the Middle East, but also the negotiations on the new budget of the European Union.
 
The Prime Minister rated the official visit to Italy as excellent.

"I thank Prime Minister Meloni for the wish we share, which is that in 2026 the cooperation between Italy and Croatia will be even more intense than before and that it will branch out into the fields of culture, science and education," he concluded.

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