Minister Anušić pays visit to Warsaw: Croatia will maximize the use of funds for domestic defence industry

On 2 and 3 April 2025, Croatian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Ivan Anušić participated in the Security Forum and an informal meeting of European Union defence ministers in Warsaw, Poland.

During the meeting, EU defence ministers discussed the White Paper on the future of European defence, the development of EU defence capabilities, financing for the development of these capabilities, and other issues.

Minister Anušić emphasized the importance of continuous investment in both defence and the domestic defence industry. Regarding the proposed new SAFE (Security Action for Europe) regulation to establish a new EU instrument worth €150 billion to help member states secure loans for urgent defence investments through joint procurement, Minister Anušić said that Croatia will find the best way to utilize the financial resources available to member states.

Croatia has reached its defence spending goal of 2% of GDP this year

Speaking on the importance of defence investment, Minister Anušić said that Croatia has met the NATO goal of allocating 2% of its GDP to defence this year. He also outlined future plans: “By 2027, Croatia aims to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP, with the ultimate goal of reaching 3%.”

The importance of investing in the domestic defence industry

Minister Anušić also emphasized the need to develop and invest in Croatia’s defence industry: “We must focus on developing our own defence industry – not just on purchasing weapons, but on developing and investing in our domestic industry. At the same time, we will continue all necessary cooperation efforts for the procurement of the weapons and equipment that Croatia is not yet able to produce.”

White Paper on European Defence

At the Warsaw Security Forum, the White Paper on European Defence – Readiness 2030 was presented. It contains proposed solutions to bridge critical capability gaps, build a strong defence industrial base, and enable member states to significantly increase defence investments, procure defence systems, and enhance the long-term readiness of the European defence industry, all while continuing support for Ukraine. The document provides a strategic vision for European readiness, an assessment of the current state of critical defence capabilities, including regulations affecting them, and a review of concrete steps and recommendations for future action. Additionally, the paper addresses potential modalities for supporting Ukraine and strengthening the European defence industry, outlines funding mechanisms to enhance readiness (previously introduced in the ReArm Plan), and touches on the EU partnerships.

The European Commission has identified, in the context of addressing critically lacking capabilities, seven capability areas in which EU member states need to jointly prioritize spending, as they have implications for the entire Union. Projects that could be designated as projects of common interest include: air and missile defence; artillery systems: ammunition and missiles; drones and counter-drone systems; military mobility; artificial intelligence; quantum technologies; cyber and electronic warfare; and strategic enablers, combat capabilities, and protection of critical infrastructure.