Minister Grlić Radman attends MED 2025 on European unity, Croatia’s active role in the Mediterranean

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman participated on Thursday, 16 October 2025, in the Mediterranean Dialogues (MED) conference in Naples, the leading international forum on the Mediterranean organized by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the ISPI Institute. He took part in two panels entitled “A Common Destiny: The EU and the Mediterranean in Transition” and “Revitalizing International Diplomacy: The Role of the Balkans.”
 
In his address at the panel on strengthening European unity and the strategic orientation of the EU, Grlić Radman emphasized Croatia’s priorities in promoting security, economic development, and people-centered cooperation across the Mediterranean, in the context of the publication of the Pact for the Mediterranean. He highlighted Croatia’s Mediterranean dimension and announced that in 2026 Croatia will assume the presidency of the MED9 format as well as of the Three Seas Initiative.
 
The minister underlined Croatia’s strong support for a lasting political solution based on the “two-state” principle as the outcome of the peace process. He particularly emphasized the importance of the European initiative to establish a Mediterranean University, adding that Dubrovnik, owing to its rich diplomatic tradition and Mediterranean connections, naturally stands out as the ideal location for the university’s network headquarters and as a regional hub for knowledge, dialogue, and cooperation.
 
At the second panel, dedicated to the Western Balkans, Grlić Radman underlined that the stability of the Western Balkans is closely linked with the stability of the Mediterranean due to the interrelated security and political risks, such as migration, terrorism, organized crime, and the malign influence of third actors.
 
Expressing Croatia’s continued and firm support for the enlargement of the European Union, the minister concluded that Euro-Atlantic integration and the EU enlargement process remain the most effective diplomatic instruments for the Western Balkans and their contribution to strengthening the stability of the Mediterranean.

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