Croatia-Italy Business Forum – a confirmation of strong partnership between the two countries

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman, together with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Italian Republic, Antonio Tajani, officially opened the second Croatia-Italy Business Forum, held in Zagreb on Tuesday, May 6, 2025. The event was the result of an agreement reached during the sixth session of the Coordination Committee of Croatian and Italian Ministers in February this year.
 
The forum brought together over 140 participants, including more than 80 representatives of Croatian companies and over 60 from Italian companies, as well as numerous representatives from economic and financial institutions—underscoring Italy’s role as one of Croatia’s most important economic partners. Serving as a platform for exchanging ideas and showcasing successful projects such as the Northern Adriatic Hydrogen Valley, the forum facilitated in-depth discussions through three working panels focused on cooperation in energy, infrastructure, digitalization, and industrial production, with an emphasis on innovation and modernization.
 
One of the key goals of the forum is to further enhance economic cooperation between the two countries and to explore the potential for joint ventures in third markets. In this context, Grlić Radman thanked Italy for its consistent support of Croatia’s OECD membership, highlighting its vital role in strengthening Croatia’s international economic standing.
 
During today's meeting, the ministers also discussed a broad range of bilateral topics, including defence, security, science, culture, and minority rights, as well as cooperation concerning the Adriatic Sea—both bilaterally and through a trilateral format with Slovenia, and within the frameworks of EUMED9 and the EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region.
 
In addition to bilateral matters, Grlić Radman and Tajani exchanged views on current foreign policy challenges, the situation in Ukraine, stability in the Western Balkans with a focus on Bosnia and Herzegovina, transatlantic relations, and developments in the Middle East.
 
Grlić Radman expressed his pleasure in once again welcoming Tajani to Croatia and emphasized that today’s Economic Forum represents an important step forward not only in strengthening economic ties, but in deepening the overall relationship between Croatia and Italy.

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