Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman participated in the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Friends of the Western Balkans Group and the Foreign Ministers of the Western Balkan partners, held in Rome on Friday, 10 July 2026.
Minister Grlić Radman underlined that the European Union’s enlargement policy must remain merit-based, founded on strict but fair conditionality, with full EU membership as its ultimate objective. He stressed that Croatia stands ready to continue providing strong political, expert and technical support to candidate countries throughout their European path.
“The European future of the Western Balkans is of strategic importance for the security, stability and prosperity of Europe as a whole. With determined reforms, enhanced regional cooperation and a strong commitment to good neighbourly relations, full membership of the European Union is an achievable goal,” the minister said.
He placed particular emphasis on the need to strengthen the region’s transport, energy and digital connectivity with the European Union. He noted that the extension of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) to the Western Balkans should be translated into concrete infrastructure projects, including the development of the Western Balkans-Eastern Mediterranean Corridor and the Adriatic-Ionian Transport Corridor.
Addressing energy security, Minister Grlić Radman underlined the importance of reliable and diversified supply routes, as well as Croatia’s investments in key energy infrastructure. In this context, the LNG terminal on the island of Krk plays an important role in ensuring energy supply to Central and South-East Europe.
The minister also welcomed the signing of the Agreement on the Implementation of the Southern Gas Interconnection Project between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, describing it as an important contribution to regional energy security and to reducing dependence on a single source of supply.
In conclusion, Minister Grlić Radman stressed that full alignment of the Western Balkan partners with the European Union’s standards and the EU acquis remains a prerequisite for successful and sustainable integration into the European Union.
“Croatia will continue to share its experience from the accession process, provide targeted technical assistance and support the strengthening of institutional capacities to help translate reform commitments into tangible results,” the minister concluded.
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