Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic met with his Norwegian counterpart Erna Solberg in Zagreb on Tuesday. The two prime ministers signed memorandums on Norwegian financial aid for the development of Croatia and an agreement on classified data protection.
Croatia’s Regional Development Minister, Gabrijela Zalac, and Norwegian Ambassador to Croatia, Astrid Versto, signed a memorandum of understanding on the implementation of the 2014-21 Norwegian financial mechanism, and a memorandum of understanding on the implementation of the 2014-21 EEA financial mechanism between Croatia, Norway, Iceland, and Lichtenstein.
The memorandums refer to Norway’s financial aid to be invested in the development of Croatia, Plenkovic said after the meeting in a joint press conference with Solberg.
“The value of these funds exceeds €100 million, and they follow up on the support which Norway extended to us back when we were not yet a member of the European Union,” Plenkovic said, adding that the aid represents a significant contribution to Croatia in several areas, including education, energy efficiency, and combating climate change.
Solberg, the first Norwegian prime minister to visit Croatia in 18 years, said that this aid would also strengthen bilateral relations in areas such as the judiciary, and civil society.
She noted that economic cooperation between the two countries had increased by 30 percent after Croatia joined the EU in 2013, and that it could be further improved.
The prime ministers also discussed cooperation within NATO, a week before the alliance’s upcoming summit in Brussels, and the situation in Southeast Europe, where Croatia has “a key role in spreading stability,” Solberg said.
Both prime ministers said they are pleased to see that Croatia has become a popular holiday destination for Norwegian tourists, and Solberg noted that many Croatians have found a home in Norway, where they work or study, and thus contribute to Norwegian society.
Solberg praised the performance so far of the Croatian national football team at the World Cup in Russia and expressed regret that Denmark had been knocked out of the competition.
She sad that the manager of Denmark – which was knocked out by Croatia on Sunday – is Norwegian, and as such was their only participant in this year’s tournament in Russia. Norway only took part in the World Cup three times, with their last appearance in 1998.
Solberg then presented Plenkovic with a football with messages about sustainable development, the fight against poverty, gender inequality, and other current topics. The ball is part of a project which Solberg led with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to raise awareness of these issues among youths.
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