Croatia must bolster its defence industry rather than rely solely on purchasing weapons and equipment, Defence Minister Ivan Anušić said on Wednesday at a meeting in Warsaw.
Anušić noted that Croatia’s defence spending this year had reached NATO’s target of 2% of GDP.
“We must develop processes that will absorb these funds most effectively,” he said. “Croatia cannot simply buy weapons and equipment; we must also focus on production.”
Speaking on the first day of a security forum and an informal gathering of European Union defence ministers, Anušić said the ministers were discussing how to allocate €150 billion available to EU member states for defence.
“Croatia will find a way to make the best use of these funds to develop its defence industry,” he said in a statement.
Despite increasing investments, Croatia cannot produce all its weapons and equipment independently and remains reliant on cooperation for certain procurements, Anušić added.
The minister also said Croatia plans to raise its defence investment to 2.5% of GDP by 2027.