Defence industry signs contracts worth 230 million kuna with the Ministry of Defence.
The Ministry of Defence signed on Monday contracts on the procurement of military equipment for the Armed Forces and the Ministry with 34 Croatian companies. The contracts include weapons, clothing, footwear, equipment, services and construction works worth about 230 million kuna, reports Poslovni.hr on January 30, 2017.
Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Damir Krstičević said at the headquarters of the Ministry of Defence that the Ministry had bought Croatian military equipment primarily because it is competitive and equal in quality, if not better than the products made by global competitors. He added that the Croatian military industry is of strategic importance, with high quality products and services, and that new contracts will employ about 5,000 people. This is a continuation of the Ministry’s best practices and a significant contribution to the Croatian economy, said Krstičević.
Minister stressed that the Croatian defence industry, in cooperation with the Armed Forces, will get references which will open the doors to the demanding global markets. Therefore, this kind of co-operation is beneficial for all, for both the Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces on the one hand and the Croatian economy on the other. The signed agreements demonstrate that the Ministry of Defence is not only a spender, but also a generator of development and promoter of quality Croatian products.
After signing of the contracts, representatives of several companies expressed their gratitude to the Ministry of Defence for its confidence, pointing out that the contracts were signed early in the year, which means a lot for their business plans.
Vice-President of the Croatian Chamber of Economy Tomislav Radoš said that the Croatian military industry included about a hundred companies with an annual turnover of more than 200 million euros and over 3,000 employees. In the last 15 years, it has invested heavily in innovation, in order to raise its competitiveness. Foreign experts also say that some of the products made by the Croatian defence industry are the only globally competitive Croatian export products, added Radoš, noting that the Croatian Chamber of Economy has invested significant resources in order to help those companies on export markets.
As stated by the Defence Ministry, the contracts cover more than 400 different kinds of goods and services, including more than 10,500 pairs of shoes, 6,000 sets of combat uniforms, 35,000 pairs of socks and 500 helmets.
