ZAGREB, March 6, 2018 - European Union defence ministers approved in Brussels on Tuesday the first list of 17 collaborative projects as part of Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) in defence, with Croatia participating in five.
"Today we made the decision to launch 17 projects and we have recognised five projects as essential for us," Croatian Defence Minister Damir Krstičević said after the meeting.
The Council of the EU last December decided to set up PESCO, with 25 member states participating, all but Malta, Denmark and Great Britain. Permanent and structured cooperation in the security and defence policy is envisaged by the Treaty of Lisbon, enabling members that wish to do so to cooperate more closely in security and defence.
The participating member countries have approved a list of 17 projects encompassing training, capability development and operational readiness in defence. Croatia will participate in five covering military mobility, cyber security, maritime surveillance, disaster relief and logistics.
"We have shown great ambition by participating in those projects. Each of them develops the capabilities of the victorious Croatian army and represents big potential for Croatia's military industry," said Krstičević.
