May the 23rd, 2023 - There has been a 23 percent increase in the number of French tourists in Croatia so far when compared to this time last year, and with flights from France to Croatia frequent until the end of October, it's likely that we'll come close to pre-pandemic 2019's results.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, over the first four months of this year, there have been 23 percent more tourist arrivals and 12 percent more overnight stays realised by French tourists compared to the same period last year, as reported bythe director of the Croatian Tourist Board's Representation in France, Daniela Mihalic Djurica.

"We believe that this year we will come close to the record results we saw back in 2019, when we achieved 640,000 arrivals of French tourists,'' said Mihalic Djurica at the end of the Morbihan Bay Week festival in the city of Vannes, located in the Brittany region.

This is the result of more favourable global health conditions, but above all promotional campaigns of Croatia as a desirable tourist destination here on the French market, she says.

"We're developing more and more through different products, and Croatian maritime heritage is only one of them, and that's why festivals like this one in Brittany are extremely important to us," she added, thanking the Cronaves association from Split for their help, which has been popularising and representing Croatian maritime heritage throughout Europe for a decade now.

Speaking about the campaigns and activities of the Croatian National Tourist Board's Representative Office over in France, she pointed out that in recent months the emphasis has been primarily on the representation of Croatian regions such as Zagreb, Kvarner, Istria and Slavonia, as well as on the wealth of the country's natural heritage and sustainable development.

"Campaigns with our strategic partners, as well as numerous PR and marketing activities, are ongoing. We used this week in Brittany to present the tourist offer of Kvarner with an emphasis placed on the island of Krk, Vodice and Split,'' she said, noting that there is no major part of France that is not connected to Croatia by at least one direct flight from April to the end of October. She estimates that France is a very potent market with 65 million people.

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March the 24th, 2023 - There has been a significant amount of interest shown by French tourists in visiting Croatia, and this was only further cemented by the recently held Salon Mondial du Tourisme, which took place in Paris.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, this year, the French tourist market has been showing great interest in the Republic of Croatia. This country's varied tourist offer has been included in the programmes of the largest and most important French tour operators and agencies, and there is growing interest in the introduction of new regular air routes, the Croatian Tourist Board (CNTB/HTZ) reported on Tuesday.

Good news for Croatian tourism comes from the recently held largest international tourist fair in France, "Salon Mondial du tourisme" in Paris, and from the accompanying business workshop organised by the HTZ representative office in Paris, which brought together more than 60 French travel organisers and travel agencies. Representatives of Croatia Airlines, Maistra, Falkenstainer, Hilton and other agencies discussed business opportunities and cooperation with them at the workshop.

"The Croatian offer for French tourists is well represented by the most important French travel organisers, and the further growth of specialised offers with an emphasis placed on wine and gastronomy, business, cultural and nautical tourism can certainly be an additional motive for the arrival of French tourists," said the director of the HTZ representative office in Paris, Danijela Mihalic Djurica.

This year, French tourists in Croatia have already spent 54 percent more registered overnight stays than they did back during the same period in the pre-pandemic, record year of 2019.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated news and travel sections.

November the 15th, 2022 - Brodosplit has built yet another large and valuable structure for a well known company, this time an innovative buoy for the collection of data out at sea.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Suzana Varosanec writes, OCG-Data, an innovative buoy for collecting/recording biodiversity and metocean data, was successfully launched in the port of the Split's shipyard. It was built for the client Ocergie, the French branch of the American company Ocergy, Brodosplit announced. As they stated, with this project, the Split-based company is proving its capabilities on the wind offshore market, and it is realistic to expect the signing of new contracts for the construction of more new similar buoys and floating platforms soon, which implies the delivery of structures with an annual steel consumption of more than 100,000 tonnes in the period up to the year 2030.

The American Ocergy is otherwise a relatively young company, but according to its CEO Dominique Roddier, it wants to become one of the leaders in the field of offshore solutions for offshore wind farms (Floating Wind Foundation Design), which is "the result of the progress they have made over the last few years".

“This new innovative data collection buoy will gather information that will be used to better understand everything from wind turbulence to air and marine life around the project site. The pilot unit, part of Ocergie's ''Blue Oracle'' project (buoys with Lidar-optical radar and underwater equipment to assess ocean resources and characterise life in the environment) has received approval from the French authorities to be deployed at a site where several of the first floating wind power plants in the French region of Occitanie will be situated,'' they stated from Brodosplit.

The project itself is also supported by ADEME within the Investment Programme for the Future, and according to Roddier, this innovative buoy is important in multiple ways, both as an integral part of their wider business plan and as the first step in the development of the ''OCG-Wind FOW'' platform.

"We have an increasing number of pre-commercial projects before the year 2030, until the offshore wind industry implements large GW commercial FOW (Floating offshore wind) projects worldwide," said Roddier. The innovative marine data collection buoy made by Brodosplit will be deployed near one of the windy ''macro-zones'' in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of southern France.

"Despite the financial problems you've been facing at Brodosplit, we are extremely grateful for the full engagement of your team and employees, and very satisfied with the excellent work that Brodosplit has done in creating our platform. While you're discussing different business projects with investors, I believe that companies like Brodosplit can play a significant role in the energy transition and become a strong driver of the commercial development of the FOW industry, not only for projects here in the Mediterranean but throughout Europe," emphasised Roddier.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated business section.

25 April 2022 - Croatian President Zoran Milanović on Monday sent a letter to his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, congratulating him on his re-election and noting that Croatia and France are "friends and allies."

In the second round of presidential elections on Sunday, Macron defeated his rival Marine Le Pen.

"I am confident that in your new term in office you will continue to work for the overall progress of your country and the wellbeing of all its citizens," Milanović wrote in the letter.

"Croatia and France are friends and allies and our countries share a number of interests and cooperate successfully both bilaterally and within the EU, NATO and other international organisations," the Croatian president added.

April the 17th, 2022 - A touch of Croatian maritime heritage visited the charming French town of Marseille this month, showcasing the rich history of sailing and seafaring in Croatia as the only foreign guest present.

As Morski/Dora Cukusic writes, as an honorary and in this case the only foreign guest, the Republic of Croatia participated in the Ecsale festival, and the Marseillan, Palagruza and Cronaves Associations presented the richness of Croatian maritime heritage with their programme.

The Marseilles Sea Festival ran from April the 8th to the 10th, 2022, and brought together a dozen participants representing their traditional ships and crafts, representatives of local wine, cheese and oyster producers, all accompanied by music, a travelling trio from Calabria and a Marseille brass band.

Marion Vindel from the office of the Mayor of Marseille said that she was very glad that Croatia came and participated, and especially praised the shipbuilding workshops of the Palagruza Association which brought Croatian maritime heritage and history to life.

''Given that this is a new festival, it was challenging to organise everything, but we're extremely glad to have been able to host our very first foreign guests. These shipbuilding workshops aroused great interest among the youngest inhabitants of Marseille and the surrounding villages. The Palagruza Association held a gundula construction workshop led by Teo Lovric, the children assembled a gundula during the workshop and acquired some basic knowledge of shipbuilding, and were especially pleased when one such gundula sailed through the Port of Marseille.

The Palagruza Association found a traditional vessel known as a gundula which was about a hundred years old in Komiza, made by the first owner of a fish processing factory, Mardesic. The heirs of the vessel kept the gundula for years, and the Palagruza Association documented the boat and constructed replicas on which children can learn more about shipbuilding and rowing.

In addition to the gundula, the Palagruza Association also brought a sandula, a traditional type of fishing boat which is 4-5 metres long and with slightly sloping sides and a flat bottom, which was used for sailing and fishing near Komiza bay. The Palgruza Association equipped the sandula vessel with a sail, and as part of the workshops and the overall presentation in Marseille, its sail was raised.

Visitors to the festival were also able enjoy the exhibitions of photographs by Croats Velmir Besic and Boris Kragic, which got them even better acquainted with the richness of Croatian maritime heritage. Another interesting feature of this French festival was the competition in the opening of oysters, in which a member of the Palagruza Association, Mate Stanojevic, tried his hand.

It was impressive to see the Tourmente barge whose crew turned the interior of a ship into an exhibition space and a bar for tasting local products. A Junk, a Chinese wooden sailing ship with four masts, also attracted plenty of attention.

For more, check out our lifestyle section.

14 March 2022 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Monday that France had expressed readiness to help Croatia to control its airspace and that their early warning and control aircraft had already flown over Croatian skies.

The Croatian premier added that that talks were being held with the US to see how they could help Zagreb.

After a meeting of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) Presidency and National Council, the prime minister said that the unmanned aerial vehicle that had crashed in Zagreb on Thursday night carried explosive, a sort of bomb, and that the ongoing investigation was aimed at establishing who had launched the drone and how, and if it had been a mistake, sabotage or plan.

He pointed out that he had already spoken with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Friday and that they had expressed readiness to let French aircraft help Croatia to control its airspace. After that, a Hawkeye E2C patrol aircraft flew over the Croatian airspace on 12 March, and it would do it again tomorrow.

Tomorrow, I will visit the aircraft carrier located in the Adriatic near Dubrovnik, the premier said.

We are also in talks with the US to see how they can help us in the case of such unforeseen circumstances, he added.

PM Plenković said he would continue with intensive communication within NATO with regard to the crash of the UAV. We are talking about it with partners in the EU. On Wednesday, I will visit NATO headquarters in Spain and try to gather additional information on how the aerial vehicle ended up in Croatia.

He also recalled that he spoke with the military leadership today about the possibilities for strengthening the air defence.

Earlier today, PM Andrej Plenković said on Twitter that he had spoken with Defence Minister Mario Banožić, the Chief of the General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces, Admiral Robert Hranj, and commanders of branches of the Armed Forces about investments in strengthening the capabilities of the Armed Forces.

Before that, he held a meeting with members of the government and relevant institutions about the facts established so far about the crash of the military aerial vehicle in Zagreb.

7 March 2022 - The French Institute in Croatia will this year again organise a number of live and online events, to be held from 7 March to 3 April, to celebrate Francophonie.

The events will include exhibitions, book presentations, educational workshops on theatre, film screenings, round table debates on literature as well as a national competition in translation for high school and university students.

As part of the French EU presidency, the French Institute in Croatia and its Belgian, German, Slovenian, Italian and Portuguese partners will launch in mid-March a major national multilingual poetry contest intended for all young Croats aged 6 to 23.

On March 20, the International Day of Francophonie, French-speaking ambassadors and members of the diplomatic corps in Croatia will speak on Facebook about their dedication to French and its role in their personal and professional life.

A detailed Programme of the 2022 Rendez-vous de la Francophonie is available at https://institutfrancais.hr/frankofonija/.

ZAGREB, 1 Jan 2021 - France took the six-month rotating EU presidency from Slovenia on Saturday.

The French chairmanship comes during a key period for French President Emmanuel Macron, who is expected to run for reelection in April. Recently, Macron unveiled Paris' priorities for the French EU presidency: sovereignty, the defense policy, the Western Balkans, economic growth. The EU presidential trio led by France includes also the Czech Republic that will preside over the EU in the second half of 2022, and Sweden in the first half of 2023.

Slovenia's achievements

A few days ago, just before the completion of Slovenia's chairmanship, Interior Minister Aleš Hojs said that the agreed conclusion of all EU member states that Croatia is ready to join the Schengen zone was one of the two biggest achievements of his country's presidency of the Council of the EU.

Speaking at a press conference about the results of the Slovenian presidency of the EU, Hojs said that the second important achievement was the adoption of a joint statement on Afghanistan after the Taliban again took power in that country.

The statement reaffirmed Slovenia's position that another mass wave of migrants into Europe, similar to one that followed the outbreak of war in Syria, must not be allowed again, that the migration problem should be tackled in countries adjacent to Afghanistan, and that the families of Afghans who had cooperated with the EU and its institutions should be transferred to Europe.

For more on politics, follow TCN's dedicated page.

December the 1st, 2021 - The French-Croatian economic partnership is set to be ramped up even further and cover a variety of different fields following the French President's recent visit to Zagreb in which he stated Croatia's Schengen readiness.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Brnic writes, last week, French President Emmanuel Macron and Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic signed the Strategic Partnership Agreement between the two countries, which is a political declaration with a broader scope in which the two countries will engage in deeper French-Croatian cooperation.

The focus of the public, due to the simultaneous signing of the contract on the purchase of twelve Rafale fighter jets, was the military aspect of future cooperation with the country that is now the largest European Union military power, as well as to open French support for Croatia's entry into the Eurozone and the Schengen area.

This French-Croatian strategic document also brings preferences in bilateral relations between the two economies, part of which refers to the engagement of Croatian companies in the implementation of contracts for the procurement of combat squadrons.

The details haven't been specified, but it is stated that "France is ready to increase the development of further high-value aeronautical support activities at the industrial level in Croatia in connection with the Rafale aircraft."

From this it can be concluded that the doors are well and truly open to industrial cooperation in the aviation industry between the two nations. Cooperation between small and medium-sized and large companies and universities, as well as the participation in industrial consortia financed from the EU budget is also envisaged.

French-Croatian foreign trade relations have only been growing from year to year and the Agreement states that greater importance is needed in increasing the recognition of each country's economies and their investments. In the long run, mutual cooperation in education and scholarships will contribute to this, and in the short term, the foundations for stronger networking will be the two countries' plans which are primarily based on going green and the digital transition, as well as the EU's multiannual financial framework.

In addition to connecting to specific projects, France is also offering its support for the development of technology parks and the ecosystem of start-ups in Croatia, and will share its best experiences in supporting startups and growing companies. With experience in infrastructure projects and the automotive industry, a special space is being opened up in waste management, water management, green energy and digitalisation.

The two countries intend to improve their cooperation in the field of tourism, primarily in the search for models on how to escape from the bings of problematic mass tourism. France is the world's number one tourist destination at the moment, it is visited by the most tourists annually, while Croatia is the European country that receives the most tourists per capita. Therefore, the issue of sustainable tourism is becoming more and more significant, and judging by the Partnership Agreement, the way out will be cultural tourism and joint archaeological research programmes..

There is also talk of cooperation through ITER (International Experimental Thermonuclear Reactor), the construction of an experimental nuclear reactor, the largest investment in science in which all countries of the world participate, and its "host" is France. Getting electricity from fusion energy in France is seen as a priority goal to ensure non-carbon energy sources and sustainable development. This agreement does not, therefore, bring individual projects with specific participants into the ''game'', but instead proposes a proper framework for future French-Croatian partnerships, from which three-year action plans will be adopted at a later stage.

This isn't the first strategic partnership between Croatia and France, as they signed a similar agreement back in 2010, but with the acquisition of the Rafale planes, and also with its 2013 status of an EU member state, Croatia is now receiving more attention.

For more, check out our dedicated politics section.

ZAGREB, 29 Aug, 2021 - French President Emmanuel Macron, one of the most important European politicians, will pay a working visit to Croatia, the Jutarnji List daily reports in its Sunday issue.

Even though the exact date of the visit has still not been agreed, it is expected to happen sometime in October or November, a high source at the Foreign Ministry has told the daily.

The visit is seen by Zagreb as proof of increasingly strong ties between France and Croatia, which could be described as a strategic partnership, particularly since the Croatian Air Force decided to buy French-made Rafale combat jet, the daily says.

A close associate to Prime Minister Andrej Plenković has said that Croatian-French relations have been increasingly good, even though that was not so at the beginning.

"In the early 1990s, the then French President Francois Mitterrand supported the Serb side in the wars in ex-Yugoslavia but Jacques Chirac and Prime Minister Alain Juppé  pursued a more balanced policy. We now have very good bilateral relations, partly also owing to the close relationship between PM Plenković and President Macron," the associate said.

"The visit is expected to help deepen the economic cooperation between France and Croatia and the talks will also definitely focus on the EU's strategic policy. France is not very much in favour of EU enlargement but it has slightly modified its position, thanks to PM Plenković's engagement, and now it supports in principle the accession of Western Balkan countries, naturally, within a reasonable time," the official said.

PM Plenković said earlier this week that "security-wise, the purchase of (French) military aircraft strategically changes the way Croatia is perceived as it is about to significantly change its status in military terms." France is leading the process of strengthening European defence, in which, judging by Plenković's statements, Croatia will be given an important role, Jutarnji List says.

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