Plenković with Merz: Southeast Europe should not be exposed to other actors

(Patria) - Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković received German Chancellor Friedrich Merz today at the Banski dvori.

This is the first visit of a German Chancellor to Croatia in the last seven years. The two leaders confirmed the traditionally close and friendly relations within the EU and NATO.

Plenković met with Chancellor Merz bilaterally on the sidelines of the informal meeting of the European People's Party (EPP), which was held yesterday and today in Zagreb.

"We also discussed the future of the EU enlargement process and providing a European perspective to the countries of Southeast Europe - an area that the EU must not neglect or expose to the influence of other global actors," Plenković wrote on platform X.

Drago mi je u Banskim dvorima sastati se s njemačkim kancelarom @bundeskanzler @_FriedrichMerz, koji boravi u svom prvom posjetu Hrvatskoj 🇭🇷🇩🇪! S Njemačkom njegujemo tradicionalno prijateljske i bliske odnose u okviru EU-a, @NATO i drugih međunarodnih organizacija.

Robna… pic.twitter.com/5vqvdCHwI0

— Andrej Plenković (@AndrejPlenkovic) January 31, 2026

From his words, it can be concluded that there is a danger that the delay in the accession process for Albania, BiH, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia could make them attractive to Russia and China.

The Croatian Prime Minister also emphasized that Croatia and Germany continue to strengthen defense cooperation, especially in the context of the recently signed contract for the delivery of 44 Leopard 2A8 tanks.

Plenković visited Berlin in December when the Croatian Minister of Defense Ivan Anušić, in his and Merz's presence, signed the contract for the procurement of tanks.

"We also touched upon the issues of border protection and prevention of illegal migration, in which Croatian and German police cooperate effectively," added Plenković.