Overview

• German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul met Croatia’s Gordan Grlić Radman in Zagreb and pressed for Croatia to take a leading, guiding role for EU-aspiring neighbors.
• Wadephul said enlargement is geopolitical, warning of autocratic influence via disinformation and corruption, and called for EU internal reforms to advance alongside accession.
• Talks with Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and a speech to Croatia’s ambassadors were planned to build momentum for the stalled process.
• No new accession dates were set, with Montenegro still viewed as the most advanced and negotiations continuing with Serbia, Albania, and North Macedonia.
• Bosnia-Herzegovina remains a candidate without talks and Kosovo is a potential candidate, while Croatia, an EU and NATO member since 2013, is promoted as a role model and bridge-builder.