NATO’s relations with Croatia

How does cooperation work in practice?

In the MAP framework, Croatia sets out its reform plans and timelines in its Annual National Programme (ANP). Key areas include political, military and security-sector reforms. Important priorities are efforts to meet democratic standards, support for reducing corruption and fighting organized crime, judicial reform, improving public administration, promoting good-neighbourly relations and ensuring sufficient levels of public support for joining NATO. NATO Allies provide feedback on the envisaged reforms and evaluate their implementation.

NATO teams visit Croatia to draft a progress report on the implementation of the ANP, including possible recommendations for further action. These are agreed by Allies and then discussed by the North Atlantic Council with representatives from Croatia at a high-level meeting at the end of the cycle. More specific and technical reforms in the defence area are discussed in parallel in the context of the Partnership for Peace Planning and Review Process (PARP), through which the country has accepted planning targets, or Partnership Goals, in a wide variety of defence capability areas.

Croatia also cooperates with NATO and Partner countries in a wide range of other areas through the Partnership for Peace (PfP) programme and the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC). It tailors its participation in the PfP programme through an annual Individual Partnership Programme, selecting those activities that will help achieve the goals it has set in the Annual National Programme.

Key areas of NATO-Croatia cooperation are highlighted below.

Security cooperation

Croatian forces have joined those of the NATO Allies in operations in Kosovo and Afghanistan. Approximately 200 Croatian soldiers, diplomats and military police officers currently work within the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) across three different regions of Afghanistan.  Croatia is in the process of significantly increasing its contribution to ISAF and will make up to 300 troops available for ISAF deployment. In addition, in 2006, a Croatian Mobile Liaison Observation Team deployed as part of the Lithuanian Provincial Reconstruction Team, in Ghor province. A combined medical team, with specialists from all three MAP countries, joined ISAF in August 2005.

Preparations for a Croatian contribution to Operation Active Endeavour, NATO’s maritime counter-terrorist operation in the Mediterranean, are ongoing. 

Croatia continues to provide logistical support to NATO-led operations in Kosovo. Sea and airports have been made available as well as various military facilities, overflight rights and the use of the national air traffic control service.
Plans are underway for a Croatian donation of weapons and military equipment to the Iraqi Armed Forces through NATO’s Training Mission in Iraq. In the framework of the same mission, Croatia has also offered to provide training in Croatia for Iraqi security forces.

The country continues to host and participate in a range of PfP exercises and activities. It has identified a number of units for cooperation with NATO under the umbrella of PfP for operations, training and exercises. Croatia is working to establish its International Military Operations Centre as an official regional PfP training centre.

the fight against terrorism takes place in the framework of the Partnership Action Plan on Terrorism (PAP-T). This includes sharing intelligence and analysis with NATO, enhancing national counter-terrorist capabilities and improving border security.

Defence and security sector reform

NATO is supportive of the wide-ranging and ongoing institutional and judicial reform process underway in Croatia, which is outlined in its Annual National Programme. Specifically in the area of defence and security sector reform, NATO and individual Allies have considerable expertise that Croatia can draw upon.

Croatia’s participation in the PfP Planning and Review Process (PARP) since 2000 has helped develop the ability of its forces to work with NATO. PARP is a core element of Croatia’s Membership Action Plan.

Based on the results of the recent Strategic Defence Review, and in consultation with the Allies, Croatia has created a Long-Term Development Plan for the restructuring of its Armed Forces. The emphasis is on creating professional, mobile, deployable and financially viable forces that are interoperable with the forces of Allies. Croatia and NATO are also cooperating on improving the capabilities of the Croatian coastguard and other naval assets, border policing activities, military training, military education and English language training

The country joined the Operational Capabilities Concept (OCC) in 2005. The OCC is a mechanism through which units available for PfP operations can be evaluated, and better integrated with NATO forces to increase operational effectiveness.

Civil emergency planning

Croatia is enhancing its national civil emergency and disaster-management capabilities in cooperation with NATO and through participation in activities organized by the Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre (EADRCC). Croatia also participates in the work of the Senior Civil Emergency Planning Committee.

Croatia was one of the first countries to respond to a request from Slovakia, sent through the EADRCC in April 2006, to provide relief from the consequences of flooding by sending material and financial assistance.

In May 2007, Croatia hosted and co-organized the consequence-management exercise IDASSA 2007, together with the EADRCC. The exercise aimed at improving cooperation and coordination between NATO and Partner countries.

Science and environment

Under the Science for Peace and Security (SPS) Programme, Croatia has received grant awards for over 50 collaborative projects. Projects include advanced research workshops on information security, and studies into harbour pollution assessment and management, counter-terrorism and crisis management. 

Public diplomacy

Given that Croatia aims to join NATO in the near future, it is important to increase public awareness of how NATO works, promote understanding of the rights and obligations which membership brings. Public diplomacy activities also aim to develop and maintain links with civil society actors and to facilitate security-related activities and programmes in the country. NATO’s Public Diplomacy Division plays a key role in this area as do individual Allies and Partner countries.

Groups of opinion leaders from Croatia are regularly invited to visit NATO Headquarters and the Supreme Headquarters of Allied Powers in Europe (SHAPE). Ambassadors from NATO member countries and NATO officials have travelled to Croatia to speak at public events. Croatia has also hosted seminars and conferences. NATO has opened a depository library within the political science faculty at the University of Zagreb to improve access to relevant documentation and information.