On March 25, 2025, Croatian Minister of Defence Ivan Anušić met in Paris with French Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu during an official visit to the French Republic. The meeting addressed Croatia’s ongoing and planned procurements of French military equipment, including the purchase of 30 CAESAR 155 mm self-propelled howitzers, the delivery of the Mistral 3 short-range air defense system, and upgrades to Rafale multirole fighter aircraft. These discussions are part of broader cooperation frameworks established between Croatia and France since 2021 and align with the European Union’s ReArm Europe strategy for joint procurement and defense capability reinforcement.
Croatia’s defense partnership with France began with the acquisition of 12 used Rafale aircraft and continued with the signing of a Framework Agreement for the joint procurement of CAESAR howitzers on June 17, 2024, during the Eurosatory defense exhibition in Paris. This Framework Arrangement, signed by a Croatian delegation led by Ivica Grebenar, Director of the Directorate for Material Resources, enables France’s Directorate General of Armaments (DGA) to carry out procurement on behalf of Croatia upon the signing of an Acquisition Order. The agreement is non-binding, and each country finances its procurement through national budgets, potentially supplemented by EU co-financing under the EDIRPA program, which covers up to 15% of costs. Croatia plans to sign a contract by the end of 2025 for the purchase of 30 CAESAR systems. The decision marks a shift from the previously anticipated additional Panzerhaubitze 2000 acquisitions and reflects a broader move toward joint European procurement channels.