Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal Engages with Croatian Counterparts to Strengthen Bilateral
Economic Cooperation
·
India and Croatia Discuss Collaboration in
Railways, EVs, Defence, Healthcare, Renewable Energy, and Food Processing Sectors
·
The visit of EU President and 27
Commissioners to India as the first visit of the College of Commissioners
outside the European continent
Commerce
Secretary, Government of India, Sunil Barthwal, visited the Republic of Croatia
from 22–23 April 2025, where he held bilateral discussions with Mr. Zdenko Lucić,
State Secretary for Foreign Trade and Development, Ministry of Foreign and European
Affairs, and Mr. Ivo Milatić, State Secretary, Ministry
of Economy. The meetings focused on advancing India-Croatia trade and investment
relations, promoting sectoral collaboration, and reinforcing India’s engagement
with the Central European region.
During
the meeting with Mr. Zdenko Lucić, State Secretary for Foreign Trade and Development,
discussions centered around taking forward the EU-India
Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and enhancing bilateral trade cooperation. The discussions
focused on taking forward the EU-India FTA and strengthening bilateral trade relations.
The Commerce Secretary mentioned the visit of EU President and 27 Commissioners
to India as the first visit of the College of Commissioners outside the European
continent since the start of their new mandate and also the first such visit in
the history of India-EU bilateral ties. Commerce Secretary mentioned about the areas
of collaboration between the two countries like Railways, Global Capability Centers, Electric Vehicles, IT etc. Croatian side apprised about
their interest of investment in Defence sector (about flagship products of India),
solar cells production, food processing technology, Automobiles, knowledge sharing
amongst other sectors.
In
the meeting of Commerce Secretary with Mr. Ivo Milatić,
State Secretary, Ministry of Economy, discussion was focused on promoting investment
flows, and enhancing cooperation across key sectors including Healthcare, Education,
Tourism, Entertainment (mentioned about WAVES summit), Supply-Chain integration,
Logistics, Transports, Pharmaceuticals, Digital Technology, Renewable Energy and
Manufacturing. For the 3rd Session of Joint Commission on Economic Cooperation which
is due, both sides exchanged their views on improving the work of the commission
with more frequent meetings and directly connecting the entrepreneurs of both the
countries for a stronger and faster progress.
The
Commerce Secretary also participated in a business interaction event “Exploring
Economic Cooperation Opportunities between India and Croatia” organized by the Croatian
Chamber of Economy (CCE), where he met with the heads of various industry associations
and leading Croatian business representatives. A presentation on the Croatian Economy,
the trade and investment relations between India and Croatia and Industries potential
on key sectors of mutual interest was shown. The event provided a platform to explore
opportunities for collaboration, address trade facilitation measures, and promote
mutual business interests. Successful business cases of Croatian Companies in the
Indian Market were also presented.
The
visit reaffirmed India’s commitment to strengthening engagement with the Central
European region and underscored the shared interest in expanding commercial partnerships
between Indian and Croatian enterprises.