Andrej Plenković

Andrej Plenković (born 8 April 1970) is a Croatian politician serving as Prime Minister of Croatia since 2016. He was previously one of eleven Croatian members of the European Parliament, serving from Croatia's accession to the European Union in 2013 until his resignation as MEP when he took office as prime minister. Plenković has also been president of the Croatian Democratic Union since 2016.

Andrej Plenković in 2024

Quotes

• Sadly, the first years of our independence were marred by war. Today, that war is far behind us, but the tragic experience of it has helped us to better grasp the full importance of peace and the values defended by the Council of Europe.
  • "Speech made to the European Parliamentary Assembly" (26 June 2018)

• I think we can all agree that China’s economic weight and growth is very important in helping the forward momentum of the global economy.
  • "Opening remarks at the Meeting of Heads of Governments of China and Central and Eastern European Countries" (12 April 2019)

• A comparably small country in size and population, but big in human potential and appetite for innovations, Croatia is the cradle of some universally known and daily used inventions.
  • "Speech at the Opening of the 9th Business Forum of Central and Eastern European Countries & China" (12 April 2019)

• A few points on the issues of climate change, renewable energy, and the protection of nature. You are right. We are lucky to have such a place in Europe, with all the benefits of being on the Adriatic and the Danube, being a country which is really rich in water and natural resources, but we are also aware of our energy needs. So we are looking at the ecological aspects of every single project in a very detailed manner in dialogue with local communities and in dialogue with the NGOs looking at various projects and various items.
  • "Debate on the Future of Europe" (26 February 2018)

• Croatia has no ambition to stall or make more difficult our neighbours’ path to the EU. On the contrary, we have been very much a bridge, an influencing country that has unselfishly offered all the experience which is most recent, and thus most relevant for their path to the European Union – trying to address the questions that were mentioned by some of the Members.
  • "Debate on the Future of Europe" (6 February 2018)

• The unprecedented circumstances we live in represent a unique opportunity for us to rethink the global role of multilateralism and strengthen the importance of orderly globalization and a rules-based international order.
  • "Speech at the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly" (25 September 2020)

• One of the effects of globalization is that the world is faced with an unprecedented number of people on the move. Refugee crises and mass migration are a reality. One in 30 people around the world is a migrant. Croatia has faced acute refugee and migrant crises in the past. The approach we took — and will always take — was one that put people first.
  • "Speech at the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly" (21 September 2017)

• I also regret that we haven't done more about tolerance in Croatian society and inclusiveness.
  • "Plenkovic: Modern Croatia has No Reason for Hate Speech Outbursts" in Total Croatia News (14 June 2020)