Commerce Secretary’s Visit to Croatia Boosts Trade, Investment Ties
ECONOMY & POLICY

Commerce Secretary’s Visit to Croatia Boosts Trade, Investment Ties

Commerce Secretary Shri Sunil Barthwal, Government of India, visited the Republic of Croatia from 22–23 April 2025 to strengthen bilateral trade, investment, and sectoral cooperation. During his visit, he held high-level meetings with Mr. Zdenko Lucić, State Secretary for Foreign Trade and Development (Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs), and Mr. Ivo Milatić, State Secretary at the Ministry of Economy.

In his meeting with Mr. Zdenko Lucić, discussions focused on advancing the EU-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and deepening bilateral trade relations. Shri Barthwal noted the historic visit of the EU President and 27 Commissioners to India—the first of its kind outside the European continent—highlighting renewed momentum in EU-India ties.
Key areas identified for collaboration included railways, global capability centres, electric vehicles, information technology, and defence manufacturing. The Croatian delegation expressed interest in investments in India’s defence sector, solar cell production, food processing technologies, automobile components, and knowledge-sharing initiatives.

In a separate meeting with Mr. Ivo Milatić, State Secretary, Ministry of Economy, both sides explored ways to enhance investment flows and foster cooperation across strategic sectors. Areas of discussion included healthcare, education, tourism, entertainment (with reference to the WAVES summit), logistics, supply chains, pharmaceuticals, digital technology, renewable energy, and manufacturing.

The leaders also exchanged views on revitalising the Joint Commission on Economic Cooperation, which is due for its third session. They discussed the need for more frequent meetings and deeper engagement between Indian and Croatian businesses to accelerate progress.

Shri Barthwal participated in a business interaction event titled “Exploring Economic Cooperation Opportunities between India and Croatia”, hosted by the Croatian Chamber of Economy (CCE). The event brought together leading Croatian industry associations and business leaders, offering a platform to explore trade facilitation, investment opportunities, and collaborative ventures.

The visit reinforced India’s commitment to building stronger economic partnerships within Central Europe and expanded the scope of commercial collaboration with Croatia. The high-level discussions, business engagements, and institutional dialogue underscored a shared commitment to enhancing trade, investment, and innovation-led cooperation between the two countries.

Commerce Secretary Shri Sunil Barthwal, Government of India, visited the Republic of Croatia from 22–23 April 2025 to strengthen bilateral trade, investment, and sectoral cooperation. During his visit, he held high-level meetings with Mr. Zdenko Lucić, State Secretary for Foreign Trade and Development (Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs), and Mr. Ivo Milatić, State Secretary at the Ministry of Economy.In his meeting with Mr. Zdenko Lucić, discussions focused on advancing the EU-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and deepening bilateral trade relations. Shri Barthwal noted the historic visit of the EU President and 27 Commissioners to India—the first of its kind outside the European continent—highlighting renewed momentum in EU-India ties.Key areas identified for collaboration included railways, global capability centres, electric vehicles, information technology, and defence manufacturing. The Croatian delegation expressed interest in investments in India’s defence sector, solar cell production, food processing technologies, automobile components, and knowledge-sharing initiatives.In a separate meeting with Mr. Ivo Milatić, State Secretary, Ministry of Economy, both sides explored ways to enhance investment flows and foster cooperation across strategic sectors. Areas of discussion included healthcare, education, tourism, entertainment (with reference to the WAVES summit), logistics, supply chains, pharmaceuticals, digital technology, renewable energy, and manufacturing.The leaders also exchanged views on revitalising the Joint Commission on Economic Cooperation, which is due for its third session. They discussed the need for more frequent meetings and deeper engagement between Indian and Croatian businesses to accelerate progress.Shri Barthwal participated in a business interaction event titled “Exploring Economic Cooperation Opportunities between India and Croatia”, hosted by the Croatian Chamber of Economy (CCE). The event brought together leading Croatian industry associations and business leaders, offering a platform to explore trade facilitation, investment opportunities, and collaborative ventures.The visit reinforced India’s commitment to building stronger economic partnerships within Central Europe and expanded the scope of commercial collaboration with Croatia. The high-level discussions, business engagements, and institutional dialogue underscored a shared commitment to enhancing trade, investment, and innovation-led cooperation between the two countries.

Next Story
Infrastructure Urban

LinkedLogi Onboards 500+ Providers, Disrupts Freight Industry Model

LinkedLogi, a tech-first multimodal freight platform, is disrupting India’s traditional logistics ecosystem by building a unified digital freight operating system. In a country where nearly 85 per cent of freight still depends on phone calls, paperwork, and manual coordination, LinkedLogi is quietly leading a digital shift that is gaining early traction.Launched in February 2025, the company has already onboarded over 500 verified logistics providers and is enabling multimodal freight movement across road, rail, air, ocean, and warehousing—through one integrated digital interface. The plat..

Next Story
Real Estate

Driven Properties Opens Dubai’s Largest Realty Office After AED 5.05 Bn Deal

Driven | Forbes Global Properties has officially opened the doors to its new headquarters in Downtown Dubai, just steps from Burj Khalifa. Spanning 43,000 square feet across two floors, the space is now the largest real estate office in the city, a reflection  of the company’s growth and evolution in recent years. The move follows its landmark AED 505 million acquisition of Emaar Square Building 3 in November last year.  The new headquarters underscores the company’s long-term vision for the UAE market. As Dubai continues to evolve as a global real estate hub, Driven Propert..

Next Story
Infrastructure Urban

Hindustan Zinc Invests Over Rs 4.30 Bn in Rajasthan Education Since 2017

Hindustan Zinc, world’s largest integrated zinc producer, was felicitated with 6 awards at the 29th Bhamashah Awards for longstanding and deeply impactful contributions to school education in Rajasthan. 5 units of the company, Rampura Agucha Mine, Chanderiya Lead Zinc Smelter, Zawar Mines, Rajpura Dariba Complex, and Zinc Smelter Debari were recognized under Shiksha Vibhushan category and Kayad Lead Zinc Mine under Shiksha Bhushan category for sustained efforts in strengthening both physical infrastructure and learning outcomes across the state. The award function was graced by the esteemed ..

Advertisement

Advertisement

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Get daily newsletters around different themes from Construction world.

STAY CONNECTED

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Talk to us?