The Croatian Prime Minister held two separate meetings with the President of the European Commission (EC) Ursula von der Leyen and the President of the European Parliament (EP) Roberta Mezzola before the informal meeting of the European People's Party (EPP) in Zagreb today, HINA reported.
During his meeting with Von der Leyen, the Croatian Prime Minister stressed the importance of increasing the capacity of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal on the Croatian island of Krk and the JANAF Adriatic oil pipeline in order to improve Europe's energy security and create alternatives to Russian energy supplies. The capacity of the terminal on the island of Krk was increased to 6.1 billion cubic meters, which positions Croatia as a regional energy hub, the agency notes.
In an article in Ex, Plenković said that he and the EC President also discussed support for Ukraine, which "defends its freedom, as well as the security and democratic values of the whole of Europe."
Among other topics discussed were also the EU enlargement with a focus on Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as broader topics related to European security.
The meeting of the Croatian Prime Minister with Metsola focused on Ukraine, the EU enlargement, the events in the Middle East and Southeast Europe, HINA also reported.
“In the context of transatlantic relations, dialogue, trust and close cooperation between the EU and the US are of utmost importance against the backdrop of global threats and security challenges“, Plenković wrote in Aix after his meeting with Metsola. The Croatian prime minister's words come amid tensions between Washington and European countries over the US's attempts to claim Greenland, the agency notes.
The informal EPP meeting in Zagreb, which began today and will continue tomorrow, brought together leaders including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani.
Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlić Radman described Zagreb's hosting of the meeting as a “great honour“ and proof that Croatia is “strong and visible” on the European stage.
Meanwhile, the blockade of carriers from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, North Macedonia and Montenegro on the borders with the European Union countries, imposed due to restrictions on stay in EU countries, was lifted.
The blockade began on Monday at noon in protest against the limitation of the stay of professional drivers in EU countries to a maximum of 90 days within a six-month period (the Entry/Exit rule (EES) 90/180, introduced at the beginning of October 2025). The carriers had planned a seven-day protest, saying the rule would make their work drastically more difficult as they risk deportation if they exceed the limits on visits to the Schengen area.
The rule, which allows drivers to spend 90 days within a 180-day period in the EU, is not new, but controls have been tightened with the entry into force in October 2025 of new automated information systems for registration and control of personal data at the external borders of the Schengen area, notes Agence France-Presse.
The blockades were lifted in stages ahead of schedule after the European Commission yesterday presented its migration strategy, in which it committed to studying new rules for extended short-term stays for certain categories of professionals from third countries, including truck drivers.
A meeting to discuss finding solutions in this direction is scheduled for Tuesday, with the participation of transport ministers from the countries of the region and representatives of the EC, announced yesterday the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina Borjana Krsto.
Yesterday, carriers from the Republic of North Macedonia and Montenegrin carriers ended their protest, and today the Association of International Carriers in Serbia announced that it had lifted the blockade of freight traffic at the border crossings at 15:00 local time (16:00 Bulgarian time). In Bosnia, the blockades also lasted until 15:00 local time today, after which the carriers dispersed, writes “Večer Press“.
It is believed that the five-day protests by the carriers have brought losses of over 100 million euros per day, notes HINA.