Macron seals 1bn deal with Croatia for 12 French fighter jets
RFI
25 Nov 2021, 23:46 GMT+10
French President Emmanuel Macron and Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic on Thursday hailed a freshly signed strategic partnership that includes the 1 billion euro acquisition of 12 French-built Rafale fighter jets by Zagreb.
"It is a sovereign choice, the contract we signed ... it is a historic choice," said Macron. "It will be the cement of a strategic convergence between our two countries and lays the groundwork for the defence of Europe," he added.
Croatia joined Nato in 2009 and became a member of the European Union in 2013, less than 15 years after the end of the conflict in the former Yugoslavia.
In May, Plenkovic said Croatia would buy the fighter jets in order to modernise its air force.
"These are aircraft that will influence Croatian standing on the international scale and allow us to contribute in the framework of Nato and Croatian defence missions," Plenkovic said.
Mario Banožić, the Croatian defence minister and his French counterpart, Florence Parly, signed the aircraft contracts along with Eric Trappier, the boss of Dassault Aviation, which manufacturs the Rafale.
The first six Rafales will be delivered between autumn 2023 and early 2024. The remaining six will be sent by spring 2025.
Croatia is the third country this year after Greece and Egypt to sign a contract for Rafales.
Share
Tweet
Share
Flip
Email
Subscribe and Follow
Get a daily dose of Germany Sun news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
News RELEASES
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Germany Sun.
More InformationL'Oreal to buy Color Wow, boosts premium haircare portfolio
PARIS, France: L'Oréal is making a fresh play in the booming premium haircare segment with a new acquisition. The French beauty conglomerate...
Update: China accepts price undertakings from 34 EU firms in final brandy anti-dumping probe ruling: commerce ministry
BEIJING, July 5 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of Commerce said Saturday that it has accepted price undertakings from 34 European Union...
Bulgaria Sees Second-Highest House Price Surge in EU
Bulgaria registered the second-largest increase in housing prices among EU member states in the first quarter of 2025, according to...
EU to propose sanctions on Israel media
Options reportedly include suspending the trade pact, an arms embargo, or sanctions on Israeli ministers, soldiers and settlers The...
EU anxiety over Chinese "trade diversion" proves misguided
BEIJING, July 5 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) is once again casting a wary eye eastward, as alarmist claims of a new China shock...
Bojan Bogdanovic retires after 10 NBA seasons
(Photo credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images) Bojan Bogdanovic announced his retirement Sunday after 10 NBA seasons with six teams, citing...
Early heatwave grips Europe, leaving 8 dead and nations on alert
LONDON, U.K.: An unrelenting heatwave sweeping across Europe has pushed early summer temperatures to historic highs, triggering deadly...
Ireland’s Deputy PM calls for swift US-Ireland trade agreement
DUBLIN, Ireland: Tánaiste Simon Harris has called on the United States to use every hour to reach a zero-for-zero tariff agreement...
Dublin Bus accused of disability discrimination by blind passenger
DUBLIN, Ireland: A blind woman from Dublin says she was hurt while getting off a bus because the driver refused to pull in close to...
Nurses in Ireland sound alarm over growing hospital overcrowding
DUBLIN, Ireland: The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) has warned that there could be a serious trolley crisis this summer...
Turkey, France battle wildfires amid early Europe heatwave
ISTANBUL/PARIS/BRUSSELS: As searing temperatures blanket much of Europe, wildfires are erupting and evacuation orders are being issued...
Greenback slides amid tax bill fears, trade deal uncertainty
NEW YORK CITY, New York: The U.S. dollar continues to lose ground, weighed down by growing concerns over Washington's fiscal outlook...
