ZAGREB, 2 April (Hina) – Croatia must strengthen its own defence industry and cannot just “buy weapons and equipment,” Croatian Defence Minister Ivan Anušić  said on Wednesday on the sidelines of a meeting with his colleagues in Warsaw.

Anušić  stressed that Croatia’s defence spending this year reached NATO’s target of 2% of GDP.

“We must develop processes that will be able to absorb these funds with the best effect,” because Croatia cannot just “buy weapons and equipment,” but it must also produce, the minister said on the first day of the meeting in Warsaw, where a security forum and an informal meeting of European Union defence ministers are taking place.

The ministers are discussing the possibilities of spending the €150 billion available to EU members, the minister said in a statement, adding that “Croatia will find a way to best use the funds to develop its defence industry.”

Despite the investments, Croatia cannot produce all of its weapons and equipment on its own, Anušić  warned, and therefore remains dependent on cooperation for the purchase of certain equipment.

The minister also announced that Croatia plans to increase the share of investment in defence to 2.5% of GDP by 2027.