Croatia–Spain relations are the

bilateral relations Bilateralism is the conduct of political, economic, or cultural relations between two sovereign states. It is in contrast to unilateralism or multilateralism, which is activity by a single state or jointly by multiple states, respectively. When ...

between

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

and

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. Diplomatic relations between the two countries were established on March 9, 1992 following Croatia's independence from

SFR Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (commonly abbreviated as SFRY or SFR Yugoslavia), known from 1945 to 1963 as the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as Socialist Yugoslavia or simply Yugoslavia, was a country ...

. The two nations enjoy largely positive relations. Both countries are full members of the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

and

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

. Spain gave full support to Croatia's applications for membership in the

(EU) and

North Atlantic Treaty Organization The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental transnational military alliance of 32 member states—30 European and 2 North American. Established in the aftermat ...

(NATO).

History

Croatia–Spain relations date far back into history, at least as early as the 16th century. During 1516-18

Uskok War The Uskok War, also known as the War of Gradisca or the War of Friuli, was fought by the Austrians, Slovenes, Croats (from Croatia and Slavonia) and Spanish on one side and the Venetians, Croats (from Dalmatia and Istria), Slovenes (from Istri ...

Spanish Empire The Spanish Empire, sometimes referred to as the Hispanic Monarchy (political entity), Hispanic Monarchy or the Catholic Monarchy, was a colonial empire that existed between 1492 and 1976. In conjunction with the Portuguese Empire, it ushered ...

officially sided with the Kingdom of Croatia against Venice and Ottoman Empire.

During the Spanish Civil War

Many Croats participated in

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

, mostly on the side of

Republicans Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, including

Josip Broz Tito Josip Broz ( sh-Cyrl, Јосип Броз, ; 7 May 1892 – 4 May 1980), commonly known as Tito ( ; , ), was a Yugoslavia, Yugoslav communist revolutionary and politician who served in various positions of national leadership from 1943 unti ...

who later become president of

Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (commonly abbreviated as SFRY or SFR Yugoslavia), known from 1945 to 1963 as the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as Socialist Yugoslavia or simply Yugoslavia, was a country ...

. The Croatian public was very sensitive about the Spanish Civil War which was well covered in the Croatian media and political arena. Youth members of the

Party of Rights The Party of Rights () was a Croatian nationalism, Croatian nationalist political party in Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia and later in Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. It was founded in 1861 by Ante Starčević and Eugen Kvaternik, two influ ...

sent a telegram of support to

Francisco Franco Francisco Franco Bahamonde (born Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco Bahamonde; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general and dictator who led the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalist forces i ...

, a

Nationalist Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation,Anthony D. Smith, Smith, A ...

, while

League of Communists of Yugoslavia The League of Communists of Yugoslavia, known until 1952 as the Communist Party of Yugoslavia, was the founding and ruling party of SFR Yugoslavia. It was formed in 1919 as the main communist opposition party in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats ...

began to send volunteers to help Republicans. Party or Catholic media, such as ''Hrvatska straža'' (right wing) or ''Proleter'' (left wing), were bringing information in accordance with their ideology. While ''Hrvatska straža'' was writing daily about the persecution of religion and crimes committed by Republicans and was calling for "a joint fight against the red danger and ghosts of atheism", ''Proleter'' was writing about crimes committed by Nationalists and was calling for "an international fight against the scourge of fascism" and was denouncing the church as co-responsible for crimes. The left wing press was constantly emphasizing the importance of fighting for the national rights of

Catalans Catalans ( Catalan, French and Occitan: ''catalans''; ; ; or ) are a Romance ethnic group native to Catalonia, who speak Catalan. The current official category of "Catalans" is that of the citizens of Catalonia, a nationality and autono ...

Basques The Basques ( or ; ; ; ) are a Southwestern European ethnic group, characterised by the Basque language, a Basque culture, common culture and shared genetic ancestry to the ancient Vascones and Aquitanians. Basques are indigenous peoples, ...

and others, comparing it with bad status of

Croats The Croats (; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other neighboring countries in Central Europe, Central and Southeastern Europe who share a common Croatian Cultural heritage, ancest ...

in the

Kingdom of Yugoslavia The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a country in Southeast Europe, Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 1918 to 1929, it was officially called the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, but the term "Yugoslavia" () h ...

, while the right wing (

Ustaše The Ustaše (), also known by anglicised versions Ustasha or Ustashe, was a Croats, Croatian fascist and ultranationalist organization active, as one organization, between 1929 and 1945, formally known as the Ustaša – Croatian Revolutionar ...

) press, while fighting against

Serb The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are a South Slavic ethnic group native to Southeastern Europe who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history, and language. They primarily live in Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia ...

ian unitarianism within the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, hadn't paid much attention to aspirations of Catalans and Basques in Spain. The Catholic Church was constantly emphasizing the anti-religious and anti-clerical character of Republicans, depicting Franco as protector of the faith, Church, and the Christian tradition.

Post–WWII

After the Second World War and the destruction of the Nazi

puppet state A puppet state, puppet régime, puppet government or dummy government is a State (polity), state that is ''de jure'' independent but ''de facto'' completely dependent upon an outside Power (international relations), power and subject to its ord ...

, called the

Independent State of Croatia The Independent State of Croatia (, NDH) was a World War II–era puppet state of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy (1922–1943), Fascist Italy. It was established in parts of Axis occupation of Yugoslavia, occupied Yugoslavia on 10 April 1941, ...

, Spain, led by Francisco Franco, accepted a lot of those who fled from the liberated territory, and newly founded

, including dictator

Ante Pavelić Ante Pavelić (; 14 July 1889 – 28 December 1959) was a Croatian politician who founded and headed the fascist ultranationalist organization known as the Ustaše in 1929 and was dictator of the Independent State of Croatia (NDH), a fasc ...

and his family. Spain was also one of the only countries who accepted Croatian students who were fighting in Ustashas.

Present status

Spain provided strong support to the Croatian accession to the EU. On July 1, 2013, Spain welcomed Croatian EU accession by hanging festive red

cravat Cravat, cravate or cravats may refer to: * Cravat (early), forerunner neckband of the modern necktie * Cravat, British name for what in American English is called an ascot tie * Cravat bandage, a triangular bandage * Cravat (horse) (1935–1954) ...

, invented by Croats, on the Cibeles Palace. In March 2022,

Andrej Plenković Andrej Plenković ( ; born 8 April 1970) is a Croatian politician serving as the Prime Minister of Croatia, prime minister of Croatia since October 2016. He was previously one of eleven List of members of the European Parliament for Croatia, 201 ...

visited Spain in what it was the first official visit by a Croatian prime minister in 25 years. The respective science ministers from both countries signed a joint declaration announcing the Croatian support to the 'International Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility - Demo Oriented Neutron Source', a project intended to be built in Granada.

Economic cooperation

In 2013, Croatia exported €40,800,000 worth of goods to Spain and imported from it €234,300,000 worth of goods. Recently, the air connectivity between the two countries has increased significantly.

High level visits

Croatian officials main visits to Spain

* June 28, 1994,

Mate Granić Mate Granić (born 19 September 1947) is a Croatian diplomat, politician and physician who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Government of Croatia from 1993 to 2000. Biography Granić was born in Baška Voda in Dalmatia (then PR C ...

foreign minister In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...

* July 21, 1997,

Zlatko Mateša Zlatko Mateša (; born 17 June 1949) is a Croatian politician who served as Prime Minister of Croatia from 1995 to 2000. A member of the Croatian Democratic Union, Mateša is currently the president of the Croatian Olympic Committee and honora ...

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

. * October 10, 2000,

Stjepan Mesić Stjepan "Stipe" Mesić (; born 24 December 1934) is a Croatia, Croatian lawyer and politician who served as the president of Croatia from 2000 to 2010. Before serving two five-year terms as president, he was Prime Minister of Croatia, prime minis ...

President of Croatia The president of Croatia, officially the president of the Republic of Croatia (), is the head of state, commander-in-chief of the military and chief representative of the Republic of Croatia both within the country and abroad. The president ...

* March 1, 2001,

Tonino Picula Tonino Picula (born 31 August 1961) is a Croatian politician currently serving his fourth term as a Member of the European Parliament for Croatia, having successfully run in 2013, 2014, 2019 and 2024 European elections. Picula entered Croatian ...

* October 25, 2001,

Ivica Račan Ivica Račan (; 24 February 1944 – 29 April 2007) was a Croatian politician who served as Prime Minister of Croatia from 2000 to 2003, heading two centre-left coalition governments. Račan became the first prime minister of Croatia not to be a ...

* June 9, 2004,

Miomir Žužul Miomir Žužul (born 19 June 1955) is a Croatian people, Croatian diplomat and politician. He is currently a senior international policy advisor at the firm of Arnold & Porter, Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP in Washington, DC. Education Žuž ...

* March 8, 2005,

Spanish officials main visits to Croatia

* February 2, 1994,

Javier Solana Francisco Javier Solana de Madariaga CYC (; born 14 July 1942) is a Spanish physicist and PSOE politician. After serving in the Spanish government as Foreign Affairs Minister under Felipe González (1992–1995) and as the Secretary Gener ...

Minister of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and foreign relations, relations, diplomacy, bilateralism, ...

* August 16, 1995

* February 12, 1996,

Carlos Westendorp Carlos Westendorp y Cabeza (born 7 January 1937) is a Spanish diplomat and former politician who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1995 to 1996. He also served as High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, succeeding Carl Bildt and ...

* November 11, 2000,

Josep Piqué Josep Piqué Camps (21 February 1955 – 6 April 2023) was a Spanish politician of the conservative People's Party (PP). He served in ministerial departments under the José María Aznar government. He also helmed the People's Party of Catalo ...

* November 24, 2000,

José María Aznar José María Alfredo Aznar López (; born 25 February 1953) is a Spanish politician who was the prime minister of Spain from 1996 to 2004. He led the People's Party (Spain), People's Party (PP), the dominant centre-right political party in Spai ...

* May 19, 2005,

Miguel Ángel Moratinos Miguel Ángel Moratinos Cuyaubé (born 8 June 1951) is a Spanish diplomat and politician, a member of the Socialist Workers' Party and was a member of Congress from 2004 to 2011, where he represented Córdoba. From 2004 to 2010, he served as t ...

Resident diplomatic missions

* Croatia has an embassy in

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

. * Spain has an embassy in

Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...

. File:Ortega y Gasset 10, Madrid.jpg, Embassy of Croatia in Madrid

References

External links

Croatian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration: list of bilateral treaties with Spain

Croatian embassy in Madrid (in Croatian and Spanish only)

Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs about relations with Croatia (in Spanish only)

Spanish embassy in Zagreb (in Spanish only)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Croatia-Spain relations

Bilateral relations of Spain