Andrej Plenković

Andrej Plenković (pronounced [ǎndrej plěːŋkoʋit͡ɕ]; born 8 April 1970) is a Croatian politician who has served as prime minister of Croatia since 2016. He is the leader of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), serving since 2016. Plenković is the longest-serving Croatian prime minister. He has been the longest-serving head of government in the European Union (EU) since 2026. Plenković is a conservative moderate and has moved the HDZ towards the political centre.

After graduating from the Zagreb Faculty of Law in 1993, Plenković began his career in Croatia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs before supporting Croatia’s mission to the EU. From 2005 to 2010, he was deputy ambassador to France. He served in the Croatian Parliament from 2011 to 2015. After becoming the State Secretary for European Integration, he served in the European Parliament from 2013 to 2016. A year later, he was elected president of the HDZ and led the party to victory in the 2016 parliamentary election becoming prime minister. Plenković has led three governments with multiple cabinets – winning successive elections in 2016, 2020, and 2024. His complex coalition-building has led to civil unrest, including the 2024 Zagreb protest.

As prime minister, he led the nation through the COVID-19 pandemic and two earthquakes in Zagreb and in Petrinja in 2020. His government materially increased defence spending and expanded large-scale infrastructure projects, particularly in the energy sector. He facilitated Croatia's integration into the Eurozone and the Schengen Area, circulating the euro throughout the Croatian economy. He has maintained foreign policy multilateralism, sending military aid to Ukraine and strengthening NATO integration. Plenković's structural reforms since 2022 has slated Croatian accession into the OECD by late 2026.