A memorandum of understanding between the Croatian government, the Beretta Holding group and a financial investor for the construction of a small-caliber ammunition factory in Croatia was signed today in Zagreb.
The preliminary agreement was signed by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Ivan Anušić, Beretta Holding’s President and CEO Pietro Gussalli Beretta, and financial investor Ivan Kapetanović.
Before the signing, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said the memorandum has been in preparation for more than a year, describing it as the first step toward building the ammunition factory in Obrovac, in northern Dalmatia, Zadar County.
Plenković recalls aid from Brescia-based company during the war
“Beretta Holding is an Italian family-run company, but effectively a global firm, with 500 years of continuous tradition in weapons manufacturing. This agreement marks the start of a long-term strategic partnership between Croatia and Beretta Holding,” Plenković said, adding that the project is part of a broader investment effort in the defence sector.
He said the memorandum will further strengthen Croatia’s security, industry, exports and technological development.
Plenković highlighted the selection of a highly reputable partner for the project, recalling the assistance Beretta provided to Croatia during the 1991–1995 Croatian War of Independence.
“We have not forgotten it,” Plenković added, “and we appreciate it. Now a new dimension of this cooperation opens in the context of an independent and free Croatia, a winner of the War of Independence, a member of NATO, the EU, the Schengen Area and the Eurozone, and soon to join the OECD.”
The prime minister said it is extremely important that “the defence industry ecosystem be strengthened through a type of partnership that Croatia has not had before.”
Plenković also noted that Croatian company Dok-Ing recently made a significant step forward by attracting the German firm Rheinmetall. “This project will be a partnership that further boosts investment in Zadar County,” he said, adding that the region will benefit from new investment and jobs, creating opportunities for further development.
The prime minister said work will continue on the next phases of the project, but did not specify when construction of the plant would begin or when it would be completed.
Beretta Holding Group CEO Pietro Gussalli Beretta said the project represents a long-term investment. He said his family believes in this type of investment and that their commitment is not aimed at meeting short-term needs.
Beretta thanked the government for its support and expressed hope that the signing of the agreement marks the starting point of the investment. He said the project would bring benefits to both the European and global markets and that his company will do everything possible to support it.