The first year of membership in NATO |
Croatia in the alliance of the most influential states
Upon successful completion of the ratification of the Protocol on the Enlargement of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation to Croatia in all national parliaments of NATO member states, on 1 April 2009, the Croatian Ambassador to the United States Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović deposited the Croatian instrument of ratification of the North Atlantic Treaty with the United States State Department. This provided the legal framework for Croatian accession to full 
membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.
Croatia participated in the NATO Summit held in Strasbourg and Kehl on 3 - 4 April, for the first time as a full-fledged member. The Croatian delegation was led by the President of the Republic of Croatia Stjepan Mesić and Prime Minister Ivo Sanader. US President Barrack Obama presented them with copies of the North Atlantic Treaty on behalf of the Alliance.
Membership in NATO has strengthened Croatia's position in international politics in two ways. Croatia has become an equal partner to other states in the Alliance, and has established itself as part of the political, security and economic club of NATO countries. The views and interests of Croatia as a member of the Alliance carry more weight, both in the region and at the broader international level as well. Since NATO is a political-military forum that joins together the United States, the largest European countries, and Croatia's neighbouring countries, membership in the Alliance has opened up new room for the strengthening of the political reputation and influence of the Republic of Croatia.
Membership in the Alliance enabled Croatia to join in all the military, political and other activities of NATO. Croatian delegates now actively participate in the work of all NATO bodies and committees, which enables further shaping and strengthening of Croatian politics in relation to a series of issues discussed by NATO. For example, in issues related to the countries of South East Europe, Croatia has imposed itself as one of the leading allies, whose views considerably influence the entire NATO policy towards the region.
Croatia's accession to NATO coincided with the start of developing NATO's new Strategic Concept, a core document that defines the role of
the Alliance, its main security challenges and responses to these challenges. Croatia thus took part in the discussion about harmonising the role of NATO as a traditional political-military defence alliance with that of an organisation facing global security challenges and undertaking operations outside the Euro-Atlantic area. Other important issues also discussed within the same framework include continued enlargement of the Alliance, co-operation with Russia and other partner countries, and the future role of nuclear weapons.
Croatia continued to participate in NATO peacekeeping operations: the ISAF operation in Afghanistan (contributing military staff, as well as police personnel and diplomatic staff), a significant contribution of the Republic of Croatia to international security and stability, and the KFOR operation in Kosovo (Croatia's military contribution began in early 2009), which carries great political significance for regional stability.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Gordan Jandroković participated in informal meetings of the NATO Council in March and December, and at the meeting of the NATO-Russia Council on Corfu in June. NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer made a farewell visit to Croatia in May, and was awarded a high Croatian decoration by Prime Minister Ivo Sanader.
New door opened for Croatian economy
At a national level, on 19 June the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration organised an economic seminar titled "How to do business with NATO", with the purpose of informing business people about business opportunities created by Croatia's accession to NATO. Over 120 Croatian business people participated in the seminar. In order to provide support to Croatian business people in their business activities with NATO, the Committee for the Coordination and Support of Export Opportunities and Infrastructure Projects in the NATO Program was established in September. Transparency and access to information have been enhanced by designing a specialised website containing all relevant information about NATO tenders, details about the terms and conditions of participation and the bidding procedure.
The first meeting of Croatian business people with the management of NATO Maintenance and Supply Agency (NAMSA is NATO's principal logistics agency) was held at NAMSA's headquarters in Luxembourg on 28 October. The Ministry of Economy, Labour and Entrepreneurship, the Croatian Chamber of Economy and the Croatian Mission to NATO organised the Croatian Industry Day, where 27 Croatian companies presented their achievements, products and services - in the military,
textile, and food industries, construction, services and information technology - and were informed about how NAMSA operates. This marked the first step towards participation in future tenders within the Alliance and recognition of Croatian export brands.
Croatia's accession to NATO demanded a new level of quality in the coordination of specific elements of the national foreign and security policies. On 22 September 2009, the Government of the Republic of Croatia decided to establish the Interdepartmental Committee for NATO. The main tasks of the Committee include analysing, proposing and coordinating activities related to Croatia's membership in NATO and strengthening of NATO related activities in the entire state administration. In order to further improve the effectiveness of the Commission, the Council of the Interdepartmental Committee was established as a political and operational body within the Committee. Members of the Council are representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, the Ministry of Defence, the General Staff of the Armed Forces, the Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia and the Office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia. The Council discusses current NATO topics and makes conclusions about these topics, taking into account their compliance with other components of Croatian foreign policy, primarily those
related to EU and bilateral relations with other countries. The Council meets at least once a month, and its work is coordinated by the State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration.
Information exchange with NATO
During 2009 the necessary organisational and technical conditions were created for setting up communication systems for exchange of data with NATO. Upon fulfilment of the required conditions NATO's “Secret” information system (CRO NS WAN) was set into operation.
The Division for Registries was first established in February as a separate organisational unit of the Ministry responsible for the reception and distribution of classified and unclassified NATO and EU documents. The new offices of the Division for Registries were then technically equipped at a new location of the Ministry, in order to meet the required standards. In November representatives of the NATO Office of Security conducted an official inspection visit and assessed
that NATO's classified and unclassified documents are handled well by the Ministry and that all necessary conditions for accreditation of the Ministry's Division for Registries for the classification Cosmic Top Secret (CTS) have been fulfilled.