Croatia Secures €20.3M for Dual-Use Border Surveillance
Croatia will deploy 20 stationary thermal surveillance systems along its external EU border under a €20.26 million dual-use security project.
Croatia has secured €20.26 million for the deployment of 20 stationary thermal surveillance systems along its external European Union border under a project classified within an EU dual-use investment priority.
The Croatian Ministry of the Interior said the project will install 19 long-range stationary thermal surveillance systems and one medium-range system at strategic locations along the country’s external border.
The project is intended to improve border surveillance and migration management while also strengthening military-civil preparedness.
Croatia’s Ministry of Regional Development and European Union Funds approved the financing on September 23, 2026, with the grant agreement signed on September 30.
The total project value is €20,264,629.81. The European Regional Development Fund will cover 95%, or €19,251,398.31, while Croatia will provide the remaining €1,013,231.50 from the national budget.
The funding comes through Croatia’s Competitiveness and Cohesion Program 2021-2027 under a priority covering dual-use investments, including military mobility within the European Union and improved civil preparedness.
That classification gives the project a broader security role than conventional border-control procurement. The systems are primarily intended for Croatia’s border police but are also designed to strengthen national resilience and military-civil readiness during crises and hybrid threats.
Croatia has been expanding its stationary surveillance network for several years. A government implementation plan has called for an additional 20 stationary systems as part of a wider effort to increase surveillance coverage along the country’s external border.
The Ministry of the Interior had already tendered a 20-location stationary surveillance system procurement in 2025, with an estimated value of €16.2 million excluding VAT.
The latest funding decision therefore represents a financing and implementation milestone for Croatia’s wider border-surveillance modernization rather than the announcement of an entirely new procurement competition.
