The Francophonie Festival was opened at the Liszt Institute – Hungarian Cultural Center. The organization was taken over by the embassies of the member states and observers of the International Organization of La Francophonie present in Croatia, with the support of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia.
After the introductory speeches and presentation of the Francophonie Festival program, Dr. Nina Obuljen Koržinek, Minister of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia, opened the panel discussion “The Importance of Francophonie in International Relations and Its Benefits for Croatia”. The panel was attended by Mr. Zvonimir Frka Petešić, Head of the Office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia Andrej Plenković, Dr. Miro Kovač, former Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia, Prof. Dr. Nina Vajić, President of the French Alliance in Zagreb and former judge of the European Court of Human Rights elected for the Republic of Croatia, and Milan Hovorka, Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Croatia. After the panel, visitors could enjoy tasting specialties prepared by the embassies of the Francophonie countries in Zagreb.
The month of March is traditionally a time when Francophonie is celebrated around the world. In this context, the embassies and cultural institutes of the OIF member and observer countries present in Zagreb, together with Croatian educational and cultural partners, are fully committed to organizing a series of events that will celebrate the French language and Francophone cultures throughout Croatia. The program includes French language competitions, film screenings of the Francophonie Festival, the “French, the language of employment” forum, French language workshops for schools, art exhibitions, presentations of Francophone authors, conferences and concerts. In total, around sixty events will be held during March and beyond.
The full program is available on the website of the French Institute in Croatia: https://institutfrancais.hr/frankofonija-u-hrvatskoj-2025/ With 321 million speakers on five continents, French is the fifth most widely spoken language in the world, after English, Chinese, Hindi and Spanish. It is also the second most taught language in the world after English and the fourth most spoken language on the Internet, after English, Spanish and Arabic. French is the official language of 32 countries and connects even more peoples within what we call Francophonie with a capital “F”, and especially within the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF), which brings together 88 states and governments and in which Croatia has had the status of an observer country since 2004. The International Organization of La Francophonie, which was founded in 1970, is based not only on a common language, French, but also on a set of shared values, including solidarity, diversity, exchange of experiences, engagement and cooperation.