We speak to one of the most seasoned players on the European stage, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic. During his eight years in office, he has experienced the latter stages of the 2015-16 migrant crisis, the Covid pandemic, and the impact of the war in Ukraine, as well as overseeing his country’s entry into the eurozone and the Schengen free-travel area. We discuss topical issues in the EU as well as in his region, particularly EU enlargement towards the Western Balkans.