Von der Leyen met with Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic at Kraš Choco Café in Zagreb
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- čas přidán 31. 12. 2022
- Subscribe here: bit.ly/eudebates At midnight the Balkan nation bid farewell to its kuna currency and become the 20th member of the Eurozone.
It is the 27th nation in the passport-free Schengen zone, the world's largest, which enables more than 400 million people to move freely around its members. Croatia has switched to the Euro and entered Europe's passport-free zone - two major milestones for the country after joining the European Union nearly a decade ago.
Experts say the adoption of the Euro will help shield Croatia's economy at a time when inflation is soaring worldwide after Russia's invasion of Ukraine sent food and fuel prices through the roof.
But feelings among Croatians are mixed. While they welcome the end of border controls, some worry about the Euro switch, with right-wing opposition groups saying it only benefits large countries such as Germany and France.
"We will cry for our kuna, prices will soar," said Drazen Golemac, a 63-year-old pensioner from Zagreb.
Many Croatians fear that the introduction of the Euro will lead to a hike in prices - in particular that businesses will round up price points when they convert.
'Elite club'
For tourist agency employee Marko Pavic, "Croatia joins an elite club".
"The Euro was already a value measure - psychologically it's nothing new - while entry into Schengen is fantastic news for tourism," he told AFP.
Use of the Euro is already widespread in Croatia.
Croatians have long valued their most precious assets such as cars and apartments in Euros, displaying a lack of confidence in the local currency.
About 80% of bank deposits are denominated in Euros and Zagreb's main trading partners are in the Eurozone.
Officials have defended the decision to join the eurozone and Schengen, with Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic saying that they were "two strategic goals of a deeper EU integration".
Croatia, a former Yugoslav republic of 3.9 million people that fought a war of independence in the 1990s, joined the European Union in 2013.
"The Euro certainly brings (economic) stability and safety," Ana Sabic of the Croatian National Bank (HNB) told AFP.
Experts say the adoption of the Euro will lower borrowing conditions amid economic hardship.
Croatia's inflation rate reached 13.5% in November compared to 10% in the eurozone.
Analysts stress that eastern EU members with currencies outside of the eurozone, such as Poland or Hungary, have been even more vulnerable to surging inflation.
Borders gone
As some Croatians lamented the demise of the national currency, HNB governor Boris Vujcic said while it was a sentimental moment for him, it was the "only reasonable politics".
The kuna was adopted in 1994, during the independence war.
Kuna means marten, a weasel-like carnivore whose fur was used as currency in the Middle Ages.
Today Mr Vujcic will symbolically withdraw Euros from a cash machine in downtown Zagreb.
Interior and foreign ministers will attend brief ceremonies at border crossings with Croatia's EU peers Slovenia and Hungary respectively while the bloc's chief Ursula von der Leyen is to visit the country.
Local papers hailed the two events, with the best-selling Vecernji List daily labelling them the "crown of (Zagreb's) EU membership".
In recent days customers queued at banks and ATMs to withdraw cash, fearing payment problems during the immediate aftermath of the transition period.
Croatia's entry into the Schengen borderless area will also provide a boost to the Adriatic nation's key tourism industry, which accounts for 20% of its GDP.
Previously long queues at the 73 land border crossings with Slovenia and Hungary will become history.
Border checks will only end on the 26th of March at airports due to technical issues.
Croatia will still apply strict border checks on its eastern border with non-EU neighbours Bosnia, Montenegro and Serbia.
The fight against illegal migration remains the key challenge in guarding the EU's longest external land border at 1,350km.
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#eudebates the unique initiative aiming to promote debate, dialogue, knowledge, participation and communication among citizens. #VonderLeyen #Croatia #Schengen #eurozone #EURO #Zagreb #Kraš #Choco #Café
Feliz Año Nuevo 2023 👸🏻
I wonder if this is good for Croatia..
Lebanon must join the EU soon 🇱🇧🇪🇺
Pr. Plenkovic and VonderLeyen: Happy and United 2023. CROATIA must offer Broadband everywhere for remote work. Agrivoltaic and Solar / Wind & Batteries Arrays Farms must train the Youth in the new Technologies : The Youth must understand that they have to go out into the World and bring the Trade and Growth back to the EU, they need full support . Take Brazil to Venezuela Coasts , full of Heavy Crude Oil, Gas and Minerals needed to extract the Chemicals to build all these Solar, Wind, Batteries Arrays and Broadband networks . The EU Youth must get full Training and Apprenticeships, that is why no one understands why Europe can't install 400 Gigawatts of Clean Energies and build 15 Electric Transportation and Batteries Factories, but instead can send at Davos , can send hundreds of Billions of Euros to Zelenskiy, Yermak and Fink , Money that belongs to EU & US Taxpayers and Retiree's, how is that possible?
" Zelenskiy, BlackRock CEO Fink agree to coordinate Ukraine investment", CNBC.
Prečital som jednu knihu o kralov na konci mna to doviedlo k sprvedlivemu zeveru že všetci boli zločinci
Goodbye kuna
Kuna like identity stayin through strong Croatia and free western manufactury and high minimal wage what will build strong working middle class of all people, that is our next step inside EU free western familly but with Schengen and euro in easier relaxin position. When you will have seven or eight milion Croats in Croatia and HercegBosna in BiH that is Kuna.
Pa ljudi vele da je zagreb siguran i da nema kriminalaca po ulicama.
Complimenti
👏👏👏🇪🇺🇭🇷
Croatia has really transformed since the Balkan wars.
From war torn country, to a high income EU member. Its now the most developed country in the region after Slovenia.
Croatia has helped Ukraine for months with humanitarian and military aid.
🇺🇲 🇺🇦 🇭🇷
Merry Christmass and Happy New Year for your truth comment.
Disgrace.😢
EU and Croatia Victory.