Croatia is a popular holiday destination in Europe. The new year brings some changes. Blick names the most important:
one
Removing passport controls
If you’re traveling to Croatia by car, you should feel the change as soon as you enter the country: With the country joining the Schengen area, border controls will no longer apply from 1 January. Holiday guests who were previously bothered by kilometers of traffic jams at the Slovenian or Hungarian border gates will benefit from this.
According to the border police, passport checks at Croatian airports will only be lifted from March 26 for technical reasons. Tourists should still carry a valid ID card or passport with them.
As of January, 27 European countries are included in the Schengen area without personal or property control. These include Croatia, 23 EU countries and four partner states: Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.
2
Euro becomes currency
Second innovation: The euro will be the official currency in Croatia from January. Travelers no longer need to exchange their money for the local currency Kuna.
If you have kuna left over from your previous travels, you can exchange it at banks or exchange offices for 7.5345 kuna for 1 euro. EU finance ministers agreed on this when they signed Croatia’s entry into the euro in mid-July.
A total of 20 EU countries, including Croatia, belong to the eurozone. On the other hand, travelers in Denmark, Sweden, Bulgaria, Poland, Romania, Czech Republic and Hungary still need to exchange money in the relevant national currency.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (CDU) said Croatia’s entry into the eurozone would strengthen the Croatian economy and “the euro as well”. Criticizing the common currency, however, Croatian critics warn that if innkeepers or hoteliers add up prices, there could be a one-off “euro” effect in individual cases.
3
Freedom of movement already exists
Croatia has been a member of the European Union since 2013. Since then, all EU citizens have had freedom of movement there. This means they can work or study in the Adriatic country and enjoy rights similar to those of nearly four million Croatian citizens. (AFP)