The Mayor of Zagreb, Tomislav Tomasevic, and the UNHCR representative in Croatia, Anna Rich, opened a central information office for refugees and migrants in Petrinjska Street on Thursday.

Rich and Tomasevic signed an agreement on cooperation between the city administration and the UNHCR in the work of the centre, which is also known as the Welcome Centre.

Rich said that this One Stop Shop is the first of its kind in Croatia. She emphasised that the partnership with the municipality was not just a formality, but a firm promise to continue building an inclusive society, setting an excellent example for other cities and municipalities to follow.

The Welcome Centre for refugees and migrants in 31 Petrinjska Street will be open on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 8 am to 4 pm, while on Tuesdays and Thursdays it will operate from 10 am to 6 pm.

Measures for a policy of integration and acceptance in Zagreb

Tomasevic was pleased with the opening of the centre, which will provide information for foreign workers with residence and work permits, as well as for all other groups of foreigners in Croatia, especially those seeking international protection and those who have been granted international or temporary protection.

This will be one of several measures of a policy of integration and acceptance in Zagreb, Tomasevic said, expressing the belief that other cities will follow Zagreb’s example as the number of foreign workers has increased throughout the country.

The city authorities have set up Croatian language courses for foreign workers at the SUVAG School of Foreign Languages, which are also offered by various other organisations

People arriving in Croatia face quite complex administrative procedures, language barriers and various uncertainties. and the Welcome Centre is a place where they can get the information that is important to them – information about their rights, obligations and everything else that can make their stay in Zagreb easier, Tomasevic said.

At the centre, for example, they can get information on where they can learn Croatian, he said.

Croatian language courses for foreign workers

The state issues residence and work permits for foreign workers, but about two thirds of them have insufficient Croatian language skills. There are about 20,000 foreign workers in Zagreb, of whom about 13,000 have insufficient knowledge of Croatian, although mastering the Croatian language is the key to their social integration.

For this reason, the city authorities have set up Croatian language courses for foreign workers at the SUVAG School of Foreign Languages, which are also offered by various other organisations, Tomasevic said.

The Welcome Centre for refugees and migrants in 31 Petrinjska Street will be open on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 8 am to 4 pm, while on Tuesdays and Thursdays it will operate from 10 am to 6 pm

He emphasised that the integration policy should be implemented primarily by the state, adding that he believed that the state and employers would also organise Croatian language courses for foreign workers.

Foreign workers are an important segment of Zagreb’s and Croatia’s economy

Tomasevic condemned the physical attacks on foreign workers in Zagreb that have occurred in recent weeks and months. He recalled that all relevant political parties have condemned them and that this is important because foreign workers are an important part of Zagreb’s and Croatia’s economy.

It is absolutely unacceptable that just because they have come here to work and have all the necessary permits, they experience unpleasant situations, not to mention physical attacks, the mayor said, adding that the police are working on these cases, that most of the perpetrators have been identified and that they will be severely punished.