Croatian citizens are delaying starting a family because of a lack of affordable housing. The parliamentary opposition warned of this on Thursday during a debate on the strategy for demographic revitalisation until 2033.

Young people are now leaving home six years later than in 2016, said MP Sandra Bencic (Mozemo party), who emphasised the lack of affordable housing as the main problem for the younger generation.

The money that the state has made available to banks by subsidising housing loans should have been used to build public rental housing, the price of which is adjusted to the household’s income, Bencic said.

Instead of renting a flat, Croatian citizens much more often opting for ownership, she said, adding that this is mainly due to non-compliance with the Apartment Lease Act.

The landlord can evict you within a month, he can raise the rent as much as he wants and when he wants, she said.

Radolovic: The SDP programme provides for the construction of public rental housing

Sanja Radolovic (Social Democratic Party) agreed with the assessment that the cost of living in Croatia has become unbearable, especially for young people who cannot afford to live in their own homes.

We have a large number of thirty-year-olds who still live in a shared household with their parents. We are also one of the countries with the lowest number of square metres of living space per household member, she said.

Young people need housing so that they can plan their future in Croatia. That is why the SDP’s programme will provide for the construction of buildings for long-term rent, Radolović said, adding that it will be possible to buy some of these flats, which is an option for families who are not creditworthy at the time of moving in.

Croatia has lost 900,000 inhabitants since independence, warned Social Democrat MP Davorko Vidovic.

Most party is calling for a generalised child benefit of 80 to 270 euros

In order to give people the opportunity to start a family, the Most party is proposing a series of changes to the law, including the introduction of a general child benefit of 80 to 270 euros, depending on the number of children.

This would allow families with lower salaries to give their children the same chance to realise their talents and potential as children from families with high salaries, said Bozo Petrov.

Marijan Pavlicek (Croatian Sovereignists) proposed giving mothers the opportunity to work part-time (four hours a day) for 15 years, which would be registered as full-time work.

MPs on migration

With regard to the empty villages in Slavonia and Baranja, Pavlicek suggested settling Ukrainian families there, as Ukrainians are culturally close to Croats and would therefore quickly integrate into society.

We are buying Bradleys and Rafale jets, which is commendable, but who will they be defending in 30 years, Pavlicek said, adding that you can see people from Asian countries everywhere in Zagreb.

The influx of foreign labour that we are experiencing is leading to a continuing exodus of Croatian citizens, said Ruzica Vukovac (Club for a Fair Croatia), due to the “dumping” of labour prices.

In addition to foreign labour and illegal immigrants, rich European pensioners are also coming to Croatia. Seven out of ten properties sold in Zagreb and on the coast in the last two years were bought by foreigners, said Vukovac, who also pointed to the lack of housing.

Anka Mrak Taritas (GLAS party) said that Croatia needs foreign labour to maintain the economic, health and pension system and stressed the need for an integration policy strategy.

SDSS MP Dragana Jeckov referred to internal migration, i.e. the fact that young people are leaving the villages and moving to the cities. She cited the lack of kindergartens and basic medical care as the main reason for this problem.

A co-financing measure for doctors who live and work in rural areas is therefore important, said Jeckov.