Prime Minister and Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) leader Andrej Plenkovic said that the issue of accepting refugees from Ukraine, of whom there are slightly over 8,600 now, was discussed at the session of the party leadership, adding that Croatia would make every effort to help those people.

“On Wednesday, I will convene a meeting with all county prefects in order to coordinate the situation on the ground with them and ensure quality health care, social protection, integration into the labour market, inclusion in preschool education and schools,” Plenkovic told the press.

Croatia, he recalled, has considerable experience in taking care for refugees.

“About 30 years ago, we had not only internally displaced people in our own country but also refugees from Bosnia and Herzegovina. Hundreds of thousands of people were in Croatia at the same time, and at that moment we were not in the position we are in today. Countries that directly border Ukraine are experiencing a similar situation now,” said Plenkovic.

He recalled that Croatia had formed a working group three days after the beginning of the Russian aggression, and that included all components, ranging from civil protection to the Red Cross, all of whom were maximally engaged.

“For now, everything is going according to expectations we had when we formed that group,” Plenkovic said.

He also commented on Croatia’s credit rating.

“We believe that it’s good we maintained our credit rating, it is on us to complete all processes for admission to the euro area and the Schengen area,” the prime minister said.