Some economic operators in Croatia have used the euro changeover to raise their prices, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said in the Talking Europe broadcast on the France 24 channel, speaking of Croatia's entry to the Eurozone and the Schengen area.

On 1 January Croatia joined the euro area, however, the kuna to euro changeover has not been without problems.

Unfortunately, since 1 January some of our economic operators have increased the prices of some products and services. The government has responded promptly and launched inspections. Our role, and the role of nongovernmental organisations, is to protect consumers, Plenkovic said.

The energy crisis, the food crisis and the overall inflationary pressure have in a way disrupted a well-defined process that should have happened without any problems, he said.

In addition to the adoption of the new currency, Croatia has also joined the Schengen area of passport-free travel, abolishing checks on its 73 border crossings.

“People are really thrilled that there are no more border controls on the crossings between Croatia and Slovenia; between Croatia and Hungary. Seventy-three border crossings are now police-free and customs-free. That means people going freely to the west or to the north of Europe. It means less costs, and more tourists coming to Croatia. 82 percent of overnight tourist stays in Croatia are made by people who come from the Schengen area. So this is going to be a huge economic benefit for us.”

Plenkovic added that Croatia could serve as an incentive to neighbouring countries.

“We shall guard the external Schengen border just as efficiently as we guarded the external EU border. The responsibilities are higher, and everything seems to be in the best order. I want to say that our example and our advances should be an incentive for other countries in Southeast Europe.”

In 2022, 30,000 illegal migrants used the Western Balkan route, and Croatia is ready to respond to the problem of illegal migrations, he said.

More than 6,500 police officers conduct checks and a large amount of technical equipment has been procured so that we could control and prevent illegal migrations, he said.

“Historic mischoice” by opposition MPs on Ukraine

Plenkovic also commented on Croatian lawmakers’ decision on 16 December to reject a proposal for Croatia to join an EU mission in support of the Ukrainian military. The government had needed 24 votes from opposition parties for the motion to pass.

“Those political forces bear the responsibility of a historic mischoice,” he said.

“We, as the government, will not hesitate to tell them that at every occasion. The responsibility is not ours, but that of those MPs who failed to be on the right side of history,” said Plenkovic.

He noted that Croatia’s participation in the mission could have been the continuation of assistance to Ukraine.

“The absurdity here is that Croatia has already given extensive military assistance to Ukraine, as well as political, diplomatic, technical and economic assistance. So having our officers and trainers participate in the mission that will be taking place in Germany or Poland could have been an addition to what we have done so far.”