The Croatian Diaspora

March 30, 2019 - An important meeting for the emerging Croatian medical tourism story in the diaspora heartland of Cleveland, as the ACAP medical tourism task force meets to see how to strengthen health tourism ties with the Homeland. As Croatia looks to advance its medical tourism story, the role of the diaspora will be crucial. As recently reported, the Croatian diaspora last year sent more back to the Homeland in remittances than Croatia welcomed in foreign investment, some 2 billion euro in total.   International experts agree that Croatia has the potential to be in the top 10 medical tourism…

ZAGREB, March 28, 2019 - A book by Smiljana Šunde "Batili su ocean: U potrazi za izgubljenim Podgoranima" portraying the stories of emigrants from the coastal town of Podgora on the Makarska Riviera was launched at the Croatian Heritage Foundation (HMI) in Zagreb on Thursday. HMI director Mijo Marić underscored that the author tells the story of locals born in Podgora of whom there are more abroad than in their home town, and describes their lives abroad and of their sense of belonging. According to Ivan Hrstić from the Ivo Pilar Institute of Social Sciences, the book discloses the dynamics…

ZAGREB, March 24, 2019 - Croats are the oldest constituent people in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and one of the pillars of the modern Croatian state, President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović said on Saturday at Open Day for Croats from Bosnia and Herzegovina in her office. "You are not guests, newcomers or an ethnic minority in BiH but its oldest constituent people which wants nothing more than peace and equality as the other two peoples in the common homeland of BiH," she said, adding that BiH is not a state of one but three constituent peoples, which has been "a fact in…

ZAGREB, March 18, 2019 - Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković met with representatives of Montenegro Croats in Kotor and Tivat on Monday, saying he was pleased with the status of the Croat minority and highlighting its contribution to local tradition and culture. "Croats are loyal citizens of Montenegro but they also want to highlight their contribution to the cultural richness and tradition of this country. Croats are proud of what they created here through the centuries and they are an important bridge between our two states. The Croatian minority is a recognised minority here. They cultivate the Croatian identity and…

March 18, 2019 - Tourism and business links between Croatia and its diaspora are improving, with the latest diaspora conference set to take place in Split in May.  A nice thing is happening with the complicated relationship between Croatia and its diaspora - the younger, business-minded generation from the diaspora and the Homeland are busy exploring ways they can cooperate, strengthen their bonds and move Croatia forward.  Those bonds are getting stronger, as Croatia's entrepreneurial class are forging links with like-minded diaspora businessmen and entrepreneurs.  There have been a series of great diaspora conferences in recent times, some of which…

ZAGREB, March 13, 2019 - Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović has met with representatives of the Croatian community in New York, thanking them for preserving the Croatian community and presenting the best of Croatia in their new homeland, her office said in a press release on Wednesday morning. She presented Charters of the Republic of Croatia to the Croatian Parish of Saints Cyril & Methodius and Saint Raphael, the Croatian Catholic Mission of the Blessed Ivan Merz and Croatian Radio New York for their contribution to maintaining and promoting ties between the Croatian community in the United States and Croatia. Earlier…

March 11, 2019 - Western Australian Croatian Chamber of Commerce had the great pleasure of hosting three amazing ladies from Croatia at an event held on the 7th of February at the International Convention Centre in Perth and in Melbourne, organized by the Victorian Croatian Chamber of Commerce, on the 13th February.  The guests shared their insights into their entrepreneurial success in Croatia and provided an overview of the landscape of economic opportunities for Croatian enthusiasts, both in the homeland and those abroad. "This has been one of the best presentations the Chamber has had in a long time," said Mr…

The investment climate in Croatia is improving, but other countries are growing faster than us, and they are becoming more desirable and more competitive for investors. Currently, the Croatian diaspora remittances are higher that foreign investments in Croatia, it was said at the panel "How to attract new investments" held in Zagreb, reports Poslovni.hr on February 24, 2019. Jako Andabak, a member of the Executive Board of the Croatian Employers' Association and chairman of the Sunce Group Supervisory Board, said that some problems are actually changing for the worse. But what is constant is the non-functional bureaucracy and unresolved land-legal…

ZAGREB, February 20, 2019 - Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović concluded her two-day visit to Germany on Tuesday by meeting with representatives of the Croatian diaspora in the country, noting an important role of Croatian citizens in the German economic success. "I take immense pride in what you do in Germany and in your contribution to Germany being among the strongest countries in world," Grabar-Kitarović said at the meeting in the Croatian Embassy in Berlin. She said that meetings with Croatian emigrants were important to her because for the most part of her career she had dealt with the issue of…

ZAGREB, February 17, 2019 - Thanks to European funds, Croatia can carry out projects for which it has not enough money, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Sunday at a meeting with Croat diaspora in Munich, speaking about the advantages of European Union membership. Croatia joined the EU in 2013 and next year it will chair the EU for the first time. The next goals are joining the Schengen and euro areas, and the 2021-27 budget offers big opportunities for building roads, airports and railways, and for investing in rural development and agriculture, said Plenković. "We would have a hard…