May 29, 2022 - On Statehood Day and the 30th anniversary of Croatia's international diplomatic recognition, numerous events are being held in the country. A conference entitled "Heritage of Generations: 30 Years of International Diplomatic Recognition of the Republic of Croatia" will be held in Zagreb.

Three panels will be held at the conference "Heritage of Generations: 30 Years of International Diplomatic Recognition of the Republic of Croatia", reports HRT News. Distinguished guests will discuss current topics related to the international position of the country on the occasion of Statehood Day.

The first panel runs from 10:30 am and is called "Witnesses of the Time: Brave Generation". Dr. Mate Granić, Special Adviser to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia, is taking part in it along with Academician Davorin Rudolf, member of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, prof. dr. sc., Jurgen Chrobog, German lawyer and diplomat, and Associate Professor dr. sc. Ante Nazor, director of the Croatian Homeland War Memorial and Documentation Center. The moderator of the panel is Dr. sc. Gordan Grlić Radman, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia.

The second panel "Croatia for three decades: Generation of transformation" lasts from 12:10 to 13:40 and will be broadcasted on HRT4. Participants include mr. sc. Zdravka Bušić, Member of the Croatian Parliament; Peter Galbraith, US Ambassador to Croatia from 1993 to 1998; mr. sc. Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, the fourth President of the Republic of Croatia, Ivana Maletić, a member of the European Court of Auditors, and Dubravka Šuica, Vice-President of the European Commission, will deliver a video message. The moderator is Vladimir Drobnjak, special advisor to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia.

The third panel "Croatia Today: Generation for the Future" lasts from 14:40 to 16:10 pm. Participating are Gracija Filipović, actress in the Cannes-awarded Croatian film Murina; Albert Gajšak, Circuitmess doo; dr. sc. David Matthew Smith, director of the Ruđer Bošković Institute; Dejan Nemčić, professor and Tin Srbić, gymnast. The moderator is Zrinka Grancarić, an HRT journalist.

For more, check out our politics section.

June 25th, 2021 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković Friday congratulated Croatia Independence Day, observed today, saying that it was a memorial day marking parliament's historic decision to launch Croatia's separation from the former Yugoslavia.

By adopting the Constitutional Decision on Croatia's sovereignty and independence and the Declaration on the proclamation of a sovereign and independent Croatia on 25 June 1991, the Croatian parliament confirmed the plebiscitary would the Croatian people expressed at a referendum the previous May, Plenković said in his message.

We confirmed that freedom and independence, that centuries-long dream of the Croatian people, by winning in the Homeland War, he said, thanking Croatia's first president Franjo Tuđman and all defenders and their families "whose lives and sacrifice are woven into the foundations of Croatia's independence."

Plenković said that 30 years after the parliamentary decision which set the path towards independence, Croatia was a member of the EU and NATO, had chaired the Council of the EU, and was about to join Schengen and the eurozone, which he said were the remaining strategic EU integration goals on which the government was intensively working.

Today, faced with new challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the effects of devastating earthquakes, climate change, and catching up with the fourth industrial revolution, we are committed to economic recovery, reconstruction, energy, green and digital transition, demographic revitalization, and reforms, Plenković said.

Crucial for making the economy more resilient to future threats and swift post-crisis recovery are the investments and reforms the government envisaged in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. We obtained considerable funds at the European level.

Observing Independence Day, faced with numerous challenges, Croatia needs unity and to look to the future more than ever, he concluded.

For more news, follow TCN's dedicated page. 

ZAGREB, 2 May 2021 - Commemorative events were held in the village of Borovo on Sunday in tribute to 12 special policemen killed there by Serb paramilitaries in an ambush on 2 May 1991.

The 12 Croatian policemen were killed in an ambush in the night between May 1 and 2, 1991 after coming to Borovo in an attempt to rescue two of their colleagues who were captured the night before by Serb paramilitaries.

After negotiations on their release failed, a group of members of special police forces from Vinkovci were sent to Borovo on May 2. In a conflict with Serb paramilitaries that followed, 12 of them were killed and another 21 were wounded.

The policemen who were killed were Stjepan Bošnjak (born in 1955), Antun Grbavac (1961), Josip Culej (1966), Mladen Šaric (1965), Zdenko Perica (1965), Zoran Grašic (1969), Ivica Vučić (1961), Luka Crnković (1970), Marinko Petrušić (1966), Janko Čović (1965), Zeljko Hrala (1968) and Mladen Čatić (1971).

For more about the homeland war in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

ZAGREB, January 15, 2019 - Croatia is observing today the 27th anniversary of international recognition. On 15 January 1992, Croatia's independence was recognised by the then member states of the European Union.

On 15 January 1992, Croatia was in the midst of the Homeland War and nearly one third of the country was occupied by the former Yugoslav army and Serb insurgents. Croatia's then president Franjo Tuđman told his associates that evening: "We have created the internationally recognised Croatia. Let's celebrate tonight and then roll up our sleeves and build a new democratic state."

Croatia's international recognition followed after it declared independence from Yugoslavia on 25 June 1991. On the same day, Slovenia too declared its independence from Yugoslavia and the next day the two newly- created states recognised each other.

At that time, the Soviet Union was disintegrating too and although they were not internationally recognised yet, several of its former countries recognised Croatia during 1991 - Lithuania on July 30, Ukraine on December 11, Latvia on December 14 and Estonia on December 31.

Iceland was the first internationally recognised state that recognised Croatia, on 15 December 1991, followed by Germany on the same day, although it decided that its recognition would go into force on 15 January 1992, together with the other EU member states.

On January 13, Croatia was recognised by the Holy See, which had announced that it would recognise Croatia and Slovenia the previous December 20. On January 14, Croatia was recognised by San Marino.

After being recognised by the EU on 15 January 1992, Croatia was recognised on the same day by Great Britain, Denmark, Malta, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Hungary, Norway, Bulgaria, Poland, Italy, Canada, France, Spain, Portugal, Ireland, Luxembourg and Greece. On January 16, Croatia was recognised by Argentina, Australia, the Czech Republic, Chile, Liechtenstein, New Zealand, Slovakia, Sweden and Uruguay.

By the end of that January, Croatia was recognised by Finland, Romania, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Paraguay and Bolivia.

Russia recognised Croatia on 17 February 1992, Japan did so on March 17, the US on April 7, Israel on April 16, although diplomatic relations were established five and a half years later, and China on April 27.

The first Asian country that recognised Croatia was Iran on 15 March 1992, while Egypt was the first African country on 16 April 1992.

On 22 May 1992, Croatia joined the UN.

More news on Croatia’s history can be found in the Politics section.

The spectacle drew over 30,000 fans to Maksimir stadium in Zagreb. 

ZAGREB, October 8, 2018 - The Croatian state leadership, led by Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, laid wreaths and lit candles at Zagreb's central Mirogoj cemetery on Monday, on the occasion of Independence Day.

ZAGREB, October 8, 2018 - Croatia is observing Independence Day on Monday in memory of 8 October 1991 when the first Croatian legislative assembly decided to sever all ties with the then Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY).

ZAGREB, October 7, 2018 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković congratulated on Sunday Croatian citizens Independence Day, saying that Croats celebrated Independence Day as proud citizens of free and independent Croatia, grateful for the heroism of war veterans but also with a duty to build a successful and organised society, deeply based on European values

ZAGREB, October 5, 2018 - President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović issued on Friday a message for Independence Day, which is observed on October 8, saying that although Croatia has achieved many successes since the declaration of independence in 1991, it wants more prosperity.

On 19 May 1991, the referendum on independence of Croatia was held.