The British Embassy in Zagreb has released a video for British citizens living and working in Croatia in which UK Ambassador to the Republic of Croatia answered a few common questions from Brits worried about their futures in Croatia after Brexit.

The video, aimed at answering the questions of worried British residents in Croatia in the case of an unwanted and disorderly but still possible No Deal Brexit, saw Andrew Dalgleish sit down and respond to a handful of concerns put to the embassy by Croatia's Brits, of which there are well under 1,000 legally registered.

If you're a British citizen living in Croatia and you're concerned about your rights after the United Kingdom withdraws from the European Union, which, if all goes to plan, will occur at the end of next month, make sure to follow us as we bring you all the information you need, as and when it happens.

If Theresa May's deal is passed, this article will tell you in detail what that means for you as a British national in Croatia.

If an unwanted No Deal Brexit occurs, MUP (Croatian Ministry of the Interior) has assured both Balkan Insight and TCN that British citizens with a biometric residence permit (temporary or permanent residence/privremeni ili stalni boravak) should be able to continue their lives broadly as they do now, and that the proper measures for that will be introduced. Although Croatia hasn't yet delivered any public assurances like several other EU countries have, in the spirit of reciprocity, Croatia will follow.

MUP's statement to me can be found here, along with the direct translation.

For information on how you can work to prepare and thus further safeguard your rights in the event of Britain crashing out of the bloc at the end of next month, read this article.

Make sure to stay up to date and/or sign up for email alerts from the British Government's Living in Croatia page in case any changes to your rights do occur.

In the meantime, make sure you're registered with the authorities in Croatia and are in possession of a valid biometric residence permit before the 29th of March, 2019.

For more on Brexit and on Croatian politics, give our dedicated politics page a follow.

ZAGREB, February 22, 2019 - The priority of Croatia’s EU presidency of the European Union in the first half of 2020 will be the rule of law in all member states, Justice Minister Dražen Bošnjaković said after meeting European Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality Vera Jourova in Zagreb on Thursday.

"During our presidency we certainly want to put emphasis on the rule of law in all member states. We believe that all EU member states need to have a high level of the rule of law," Bošnjaković told a press conference.

He recalled that in its accession negotiations Croatia had undertaken reform measures to reach the necessary level so that it could become an EU member. "Today we undertake many measures to make the judiciary as efficient, good and fast as possible," he added.

Bošnjaković said that greater attention would be paid to the training of judges and state attorneys, highlighting the importance of digitisation of the Croatian judicial system.

Jourova said that a lot of work was still to be done on judicial reform, recalling a recent conference on the importance of the judiciary for the economies of the member states.

That is a very important aspect and I think we need to do much more to increase the quality and the speed of work of justice systems so that we can win the greater trust not only of citizens but of investors as well, she said.

Jourova said that she and Bošnjaković had discussed digitisation as a way of increasing the efficiency of the Croatian judiciary.

She said that during the Croatian presidency of the EU further talks on the new EU budget and the whistleblower directive would be on the table.

Jourova is scheduled to meet Economy Minister Darko Horvat on Friday to discuss consumer policy and unfair trading practices, particularly the dual quality of products.

Jourova said that the dual quality of products was an unfair trading practice because in the EU it is unacceptable for one producer to have the same product of different qualities, depending on the market it is intended for.

Jourova said her talks with Croatian officials, including President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, would focus on the forthcoming elections for the European Parliament and the issue of fake news and disinformation.

More news on Croatia and the European Union can be found in the Politics section.

Andrew Dalgleish talks about the unwanted yet still possible No Deal outcome, what this means for Croats in the UK, what it could mean for Brits in Croatia, and how, if at all, Brexit will affect Croatia's tourist industry.

While many British citizens in Croatia remain worried for their future in the country, rest assured that we at TCN, along with the British Embassy in Zagreb, will continue to do our absolute best to keep you informed of any changes, should they occur at all, to your rights to residence, access to healthcare, the labour market, and your access to Croatia's social security system.

We have already written numerous articles on what Brexit is likely to mean when it comes to British citizens living in Croatia with regulated status (biometric residence permit of either temporary (privremeni) or permanent (stalni) residence (boravak), which was your right to claim as EU citizens. I'd like to preface this by saying that there is no need to do anything but remain calm despite the sheer lack of information provided to you, we're fully aware of your concerns and will seek to assure you as best as we can along the way.

MUP has assured TCN in private correspondence with me that British citizens, even in the unwanted event of a No Deal Brexit, who have a valid residence permit of some kind, will not be seen as illegal persons living on the territory of the Republic of Croatia on the 29th of March this year. Please click here for the full article on that, as well as ways to safeguard and prepare, here for MUP's statement to Balkan Insight, and here for Paul Bradbury's meeting with Andrew Dalgleish, the UK Ambassador to Croatia, which took place a few weeks ago. Should the UK leave with May's deal on the UK's Withdrawal Agreement, click here to find out what that means for you.

Although the following article doesn't talk quite enough about the rightful worries and fears of Croatia's resident Brits, the number of which is well under 1,000, Andrew Dalgleish sits down to discuss what a potential No Deal Brexit might mean should it occur, and sought to reassure that British tourists, who are among the most numerous European visitors to Croatia, will continue to come.

As Mark Thomas/Slobodna Dalmacija writes on the 19th of February, 2019, before Britain's (planned) exit from the European Union scheduled for March the 29th this year, we talked with UK Ambassador to the Republic of Croatia, Mr. Andrew Dalgleish, to find out what the future of the always positive relations between Croatia and the UK are set to become.

"Croatian citizens living in the UK shouldn't worry if Britain leaves the European Union without agreement because the [British] Government has taken all the measures to protect [EU] citizens [living in the UK at the time of exit]," the ambassador stated.

The British Government ''is making a huge effort to reach an agreement'', and the outcome of Brexit for Great Britain has two scenarios, at least in this phase of negotiations; the UK leaving the EU, should it continue to stand by its current position, either with or without agreement. Whatever the solution turns out to be, it will bring new questions, as well as new solutions, in terms of citizens' rights.

If Britain leaves the European Union on March the 29th, how will it affect the status of Croatian nationals living in the UK in the case of a No Deal Brexit?

Since the beginning of the negotiations around Brexit, Prime Minister Theresa May has been very clear on this issue: Citizens should not be bargaining chips, the lives of people and their needs are what is really important here. Then, when we came to the end of the negotiations, the prime minister said that regardless of what would happen [regarding the UK's withdrawal from the bloc], Croats and other citizens of European Union countries (EU27) who are legal residents of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland will basically hold the same status and enjoy broadly the same rights as they did before the 29th of March, 2019.

Croats should not immediately see any change in their current status in the UK. This is a real indicator of how much Britain truly does appreciate the citizens of other European Union countries living in the UK. No matter what other EU members do in return, the prime minister has been very clear on this matter.

After March the 29th, EU citizens will be able to live normally in the UK, enjoying continued unimpeded access to all the social, health and education services just as they have until now, and the direction further negotiations will take is yet to be seen. There will be procedures to explain to citizens what the futre will look like after Brexit and we want to let them know that we do care about everyone.

At this point there are two possible Brexit scenarios, "Brexit with an agreement" and "Brexit without an agreement", and whatever option is accepted will affect what will happen on March the 29th...

Yes, the British Government is absolutely devoted, with all of its efforts, to reach an agreement. How exactly this arrangement will look remains to be seen. However, it is crystal clear to the government that reaching an agreement is the best way to leave [the EU].

Also, we as the government are highly responsible, which means that we have to prepare for this second scenario [No Deal Brexit] that we wouldn't want, but which could happen. That's why we want to reassure Croatian citizens living in the UK that they don't have to worry if Britain does leave without a deal, because the [British] Government has taken measures to reassure them that they do care about them.

Agreement or not, how will Brexit affect your role as [UK] Ambassador?

Of course, it's already influenced my ambassador's role. I was all set to be the ambassador before the referendum was actually held, I actually arrived in Zagreb three weeks after the referendum. Of course, that means all my preparations changed overnight. But Brexit is real and we've got to face it.

Relations between Great Britain and Croatia have lasted longer outside the European Union than they have within it. Brexit will certainly be a challenge because many of the questions related to our two peoples are being solved at a table in Brussels.

Since we [Britain] will not be sitting at the table in Brussels again, we will make even more of an effort in the future to get London and Zagreb to directly negotiate, more than we did before, so there's a chance there.

How are the negotiations with the Croatian Government progressing, if an agreement [between the UK and the EU] is not reached, and what about the rights of British nationals in Croatia?

Prime Minister May was very clear at the very beginning of negotiations that the [British] Government would take care of the rights of European Union citizens in the UK after March the 29th, so we hope that other [EU] Member States will act in the same way.

The European Commission has stated that it hopes that, after Brexit, all EU member states will be ''generous'' and offer British citizens good conditions, however, each of them will do so in their own way. Discussions are being conducted not only with Croatia, but with other EU member states. Of course, the Croatian Government, as well as the British Government, is hoping for a scenario in which the UK withdraws from the EU with a deal.

It's very important to point out that in the case of a No Deal Brexit, there are many technical questions that require answers, some of which are what it will mean to be a legal citizen (resident) here, to gaining the right to health care, and many other issues.

All of this requires very demanding preparation and this is what we're doing at this moment with the Croatian Government.

Do you think Croatian tourism will suffer a sort of shock after Brexit?

"There is no intent on either side of causing problems in people's lives, going on holiday is a natural thing that people need. No government in these negotiations has said that obstacles should be put in place in order to make things for the tourist industry more difficult in the future. Of course, if there's an agreement, then every side and every country knows where their place is.

In the event of a No Deal Brexit, we must take care to resolve all of the technical issues and that the British [continue to] come to Croatia on holiday, which is the intention of both Croatia and the UK. I don't see the probability of any problem, as long as we're all doing our jobs in the meantime.

Make sure to stay up to date with everything you need to know about Brexit and Croatia and what might alter for you by following our dedicated politics page.

Click here for the original article by Mark Thomas on Slododna Dalmacija

ZAGREB, February 20, 2019 - Prime Minister and Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) leader Andrej Plenković has said that his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orban, who is the chief of the Fidesz party, has made a mistake by publishing a controversial poster which accuses the European Commission and billionaire businessman George Soros of undermining Hungary's security, but stopped short of specifying whether Orban's political party should be expelled from the European People's Party (EPP) group in the European Parliament.

The Hungarian government has posted on its Facebook account a poster showing the faces of EC President Jean-Claude Juncker and Soros and including messages saying that the European Union will introduce mandatory migrant settlement quotas and reduce financial assistance for countries opposed to migration.

Earlier, the European Commission denounced the poster as a "ludicrous conspiracy theory."

Plenković on Wednesday evening joined in the criticism of such posters, explaining that making them public was a bad decision.

I think that it sends a wrong message about the EU migration policy, Plenković said in the northern Croatian city of Varaždin.

Asked by the press whether Fidesz should no longer be in the EPP group, which also includes the HDZ, Plenković answered: "We can't react as fast as you would want us to."

On Tuesday, Juncker said that Orban's Fidesz should leave the centre-right European People's Party. Orban is perceived as one of Europe's most vocal anti-immigrant leaders.

Fidesz is a leading party in Hungary and is projected to win a large number of seats in the EP in the forthcoming elections, which is why its expulsion from the EPP may weaken that group.

More news on the relations between Croatia and Hungary can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, February 19, 2019 - The European Commission has nothing against the government and the strategic partner participating 50:50 in the interim financing of the Uljanik shipbuilding group until a restructuring programme is drawn up, Croatian Economy Minister Darko Horvat said on Monday.

"The European Commission does not explicitly ban interim financing but still insists that it be 50:50. This interim financing would be part of the restructuring programme and will be part of the total volume once it is adopted," Horvat told Croatian reporters after a meeting at the Commission.

He estimates that 600 million kuna is necessary to revive the Uljanik and 3. Maj docks, which would include unfreezing their bank accounts, completing the ships under construction, and the payment of three overdue salaries.

About 107 million kuna is necessary to unfreeze 3. Maj's account, 65-68 million kuna to unfreeze Uljanik's account, 100 million kuna for overdue salaries, and 300 million kuna for completing four ships.

Horvat said a decision on how to find the 600 million kuna would be adopted in the next few days.

On Sunday, a meeting was held with Luxembourg's JDN group, which commissioned one of the ships for which the government issued a 124 million guarantee. At the end of January, the group cancelled its contract with Uljanik because the dock could not deliver the ship as agreed. About 30 million euro is necessary to finish the ship. If finished, the state guarantee would not be enforced.

Horvat said a memorandum of understanding would be hammered out over the next three weeks with JDN. Under the memorandum, JDN would provide 8 million euro, while the Uljanik Group, its strategic partner and the government would put up 22 million euro.

He said that after last Sunday's meeting, JDN decided the ship would stay at the Uljanik dock in Pula to be finished.

Asked if the government could take part in the financing without the European Commission's permission, he said they were told at today's meeting that "any damage reduction would be considered a positive effort made by the Croatian government". "We have no other option but to come up with a financing model together with the client," he added.

"We realise now that the European Commission will not have a rigorous position, that Croatia, if it can, has the right to reduce the damage to the national budget. We know how much it would be if we did nothing. It's very pragmatic and justified businesswise to invest 120 or 130 million kuna to salvage 970 million kuna," said Horvat.

As for an overhaul programme, which Uljanik's management must come up with together with the strategic partner, he said it would be ready in about a month, after which the Commission would need three to five months to analyse it.

Asked how long the government would finance shipyards with taxpayers' money, Horvat said these were old projects for which guarantees were not given by the incumbent government.

"This government has said it very clearly - enough. These aren't new projects, this is dealing with the situation that was encountered and problems left by some past governments. As a responsible government, we must pay all the guarantees given by past governments," he added.

The meeting in Brussels was also attended by Tomislav Debeljak, owner of the Brodosplit dock, which Uljanik's management selected as the group's strategic partner.

More news about Uljanik can be found in the Business section.

ZAGREB, February 18, 2019 - Croatian Economy Minister Darko Horvat said in Brussels on Monday that talks would be held with European Commission officials to discuss the situation in the ailing Uljanik shipbuilding group, after which more would be known as to whether and how much the Croatian state may become involved in dealing with the crisis in the Pula-based group.

Horvat was attending a meeting of the Competitiveness Council and his assistant Zvonimir Novak was heading a delegation that would discuss Uljanik with EC officials.

"I expect talks with the EC on the possibility of bridging over the period from today to the day when the shipyard's restructuring programme is to be verified," said Horvat.

Horvat said that a meeting with the Luxembourg-based JDN group, which had commissioned a 124 million euro self-propelled dredger from Uljanik, was held on Sunday.

In late January, the client terminated the contract for the construction of the vessel because Uljanik was unable to deliver it in line with the contract.

Horvat said that he had good news and that after the Monday meeting it was decided that the vessel would stay and most probably be completed in the Pula shipyard.

According to unofficial information carried by Croatian media, the Economy Ministry plans to put forward a proposal to the EC under which the ministry would, on its own or together with JDN, finance the completion of the vessel to prevent a situation in which the Croatian state would have to pay guarantees worth billions of kuna.

Several more vessels are at the initial stage of construction in the Pula shipyard and the state has also issued guarantees for them. Attempts will be made to obtain permission to have those vessels, too, completed by Uljanik so as to prevent the activation of guarantees.

According to media reports, the Croatian delegation will try to obtain permission from the EC for the Croatian state to become involved in unblocking the account of the 3. Maj and Uljanik, the two shipyards making up the Uljanik group, and the selected strategic partner is also expected to become involved.

Earlier this month, the Uljanik group's management and supervisory boards chose Brodograđevna Industrija Split and Italy's Fincantieri as a strategic partner for the company's restructuring.

More news on the Uljanik situation can be found in the Business section.

ZAGREB, February 7, 2019 - The European Commission has revised down its GDP growth forecast for the Croatian economy for this year, from 2.8 percent to 2.7 percent, expecting a slowdown in exports growth due to the weakening of EU economies, Croatia's most important trading partners.

In its interim winter economic forecast, published on Thursday, the Commission projected the Croatian GDP growth rate at 2.8 percent for 2018 and at 2.6 percent for 2020. These two projections remained unchanged from its autumn forecast, released in November 2018, whereas the growth forecast for 2019 was lowered from 2.8 to 2.7 percent.

The growth of 2.8 percent in 2018 would mark a slight slowdown from 2017 when GDP grew by 2.9 percent.

In the first three quarters of 2018, the Croatian economy grew by 2.7 percent compared with the corresponding period of 2017. The Croatian Bureau of Statistics (DZS) is due to release data for the fourth quarter of last year later this month.

The European Commission noted that last year's growth was increasingly driven by private consumption, while exports slowed somewhat, particularly to non-EU neighbouring countries in the second half of the year.

"Private consumption is expected to remain the main driver of growth, supported by improving labour market conditions, positive consumer sentiment, low interest rates and subdued inflation. Administrative data at end-2018 suggest that dynamic employment growth continues to drive a steady fall in the unemployment rate. Private investment is expected to continue its modest growth, as companies continue to enjoy favourable financing conditions. The projected pick-up in disbursements from EU funds should provide a boost to public investment, which will nevertheless stay well below pre-recession levels," the report says.

The Commission predicts a slight slowdown in GDP growth for this year. "In view of the anticipated slowdown in Croatia’s main trading partners in the EU, goods exports are likely to grow more slowly than in recent years. Service exports are expected to continue performing well on account of an increasingly extended tourist season and sizeable investment in higher-end hotels in recent years. Bolstered by high domestic demand, imports of goods are set to remain strong, slowing only slightly over the forecast horizon and driving the goods trade balance increasingly negative," it said.

"Inflation has remained relatively low despite higher disposable income and recent spikes in energy prices. Wage pressures are expected to strengthen as unemployment continues to shrink further. However, inflationary pressures are projected to remain subdued thanks to the VAT rate reduction on several unprocessed food products this, and the 1 pp. reduction of the standard VAT rate next year, as well as stabilising commodity prices. In all, headline inflation is forecast at 1.4% in both 2019 and 2020," it added.

The European Commission's projections are similar to those by other analysts. Eight economic analysts recently polled by Hina expect that the Croatian economy will grow at an average rate of 2.7 percent this year, their projections ranging from 2.5 to 3.0 percent.

The Croatian National Bank has forecast a growth of 2.7 percent. The World Bank has estimated the growth rate for Croatia for this year at 2.8 percent, the International Monetary Fund at 2.6 percent and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development at 2.5 percent.

The Croatian government based its budget for 2019 on a GDP growth projection of 2.9 percent.

More news on the Croatia’s economy can be found in the Business section.

We're still not sure how things stand entirely when it comes to Brexit, or whether it will happen at all. Despite the now agonising insanity of this senseless process, let's have a look at the current situation (which will probably have altered a few times before I finish this article. I wish I was being sarcastic).

After a trend of crushing defeats had become the humiliating norm for the enfeebled PM, Theresa May finally had her day (sort of) in the latest vote on various amendments to her withdrawal agreement. MPs voted against no deal - which should effectively take the catastrophic threat of the United Kingdom crashing out of the European Union without a deal in place at the end of next month off the table entirely - had it not been a non-binding amendment.

British MPs also voted against an Article 50 extension, which would have allowed for the two year window allowed for negotiations when a member state declares its intention to leave the bloc to be extended for a period which would have been agreed upon had it passed.

So, what happened in layman's terms? What happened is that the Commons continued the insanity by voting against a no deal, making it clear that the United Kingdom leaving the EU without a deal in place was not in anyone's interest, nor should it be the British Government's policy, but they also voted against extending the time needed for any further negotiations. A bit odd, you say? A bit chaotic? Yes, it is.

Instead, MPs gave Theresa May a mandate to go back to Brussels to attempt to renegotiate the troublesome Irish backstop, which acts as an insurance policy to prevent a hard border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The EU has already stated that the backstop is part of the deal and cannot be opened up again. Britain is, once again, experiencing an impasse. With the now internationally weakened United Kingdom stuck between a rock and a hard place, what does this mean for British nationals living and working in Croatia?

A look at the current scenarios:

Theresa May's withdrawal agreement is ratified by the UK and the EU:

We've already covered what will happen if Theresa May's initial withdrawal agreement ends up being passed, which, as the clock runs down to the rapidly approaching and ominous date of March the 29th, when Britain is due to leave the European Union after over forty years of membership, could still end up being ratified.

If the British PM manages to arrange new terms with the EU regarding the hated Irish backstop, however unlikely, then the withdrawal agreement has decent chances of being ratified later this month. If that happens, the fate of British citizens in Croatia will be firmly secured. Life will go on as normal until the end of December, 2020, when the implementation period ends. If you are resident in Croatia, registered with the authorities and have a biometric residence permit (privremeni/stalni boravak), you'll continue life as you do now. You'll be able to apply for permanent residence as normal after racking up five years of legal residence in Croatia and as such gain almost all of the rights Croatian nationals enjoy, after a further three years, you can also apply for citizenship if you want to. If you already have permanent residence, you're already sorted.

Under May's deal, those with permanent residence will be allowed to leave their member state of residence for five consecutive years without losing their status, which essentially means you have it for life. Read this article for more detailed information on that.

Article 50 extension:

The clock is ticking, and the dreaded Brexit day is fast approaching. A delay is becoming increasingly likely, despite having been voted against recently, it doesn't mean this won't become necessary to avoid a tragic no deal exit. If this occurs, nothing will alter for you until a new Brexit date is confirmed.

EEA/EFTA style agreement:

Several countries, including Norway and Iceland, are in the European Economic Area but are not members of the EU, in fact. These two countries still abide by the four freedoms of the single market in order to obtain unrestricted access to it, one of which is the free movement of people, which means that should Britain opt for some sort of ''Norway-style agreement'' as a too-little-too-late Plan B, the free movement of citizens will remain as it is today. This means nothing will alter for you, and you don't need to do anything.

No deal Brexit:

Should the world's fifth largest economy end up crashing out of the world's largest trading bloc without a deal in place, the consequences will be dire for the country's economy. Dark days would be ahead of a Britain all alone in the world, with the threat of the worst economic situation since the recession potentially becoming a reality, all normal thinking individuals want to avoid this horrendous possibility. Such a scenario would have an extremely negative impact on the UK and the EU, and this situation will likely never become government policy. Britain is a European country and needs close ties, and a free trade deal, with the EU.

As I have written before, many EU countries have already come out to reassure British citizens living in their countries that their rights will be protected if a no deal does end up happening, with some such as Malta being extremely generous and offering Brits permanent residency (a renewable document valid for ten years) should this occur.

The European Commission has asked EU member states, including Croatia, to take a ''generous approach to British citizens who are already living on their territories''.

While such comments are a disgraceful abandonment in the eyes of many, especially after the UK respectfully unilaterally guaranteed the rights of EU citizens already living in the UK, all three million of them, the EU cannot make a similar unilateral guarantee in the event of a no deal Brexit as it is not a national body. Despite that, the good intention of the EC/EU is clear - the expectation of member states to protect British citizens who have made life choices based on the treaty rights that derived from their citizenship of the Union.

Unlike some other EU countries, Croatia is yet to speak publicly on the matter, but MUP has made clear that Croatia's intentions are entirely in line with the wishes of the European Commission when it comes to fully protecting British nationals who are living in Croatia with regulated status (biometric residence permit) on the 29th of March, 2019, should the UK crash out of the EU with no deal in place. I have been in contact with MUP and I translated their response, which we also published in another article detailing the work TCN will do with the British Embassy to keep information flowing: 

''The Republic of Croatia considers that it is of great importance to protect both the citizens of the European Union in the United Kingdom, and the citizens of the United Kingdom in the European Union. The European Commission's intention is to ensure a high degree of tolerance for UK nationals already residing in an EU member state. Such reflections and efforts are in line with the objective of the Republic of Croatia that the citizens of the United Kingdom and members of their families who have a regulated status in the Republic of Croatia are not regarded as illegal persons on the date of their [the UK's] departure from the European Union, that their residence and unimpeded access to the labour market in the Republic of Croatia is allowed. In this regard, the Republic of Croatia will take the necessary measures to regulate the stay of UK citizens who, at the time of the United Kingdom's departure from the European Union, have regulated residence in the Republic of Croatia, in accordance with the European Commission's guidelines.''

Please read this article for further information, including a statement from MUP provided to Balkan Insight which also, along those same lines, suggested that the assurances and guarantees Croatia's 600+ resident Brits need will be forthcoming once the details on issuing new documents are finalised. 

Given the fact that London has already unilaterally given rights to all EU citizens in the UK and will enshrine the rights of Croats in the UK into British law, rest assured that Croatia will respond in the spirit of reciprocity when the finer details are ironed out.

No Brexit at all

This is still a possibility, and should Article 50 be revoked and Brexit cancelled, nothing will alter and we'd remain with the good old status quo. This is unlikely, but remains possible.

What should you do if you live in Croatia to protect yourself against any outcome?

First of all, do not panic. Second of all, read the list below.

1) Make sure you are registered with the police and are in possession of a valid residence permit.

2) If you move, make sure to inform the police of your move at the local police station in your new city or town.

3) Make sure you have any documents you need, these will vary in different situations. For example, if you have purchased a house or taken out a rental contract, make sure to keep any papers that attest to that fact.

4) Convert your British driving license to a Croatian one here.

4) Make sure to stay up to date by following the British Government's Living in Croatia page for updates as and when they come. Sign up to receive an email about any updates.

5) Read this article and follow the links specified for information updates, the Brexit hotline, the Facebook page of the British Embassy, and an email contact.

Just to add, the EU recently confirmed that British nationals will NOT need a visa to travel to the EU for short trips (90 days in any 180 day period) even in the case of a no deal Brexit. If you're in possession of a valid residence permit from an EU country, you will not be subject to the rules placed on British citizens living in the UK travelling to the EU for holidays. 

The Schengen area is currently made up of 26 countries and Croatia applied to join back in 2015, two years after its accession to the EU. Croatia is not yet in Schengen, but hopes to enter soon. The Schengen area, named after the Schengen Agreement, will facilitate visa-free access for British citizens on short stays of less than 90 days. Again, if you are a registered resident of any of the Schengen countries, this rule will not apply to you regardless of your nationality.

Make sure to stay up to date by following our dedicated politics page, and by following the British Embassy in Zagreb with the #UKNationalsinCroatia tag.

ZAGREB, January 24, 2019 - As part of its monthly package of infringement decisions, the European Commission has initiated legal action against Croatia for failing to comply with EU law.

The Commission, as guardian of the Treaties, is authorised to take legal action against member states for failing to comply with their obligations under EU law. Every month the Commission makes decisions on infringements of EU legislation, and this process begins by sending a letter of formal notice. If the problem is not resolved at this stage, the Commission sends a reasoned opinion, and if the member state fails to act, the Commission refers it to the EU Court of Justice.

On Thursday, the European Commission decided to send a letter of formal notice to 15 member states, including Croatia, requesting the correct transposition of the Energy Efficiency Directive into national law.

The 2012 Directive establishes a common framework of measures for the promotion of energy efficiency within the EU in order to ensure the achievement of the EU's 20% energy efficiency target for 2020 and to pave the way for further energy efficiency improvements beyond that date. Under the Directive, all EU countries are required to use energy more efficiently at all stages of the energy chain, from production to final consumption. The member states now have two months to respond to the arguments put forward by the Commission. If they do not act within those two months, the Commission may send a reasoned opinion to their authorities.

In addition, Croatia and Romania were formally reprimanded for failure to submit progress reports in reaching cost-optimal levels of minimum energy performance requirements for buildings and its elements. The Commission decided to refer Czechia and Slovenia to the Court of Justice of the EU for failing to comply with the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive.

The Commission took action against 27 member states, all but Denmark, to ensure the proper implementation of EU rules on services and professional qualifications. Letters of formal notice were sent for the non-compliance of their legislation and legal practice with EU rules on the recognition of professional qualifications and the corresponding access to activities.

A supplementary letter of formal notice was sent to Croatia regarding restrictions for lawyers to provide multidisciplinary services, advertising restrictions and limitations on the right to practice (breach of the EU Services Directive and the Directive on the establishment of lawyers and law firms).

The Commission decided to close its infringement procedures which were opened against Croatia, France, Ireland, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain over their failure to transpose the first EU-wide legislation on cybersecurity rules into their national legislation. The procedures were suspended after these member states showed that the transposition of the new rules into national law complied with the Directive.

More news on Croatia and the EU can be found in the Politics section.

Theresa May's withdrawal agreement with the European Union suffered a historic defeat recently. The British prime minister had delayed the vote which was due to take place back in December 2018 when she realised she was set to suffer the aforementioned historic defeat. Why she thought simply delaying the inevitable was a good idea is beyond me, but so is the entire notion of Brexit itself.

My political views aside, let's get to the point of this article. Point number one is that the article I wrote a while ago about what Theresa May's former withdrawal agreement means for British citizens living in Croatia is now likely void for the most part. We all love wasting our time, don't we?

The second point is that you don't need to worry about anything, well, no more than you would already anyway. You may have noticed that many EU countries have publicly declared their plans for making sure British citizens don't become Brexit's collateral damage (anymore than already, that is), and don't fall victim to the United Kingdom's bizarre desire to enact Brexit and leave the world's largest trading bloc. You're likely wondering why Croatia hasn't done so yet, at least not publicly. As Lance Corporal Jack Jones would have said: Don't panic.

Belgium, Italy, Germany, Spain and the Netherlands are just some of the EU countries to have come forward and assured Brits living and working in their countries that plans are firmly in place to make sure their lives go on undisrupted by this utter mess. That's a little too late for many after years of inexcusable limbo, but it's very welcome for many nonetheless.

But what about other countries, you might ask? What of, let's say, Romania? Romania has been eerily quiet on the matter despite having been given assurances that Romanian citizens living and working in the United Kingdom will remain protected and have their rights enshrined into UK law regardless of the Brexit outcome. The same assurances, with all due respect to Britain, have been given repeatedly to all other EU citizens legally residing in Britain. A new system has been set up which promises to be simple and as recent announcements have confirmed - totally free.

The UK has dropped its former demand for £65 for ''settled'' and ''pre-settled'' status after listening to the concerns of many, and EU citizens in the UK now have a very clear way of securing their rights before June 2021. The UK hasn't done much right since the non-binding referendum delivered a shock Leave result, but in making sure to put citizens and their acquired EU treaty rights first, it has been firm.

Everyone knows Croatia likes to drag its heels. It doesn't mean anything bad by it really, that's just what it does. That being said, it will gladly bow to whatever the EU asks of it, but in its own time. What do I mean by this? Well, to put it simply, MUP (Croatian Ministry of the Interior) has stated when asked (probably repeatedly) by Balkan Insight that there will be ''special rules'' in place for British citizens who have legal residence (biometric permit) in Croatia.

As Balkan Insight writes on the 22nd of January, 2019: ''The Interior Ministry in Croatia, which joined the EU in 2013, told BIRN that “special rules will be applied UK citizens who, on March 29, 2019, have regulated status of foreigner in the Republic of Croatia, which will allow [them] to maintain the right of residence.” But the ministry said it was “still developing in details the modalities of residence” of British citizens in Croatia after Brexit and how new documents would be issued.

The goal, it said, would be to allow British citizens and their families who have regulated status continued access, without restrictions, to the Croatian labour market. According to official data, currently 659 British citizens have regulated status in Croatia – 277 permanent residents and 382 with temporary residence.

The British embassy in Zagreb said it expected Croatia to reciprocate the commitment London made with regards the rights of citizens from the EU residing in Britain in the event of a no-deal scenario.''

So, what does this actually mean? It means that British citizens in Croatia can expect forthcoming reassurances like those which have been provided by a growing number of EU countries about their status, but the details must be finalised first. MUP knows it needs to do something. In any case, with assurances pouring in from other EU countries confirming the legal residence status of British citizens living in their countries, Croatia is sure to follow, just in its own time. Ever the lover of red tape and miraculously turning one sheet of paper into ten, it shouldn't come as a surprise that Croatia is dragging its heels. 

In any case, although the majority of what I wrote in my last article is now void (cheers, Theresa), what remains to be true is that as long as you hold a residence card and are known by the system, you don't need to worry.

You can apply for permanent residence when you've reached five years as you normally would for now, and if you're nowhere near that five year mark yet, just make sure you're properly registered and have a residence card that is valid.

Nobody wants to punish anybody for acting on their EU treaty rights, least of all Croatia after having the rights of its citizens guaranteed and set to be enshrined by London long ago, so make sure to follow us for any updates as we'll be sure to bring them as soon as we're informed of any, should the UK ever actually leave the EU at all.

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