ZAGREB, 17 Jan 2022 - Finance Minister Zdravko Marić on Monday called on all stakeholders in the society, including media and major actors in the euro changeover in Croatia, to do their utmost to prevent anyone from using this process to "fish in troubled waters" and charge unfair and excessive prices.

Addressing a news conference at which he, together with Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and Croatian National Bank (HNB) governor Boris Vujčić, outlined a draft act on the introduction of the euro as legal tender in Croatia, Marić underscored the obligation to display prices both in kuna and euro from 5 September through the whole of 2023.

The draft act also envisages some exemptions from this obligation when there are physical limits for such displays or excessive costs. Thus, stands in farmers' markets, newsstands, electronic displays at filling stations, or taximeters will be exempted from this obligation. Also, commodities with prices already printed on them will be sold until stocks last.

However, they are not exempted from issuing invoices and bills both in the kuna and the euro, Marić said.

The authorities today published guidelines for the adjustment of the enterprise sector during the process of switching to the euro.

The guidelines have been prepared by the coordinating committee for the adjustment of the economy and consumer protection, with the economy ministry at its helm.

Undue price rises forbidden

The document highlights the major principle that undue price rises in the euro changeover are forbidden.

Marić admitted that the whole matter had not been regulated by law and called on all actors to join in the fight against any undue price rises.

Fulfilling Maastricht criteria

The minister recalled that Croatia could enter the euro area on 1 January 2023, provided that it fulfilled the convergence criteria, and a final decision on the assessment of Croatia's performance is expected in July 2022.

One of the Maastricht criteria refers to sound and sustainable public finances, which includes trends in the public debt and deficit. Marić said that this was under control and that their reduction was being conducted at an adequate rate.

Also, concerning price stability as a criterion, the inflation rate cannot be more than 1.5 percentage points above the rate of the three best-performing member states.

Marić said that inflation trends should not undermine the entire process.

HNB Governor Vujčić also believes that the convergence criterion about price stability would be met.

The reference value for the inflation rate has never been under the average rate of inflation in the eurozone, Vujčić explained.

Prices of consumer goods and services in Croatia, as measured by the consumer price index, increased by 5.5% in December 2021 compared with December 2020, while in the whole of 2021 they rose by 2.6% year on year, the State Bureau of Statistics (DZS) said today.

Regardless of the acceleration of inflation in recent months, Marić said that Croatia's inflation rate was still rough around the average of the euro area or slightly below this average.

Last Thursday, Marić said that the government had revised its inflation growth projection for this year up to 3.5%, adding that VAT cuts were being considered as part of a set of measures aimed at buffering energy price hikes. Speaking to the press, Marić said then that the government was following developments with price hikes.

He said inflation accelerated in recent months and that its growth in December might exceed 5%, which would be visible at the start of this year.

That prompted the government to revise its projection to 3.5%, up from the 2.5% increase forecast earlier, he added.

The minister said that according to available data and expectations, higher inflation rates were expected in the first months of this year, "after which there should be a convergence to an average 3.5%."

Besides food, the main focus is on energy prices given the price trends of raw materials at the European level, he said, adding that the price of gas for households would be corrected as of 1 April.

He said the government would come up with a package or individual measures aimed at buffering the increase so that living standards were not affected in a major way.

For more, check out our dedicated politics section.

ZAGREB, 17 Jan 2022 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Monday announced a dual display of prices in Croatia, both in kuna and in euro, from 5 September through the whole of 2023.

Plenković made the announcement at a press conference where he unveiled the bill proposing the adoption of the euro as legal tender in Croatia. He was accompanied by Finance Minister Zdravko Marić, Economy and Sustainable Development Minister Tomislav Ćorić, and Croatian National Bank (HNB) Governor Boris Vujčić.

The bill was put to public consultation today and the final proposal is expected to be sent to Parliament for a second reading in the second half of April.

The bill regulates the legal framework, the cash exchange, supplying all legal entities with euro, the loan and deposit conversion, and consumer protection from undue price increases.

Prices will be displayed in both kuna and euro as of 5 September to raise awareness of the euro even before its adoption, for which the target date has been set at 1 January 2023. The dual display of prices will continue throughout 2023.

Plenković said that citizens will be able to exchange kuna for euro at no cost to them at banks, the Croatian Post, and the Financial Agency (Fina) throughout next year, after which they will be able to do so at the Croatian National Bank free of charge too. He called on citizens to deposit any cash they have in banks so that the conversion can be done automatically.

The PM said that the aim is to ensure a smooth switch to the euro and the effective functioning of the economy.

He noted that this year the government would send to Parliament more than 70 proposals concerning the adoption of the euro, including the physical replacement of the national currency with the euro.

Plenković said that Croatia aspired to integrate with the European Union more deeply by joining the Schengen passport-free travel area and the euro area, and in that regard, relevant decisions would be made in the coming months.

He spoke of the steps that had been taken so far regarding the euro adoption and the reasons why Croatia wanted to join the euro area. He said that the Croatian economy is highly euroized, that 70 percent of tourism revenues come from citizens of euro-area countries, 60 percent of trade is generated with those countries, 70 percent of time savings deposits and nearly 60 percent of household and corporate loans are in euro or indexed to the euro.

Plenković said that the goal of euro area membership was included in government activities 20 years ago.

"What will be happening this year will be the culmination of the processes that have been systematically worked on in the last two decades," the prime minister said, announcing that the Council for Euro Adoption would meet before a cabinet meeting on Thursday.

For more, check out our dedicated politics section.

ZAGREB, 3 Jan 2022 - The membership of the euro area will provide Croatia with better protection in periods of economic crisis, the National Bank (HNB) Governor, Boris Vujčić, told the national broadcaster's (HRT) evening news program on Sunday.

The euro changeover is expected in one year's time, and Governor Vujčić said that a lot of logistical preparations lay ahead.

"We hope that we will enter the euro area in a year's time, and 2022 is the year of preparations," said Vujčić.

The final decision on the date will be known this summer, however, we are making preparations to be ready for the euro changeover on 1 January 2023, he said adding that the central bank, commercial lenders, and the enterprise sector are now due to make preparations for the introduction of the euro.

Dual display of prices

As of this summer, all should be ready to express prices both in the national currency and the euro, said the governor.

He also noted that the country should be ready to provide the market with the euro banknotes and coins upon the transition to that currency.

Asked about the pros and cons of the admission to the euro area, Vujčić said that Croatia would be provided with better protection in the cases of crisis.

The euro adoption will remove the currency exchange risks, and in this segment, Croatia will have the biggest advantages, since its economy is more euroized than any other euro area candidate so far, he explained.

A majority of time savings deposits are tied to the euro, he said adding that for instance, 10% depreciation of the kuna in terms of its exchange rate versus the euro would increase the debt of all the sectors by HRK 50 billion. This is a huge risk that can cause a recession, and our entry into the euro area will remove that risk, he said.

He added that there are currently 36 billion kunas in cash in circulation, and in the next 12 months the money should be either deposited with banks or spent.

The Croatian kuna joined ERM (Exchange Rate Mechanism) II on 10 July 2020 and observes a central rate of 7.53450 to the euro with a standard fluctuation band of ±15%.

Any aspirant for the euro area membership must participate in the mechanism without severe tensions and without devaluing its central rate against the euro for at least two years before it can qualify to adopt the euro. Being part of the Exchange Rate Mechanism is intended to help non-euro-area countries prepare themselves for becoming part of the euro area. It is an important milestone towards adopting the euro.

For more, check out our politics section.

January the 1st, 2022 - Croatian Eurozone entry is rapidly approaching, and if all goes to plan, the kuna will enter into the history books early next year. How will we go about exchanging Croatian kuna for the euro, however? There are slightly different rules for coins and for banknotes.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Ana Blaskovic writes, if anything in the economic field will mark 2022, it will be all of the hurried final preparations for the introduction of the euro and Croatian Eurozone entry in 2023. The green light for a step towards stronger integration into the European Union (EU) should, apparently, be given in the summer of this year when the exact date of the final transition will be revealed.

Replacing the national currency with the European single one is a massive logistical undertaking for which preparations are underway with the assumption that we will be paying for items in euros from the first day of 2023. Credit and other financial institutions have been in talks with regulators for some time about how to change their IT systems and adjust all of their business processes, a cost that, in the case of banks alone, is estimated to stand between 80m and 100m kuna.

According to the experience of other countries that joined the euro in the past, the central bank expects that when exchanging the kuna for the euro, about 36 percent of the amount of coins in circulation will be returned, ie 1.1 billion pieces of kuna coins and 99 percent of the amount of banknotes, ie more than 500 million pieces of kuna banknotes. Banknotes will be able to be exchanged for euros on a permanent basis, but the deadline for coins will be limited to three years from the introduction of the euro as Croatia's official currency.

The experiences of other European Union countries which are in the Eurozone are diverse. Twenty years after the euro emerged as the single currency, it is estimated that there are still around 8.5 billion euros left in the former national currencies, either under people's mattresses, in old jackets or as souvenirs from the past. The largest amount falls on the unreplaced German marks in which the (recalculated) amount stands at a whopping 6.3 billion euros.

It is followed by the Austrian schilling, which accounts for another 505 million euros, and the Belgian franc, accounting for 428 million euros. In neighbouring Slovenia, for example, the former Slovenian tolars account for 80 million euros, according to Bloomberg.

Part of the reason for nostalgia or forgetfulness probably lies in the fact that some countries have left an unlimited deadline to exchange their currencies, like Germany, at least when it comes to banknotes. Spain, France and Austria, on the other hand, have long since closed the door to such a possibility, leaving any pesetas or francs to become collector's items for those nostalgic about pre-euro Europe.

Croatia already has experience in exchanging currencies. When the kuna was introduced after the stabilisation programme on May the 30th, 1994, it replaced the Croatian dinar as a temporary currency issued by the Ministry of Finance with the signature of the Minister. The CNB exchanged dinars on a regular basis until the end of 1994 and subsequently until the end of June 1995. With this being a memory, it's hoped that Croatian Eurozone entry will also be that bit smoother for a country that has been very much in transition in many respects since the end of the Homeland War.

"Since the replacement of Croatian dinars hasn't been possible since mid-1995, Croatian dinar banknotes have exclusively numismatic value," the central bank said. According to their data, 37 percent of the total printed 513.6 million dinar banknotes remained unchanged, so it will be interesting to see how much kuna will remain nostalgically in pockets, down the sides of sofas, under beds and in varying collections of old and foreign money that many people keep.

"Given the fact that after three years, kuna coins will no longer be able to be exchanged for euros and will no longer play a role as a means of payment, they will be able to be adequately disposed of without any risk of reappearing on the exchange. Therefore, cooperation has been initiated with the Ministry of Defense in finding adequate, supervised and protected space that the Croatian National Bank will lease for the storage of withdrawn kuna coins,'' the CNB said, adding that they expect a lease agreement with the Defense Ministry in regard to that.

In parallel with their withdrawal from circulation, kuna banknotes will be successively destroyed with banknote processing systems that have the ability to totally destroy them. Four months before the introduction of the euro, banks will be supplied with banknotes, and a month later with euro coins. When the countdown begins in the last 30 days, the euro will be ready in the offices of Fina and Croatian Post (Hrvatska posta), and the indirect pre-supply of companies and shops will begin.

On the very day of the introduction of the euro, ie Croatian Eurozone entry, the "big bang" approach will be applied to savings and loans. This means that all kuna savings and deposits on current, savings and other accounts, as well as all loans will become euro loans at a fixed exchange rate free of charge. The key assumption is that any change in interest rates (in the case of variable interest rates) must not be to the detriment of the client, while fixed interest rates will remain the same.

The first two weeks after Croatian Eurozone entry will be a period of double circulation in which cash can be exchanged free of charge at banks, Fina and post offices, and then only at banks for which they will be entitled to charge a fee. A year later, the Croatian kuna will be able to be exchanged for euros only at the Croatian National Bank, free of charge.

Since one of the biggest fears that accompanies the whole saga surrounding the euro is the fear of rising prices, which is no longer insignificant in the face of accelerating inflation, it will be crucial to dual disclose the prices that will last at least one year starting in August. An information campaign will follow in which people will be encouraged to deposit as many kuna coins and banknotes as possible to banks in order to easily convert them to euros at a fixed exchange rate and free of charge on the day of the introduction of the euro.

For more on Croatian Eurozone entry, follow our politics section.

December the 30th, 2021 - One German financial expert has claimed that Eurozone entry for Croatia, which is due to take place quite soon, is still premature. Is the country ready for the changes? Apparently not, according to Otmar Issing.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, in addition to joining the Schengen area, Croatia's Eurozone entry has been cited as one of the main goals of Croatian foreign policy for years now. This goal should be achieved at the beginning of 2023, for which Croatia has the support of Brussels.

That said, there are some economists such as former European Central Bank (ECB) Executive Board member Otmar Issing of Germany who believe that Eurozone entry for Croatia would be premature, Deutsche Welle reports.

As he said in an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitungu (FAZ), currently no country is ready to join the Eurozone. "At the moment, I can't see any country that is ready enough to join the Eurozone," Issing told FAZ on the occasion of the recent twentieth anniversary of the introduction of the euro into circulation back on January the 1st, 2002, which those of us who grew up in Europe remember so well.

"It can't be said that every new member of the Eurozone necessarily contributes to the weakening of the euro, but these countries must guarantee some lasting stability. It isn't enough to get ready for the wedding and then return back to your old habits once you're married,'' said Issing, who also played the role of ECB chief economist from 1998 to 2006 and was credited with strategically planning the introduction of the euro as the bloc's single currency.

The last EU member state to enter the Eurozone in 2015 was Lithuania, and currently Bulgaria is also aiming to join. In fact, according to the membership agreement, all members of the European Union are obliged to accept a common currency when they meet the criteria, the only exceptions to this was the United Kingdom, which kept pound sterling, and Denmark.

Issing believes that the heterogeneity of Eurozone member states and thus different focuses when it comes to interests is already a big problem for the ECB. He believes that the governors of the national central banks should follow a common course and not simply blindly follow national financial policy. Issing also defended the euro against accusations that its introduction has made everything more expensive.

"It can look like that when it comes to purchasing daily necessities, so that's the impression people have. But when we look at spending which occurs in regard to most of the household budget, such as rent or heating costs, those costs have remained stable even after the introduction of the euro,'' Issing told FAZ.

Issing, who previously held the same position at the German central bank before taking office at the ECB, said the decision to print non-national symbols on euro banknotes at the time was a decision that proved correct in the end.

“Imagine if the French wanted to put Napoleon on their banknotes. How would the countries who were occupied by Napoleon react to this? That's why we decided on the symbolic motif of the bridges,'' Issing concluded.

For more, check out our politics section.

ZAGREB, 14 Dec 2021 - Next year is very important because we expect a final decision on Croatia's accession to the Schengen and euro areas, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Tuesday, recalling that Croatia has access to about €25 billion from European sources for this decade.

Addressing a launch conference for the Croatian-language special annual edition of the global magazine The Economist, Plenković said that Croatia has about €25 billion at its disposal for this decade, including regular funds from the seven-year European budget, funds from the NextGenerationEU, and about one billion euro for reconstruction following last year's devastating earthquakes.

"That is more than we have ever had....and these are mostly grants," he underscored.

This year's conference dealt with the transformation of the Croatian economy through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NPOO) 2021-2026 as the basis for the absorption of funds from the NextGenerationEU mechanism, under which Croatia has access to €6.3 billion in grants and another €3.6 billion in favorable loans.

The NPOO has been approved by the European Commission and Council, Croatia has already received an advance payment of HRK 6.14 billion, and in the first half of 2022 it will receive a new tranche, Plenković said, adding that there are some EU countries that have not yet even delivered their national plans.

The NPOO is the reform basis and financing basis for economic growth and is forecast to increase Croatia's GDP in 2022 and 2023 by 1.4 percentage points.

Economy proved to be exceptionally tough

Plenković said that the national economy showed exceptional strength, agility, and resilience, particularly since the tourism season was beyond all expectations. He also mentioned growth in personal consumption and economic growth which is expected to exceed nine percent, which is more than the eight percent drop in GDP last year.

The most important thing is that Croatia has maintained its image among international organizations, financial institutions, markets, and credit rating agencies, he noted.

"Anyone who is following us sees our credibility and the direction of our actions," said Plenković and highlighted that the direction is based on a speedy return on the path to decreasing public debt and a balanced budget, which cannot be expected this year or next.

He recalled that the Fitch agency has upgraded Croatia's credit rating to its highest level since rating agencies have appraised Croatia.

"This is the framework with which Croatia is entering 2022, which should be very significant institutionally because we expect a final decision on accession to the Schengen and euro areas," said Plenković.

He emphasized the importance of political stability, noting that the period from 2021 to 2028 will have just one intensive period of about 12 months of electioneering.

Government faced unbelievable challenges last year

Speaking of last year, Plenković said that all governments faced an unbelievable challenge as a consequence of coronavirus and had to find solutions to enable normal functioning and economic trends.

That led to a decline in all trends and weaker economic activities, but the government managed to overcome that and it does not regret the expenditure due to the coronavirus crisis which has exceeded HRK 40 billion.

"We have no regrets because we did not see any mass layoffs or bankruptcies," the PM underscored, recalling government support for wages in the private sector among other measures.

Challenges of climate change and demographic revitalization

Globally, the pandemic is still continuing and no one can know when it will end and what new variants we will meet, or what measures we will have to take. However, we will do everything we can to protect the health of citizens while ensuring economic, financial, and social flows, he said.

Everyone has had to learn how to balance - governments, companies, educational institutions, and international institutions, he said.

In the global context, Plenković reflected on relations between the USA and China, the need to strengthen the EU's strategic autonomy in all possible aspects, relations with Russia in the context of Europe's stability, and the issues of migration, climate change, and demographic revitalization.

Polarisation in society during the coronavirus crisis

Plenković said that the coronavirus crisis has led to an exceptional polarisation in the social and political environment, both in Croatia and in the world.

He highlighted the impact of the Internet, social networks, and false information that deceives people, which is why they do not trust institutions, public health, and science.

The latest edition of The Economist was presented by Ivan Vrdoljak from the Livit company. The edition is published in Croatian and provides analyses and forecasts for next year.

Vrdoljak said that The Economist was wrong in its projection of Croatian growth for this year due to unexpectedly fast recovery.

The Economist has forecast growth of 4.7% whereas the government expects growth of about 9%. The Economist projected next year's Croatian GDP growth at 4.1% and inflation at 1.7%, added  Vrdoljak.

For more, check out our dedicated politics section.

ZAGREB, 10 Dec 2021 - There is a strong consensus that accession to the euro area will benefit the Croatian economy and households, Finance Minister Zdravko Marić told reporters in the northern Adriatic resort town of Rovinj on Friday after a conference on this subject organised by the Večernji List newspaper and Istria County. 

That's why Croatia should do all that is necessary to reduce and minimise any negative risks, such as inflation, and take advantage of positive effects, which outnumber negative ones, for the benefit of its economy and citizens, Marić said.

"Over the past few months we have been witnessing price increases, but they have nothing to do with our eurozone entry. That's a global issue caused by disruptions to supply chains and increases in prices of energy and resources," he added.

Noting that inflation was the biggest risk on Croatia's path to eurozone membership, Marić cited statistics showing that inflation had been around 4% in the past several months and around 2.5% for the whole of this year, which puts Croatia "slightly below the EU average."

Croatian National Bank Governor Boris Vujčić said that Croatia was the country that would profit the most from eurozone membership.

"One of the benefits of joining the European monetary union is the reduction of foreign exchange risk, which is biggest in Croatia among all EU countries that have not yet adopted the euro. We have a very high level of euroisation. Most of the debt of all sectors in Croatia, including households, companies and government, is tied to the euro. In kuna, it amounts to over HRK 520 billion, which means that 75% of the debt of all sectors is either in euro or indexed to the euro," Vujčić said.

He added that with entry into the euro area interest rates would start to fall, the sovereign credit rating would increase and Croatia would become more attractive to tourism and investment.

For more on politics, follow TCN's dedicated page.

October 30, 2021 - Croatian authorities such as the President, the PM, the FinMin and the HNB have recently commented on the process of euro introduction. Meanwhile, a collection of signatures is being carried out throughout the country to promote a euro introduction referendum to reaffirm the kuna as the official currency in Croatia.

Marko Milanović Litre, Member of Parliament of the Croatian Sovereignists and a representative of the Organizing Committee of the euro introduction referendum initiative Let's Protect the Croatian Kuna, said in Zagreb today that 157,000 signatures had been collected in five days and that the organizers were satisfied with the collection dynamics, reports Index.hr.

The initiative for the euro introduction referendum was launched by the Croatian Sovereignists, the Croatian Party of Rights, the Independent for Croatia, and the Generation of Renewal, and by November 7 they should collect 368,867 valid signatures of citizens. 

Signatures are collected at 250 locations throughout the country, and citizens thus declare whether they are in favor of the provision in the Constitution that the currency of the Republic of Croatia is the kuna, which is divided into one hundred lipa, and that the decision to change the currency is made by voters in a referendum.

"In the first five days, thanks to our volunteers, members of the Croatian Party of Rights, and Croatian Sovereignists, we managed to collect 157,000 signatures by 5 pm yesterday'', Milanović Litre told a news conference at the place where signatures are collected in Zagreb's central square.

He expressed satisfaction with the dynamics of collecting signatures.

"At the moment, we are satisfied with the dynamics of collecting signatures, especially after the first day and the media presence we received. It is much clearer to people what we stand for and what our goal is with this referendum initiative, which is greater democracy in Croatia", Milanović Litre said.

He assessed that the ruling party is ignorant of their initiative and stated that Croatia has the right to decide at what point it will accept the euro.

"They can repeat their mantras that it has already been decided in a referendum on joining the EU, which is not true. That is half the truth. Croatia has the right to decide when to adopt the euro. It must not be a decree of one person and his interests, but the decision of the Croatian people to decide on their own destiny", Milanović Litre said, among other things.

"We will fight for the kuna to remain because we are currently in the biggest economic crisis in human history and we cannot rush into a new monetary union that will have its own interests'', said Croatian Sovereign MP Milanović Litre.

For more, check out our politics section.

ZAGREB, 28 Oct 2021 - President Zoran Milanović said on Wednesday that Croatia would have more benefits than disadvantages from the euro adoption and that Malta could help Zagreb with its experience in the euro area.

Malta has been in the euro area since 1 January 2008, and today when Milanović met with his Maltese counterpart George Vella, he said that he believes that country can help Croatia with its experience.

"This is a country which has been inside for a long time, it has the experience and that experience is good," said Milanović and added that the Maltese economy is "exposed to the services sector and in particular to tourism," and has several common points with Croatia's economy.

"Our economy, unfortunately, or luckily, or just as a point - is not exceptionally export-orientated. We are a service-based economy and that is one of the reasons why I think the euro would be better for Croatia than it would be worse," said Milanović.

The president underscored that introducing the euro "isn't pittance" and that "it seems we will relinquish our national currency forever."

"That is not done with an excited heart, but with a sober head."

Milanović asked Malta to support Croatia, as the youngest EU member state, and its accession to the Schengen Area and criticized the Union for "procrastination and delay."

Romania and Bulgaria have been members of the EU since 2007 and are still waiting for a green light to access that area.

The time has already ripened for them to join the Schengen Area, however, political mainstream in the largest countries simply have a problem, which I understand, and that is the problem of right-wing voters hence they need "to tread on eggs cautiously," as the saying goes, he said.

For more, check out our politics section.

ZAGREB, 27 Oct 2021 - Croatian National Bank (HNB) Governor Boris Vujčić said on Wednesday that next year Croatia would know the exact date for its changeover to the euro, adding that a strong campaign will be conducted in 2022 to inform the public of all the details.

Addressing a conference on what switching to the euro would mean for SMEs, which was organized by the 24 Sata daily, Vujčić underscored that Croatia has set a date for the introduction of the euro currency, but next year only will we know the exact date of the euro changeover.

If that is to be 1 January 2023, we have only 14 months for preparations, he said.

A law will be passed precisely regulating the changeover from the kuna to the euro, and the main principle will be to protect consumers so they are not brought into a worse position than they were prior to the conversion.

"The experience in all the countries that have entered the euro area indicate that wages increased more than prices while the standard of living increased and that is why the support for the euro in those countries is very high," he underscored. In other transition countries where the euro was introduced, the support is about 80% which Vujčić believes is proof that the fear of declining living standards is unreasonable.

Dual display of prices

The governor said that in the countries that adopted the euro the practice of dual display of prices was useful.

The dual display will also cover wages and not only prices, he also explained.

The logistics of exchanging the currencies have been worked on for a year and a half already, he said.

Payments will continue in both currencies for the next two weeks after the euro is introduced, explained Vujčić.

Finance Minister Zdrako Marić also underscored that based on current forecasts, the earliest the euro could be introduced is 1 January 2023.

He explained that prices in both currencies will be shown on articles five months prior to introducing the euro and for 1 year after its introduction. Marić believes that legislation related to the euro should be adopted in the spring of next year.

The president of the Croatian Chamber of Crafts and Trades (HOK), Dragutin Ranogajec, expects problems to occur during the 14 day period of payments in both currencies with regard to accounting and fiscalisation.

For more, check out our politics section.