Euro Brings Closure for Croatia Almost 30 Years After War
The former Yugoslav state joins Europe’s single currency and free-travel area on Jan. 1. It’s been quite a journey.
A detail of a map of Croatia on a newly pressed Croatian 2 euro coin at the mint in Zagreb
Photographer: Oliver Bunic/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
As rockets hit Zagreb in the violent breakup of Yugoslavia, many Croats yearned that their country would one day become an integral part of Europe. One of the generation just coming of age was new law graduate Andrej Plenkovic.
Now, as prime minister almost three decades later, Plenkovic is bringing Croatia into the euro zone and the European Union’s visa-free travel area on Jan. 1, completing its journey from the war-torn Balkans to the European mainstream.