Tag Archives: croatia

What have I learnt from my recent trip to Croatia?

It is important to switch off. It is important to take time out from our daily routines. It is also important to detach ourselves from news and leave our “social media life” behind. Holidays should be an important part of our lives.

This year, it was lovely to travel back to Croatia, my wife’s native country, where we had an opportunity to spend 2.5 weeks. It was an important time for our family, as my eldest daughter completed her 18th birthday while we were away. A huge milestone. For the first time in a very long time, I decided not to take any of my work/ Council laptops with me. I wanted to find a bit of “me” time and to look after myself, for a change. Did I manage? Not entirely as access to news and media is so easy today and some of the stuff couldn’t be simply ignored.

Speaking a few foreign languages, when you travel, makes a massive difference. The coffee tastes the same, however an opportunity for a proper “intercultural experience” is never the same. The topic of Brexit has still come up a lot. It is incredible that 8 years after the EU Referendum, people still ask about its consequences and reasons for leaving the EU, in particular in relation to the economy. It was very hard to read and watch the news about the riots. Many of our friends asked what has been the main cause of these community tensions. It is difficult to give a simple answer; blaming someone else for my problems, looking for a scapegoat or “visible targets” e.g. migrants, general misinformation, recent financial hardship, impact of social media. Our ethnic, demographic mosaic is complex and fast changing. How easy it is to jump into false (?) conclusions.

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A significant day (or not?) for Croatia

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Christmas is always a good time to catch up with the family. I am Polish, however my wife comes originally from Croatia, a truly spectacularly beautiful country in the southern part of Europe. I had a chance to live in Croatia for a number of years between March 2001 and November 2004, when I was studying and conducting research for my Master’s Degree.

On 1st January 2023, Croatia joined the Eurozone and the Schengen Area. During the Festive Season, at least on a couple of occasions, this was one of the main topics of our conversations; would my friends and family members be worried about some of these changes? How will they affect their lives and/ or their standard of living?

Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina in particular have suffered a lot in recent years. The war in the former Yugoslavia has left many people dead, misplaced and hugely traumatised. The Dayton Agreement, which was signed in 1995, put an end to the three-and-a-half-year-long Bosnian War. However, many people have criticized the agreement, which created a weak democratic structure and which has not resolved several complex issues such as borders, cultural, social and faith heritage as well as the political inheritance of the diverse post-Balkan nations.

Whilst Croatia and Slovenia, some will argue, have moved on, other countries are still trying to find a clear pathway to economic stability. Slovenia joined the European Union in 2004 and Croatia in 2013. Croatia in particular has become a traveling destination for many tourists from Europe. It is worth saying that this relatively small country with 3.8m people has a stunning coast, which attracts many visitors each year. Moreover, in 2019, just before the pandemic, tourism revenue contributed 21% of Croatia’s GDP.

So what do these most recent changes mean in practice? Many experts hope and argue that this significant milestone will strengthen Croatian economy, in particular its tourism industry. Others worry that the residents of Croatia, due to the currency change, will lose its “spending power” and to some extent, its monetary sovereignty.

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Welcome Croatia!

Today sees Croatia’s accession as the 28th member of the European Union. Croatia joins Slovenia, of the former Yugoslavia, which acceded in 2004.

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We can sometimes forget in our arguments over EU budgets, CAP reform and the repatriation of powers, just what the bigger picture is. With this accession, the EU is serving to bolster democracy, human rights, and the rule of law in a part of Eastern Europe recently emerged from civil war. It is serving British interests by bringing Western influence to the East, in a manner …

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ALDE Council preview: separating the Central European goat from the Eastern European sheep?

istria logoIt must be said that, when I was elected to be one of the Party’s delegates to the Council of what was then ELDR and is now ALDE (Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Europe), I had a vague idea that the travel would be interesting.

And yes, Dresden and Palermo were interesting, despite there not being very many direct flights. Yerevan, on the other hand, was not exactly an obvious destination, although the warmth of the welcome, and the sheer enthusiasm for ‘Europe’ was invigorating for someone who has to …

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Europe – what to look out for in 2013…

EU Parliament Brussels - Some rights reserved by PoetografieWhilst most of the attention will be on whether or not the Euro can survive, or whether another country will need to be bailed out, there will be much else besides going on. So, for your delectation and delight, here are some of the highlights;

The first half of 2013 will see the Irish hold the rotating Presidency and, at the end of their watch, the Europe of 27 will become the Europe of 28, as Croatia become members of the European Union on 1 July, just as the Lithuanians take over the

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In other news… Croatian justice, the monarchy, death penalty impeded and elections news

More good news on the increasing reach of international justice: “Two Croatian military leaders have been convicted of atrocities against Serbs during the break up of Yugoslavia in the 1990s” (BBC)

Both Lynne Featherstone and Evan Harris have previously pushed for the rules of royal succession to be changed to remove the precedence given to males over females. As Lynne has put it previously, the monarchy is about symbolism – so it should have the right symbolism. Now Nick Clegg is also on the case: “Mr Clegg, who is responsible for constitutional reform, told the BBC the issue …

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“Conservative MEPs have consistently voted against a string of measures to protect women’s rights”

So reports the Independent on Sunday:

Conservative MEPs have consistently voted against a string of measures to protect women’s rights.

Analysis of the record of 25 Tory members of the European Parliament this year shows they voted against, or abstained, eight times on issues relating to sexual equality, family-friendly working hours, maternity leave and reproductive health – often in clear defiance of official Conservative Party policy.

The MEPs also failed to back an EU resolution expressing concern about homophobic attacks in Croatia, which is seeking EU membership…

On 25 February, 22 out of 25 Tory MEPs voted against a resolution calling for the EU

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