Croatia in the eurozone: what’s changing now for Italy

There Croatia enter the Eurozone and Schengen area. It is the twentieth nation to adopt the euro and the Schengen area’s facilitation of movement system.

Croatia is celebrating a historic start to the year, which should be celebrated in the words of Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic Radman. There is also enthusiasm among the rest of the European leaders and the president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen who celebrated Croatia with Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic. The celebrations took place at the Bregana-Obrezje crossing, where Plenkovic offered von der Leyen a coffee, paying in euros as a symbol of the event entry into the eurozone.

The changeover to euro will take place gradually, with two weeks of coexistence, while the exchange of currencies will be allowed until 31 December 2023, at which time the obligation to indicate prices in both currencies will end. But what changes for Italy? Croatia’s entry into the Eurozone will also have consequences for our country. Starting from the first day when they will come border crossings abolished with Slovenia and Hungary, up to modification of airport controls. In fact, entry into the Schengen area guarantees some benefits, here’s what they are.

Croatia joins the Eurozone and the Schengen area: a historic step

The historic step of Croatia’s entry into the Eurozone and Schengen area has been immortalized in several moments. Throughout the country there were several ceremonies including those on the border with Slovenia and Hungary, but also in the center of the capital Zagreb. They were all highly symbolic moments, such as when Plenkovic paid for a coffee with euros for the first time or the capital’s ATM released a 50-euro note, up to Croatian Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic pressing the raise button the ramp one last time to open the passage to the cars with no more controls.

An important historical moment in which both sides, Europe and Croatia, assume the responsibility of bringing commitments and expectations to fruition. Messages of good wishes also from the president of the European Central Bank Christine Lagarde who comments with a welcome to Croatia for having joined the euro family and at the table of the directive council of the Frankfurt Bank.

The congratulations of the President of the Republic were not lacking either Sergio Mattarella who left a wish message on Twitter:

@Quirinale

#Mattarella: Today #Croatia enters the Schengen area and the Eurozone. An important result for the European project and for the Croatian people, to whom I wish you all the best. I hope that other countries will soon reach the same goal, for the benefit of the whole EU.

10:51 AM Jan 1, 2023

What changes for Italy with Croatia’s entry into the Eurozone?

The entry of the twentieth country into theeurozone it also brings benefits to Italy. This is confirmed by the words von der Leyen who not only recalled how Croatia must be proud to enter the Eurozone, but also of the renewed ability to attract investmentto create new jobs, grow the economy and become a European energy hub for renewable sources.

Relationships will also change Croatia, Italy and the rest of the countries of the Union with the abolition of border crossings with Slovenia and Hungary for example or with the extension of free movement, without border controls, for 420 million people living in Europe. For example, the periods of time in which one can stay in a country as a tourist change, but work transfers are also simplified.