Population survival is as important as environmental protection, yet it is ignored

Professor Faričić emphasizes that while protecting Croatia's environment and natural beauty is a matter of national interest, preserving the nation's population is equally crucial. Croatia's demographic situation is dire, with its citizens ranking among the oldest and most vulnerable in the European Union. Projections from the UN and Eurostat paint a grim picture, forecasting a significant population decline by 2100.

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The protection of space, environment, and the natural beauties of this country is a matter of national interest, but equally, the national interest of Croatia is to preserve the existence of its own population, which is among the oldest and most endangered in the world, according to UN and Eurostat projections.

The Strategy for Demographic Revitalization of the Republic of Croatia until 2033, adopted in 2024, identifies the return of Croatian citizens who emigrated after Croatia joined the EU, as well as expatriates and their descendants, as a key strategic goal. This is alongside the aim of balanced immigration of foreign nationals. Amendments to the Law on Relations between the Republic of Croatia and Croats Abroad also commit the state to measures encouraging the return and immigration of members of the Croatian diaspora and their descendants.

However, promises differ from reality. Last year marked the first time since 2013 that Croatia recorded more returning citizens (16,843) than emigrants (13,138), according to data from the Central Bureau of Statistics. Despite this positive shift, the return of expatriates, whether from the recent wave of emigration since 2013 or from earlier periods, is still considered a taboo subject for parts of society and the political sphere, rather than a matter of protecting economic, demographic, and state interests.

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Last year, for the first time since 2013, we had more returning Croatian citizens (16,843) than emigrating Croatian citizens (13,138) according to data from the Central Bureau of Statistics.

Under Croatian law, emigrants include not only ethnic Croats who left the former Yugoslavia but also individuals who departed from the territory of the Republic of Croatia before October 8, 1991, with the intention of permanent residence abroad. Furthermore, members of national minorities who held citizenship of the Socialist Republic of Croatia before that date are Croatian citizens, while others could acquire it through naturalization. A significant incentive measure, implemented last year, exempts returning Croatian citizens, expatriates, and their descendants who have resided abroad for at least two years from income tax for five years.

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According to Eurostat projections, Croatia, which has already been among the five EU countries with the largest population loss after Latvia, Bulgaria, Lithuania, and Romania, will lose as much as 27% of its inhabitants by 2100 and fall to just 2.8 million people, placing us among the six countries in the EU with the most significant decline.