Croatia spent nearly 114 million euros in 2024 for Croats living outside the country, focusing on their projects and needs, which is a 20% increase compared to the previous year, according to the Annual Report on the Implementation of the Strategy and the Law on Relations with Croats Abroad. The report, compiled by the Central State Office for Croats Abroad, provides a detailed breakdown of the funds allocated by various ministries, institutions, and the Office itself to support Croats abroad, particularly those in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH).
For users of the HVO pensions, 53.7 million euros were allocated.
A total of 58.9 million euros was spent on activities by the Ministry of Labor. Within this division, the Croatian Pension Insurance Institute covered expenses for HVO pension users amounting to 53.7 million euros.
The "Choose Croatia" measure for returning from abroad, managed by the Croatian Employment Service, was allocated 3.2 million euros. The Ministry of Health continued to support the Clinical Hospital Mostar with 10.3 million euros for the specific purpose of settling outstanding obligations to suppliers of medicines, consumables, and medical materials.
The Croatian Health Insurance Fund (HZZO) spent 4.2 million euros on healthcare for Croatian citizens residing in BiH.
For science and education, 5.6 million euros were allocated. Of this amount, 3.8 million euros were spent on the education of Croatian citizens' children abroad, and 1.1 million euros were used for financing developmental projects, travel, accommodation, and daily allowances for Croatian professors teaching at the University of Mostar, as well as co-financing postgraduate studies in Croatia for employees at the University of Mostar.
Regarding the activities of the Central Office, the programs include support for Croats in BiH, the Croatian national minority in 12 European countries, and the Croatian diaspora.
In 2024, 6.5 million euros were secured for programs and projects aimed at improving the quality of life in BiH, with the largest portion—1.8 million euros—allocated to 23 projects in education and science, including the construction, renovation, and equipping of schools, preschools, and school sports halls.
Through the Central Office, the Croatian government continued to financially support strategically important projects for the Croatian people in BiH in 2024, including the University of Mostar (550,000 euros), the Croatian National Theatre in Mostar (265,000 euros), the renovation of the Catholic School Center Petar Barbarić in Travnik (350,000 euros), and the work of the Radio Television of Herceg-Bosna (750,000 euros).
New Strategic Projects in BiH
Last year, eight new projects were designated as strategic, receiving support ranging from 180,000 euros (projects of the Banja Luka Diocese) to 500,000 euros (projects such as the construction of an elementary school with a kindergarten and sports hall in Fojnica, the expansion and equipping of the Croatian Hospital Dr. fra Mato Nikolić, and the renovation of the Gymnasium fra Dominik Mandić in Široki Brijeg).
1.7 million euros were designated for the projects of the Croatian national minority in 2024, with about 1.6 million euros awarded to 163 minority organizations from 11 out of 12 European countries (excluding Bulgaria).
Among the nine "minority" strategic projects, the largest support of 1.2 million euros was given to the "Build a Mill Where There Is Water – 7 Matica" project, which includes the construction, renovation, and renovation of seven buildings in places where Croats live in significant numbers in Serbia, such as Sombor, Monoštor, Sonta, Petrovaradin, Ruma, Šid, and Opovo.
This project of the Croatian National Council in Serbia is based on the idea that Croats in Serbia are a community with underdeveloped institutions and are territorially dispersed, with most organizations lacking their own operational space. The project aims to establish "small matica" centers in these locations, similar to the central Matica in Subotica.
Digitalization of Documents at the Croatian Ethnic Institute in Chicago
Among the two strategically important projects for Croats in the diaspora is the digitalization of documents and the renovation of the Croatian Ethnic Institute in Chicago, with 150,000 euros allocated. The institute, managed by Franciscans since 1975, serves as an archive preserving a vast amount of materials related to Croatian immigrant communities and individuals, with nearly 800,000 unique documents concerning Croats in the US and Canada. Another project is the "Meetings of the Croatian Diaspora," which will be held in Brazil in March 2025.
In total, Croatian projects abroad received 1.2 million euros in 2024, benefiting 129 Croatian diaspora organizations from 25 countries across five continents.
Additionally, 1.8 million euros were allocated through the program for financing special needs and projects of interest to Croats abroad.
Croatia continued to support Croatian students living abroad, awarding 1,500 scholarships worth a total of 2.2 million euros for the 2023/2024 academic year.
Some Minority Protection Committees Have Not Met in Years
Alongside numerous figures and allocations, the report reveals that some intergovernmental mixed committees (MMO) for the protection of minorities, established to monitor the implementation of bilateral agreements between Croatia and Hungary, Serbia, North Macedonia, and Montenegro, have not met for years. For example, the new president of the Serbian part of the MMO was only appointed at the end of 2024, after not being named since the 2020 parliamentary elections.
In Montenegro, there is no official information about the appointment of a new co-chair of the MMO since the 2020 parliamentary elections.
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