Croatia

Croatia has among the highest death rates from cancer in the EU, due to poor organisation of the healthcare system at every level, which often results in the absence of support for patients who are unsure of treatment options and rights

Croatian handball team won the bronze medal at the European Championship and thousands of fans welcomed home the team; government's decision to have ultra-nationalist singer Thompson perform at the celebration event is opposed by Zagreb's leftist mayor

A Croatian company in Osijek is distinguishing itself as the cutting edge of European drone innovation; founded by three engineering friends, is partly sidestepping China

Political magazine Globus, admired in the 1990s and 2000s for its independent stance, published its last issue in 2025 and will not update its website in 2026; the Croatian weekly suffered shrinking advertising revenue and collapsing print sales

National ferry operator Jadrolinija announced expanded routes and stronger island connectivity for 2026, particularly for Split, Zadar and Brač; Jadrolinija transported around 3,5 million vehicles and 12,2 million passengers in 2025

Members of the opposition party met with the My Voice My Choice movement, which has collected 1,2 million signatures in EU, prompting to vote on a resolution that would guarantee the right of every woman in member states to accessible and safe abortion

Controversial Croatian singer Marko Perkovic Thompson will hold one concert in Zagreb on December 27; the city's leftist Mayor hasn't permitted a second show as the right-wing singer whose songs glorify Croatian nationalism

A folk performance held as part of the Days of Serbian Culture in Split, Croatia’s second-largest city, was interrupted by a group of around 50 men dressed in black that stormed the venue threatening performers and public and shouting a WWII Nazi salute

The 47th edition of Interliber, the International Book and Reading Fair, is about to open at Zagreb Fair; from 11 to 16 November the classic event will bring together publishers, booksellers, authors and literature lovers from Croatia and abroad

New government measures aim at supporting population retention and encouraging return migration while strengthening economically weaker regions: a loan scheme is offering entrepreneurs in underdeveloped areas up to €150.000

Amid discontent over the frequent public display of World War II-era Ustasa symbols and ‘Za dom spremni’ salute, Croatia's centre-left opposition has called for new penalties, but with exceptions that have sparked criticism

The toughest measures yet against illegal construction have been introduced with a new Building Act and Spatial Planning Act to streamline procedures and amendments to Criminal Code intoduce prosecution, so far limited to building in protected areas