“This includes also economic preparations and consumer protection,” he said in reference to the planned introduction of the euro as legal tender in Croatia on 1 January 2023.
In an address at an event at which the most successful designs of the national side of the euro and cent coins were presented, Plenković said they contained several key elements of Croatia’s identity – symbols of its history and political identity, sovereignty and state borders, monetary tradition, language, culture and literature, cultural and scientific greats, creativity and innovation, and tradition and modernity.
Croatian National Bank (HNB) Governor Boris Vujčić said that the manufacture of tools to make coins would soon be launched as would test molds, a million pieces for each coin. Eventually the mass production of coins will start, he said, noting that this was a huge job (banknotes will be made abroad).
Vujčić said other steps to introduce the euro would continue in the months to come.
Finance Minister Zdravko Marić recalled that public consultation was underway on a draft euro bill, and that so far 49 comments had been submitted, which would be responded to.
The public consultation lasts until 15 February.
This year 42 laws will be amended to facilitate the euro changeover and another 36 will be amended after its introduction.
As for other benchmarks that need to be met to introduce the euro, Marić said that they were being met according to plan and as expected, without any delays.
The government is also working on meeting the criteria regarding inflation, he stressed.
Figures for January do not reflect a slowing down of inflation, he said, adding that there was no country that over recent months had not seen a significant increase in inflation.
Meeting that criterion will be one of the bigger challenges this year, he said.
On the other hand, he said, according to his calculations, the share of public debt in GDP was significantly reduced in 2021, which he said was very good news. Croatia will be among the countries with the fastest fall in the share of public debt in GDP, said Marić.
Criteria for the introduction of the euro are defined by the Maastricht agreement and they concern price stability, public finance sustainability, exchange rate stability, and long-term interest rate convergence.
