TheCroatian euro coins are a set ofeuro coins currently being minted by theCroatian Mint since July 2022.[1][2][3] They are the official euro coins with the national motif of Croatia.
Theeuro was introduced as a replacement for theCroatian kuna on 1 January 2023.[4] The kuna and the euro were in dual circulation until 14 January 2023 in order to aid the gradual transition to the euro. Prices were displayed in both currencies from 5 September 2022 until 31 December 2023.[5][6] The euro coins were made available for purchase on 1 December 2022.[3][7] Each package cost 100 kunas (13.28 euros).[8]
Remaining kuna coins could be exchanged in all banks,Croatian Post offices and the Croatian Financial Agency (Fina) until 31 December 2023. Since that period, only theCroatian National Bank (HNB) has continued handling exchanges. Kuna banknotes can be exchanged indefinitely, while kuna coins can be exchanged until 31 December 2025.[9]
As of October 2022, there were approximately 420 million euro coins minted with the Croatian national motif.[10]
On 21 July 2021,Prime Minister of CroatiaAndrej Plenković stated that nationalidentifying marks on the Croatian euro coins would be theCroatian checkerboard, the map of Croatia, amarten,Nikola Tesla and theGlagolitic script.[11][12]
On 4 February 2022, theGovernment of Croatia presented the designs for the national side of the future Croatian euro coins, which were chosen in an open contest by the Council of theCroatian National Bank. For the €2 coin, a design with the geographical map of Croatia by designer Ivan Šivak was chosen. The edge inscription uses lyrics fromIvan Gundulić's 1628pastoral playDubravka. For the €1 coin, a design with a marten (kuna inCroatian) standing on a branch, an animal after which the Croatian currency at the time was named, by designer Stjepan Pranjković was chosen. For the 10c, 20c and 50c coins, a design withNikola Tesla, who was born inSmiljan (present-day Croatia, then-Austrian Empire), by designer Ivan Domagoj Račić was chosen. Finally, for 1c, 2c and 5c coins, a design withligature bound letters Ⱈ (H) and Ⱃ (R) in Glagolitic script by designer Maja Škripelj was chosen.[13] Each author received 70,000 kn (approx€. 9,300) for their chosen design.
After suspicions arose online that the design of the €1 coin used an unlicensed image of a marten on a branch by the Scottish photographer Iain Leach, the designer of the €1 coin, Stjepan Pranjković, withdrew his design on 7 February.[14] On 8 February, the Croatian National Bank announced they will hold a new competition for the design of the Croatian €1 coin with a marten motif.[15]
On 4 May 2022, at the 15th session of the National Council for the Introduction of the Euro, the new €1 coin design was presented to the public.[16] The chosen design depicts a stylised marten on a checkerboard background by artists Jagor Šunde, David Čemeljić and Fran Zekan. This new design was approved by theCouncil of the European Union on 20 April.[17]
On 18 July 2022, theCroatian Mint officially began the production of the euro coins with the Croatian national motif. Workers were set to have three shifts until the end of 2022.[18][19]
On 1 September 2022, euro banknotes began being distributed to all banks in Croatia.[20]
On 1 October 2022, the newly minted euro coins had begun distribution to all banks in Croatia.[20]
On 20 October 2022, the executive board of theEuropean Central Bank (ECB) adopted a Decision on the application of minimum reserves by the ECB following the introduction of the euro in Croatia on 1 January 2023.[21]
From 15 December 2022 to 15 January 2023, there were no charging fees for cash withdrawals fromATMs to clients of other banks.[22]
A transitional period for the imposing of minimum requirements on institutions located in Croatia took place from 1 January to 7 February 2023. Institutions located in othereurozone countries could have decided to deduct any liabilities owed to institutions located in Croatia from their reserve base for the maintenance periods from 21 December 2022 to 7 February 2023 and from 8 February to 21 March 2023.[21]
Those who had both kunas and euros in credit institutions, unions, payment institutions, and electronic money institutions before the day of the introduction of euro had the right, until the end of February 2023, to close one or more of their accounts and transfer the funds recorded in those accounts to their accounts to accounts of their choice in the same institution, free of charge.[20]
On 1 April 2023, the Croatian National Bank stopped determining denomination structure for paying out euro banknotes at ATMs.
Until the end of June 2023, all banks had to return their amount in euros to those who have payment slips stated in kunas.[20]
| €0.01 | €0.02 | €0.05 |
|---|---|---|
 | | |
| Ligature forGlagolitic lettersⰘⰓHR, designed by Maja Škripelj | ||
| €0.10 | €0.20 | €0.50 |
 | | |
| Silhouette portrait ofNikola Tesla, designed by Ivan Domagoj Račić | ||
| €1.00 | €2.00 | €2 Coin Edge |
 |  |  (Oh beautiful, oh precious, oh sweet Liberty, Lyrics of theHymn to freedom, part ofDubravka byIvan Gundulić) |
| Silhouette design of amarten, designed by Jagor Šunde, David Čemeljić, and Fran Zekan | Silhouette map ofCroatia, designed by Ivan Šivak | |
| Year | Number | Design |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1 | Varaždin |
| 2025 | 1 | Pula |
TheCroatian Ministry of Finance estimated the cost of the changeover from the kuna to the euro to be around 2 billion kuna.[23] Government analysis indicates that most of the cost would be on the loss of the conversion business by the banking system, which is expected to lead to a rise in other banking fees. There is a possibility of a general price increase for consumers, with a simultaneous general currency conversion risk for most debtors.[24]
Throughout the month of October, four Euro Days were held with the first one being inOsijek on 8 October 2022. The other three Euro Days were held inRijeka,Split, andZagreb, all with the aim to promote the upcoming entry of Croatia into the eurozone and educate the local populations about the Euro.[25][26][27]
TheCroatian Chamber of Economy (HGK) and the Croatian National Bank scheduled an online hybrid education on 12 October 2022 with the intention of providing basic information about the Euro and the new coin designs.[28][29]
Another promotion campaign of the euro in Croatia called "Euro on Wheels" took place in 27 cities in Croatia from 19 October until 17 December 2022, with the first one being inVukovar.[30][31] The cost of the campaign was estimated at 24 million kn (€3.2 million).[32]
On 21 July 2021, Nikola Tesla was selected to be featured on the euro with nearly 2,600 votes.[33] This resulted in opposition from theNational Bank of Serbia due to hisSerb ethnicity, although he was born in present-day Croatia.[34] Prime Minister Plenković commented: "If I were the head of the National Bank of Serbia, I would say well done."[35]President of CroatiaZoran Milanović suggested a solution: "WhenSerbia joins the eurozone, let them recommend Tesla [as a national euro coin motif] as well. Everybody's happy."[36]
Boris Milošević, one of thedeputy prime ministers of Croatia at the time and a member of thecountry's Serb minority, praised the move, dubbing Tesla the "symbol that binds us (Serbs andCroats) to the whole world. The citizens of Croatia voted for a Serb from Croatia, who was proud of his people and his homeland, who always remained faithful to his culture—a typicalKrajina,Prečani one—and now he is going to be on a Croatian euro coin as one of the recognizable symbols of the Republic of Croatia."[37]
On 4 February 2022, the Croatian government presented the new designs for the euro with national motifs of Croatia, including Nikola Tesla on the 10, 20, and 50 cent coins. This led to another wave of opposition from theSerbian media.[38][39][40][41]
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