Croatia adopts the euro and joins the Schengen zone as steps in its inclusion in the EU.

EU parliament approves Croatia’s admittance to the Schengen Zone.

EU says that Croatia has fulfilled all the conditions necessary to begin using the euro as its currency.

The EU central bank accepts Bulgaria and Croatia into the European Exchange Rate Mechanism, a step toward acceptance in the EU.

Croatian Democratic Union wins at least 65 seats in parliament, a gain of ten or more. PM Andrej Plenkovic has been praised for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, though there has been a recent uptick in cases. The Social Democratic Party coalition was second. Homeland Movement won 15 seats, but probably will not be needed for the ruling coalition. Croatia has more than 3400 cases and 115 deaths.

Plenkovic re-elected head of HDZ resoundingly, but still faces opposition within the party from the right and the Catholic Church. Elections for the Sabor (the parliament) are will be scheduled for the end of September or the beginning of October.

Croatia confirms first case of COVID-19.

Zoran Milanovic of the center-right Social Democrats is elected president with nearly 53% of the vote over Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic of HDZ.

Presidential election results in a run-off on 1/5/20 between conservative Kolinda Grabar Kitarović, who won 27% and liberal former prime minister Zoran Milanović, who won 30%. Kitarović lost votes to a more conservative candidate, singer Miroslav Škoro.

Presidential election results in a run-off on 1/5/20 between conservative Kolinda Grabar Kitarović, who won 27% and liberal former prime minister Zoran Milanović, who won 30%. Kitarović lost votes to a more conservative candidate, singer Miroslav Škoro.

After twentieth member of parliament switches parties or becomes independent, the Croatian Peasant Party asks the corruption investigation office to probe for possible corruption. The BM 365 party (Bandic Milan, the Labor and Solidarity Party) led by Zagreb mayor Milan Bandic began the legislature term with a single representative but now has twelve.

Croatia’s relations with Hungary, while thawing, are exacerbated with Croatia asks Interpol to arrest head of Hungary’s largest oil company.

Two HDZ leaders seen as conservatives are removed from their positions. Opposition Socialist Party leader Josko Klisovic sees PM Andrej Plenkovic as struggling against three opponents: the conservative wing of HDZ, the Croatian Catholic Church, and President Kitarovic.

The People Decide, a conservative group advocating a referendum calling for the number of MPs to be cut from 150 to 120, an increase in voters’ options to choose specific candidates from party lists at elections, and a restriction on minority MPs’ voting rights, says it has sufficient signatures to submit a petition calling for a referendum on these issues to parliament. President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovič supports the group.

Croat military officer Slobodan Praljak, convicted of war crimes, drinks poison after verdict at the International Criminal Court and subsequently dies of it.

Government survives no-confidence vote relating to the financial crisis of the country’s largest company, Agrokor.