I would like to thank the Conference for its effort to organise on the principles of direct democracy, self-financing and independence from the government. What follows is a brief outlook on Croatia’s role in NATO and the state of Croatian society.

Although Croatia is a minor country that joined the „NATO party“ late in 2013, it has an active role in NATO. Just this Monday (27.10.24.) Croatian and German ministers for defence signed an agreement in which Croatia is obliged to buy up to 50 Leopards 2A8, while transferring its old tanks and infantry vehicles to Ukraine. In this militaristic spirit, the Croatian company DOK-ING signed an agreement in developing and producing autonomous robotic systems and weapons with the German major company Rheinmetall. The Croatian government has also been enlarging its air forces in recent years, in which the US government gifted 4 Black Hawk helicopters up until now. However, this were not really gifts as the Croatian government already signed an agreement to buy additional 8 UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters. Croatian government also bought 12 Rafale military aircraft from France, with 6 of them already being stationed and operational in Croatia. The Serbian government has followed suit and has also signed an agreement to buy 12 Rafales. The Croatian government has also agreed on purchasing 8 HIMARS rocket artillery systems with rockets and to buy French howitzers.

In turn, Croatian government and firms export pistols to US police departments and other militaries, as well other firearms and military equipment to Poland, Saudi Arabia and Ukraine. There is good evidence that the military equipment sent to Saudis has been used by ISIS, indicating that there is no borders when it comes to weapons, unlike when it comes to nations and people. The Croatian military industry supplied Russia as well before the invasion of Ukraine, exporting large amounts of military helmets and other equipment.

Croatian military industry and government are just one of the partakers in expanding the Balkan arms dealing business, as both Serbia and Bosnia have been exporting large amounts of weapons and military supplies as well. Croatia and Serbia are being dragged into a „mini“ rearmament race between each other, while Bosnia is being used as a play stage for local and regional nationalists to exploit the resources and working people there.

Croatian society is deeply nationalistic and militaristic due to the government, Catholic church and right-wing movements. Secularism barely exists in Croatia as the Catholic church has a dominant role in the Croatian national identity, and has been unstopped in imposing its policies in the educational system and other social institutions. Football hooligan culture promoting nationalism and militarism is a big issue being fuelled by governmental financial support and juridical protection. The government also mingles in the politics of neighbouring Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), where it invests as a proxy of German and EU economic power. Parallel to economic pressure, it promotes and finances not only Croatian nationalists, but also Serbian nationalists in BiH for its own gains, such as migrations towards Croatia and the rest of the EU, easier access to exploitation of natural resources, etc. Meanwhile, in Croatia the government and right-wing movements attempt to strip the Serbian minority of its own culture development or economic improvement.

The Croatian government headed by the ruling party HDZ is active in its social war against the working class and minorities, implementing austerity measures on social, medical and educational services, and with it is promoting privatisation of them. The opposition is powerless and subsumed by the opposition president’s political manoeuvring that, in reality, does not attack the core social problems in Croatia such as poverty, housing crises, depopulation of most parts of Croatia due to young working people leaving for western countries, inflation due to both the ongoing wars and implementation of Euro currency, etc.

There has been a discussion and preparation of the public for reintroducing the military draft up ‚till recently, however the more recent bickering between HDZ and the president due to election campaigns have pushed this discussion and militaristic intentions to the backsides. This uncontested social and political misery has allowed for total political apathy to take over society – protests rarely happen, and when they do happen, they are organised by trade unions and political parties that support neoliberalism, NATO or outright nationalism.

Racial and nationalist rhetoric has also been increasing in recent years due to the mass import of foreign workers by the Croatian government and capitalists. The workers are being ill-treated and put in horrible living conditions as to exploit them as much as possible by the capitalists, with the government’s blessing. Croatian government and police force have a major role in „protecting“ EU borders, doing extensive violent pushbacks on the whole of Croatian border against migrants attempting to reach western countries. Croatia is once more acting like a militarised border zone, just this time it is protecting capitalism and NATO member states from so-called internal and external threats.

To summarise, Croatia is just a tiny piece in the international, capitalist and imperialist system that is currently advancing itself through nation state blocks fighting each other. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that the workers themselves organise on a mass basis as to advance antiwar sentiment and social liberation on an international level. That’s also why we must, as workers on the Balkans, attempt to self-organise and aid this internationalist effort to end our social and political exploitation and domination.