Croatia ditches currency to adopt euro and join border-free Schengen zone

Croatia switched to the shared European currency and removed dozens of border checkpoints to join world's largest passport-free travel area

Croatia's Prim Minister Andrej Plenkovic shakes hands with Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, in Zagreb on January 1st (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

At the stroke of midnight on Saturday, Croatia switched to the euro, and removed dozens of border checkpoints to join the world’s largest passport-free travel area.

It marked a fresh start for the small Balkan nation of 4 million people, that captured international attention three decades ago as the site of a brutal war that left nearly a quarter of its economy in ruins.

Joining Europe's ID-check-free Schengen zone means Croats will now be among almost 420 million people who are free to roam its 27 member countries without passports for work or leisure.