Public Holiday as Croatia Marks Statehood Day

Croatia will mark Statehood Day today with a public holiday throughout the country…

Every year on 25 June Croatia celebrates the country’s 1991 declaration of independence from Yugoslavia. The Statehood Day is an official holiday, a day off work in Croatia.

After the independence referendum held on May 19th, 1991, the Croatian Parliament formally proclaimed independence with Ustavna odluka o suverenosti i samostalnosti Republike Hrvatske, (Constitutional decision on sovereignty and independence of the Republic of Croatia). The Statehood Day used to be May 30, marking the day when in 1990 the first post-Communist multi-party Parliament was constituted. There was some controversy in the public regarding which date is more suitable for the day of the statehood. Since 2002, June 25 has prevailed as the Statehood Day, and May 30 is marked a minor holiday, one that is not a public holiday.