Covid-19, EU – Baltic States, Good for Business, Legislation, Tourism, Transport

The "temporary ban on border crossing" has been lifted "for tourism", Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic told a Cabinet session.

The measure applies to 10 countries who have had similarly successful results in containing the virus, he said, including Austria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia.

Home to 4.2 million people, Croatia has largely kept its coronavirus outbreak in check, limiting deaths to around 100 and known infections to slightly over 2,000.

When the country started relaxing lockdown measures earlier this month, it opened borders to EU citizens travelling for business purposes, as well as those who own real estate, a boat or have a confirmed accommodation booking in the country.

From Thursday, citizens of the 10 countries listed will not need to provide any reason for entry and can submit their personal data on a special website before travelling to reduce wait times at the border.

The list will be expanded as the health situation improves in other countries, Plenkovic added.

Accounting for around a fifth of Croatia's economy, the tourism sector is expected to contract by 70% this year due to the pandemic.