MPs discuss adoption of the euro

Lawmakers in parliament on Wednesday debated the proposed law on the introduction of the euro single currency. 

Some MPs, including Sovereigntist Mario Pavliček, believes the country is not ready to enter the eurozone based on the government's current timeline of 1 January next year.

"All economic indicators place us at the bottom of the European Union. To enter the eurozone and change the national currency during the time of the biggest economic crisis, in which the European Union has found itself, is truly crazy," said Pavliček.

Implement structural reforms and bring public finances into order, he said. And when the country is standing on its own two feet, Pavliček believes the people should decide in a referendum whether or not to replace the kuna with the EU's single currency.

"If we weren't ready and if we didn't fulfill the criteria, at this moment we wouldn't even be in the Exchange rate Mechanism II, and now it is up to us to fulfill, convergence criteria, the Maastricht criteria, and criteria following entry into the Exchange rate Mechanism II, and we will do this," responded Finance Minister Zdravko Marić

MP Dario Zurovec from the Fokus party said in such uncertain times, the country needs a stable currency and the euro is the second-most stable currency in the world. He underscored that Croatian save money in euros and that the price of real estate and cars are also shown in euro.