Croatia has said it will provide financial incentives to persuade Croatians who emigrated to other EU countries to return home.
The measure aims to return citizens to their country, in order to reduce the demographic decline and the aging population observed in recent years, reports Agerpres, citing France Presse.
The new measures will take effect on January 1. These involve paying up to 26,000 euros to Croatian expatriates residing in EU countries if they return to Croatia to set up a business.
In addition, similar measures under the “I chose Croatia” program are planned for economically displaced Croats in the country to encourage them to settle in sparsely populated rural areas.
These incentives “provide both the motivation to return and the financial resources. Demographic revitalization is a vital issue for Croatia, with an aging population,” said Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic.
The government estimates that the program could encourage 4,000 to 4,500 people to return to their country.
According to the data, more than 250,000 Croats left the country since joining the EU in 2013. Most left the country in search of better living conditions in Germany, Austria or Ireland, writes Agerpres.
Lithuania has announced that it will offer money to migrants to persuade them to return home
Lithuania has also recently announced that it will provide more cash support to migrants to motivate them to return home.
The announcement comes in the context in which the Baltic country, a member of the EU, is making efforts to repatriate thousands of them, reports AFP, taken over by Agerpres. Thus, each migrant who voluntarily chooses to return to their country of origin will now receive the amount of 1,000 euros, instead of the 300 promised so far, from the state.
Each migrant will also be provided with a plane ticket for the shower.
“After rejecting most asylum applications, we need solutions to send migrants back to their country of origin. We hope that the higher payment will increase the number of migrants who return voluntarily, “Interior Minister Agne Bilotaite told AFP.
In terms of funding, the money for migrants comes from funds provided by the European Commission to help Lithuania cope with the crisis on its borders.
The announcement comes as thousands of migrants, mostly from the Middle East, have crossed or tried to cross the EU’s eastern border into Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania or Poland since the summer, writes Agerpres.
[citeste si]
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