On the evening of February 27, local time, Croatian Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic announced at the International Civil Defense Day event in Zagreb that Croatia had officially become "mine-free" and that all known minefields had been completely cleared, declaring that this country, which suffered greatly from landmines during the War of Independence in the 1990s, had completed a landmark historical task.
Bozinovic said that Croatia "has completed demining work in accordance with the requirements of the Ottawa Convention after nearly 30 years of hard work," marking the country's key progress in fulfilling its international obligations and maintaining the safety of its citizens. During the long and arduous demining operation, Croatia paid a high price: a total of 208 people died in mine-related accidents, including 41 deminers. Official estimates put the total cost of demining nationwide at about 1.2 billion euros.
According to reports, since the launch of systematic demining after the war, Croatia has cleared nearly 107,000 landmines and about 407,000 unexploded ordnance. Bozinovic emphasized that this was not only a "technical success" but also a "moral commitment to fulfill" the victims of landmines and their families. He pointed out that a Croatia without the threat of landmines means a safer family environment, significantly improved development conditions in rural areas, expansion of agricultural arable land, and the tourism industry will further benefit from this.
After the end of the War of Independence, Croatia has long been plagued by the legacy of landmines. A large number of rural and border areas have been classified as dangerous areas, which not only threatens the life safety of residents, but also severely restricts infrastructure construction, agricultural reclamation and tourism development. With the clearance of all known minefields completed, Croatia is expected to accelerate the reconstruction and economic revitalization of the affected areas, transforming the "mine-free homeland" into a new development driver.