ABSTRACT
Croatian emigrants have played a crucial role in the economic and socio-political developments of their country of origin since the beginning of the 20th century. State policies targeting Croats who live outside the Republic of Croatia today reflect both the history of state-building based on a transterritorial definition of the nation, and of emigration, and therefore focus on three distinct groups: the Croatian diaspora (emigrant communities overseas and in Western Europe), autochthonous Croatian minorities (in 12 European countries), and the Croatian population in neighbouring Bosnia and Herzegovina as one of the three constituent peoples of the neighbouring state of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BaH). A Central State Office for Croats outside the Republic of Croatia is today entrusted with the task of sustaining relations and catering to the needs of these groups. Post-EU accession liquid migration dynamics particularly of the young generation, however, require readapting state policies and to encourage return.
