The new advisory body of the Government of the Republic of Croatia gathered 65 young representatives of the Croatian diaspora, the Croatian national minority and Croats from Bosnia and Herzegovina, while CHF Director Zdeslav Milas, M.Sc., also participates in the body’s work, ex officio.
On July 23 and 24, 2026, the inaugural session of the first convocation of the Council of Young Croats Abroad, a newly established advisory body of the Government of the Republic of Croatia that brings together 65 members aged 18 to 30, was held in Zagreb. Members are nominated by Croatian communities and organizations abroad, and on the basis of their proposals, they are appointed by the Government of the Republic of Croatia.
The Council of Young Croats was established to involve young people in conceiving and proposing initiatives that would further strengthen ties among the Croatian people, preserve Croatian identity, language, and culture, and develop cooperation between the Republic of Croatia and members of the Croatian people worldwide.
The inaugural session was also attended by CHF Director, Zdeslav Milas, M.Sc., who is a member of the Council ex officio. For decades, the Croatian Heritage Foundation has been systematically connecting young Croats from Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Croatian national minority and the Croatian diaspora through its educational, cultural, scientific and youth programs, encouraging the preservation of the Croatian language, culture and national identity, and strengthening their ties with the homeland.
The session was opened by State Secretary of the Central State Office for Croats Abroad Zvonko Milas, and addressed by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia Andrej Plenković, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman, President of the Committee for Croats Abroad of the Croatian Parliament Zdravka Bušić and the oldest member of the Council Ivan Ćavar, who chaired the session until the election of the presidency.
Opening the session, State Secretary Zvonko Milas highlighted that today’s gathering marks the beginning of a new chapter of cooperation between the Republic of Croatia and young Croats abroad.
“You come from different countries, different social circumstances and different communities, but you are connected by a common belonging to the Croatian people and a desire to stay tied to your homeland. It is in this diversity that the greatest strength of the Council of Young Croats lies. We expect you to be open, creative and to show initiative, and to be the voice of your communities and bridges that will connect young Croats, whether they live in Mostar, Subotica, Sydney or anywhere in the world,” said Milas.
He emphasized that, for the first time, young people were given their own institutional space for dialogue, cooperation and presentation of proposals on issues that shape the future of the Croatian people abroad.
Prime Minister Andrej Plenković emphasized that Croatia has achieved all of its major national and international objectives over the past 35 years – from international recognition, membership in the United Nations, NATO and the European Union, to joining the Schengen Area, the euro area and the imminent accession to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
He recalled that, in recent years, the Republic of Croatia has continuously increased investments in the projects of Croatian communities abroad, education, culture, health and economy, Croatian language learning programs, scholarships for students, facilitated obtaining Croatian citizenship and other measures that strengthen ties with the homeland and create conditions for return.
Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman emphasized that young Croats abroad are important guardians of Croatian identity and a strong link between the homeland and Croatian communities around the world, while the President of the Parliamentary Committee for Croats Abroad Zdravka Bušić emphasized that young people, with their knowledge, energy and togetherness, represent the future of the Croatian people.
On behalf of the members of the Council, Ivan Ćavar addressed the audience, highlighting that, for the first time, young people have been given the opportunity to jointly formulate proposals and initiatives that will contribute to the future of Croatian communities around the world.
At the session, the Rules of Procedure of the Council of Young Croats Abroad were unanimously adopted, which established the conditions for its work, followed by the election of the Council Presidency.
Leonardo Artuković from Bosnia and Herzegovina was elected Council President, whileRobert Tokić, a representative of BiH Croats, Marko Vidaček, a representative of the Croatian national minority, Anna Maria Arapović, a representative of the Croatian diaspora from overseas countries, and Eva Zacharis, a representative of the Croatian diaspora from European countries, were elected Vice-Presidents.
Thanking everyone for the confidence shown in him, the newly elected president Leonardo Artuković underscored that the Council’s objective to connect Croatian communities, encourage cooperation, exchange ideas and joint projects, and to create a strong network of young individuals that would contribute to the preservation of Croatian identity and establishing even closer ties between Croats from Bosnia and Herzegovina, members of the Croatian national minority and the Croatian diaspora with the Republic of Croatia.
During the discussion, the members of the Council expressed great interest and readiness to actively participate in its work, especially emphasizing the need for further improvement of the position of young Croats outside the Republic of Croatia, strengthening the cooperation of Croatian communities around the world, preserving the Croatian language, culture and national identity, developing educational, scientific and economic cooperation, stronger networking of young people and creating new opportunities for professional connection and return to the Republic of Croatia.
With the first convocation of the Council of Young Croats Abroad, an important step forward was taken toward the institutional involvement of young people in shaping policies related to Croats Abroad. The Council will be a platform for dialogue, exchange of experiences and development of concrete initiatives that will further strengthen the connection between the homeland and Croatian communities around the world. In this regard, the Croatian Heritage Foundation will continue to make an important contribution, through its long-standing programs, by connecting younger generations of Croats worldwide with their homeland.
MEMBERS OF THE FIRST CONVOCATION OF THE COUNCIL OF YOUNG CROATS ABROAD:
Representatives of Croats from Bosnia and Herzegovina:
1. Leonardo Artuković
2. Katarina Ramljak
3. Marina Marković
4. Stefan Kukrić
5. Marijana Dominković Brašnić
6. Marinko Jurić
7. Nikolina Lukić
8. Robert Tokić
9. Ivan Ćavar
10. Mario Sandro Tunjić
11. Marija Ćosić
12. Nikolina Perković
13. Barbara Čolo.
Representatives of the Croatian National Minority:
1. Lucija Horvacki, representative for Serbia
2. Petar Huska, representative for Serbia
3. Darko Peka, representative for Serbia
4. Alexander Robert Wukovits, representative for Austria
5. Dorothea Viktoria Zvonarich, representative for Austria
6. Karmela Payrits, representative for Hungary
7. Maja Škrlin, representative for Hungary
8. Nika Brdar, representative for Slovenia
9. Eva Šandor, representative for Slovenia
10. Josipa Sabic, representative for Bulgaria
11. Kristina Janović, representative for Montenegro
12. Vojtěch Radkovič, representative for the Czech Republic
13. Giulia Sammartino, representative for Italy
14. Tomislav Dokic, representative for Kosovo
15. Ivana-Marika Mihăilă, representative for Romania
16. Marko Vidaček, representative for North Macedonia
17. Kristián Maschkan, representative for Slovakia.
Representatives of the Croatian Diaspora:
1. Maxime Saric Menne, representative for the United States
2. Bella Katarina Pehar, representative for the United States
3. Marco Barta, representative for the United States
4. Ivan Sime Kalinic, representative for the United States
5. Tomislav Buntic, representative for the United States
6. Petar Jureta, representative for Germany
7. Marko Stipe Stipanović, representative for Germany
8. Ella Bojčetić, representative for Germany
9. Ivan Dominović, representative for Germany
10. Jana Tušek, representative for Germany
11. Adrian Landeka, representative for Australia
12. Antoni Ukalović, representative for Australia
13. Jessica Jugovac, representative for Australia
14. Daniel Marin Šango, representative for Australia
15. Anna Maria Arapović, representative for Canada
16. Niko Brkich, representative for Canada
17. Niko Bačić, representative for Canada
18. Mateo Pulfer, representative for Argentina
19. Victoria Carla Tomalino, representative for Argentina
20. Vedran Ignacio Zlatar Meneses, representative for Chile
21. Luka Esteban Buzolic Moreno, representative for Chile
22. Diana Cančić, representative for Austria
23. Camila Pavicic, representative for Brazil
24. Laura Sayer, representative for France
25. Martina Matuš, representative for Ireland
26. Giulia Verdat, Representative for Italy
27. Bianca Gabrijela Obadić, representative for the Republic of South Africa
28. Marine Antony Arnerich, representative for New Zealand
29. Claudia Glavak, representative for Sweden
30. Ana Ilić, representative for Switzerland
31. Krešimir Krajnović, representative for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
32. Dorian Vodopia, representative for Denmark and Norway
33. Eva Zacharis, Representative for Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands
34. Dalma Patricia Rojas Avila, representative for Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru
35. Kevin Steven Kriskovich Paredes, MD, representative for Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela
Text: CHF / Photo: Government of the Republic of Croatia and NIU Hrvatska riječ
