Croatia
Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Goran Grlic-Radman, center, raises the crossing gates at the border in Gorican, Croatia, Sunday, January 1, 2023 Image Credit: AP

Zagreb: Croatia on Sunday switched to the euro and entered into Europe's passport-free zone - two major milestones for the country after joining the EU nearly a decade ago.

At midnight (2300 GMT Saturday) the Balkan nation bid farewell to its kuna currency and became the 20th member of the eurozone.

It also became the 27th nation in the passport-free Schengen zone, the world's largest, which enables more than 400 million people to move freely around its members.