EU chief visits Croatia to commemorate country's entry into eurozone, Schengen area

On January 1st, Ursula von der Leyen, the head of the European Commission, went to Croatia to commemorate the nation's admission to the eurozone and the Schengen region without borders, Azernews reports citing Xinhua.

On early Sunday morning, a number of events were held at the Slovenian and Hungarian border crossings to commemorate the historic occasion.

"This is a day to celebrate. It is time for new beginnings. I believe that there is no other place in Europe where a new beginning and a new chapter can be better marked than the border of Slovenia and Croatia," said von der Leyen, along with Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and Slovenian President Natasa Musar, at the Bregana border crossing between Croatia and Slovenia.

According to Plenkovic, Croatia will contribute to the strengthening of the Schengen and Eurozone regions.