During a parliamentary session on March 15, Member of Parliament Josip Jurčević stated that the “so-called Serbian cultural centers, 40 of them, are enemy identity strongholds that will destabilize security in Croatia and serve as operational hubs in the event of security or military destabilization.” His remarks were disseminated by multiple media outlets (see here, here, here, here, here).

To verify the truthfulness of these claims, we conducted a closer examination of the nature and function of Serbian cultural centers.

The centers in question are Serbian cultural and educational hubs, built or renovated through the “Capital investments“ fund of the Serbian National Council (SNV), which is based on the Government of the Republic of Croatia’s operational programs for national minorities.

By reviewing the Register of Associations of the Republic of Croatia, we established that the Serbian National Council is a lawfully registered association in the Republic of Croatia under the full name Serbian National Council – National Coordination of Councils of the Serbian National Minority in the Republic of Croatia, and that it is not an ‘enemy stronghold’ nor any kind of external entity with unconstitutional goals or activities aimed at achieving such goals.

The Association states in its statute as its objectives the affirmation and realization of national, cultural, educational, social, economic, and all other personal rights and interests of Serbs, as well as the development of cooperation between the Serbian national community and other nationalities and national minorities in the Republic of Croatia, cooperation of Serbian national organizations and institutions with other organizations and institutions in the Republic of Croatia, and the development of cooperation with other international organizations and institutions.

All the stated goals of the association, which is implementing the program for the construction and reconstruction of cultural centers, are fully in line with the laws and Constitution of the Republic of Croatia. Therefore, the claim that the centers would be ‘enemy identity strongholds’ is not based on facts. This is especially true considering that the majority of the Serbian National Council’s goals are focused on the affirmation and development of cooperation with all relevant communities and institutions in the Republic of Croatia.

Furthermore, the program for the construction of cultural and educational centers is fully supported by the Government of the Republic of Croatia. The current government, supported by the parliamentary majority consisting of the political parties HDZ and Domovinski Pokret, directly supported the construction and equipping of these cultural centers during the meeting of the Government of the Republic of Croatia held on August 1, 2024, through the Decision on the Adoption of Operational Programs for National Minorities for the period from 2024 to 2028 (available here).

This decision defines the Operational Program for the Serbian national minority, which under Activity No. 8.7 8.7. outlines the following activity: ‘The Government will support the purchase, renovation, arrangement, equipping, maintenance, and operation of existing cultural centers, as well as the construction, extension, renovation, equipping, and operation of new cultural and educational centers, community centers, and spaces for the Serbian national minority in those areas where there is a need and for which conceptual solutions are developed during the period of the Operational Programs, and upon the proposal of elected representatives of the Serbian national minority.’

Additionally, the opening of the Serbian Cultural Center in Zagreb on October 10, 2024, was attended by the Minister of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia, Nina Obuljen Koržinek (available here, archived here), who on that occasion stated that ‘the restoration and opening of the Zagreb Serbian Cultural Center represents the result of joint efforts between the Serbian minority and the Government of the Republic of Croatia in building a modern and well-equipped space that radiates a welcome to all people eager for quality cultural content, regardless of their ethnic, political, or other affiliation.’

In conclusion, Serbian cultural centers represent infrastructural projects of the Serbian community in the Republic of Croatia, carried out by a legally registered association with legitimate goals and activities aimed at achieving those goals, with a clear organizational structure and transparent, publicly accessible funding, supported by the Government of the Republic of Croatia and the majority in the Croatian Parliament as part of a broader policy to improve the position of national minorities. From all the above, it is clear that the claim that cultural centers are enemy strongholds that will destabilize the security of Croatia is entirely untrue. Besides being unfounded, such a claim can contribute to the spread of hostility towards members of the Serbian national minority and the stigmatization of their institutions, and is also contrary to the Constitutional Law on the Rights of National Minorities, which explicitly guarantees cultural autonomy and the preservation, development, and expression of one’s own culture, including the protection of cultural goods and traditions of national minorities.

Funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU.

Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Commission, nor the positions of the Agency for Electronic Media. Neither the European Union nor the European Commission, nor the Agency for Electronic Media can be held responsible for them.

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