Filologija, No. 84, 2025.
Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.21857/yq32ohrpj9
Linguistic Integration of Foreign Workers from Third Countries in the Context of the Development of Croatian Language Policy
Tomislav Stojanov
Abstract
Three key demographic projection sources – the European Commission, the United Nations, and researchers from the The Lancet – estimate that by the end of the century, Croatia’s population will shrink to between 1.6 and 2.8 million, retaining only 37 % to 73 % of its 2021 population. While the survival of the Croatian language is not immediately at risk, these projections place it among the most endangered official languages in Europe by 2100. The Strategy for the Demographic Revitalization of Croatia (2024) estimates that sustaining the current population level requires integrating approximately 16,000 migrants annually, assuming trends remain unchanged. Since the liberalization of immigration laws in 2021, the number of foreign workers from third countries has surged, making Croatia the third country in the European Economic Area with the highest migrant share per 1,000 inhabitants by 2023.
The paper explores whether foreign workers from third countries are willing to integrate linguistically and what kind of language policy could best facilitate this process. Based on a 2024 survey of 130 migrant workers, conducted as part of the Welcome to Croatia program by the Croatian Economic Chamber, the paper proposes guidelines for Croatian language policy development. It examines existing legislation, highlights critical points in the 2024 Amendments to the Foreigners Act, and reviews five existing models of Croatian language acquisition for foreign workers. Special attention is given to the voucher-based Croatian language learning model, introduced in 2024, assessing its limitations in relation to the fourth, sustainable scenario of Croatia’s demographic revitalization.
The paper concludes that the current voucher model falls short of meeting integration needs and proposes a new linguistic integration model, inspired by Germany’s long-standing approach, which has been evolving for over two decades.
Keywords
foreign workers; language integration; Croatian as a foreign language; language policy; demographic revitalization
Hrčak ID:
339782
URI
Publication date:
24.11.2025.
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