Minister Anušić: Pay raise for soldiers, Croatian Armed Forces back in Beli Manastir by the end of 2026

On Monday, 15 January 2024, in the Croatian Parliament, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Ivan Anušić responded to a question posed by a member of Parliament, Stipan Šašlin, concerning the improvement of the substantive rights of Croatian soldiers, the promotion of the Armed Forces, and their return to Beli Manastir.

In his address, Minister Anušić made it clear that improving the financial status of CAF members is the primary objective of his mandate.

“The soldier is unquestionably at the heart of what I do. We have increased the retirement age for soldiers and sailors from 45 to 50 since I became the Minister of Defence and Deputy Prime Minister. This allows sailors and soldiers to serve until they turn 50, at which point they will be eligible for a pension upon leaving the armed forces. We raised the salaries of those with the lowest job complexity coefficients in the MOD and Armed Forces systems by an additional ten percent. We are talking about 1,240 people – civil servants and state employees. Our daily wages for peace support, crisis response, humanitarian, and other operations and activities abroad have increased by 25 to 30 percent. The new government regulation on the coefficients of active military personnel will be put into effect in addition to the changes made to the Act on Wages of Public and Civil Servants. This is a 40 percent increase in the salaries of soldiers, which will require an additional 100 million euros per year,” he said.

Mr. Anušić also stated that providing the best possible living conditions for CAF members, including increased pay and other benefits, will be the primary goal of all of his future efforts.

“I want young people to think highly of the Ministry of Defence and the armed forces as potential employers because they are going to provide them with an excellent standard of living. Serving in the military is a calling that entails carrying out some of the most responsible duties,” added the minister.

In response to a question concerning the planned return of Croatian soldiers to Beli Manastir, Minister Anušić underlined that this was a significant project whose execution has already started and whose completion is scheduled by the end of 2026.

“We are predicting that around 650–850 CAF members, or one mechanised battalion, will return to the Baranja barracks. This is crucial for a number of reasons. First, there are security reasons and the border’s close vicinity, which provide several challenges when discussing emigrants and security threats that are clearly defined in the context of the current geopolitical environment.

Secondly, it is important to note that Baranja is among the areas that have seen significant population declines over the previous 20 years. Undoubtedly, the presence of Croatian soldiers residing and working there will greatly contribute to the demographic growth of Beli Manastir, Baranja, Osijek-Baranja County, and all of eastern Croatia,” concluded Minister Anušić.