A dispute over Hindi-language posters in a Zagreb supermarket has exposed tensions in Croatia as the country turns to foreign workers to plug labour gaps. 

The posters, designed to cater to the growing number of Indian workers in the country, have become a flashpoint in this debate. The Homeland Movement, the far-right junior partner in Croatia’s ruling coalition, has framed the posters as a threat to cultural identity, while others see them as a practical step to inform workers in sectors critical to Croatia’s economy.

The Homeland Movement filed a complaint this week against German-owned retailer Kaufland, accusing it of violating Croatia’s constitution and laws protecting the use of the Croatian language by displaying posters in Hindi in one of its Zagreb stores.

A photograph of the offending poster shows a sign in Hindi over a set of products such as rice and noodles, apparently aimed at Croatia's growing community of migrant workers from Asia. The image was originally published by daily Vecerni List and reposted on Homeland Movement's Facebook page. 

"STOP POSTERS IN HINDI: Let's protect Croatian culture, identity and language!" said a post on the Facebook page. 

"Although the Croatian Language Act requires that multilingual public notices and advertising messages must first be designed in Croatian, and then in other languages, on Kaufland's Zagreb posters, Hindi is dominant, while Croatian is unrecognisable!" 

Ivica Kukavica, head of the Homeland Movement’s parliamentary group, told a press conference the party has "reported everything to the State Inspectorate and the Croatian Language Council". 

The dispute comes as Croatia’s post-pandemic economy faces deepening labour shortages. Nearly 400,000 people have left Croatia over the past decade, according to a recent World Bank report, while the proportion of elderly citizens has risen to 22.5%, with projections of nearly a third of the population being over 65 by 2050. With tourism accounting for around 20% of GDP, the need for workers is particularly acute in the summer season.

To sustain its economy, Croatia has increasingly turned to foreign workers. According to government data, nearly 80,000 work permits were issued to foreign nationals in 2023, up from under 10,000 in 2016. In early 2025, Nepalese workers became the largest group of foreign labourers in Croatia, followed by workers from India and the Philippines. Previously, the largest numbers came from Bosnia & Herzegovina and other former Yugoslav countries. 

While many Croatians see the arrival of foreign workers from further afield as a necessity, it has also stirred anxieties within segments of society over identity and integration, particularly among nationalist groups.

In November 2024, four men were arrested for racially motivated attacks on foreign workers in Split, working as food delivery drivers. 

Kukavica linked the use of Hindi in advertising to broader concerns about integration, arguing that foreign workers should learn Croatian to integrate fully.

"We have examples of violence and unimplemented integration from Western Europe and we must learn from them. We want to prevent all those negative phenomena from the EU,'' he said as quoted in the party's Facebook statement. 

"The profits of retail chains must not come before the needs of Croatian society. It is necessary to protect our Croatian identity, laws, culture and all our fellow citizens!" 

As the number of migrant workers increases in Croatia and other Central and Eastern European countries, the Kaufland case illustrates the ensuing tensions as the economic need for foreign labour collides with concerns over cultural cohesion.

Only around one-third of foreign workers in Croatia say their quality of life has significantly improved since arriving, according to a recent survey by the Croatian Employers’ Association and the Institute for Migration Research, with many sending remittances back home while working in low-paid, seasonal jobs in construction, tourism, and hospitality.

“It is not just workers who come, but people with their own stories, families, and needs,” said Marina Perić Kaselj, director of the Institute for Migration Research, at the presentation of the report, calling for a “comprehensive and human-centred migration policy.”

Responding to the Homeland Movement’s complaint, Tourism Minister Tonči Glavina acknowledged the concerns about protecting the Croatian language but stressed Croatia’s role as a tourist destination.

“We are a tourist country where people communicate in foreign languages,” Glavina told reporters after a government session, adding that Croatia is among the world’s top countries for English proficiency, which supports its tourism industry.

“We are open to the world in the best possible way, but at the same time, we must preserve our language, our history, and our pride,” Glavina said, as reported in a government statement.

Still, the Kaufland controversy may become a test case for future conflicts. Business leaders warn that by 2030, Croatia may need up to 500,000 foreign workers due to worsening demographic trends.