EU citizens face unequal access to cremation services; Croatia lags behind European standards despite demographic shifts.
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EU citizens are not equal after death; for example, while Spain has a surplus of crematoria, Croatia only has two and previously exported bodies to Slovenia for cremation. In September, Croatian residents could only access cremation services if they lived in Zagreb, as the Osijek crematorium had been closed for months, and the Zagreb facility limited service to local residents, forcing those outside Zagreb to send bodies to neighboring Slovenia. Although the Osijek crematorium resumed operations after repairs, and plans exist to acquire new furnaces in Zagreb, individuals from areas like Dubrovnik must still travel long distances for cremation, increasing costs. While proposals for crematoria have been made in Å ibenik, Split, and Rijeka, concrete realization is uncertain; in Rijeka, equipment purchase has stalled due to cost concerns despite potential space availability. A comparison with other European countries reveals a significant disparity in access to cremation services across the EU. Spain leads Europe with 537 active crematoria, while other nations like the UK (307), France (185), and Germany (159) also have substantial numbers. Trends show increasing cremation rates across various European nations, driven by secularization and lack of burial space, though traditional religious practices in some regions, such as Orthodox Christianity in Greece and Croatia until recently, favored burial. In contrast to the high adoption rates in Western Europe, countries with strong Orthodox traditions lag behind. While cremation is becoming more common in Mediterranean countries like Italy and France, Croatian and Greek traditions have historically favored burial. Furthermore, while cremation can potentially lower costs compared to traditional burials, cemetery fees in Zagreb remain substantial for both graves and urn placement.
