See
http://www.mef.hr/mse/brochure/harvard.html
I have been to Zagreb and Croatia a number of times. I can assure you that Croatia is once again peaceful, though you will find reminders of the Balkan wars once you leave the major cities and go into the countryside. I do not think that safety should be a major concern to you.
If you haven't visited Croatia or Zagreb, I highly recommend both. I found the southern Dalmatian coast spectacular and tourism has returned to Croatia with tons of people from all over the world visiting the long coastline. My impressions of Zagreb were all positive. Though a small capital city by comparision with other capital cities in the region, though it has a beautiful historical inner city. The outskirts are more or less typical post- communist flats, unfortunately.
Re: Med school there. I see a couple of downsides.
1) Cost. They quote 7,000 Euros per year for tuition. At the current exchange rate (1 EUR = 1.26920 USD) that means US$8,884. This is roughly the same which is charged by other programs in the region, BUT could sway widely due to being based in Euros as opposed to USD elsewhere.
2) High costs. Croatia is not a cheap place anymore (IMHO) as the Croat Kuna is artificially strong compared to the USD (1 USD = 6.09650 HRK) Living expenses will be high compared to elsewhere in the region.
3) I'm do not believe that Croatia currently participates in the FFEL program, so US students will not be able to get Stafford loans.
4) It is a six year program based on the Central European model. This makes it less appealing to those with premed undergrad degrees.
5) I'm highly skeptical of any program in Europe going to the PBL model, especially a brand new one for a number of reasons, the main one being that they simply don't have the experience or culture to teach PBL.
6) As the program is brand new, it will have lots of kinks to work out. I wouldn't recommend someone being a ginuea pig.
7) As it is brand new, it is not California approved.
Miklos
