I'm sorry it's more expensive for you, I just wanted to point out that there are locations which are not the US, such as parts of mainland Europe, where this claim does also not hold.
I just checked and it appears that notebooksbilliger.de sells the Air M1 starting at 1057 EUR and is willing to ship to Croatia for 30 EUR. If you were interested, maybe that's a better alternative.
Edit: Amazon.de charges 1079 EUR and seems happy enough to ship to consumers in Croatia as well for around 14 EUR. I haven't tried completing an order, obviously, but there are no relevant restrictions listed.
edit: I love I how I keep getting downvoted on HN if I dare say anything about the M1. Even if it's the true like the price of the machine.