May the 9th, 2023 - The Novska Gaming Centre, which has placed an otherwise very much overlooked part of Croatia into the spotlight of a rapidly evolving and wildly popular pastime, has been nominated for the Emerging Europe Award.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the Novska Gaming Centre (Novska Gaming Industry Centre) has been nominated for the prestigious "Emerging Europe Awards" in the "Inclusive Entrepreneurship Initiative of the Year" category. These are awards that Europe gives to regional achievements in sustainability, innovation and entrepreneurship, and the Novska Gaming Centre, which is currently still only in its design phase, has already been duly recognised as a project from which a great deal can be expected.

The Pismo Incubator has pointed out that according to the votes cast so far, the Novska Gaming Centre is in the top three projects.

"The Novska Gaming Centre includes a large campus with a gaming industry accelerator, a faculty building, a student dormitory and all other accompanying sports facilities, as well as an e-sports arena and a business incubator, all intended for the development of the gaming industry here as a whole. The location where it will be located is the Novska business zone, and the building will span a massive 8,000 square metres and will be worth 50 million euros, the financing for which comes from the just transition fund. Considering the successes achieved by the fastest growing Croatian entrepreneurial incubator with its seventy start-ups and numerous projects, we believe that we can win this award,'' they stated from the Pismo Incubator.

The Novska Gaming Centre has been described in the nomination as a project in the making that proves how an industry branch can be created from scratch and successfully developed, which is so far very much in evidence if we look at the example of the Pismo Incubator itself.

"We're at an advanced stage of designing the centre. We obtained the location permit back in December last year, and the designers are currently submitting their applications for the first of five building permits, and that's why we are extremely happy to hear that we've been nominated for this prestigious award in the category of projects that represent the future of Europe,'' stated Andreja Seperac.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated business section.

May the 9th, 2023 - The large Croatian company Podravka, based in Koprivnica, is set to invest a massive 100 million euros into doing greener business and focusing on sustainability.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Darko Bicak writes, Podravka will pour as much as 100 million euros into development based on sustainability by 2030, according to an announcement from Martina Dalic at a recently held presentation of the Sustainability Strategy of this corporation.

"As one of the leading food companies in Central and Southeastern Europe, Podravka is aware of its economic importance and responsibility for the environment and the community. Just as we constantly strive for excellence in terms of our basic business, we also want to follow the highest standards in the implementation of the principles of engaging in sustainable and responsible business," said Dalic.

She added that the Koprivnica-based company celebrated 75 years of doing business last year. "In order to be just as successful or even more successful in the coming decades, we must treat the environment, resources, all our stakeholders and the community in which we operate responsibly. The numerous challenges we've been facing in the last few years further indicate that there's absolutely no alternative to doing sustainable and responsible business. This isn't merely an option, but the only way any company can survive and remain successful in the long term. By adopting the Sustainability Strategy of the Podravka Group, we're publicly committing ourselves to the fulfillment of specific goals, which is an additional incentive to successfully and completely realise all our plans. We are investing 100 million euros into the fulfillment of these goals, which are significant financial resources, but we're convinced that in this way we will further improve our competitiveness and strengthen our market position,'' said Dalic.

As explained by Ines Ignjatovic, Director of Strategic Business Development of Podravka, the key investments that support and enable the fulfillment of the wider Podravka Group's sustainability goals include, among other things, the expansion of their solar power plant, the construction of a cogeneration plant, the concentration of bakery production in neighbouring Slovenia at one location, the modernisation of their fleet and the construction of a new logistics and distribution centre at home in Koprivnica.

In the area of healthy eating, Podravka will increase the number of products it sells with a lower content of salt, added sugar and saturated fat per serving, as well as products that contain positive ingredients and/or promote a healthy, balanced and sustainable diet. In the area of a clean environment, Podravka will focus on goals such as reducing its own carbon dioxide emissions, increasing the share of renewable energy sources (OIE) it uses in its total energy consumption, using recyclable packaging, reducing mineral fertilizers and pesticides in agricultural production, and many other things.

When it comes to caring for employees and the wider community, Podravka will continue to work actively on equal gender representation and reducing the difference in wages between men and women, improving the general material rights of employees and their working conditions, as well as developing new skills, gaining new knowledge and furthering the competences of their employees. Looking at more concrete figures, by the year 2030, Podravka plans to have 100% of its electricity come from renewable sources in production in the European Union (EU) and 50% of its heat energy from renewable sources in production.

Sasja Beslik, an international financial expert and advocate of sustainable business and the author of the global bestseller "Where the money tree grows", also gave an interesting lecture at the presentation of Podravka's sustainable business strategy. Beslik spoke about the importance of integrating a more sustainability strategy into the company's business strategy, stressing that it is the only path to profitable growth with a positive impact on society and the environment.

At the very end of the event, one of the leading Croatian experts on sustainability topics, Dunja Mazzocco Drvar, Director of the Directorate for Climate Activities of the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development, spoke about climate change and the need for urgent action from us all.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated business section.

May the 9th, 2023 - Trogir, which sits close to Split in Central Dalmatia and is one of the many Croatian towns under UNESCO protection, is suffering due to a lack of Croatian nautical tourism organisation. This beautiful town, the layout of which dates way back to the Hellenistic period, is struggling considerably with a mini cruiser problem.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the winter-time accommodation of large tourist ships is becoming an increasing problem all over the Croatian Adriatic, especially in Dalmatia. In Trogir, people generally aren't very happy that every year, more and more such boats are moored at their waterfront in winter, pointing to an issue with Croatian nautical tourism organisation in the area. Locals have even started joking that the Trogir waterfront has become the only shipyard under UNESCO protection in the entire world, as reported by HRT.

All winter long, half of the long Trogir waterfront (riva) is occupied by tourist boats moored in several rows. It has been like this for years now, but the ships are getting bigger and there are more and more of them gradually appearing. ''You can't see Ciovo from the waterfront anymore, and you can't see the city from Ciovo,'' say Trogir's residents.

"In the winter, it has now really exceeded every measure. There's also the problem that in winter the waterfront transforms into a "mini shipyard" out in the open. Everyone is there carrying out some service or painting their vessels. The UNESCO core of the city is certainly not the place for such a thing," said the mayor of Trogir, Ante Bilic.

In order to make sure there is no confusion, the people of Trogir aren't against large tourist boats being there, quite on the contrary, they've become an important part of the tourist offer. However, they would like to see fewer of them in the winter season, and on the other hand, to have as many of them as possible in the summer. It's also worth noting that this lack of organisation from the Croatian nautical tourism sector is even more strange given that Trogir is more or less completely surrounded by a series of marinas and harbors.

"We need to find a common language, because sailing is one of the most important segments of tourist activity in Trogir. At last year's Days of Croatian Tourism, Trogir was declared the most successful destination within the scope of Croatian nautical tourism,'' explained the director of the the Tourist Board of Trogir, Marin Piveta.

The county port authority, which charges people for winter mooring in Trogir, is expected to find an alternative location for the very problematic mini-cruisers, but they have stated that this will not be possible for at least another two to three years until two new ports are built in the Municipality of Dugi Rat. The home port of the largest tourist fleet on the Adriatic in Krilo Jesenice has long been too small and as such these ships are located at winter berths throughout Dalmatia.

"The number of ships that are looking for both winter and annual berths is increasing. With our infrastructure being as it currently is, we can't keep up with the construction of new ships, we're trying to reduce the increasing number of vessels in our ports. We've given the people from Krilo several options, especially now that the works are starting there, and that's a ferry port in Stari Grad that can accommodate a larger number of vessels on an annual basis," explained the director of the County Port Authority, Domagoj Maroevic.

Professor Ivo Babic from Trogir, the former rector of the University of Split, asked a long time ago in his writings just how wide the Adriatic actually is and whether there is a limit to the touristic exploitation of the area, including that on the Trogir waterfront.

"This is just a small negative aspect of tourism. As a young man, I was an apologist for tourism, I saw in it a chance for old cities, for revitalisation, but now I see that mass tourism is really dangerous for the environment and for the lives of the local population. I'd use a modern term - commercialisation of the world. Everything is being commercialised, from national parks onwards," claimed Babic.

He doesn't want to move out of Trogir's historic core, even though he says that in the summer it became unbearable, given that the town has been turned into a large inn.

"I wouldn't like to spread pessimism but I really don't see a bright future in terms of ecology and the environment. I'm afraid that capitalism is the natural state of the world, that maximum expansion suits the people - as much as is possible in a shorter period of time and with the least possible effort," he added.

Mass tourism threatens everyone in various ways, the growth in the number of large tourist ships is only a small part of the whole story. Is sustainable tourism even possible? As for the Trogir waterfront, it seems it will continue to be occupied by mini-cruisers over the coming winters.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated news section.

May the 9th, 2023 - Croatian wages are set to increase for a significant proportion of the population thanks to recently introduced government measures, but it won't be the case for everyone.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, neither the complete abolition of surtaxes, nor the increase of the non-taxable part of Croatian wages, nor the reduction of income tax rates will raise the salaries of about two-thirds of taxpayers from next year on, because even with the current rules, those individuals don't pay those particular taxes, as Novi list reports.

Only those people with a net salary of at least 800 euros per month or even those who earn more than the average net salary stand to actually benefit financially from this latest government move aimed at increasing Croatian wages. This is the main reason why the government is seriously considering reducing pension contributions in the first place in order to raise the figure those who earn lower salaries take home each month.

That said, after the abolition of surtaxes, Croatian wages would not increase even for those with above-average incomes, because many of them live in cities and municipalities that have not introduced or abolished the surtaxes and so they'll keep on having to pay local levies.

Where surtaxes aren't already being paid, its cancellation from January the 1st will not actually bring anyone a higher salary, and it's highly unlikely that those cities and municipalities will take advantage of the opportunity to further reduce income tax rates, because they already tried to relieve the burden on their residents by deciding to waive the need to pay surtaxes previously.

Just many workers will actually be left without a salary increase from January the 1st due to these circumstances, although the government keeps on claiming that salaries will increase for everyone, is currently unknown. All we do know is that facts will need to be faced at some point or another, as the Croatian Government is expected to come out with this data when it presents its proposal for tax changes.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated news section.

May the 9th, 2023 - A new Croatian tourist season is upon us, and with the height of the summer season rapidly approaching, old problems which have plagued the sector for a long time are more than likely set to cause the exact same issues.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, announcements and expectations for the dawn of yet another new Croatian tourist season are naturally (and traditionally) mostly revolving around record results. Based on the bookings and expressed agency interest, it's being assumed that this Croatian tourist season could surpass the figures seen back during the pre-pandemic year of 2019.

However, the focus on mass visitation and profit maximisation automatically excludes some other aspects of tourism planning. First of all, these relate to terms of ecology, transport and communal infrastructure, not to mention pressing social issues. All of that was still being talked about four years ago, but today it seems to have been more or less forgotten, writes Deutsche Welle (DW).

At the same time, we aren't talking about a shift taking place exclusively here in Croatia, nor are we only focusing on the tourism sector. A similar trend has also been recorded in agriculture, energy, transport, etc. The former specter of climate change and the damage being caused by pollution has fallen into the background, while the industry is now focused on another source of anxiety, the one concerning the loss of the market competitiveness of national economies.

However, in the case of Croatia and the upcoming Croatian tourist season, there's an undeniable link with ecology - if this country's manner of handling tourism continues to threaten the ecological basis and the sustainability of tourism, which today undoubtedly represents its main economic branch, it will be threatened.

"The post-pandemic recovery of tourism will certainly have its dark side in the form of renewed pressure on the environment and nature," Hrvoje Radovanovic, the head of the nature protection programme of Green Action/Zelena Akcija, stated. He believes that, although certain efforts are being made to "green" Croatian tourism up a little, among other things at the instigation of the tourists themselves who are becoming more and more environmentally conscious, one strategic problem persists: The main tendencies in planning the development of this sector are still primarily focused on attracting greater numbers of tourists, the extension of the season, and the tourism development of the parts of the country that tourists have mostly bypassed so far, etc.

Radovanovic pointed out that the infrastructure in many places across Croatia, especially those along the coast, is already unable to keep up with such a large number of tourists, as evidenced by last year's water supply problems in parts of Istria and elsewhere. "Thanks to climate change," he added, "it's to be expected that such situations will only increase in the future. A growing problem from the aspect of environmental protection is also the disposal of waste and wastewater produced by an increasing number of tourists, and there's also the destruction of the ecosystem thanks to concreting, apartment building and the construction of other tourist infrastructure".

Protected areas haven't been spared from this either, unfortunately.

"Even if it turns out that the planned measures and investments for ''greening tourism up'' represent something more than so-called greenwashing, and if they really do succeed in reducing the pressure on the environment, the total environmental pressure of this sector will continue to grow as long as the unlimited growth of the number of visitors and overnight stays remain the main goals of tourism development,'' believes Radovanovic.

Unfortunately, on top of all that, the controversial issues don't solely regard environmental and communal ones, but also those related to work in tourism itself.

According to estimates from the sector, this country is currently lacking about 60,000 workers to take up employment as waiters, chefs, bar staff and so on. Croatian employers, with the exception of the more stable ones such as larger hoteliers, still aren't offering their staff adequate salaries, meaning that they continally fail to retain employees who have worked for them back during previous Croatian tourist seasons.

It's already fairly well known that because of this, Croats have been emigrating to the northwest of the EU in large numbers for years now, while workers from Central and East Asia are being invited to come and work Croatia, and the deeply concerning part of the whole saga is that these individuals from third countries are more than ready to work (and work hard) for significantly lower wages. On top of that, the problem of their professional qualifications and the maintenance of service standards arises, all because of the crowning priority of the owners of tourist facilities - profit above all else.

"Croatia's ongoing labour shortage issue is particularly pronounced this year. While it's definitely not a new thing, it is a problem that has been growing and becoming more complex for a long time," Eduard Andric, president of the Croatian Tourism Union, emphasised to DW. He also participated in the working group of the sectoral ministry for the creation of the National Strategy for the Development of Sustainable Tourism until 2030, when it was assumed that Croatia would try targetting guests with higher purchasing power instead of simply wanting huge numbers of people arriving.

Andric maintains that Croatian employers simply have to understand that they need to give up part of their profits in favour of employees' salaries, or they will simply be left without anyone to work for them and without any earnings whatsoever.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated news section.

May 9, 2023 - Nensi Perić Terčić from Opatija is a sports manager by profession, and she organizes track day events at the Grobnik race track near Rijeka. Meet the Croatian Supercar Blondie.

Her greatest love and passion, as 24Sata writes, are fast sports cars. She holds the female record at the Grobnik race track, and many compare her to the mega-popular "Supercar Blondie."

Her track day events welcome amateur drivers to Grobnik, who can come with their own or a rented car and enjoy a sporty drive. Nensi and her husband have four supercars that they rent out.

"The cars from our fleet include a Ferrari 488 GTB, a Porsche GT3 RS, a Porsche Carrera 4 GTS, and an Alfa Romeo 4C. For those who come to the track for the first time, we offer a beginner's track day, where we teach the drivers all the details to avoid any inconvenience with the first time out on the track", explains Nensi, who has loved cars since she was a little girl. Her father is a passionate fan of cars and auto racing, and he passed that love on to her.

"Passion for cars is encoded in my genes. I've loved watching car races and Formula 1 since I was little, and that love continued through high school when I followed everything but fashion and beauty magazines", reveals Nensi.

Race Track Record Holder

This "Lady in the car", as her Instagram handle states, currently holds the record for the fastest lap in the category of female drivers on Grobnik. Her record is 1.37 minutes, and she hopes to boast a new personal record of 1.34 minutes by the end of the year. The fastest car she ever drove was an Aston Martin GT4.

"I drove that car in Yas Marina in Abu Dhabi, and it will definitely remain in my memory forever because it was the first time I drove a racing car on a track where Formula 1 is normally driven", recalls Nensi.

"When I'm driving on the track and pass the finish line, the eyes from the stands turn towards my car, and I don't think anyone is aware that a woman is driving. When I return to the pit and take off my helmet, men often react with surprise. It's mostly positive reactions", says Nensi.

Driving Expensive Cars

The most expensive car she has ever driven is worth an incredible 5 million euros - a Pagani Huayra BC model.

"I often get the opportunity to drive expensive cars, which is an exceptional honor," she adds.

Nensi says she is flattered when people compare her to Australia's "Supercar Blondie," who has more than 30 million followers on her reviews of exotic cars.

"I hope that I will have the opportunity to drive the cars that she drove," she says.

Nensi plans to continue organizing events at the Grobnik race track and expand to other tracks in Europe. In addition, she is working on establishing a club of women who are fans of fast driving.

"I invite them to contact me so we can gather as many as possible," concludes the 30-year-old Croatian Supercar Blondie.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated Lifestyle section.

May 8, 2023 - The Association of Croatian Judges (UHS) stated that, due to the lack of dialogue with the executive authorities, warning measures would be implemented in all first-instance courts in Croatia from Monday, May 8 to Friday, May 19.

As Poslovni writes, UHS specified that in the next two weeks, all actions in first-instance proceedings would be postponed, while in second-instance proceedings, council sessions will be held, but without sending decisions, and the exception at all levels are urgent cases in which irreparable damage could occur.

For the duration of the warning measures, the judges who implement the measures will be at their workplace and perform other judicial duties at all times; UHS points out.

"More than 70 percent of first-instance judges will participate in the warning measures, and we also have the support of state attorneys." Urgent cases will be dealt with without delay, but the measures imply that work will not be done in the e-file, registration of new legal entities, decisions on inheritance, or, for example, divorce, will not be carried out,'' points out Vesna Horvath, president of UHS Branch III Zagreb, adding that notifications about the postponement of the hearing have been sent to the parties.

The Ministry announced the referral to an urgent procedure to increase salaries for all judicial officials

Last Wednesday, May 3, the Ministry of Justice and Administration announced that urgent amendments to the Law on Salaries of Judges and Other Judicial Officials propose an 8 percent base increase for all judicial officials and an additional increase of 26.28 percent for first-degree judicial officials. With this proposal of the Law, the salaries of judges and deputy state attorneys at the first level will nominally increase by an average of 513 euros in the net amount, the Ministry stated.

The Ministry of Justice and Administration (MPU) will refer the proposed law to the legal procedure in an emergency procedure, they added in the press release.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated News section.

May 8, 2023 - Croatian epidemiologists might be proposing the Croatian government declare the end of pandemic. Pulmonologist Saša Srića commented on the decision of the World Health Organization, declaring the end of the global threat of the coronavirus pandemic.

In his guest appearance for N1's Dnevnik, as reported by Index, this is what he said: "Two days ago, the president of the World Health Organization declared the end of the global threat related to the pandemic, not the end of the pandemic. But it is certainly one step towards the end of the pandemic. As in the whole world, there has been a positive trend in Croatia for the last year".

"Croatia will also move towards declaring the end of the pandemic"

He says that we can expect that Croatia will also move towards declaring the end of the pandemic.

"Krunoslav Capak will propose to the government to declare the end of the epidemic in Croatia. For the health care system, this will mean a relief. When the end of the pandemic is declared, we must know that the virus is still with us, but it no longer poses a threat. The virus still exists, but we will learn to live with it," said the pulmonologist and added: "The virus weakened because it mutated and, fortunately, it mutated into a weaker form. We believe that the danger that the virus will develop into a more severe form has passed."

He also stated that today there are very few patients with severe pneumonia.

"We hope that in our lifetime and in the future, we will not be in this situation again. It wasn't easy, but we did a great job with our joint efforts, and the vaccine contributed a lot. That all led us to be able to move on. The most difficult was to watch completely healthy people have their health collapse," he concluded.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated News section.