ZAGREB, 23 Oct, 2021 - Energy transition has become a major topical issue on Croatian islands, notably large ones such as Krk, Cres, Lošinj and Korčula, over recent years, however, local inhabitants need more education and information on the matter, heard a conference held in Korčula last Thursday and Friday.

Islands are areas where the need for energy self-sufficiency is more compelling than elsewhere, and in the case of Croatian islands it is even more conspicuous during the tourist season in summer when glitches in electricity and water supply systems are more frequent, it was said at the conference, organised by the Movement for Islands and the Clean Energy for EU Islands Secretariat.

"Although they are faced with specific challenges, islands are in a unique position to be front-runners in efforts to achieve energy transition, thanks to abundance of renewable energy resources," said Antonia Proka of the Secretariat.  

During the secretariat's two-day academy, experts discussed financing tools and mechanisms as well as citizen engagement in energy transition.

The implementation of clean energy in the farming and tourist sectors, which are dominant on islands, reduce operating costs and boost the competitiveness of businesses in those sectors.

Also, improvements in waste management on islands can be attained by implementing clean energy technologies, it was said.

A great challenge is insufficient awareness of islanders and inadequate education. Although over recent years a series of successful projects have been launched, transition to clean energy on the Croatian islands is still slow.

The conference presented the example of the island of Samso in the Kattegat sea area between Denmark and Sweden, which has been successful in the use of renewables since 1997. A part of the local wind parks on that Danish island belongs to the local model renewable energy community. Now 100% of its electricity comes from wind power and biomass.

In 2000, the local community established the Samso Energy Academy, which today serves as a centre for development of technologies and a meetinghouse for knowledge and solutions.

Participants in the Korčula conference called on the Croatian authorities to organise energy transition seminars, conferences and training for local population.

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October 23, 2021 - Croatian sustainable cultural tourism destinations have been awarded at the 14th International Cultural Tourism Conference held in Athens. 

As part of the 14th International Cultural Tourism Conference in Europe, organized by the European Cultural Tourism Network (ECTN), an award ceremony for the best European destinations for sustainable cultural tourism was held in Athens on October 21, 2021, reports HRTurizam.

The awards have been presented since 2014 to create a platform to exchange experiences and knowledge and promote networking among destinations. The competition is open to all tourist destinations across Europe, and this year's theme was related to the regeneration of European tourism through culture, heritage, and creativity. Therefore, the competition was open to tourist destinations across Europe to showcase their results in sustainable cultural tourism in seven categories.

Among the winners in all categories were representatives of various culturally valuable projects from all over Europe; The Netherlands, Italy, Romania, Germany, Slovenia, Portugal, Spain, Greece, Slovakia, Latvia, and Croatia, with four representatives as best practices of sustainable cultural tourism.

In the Archaeological Sites and Museums as Cultural Tourism Attractions category, 1st place was won by the Krapina Neanderthals Museum and the Hušnjakovo site. The 2nd place in the same category was won by the Lošinj camp Nerezinac project.

The awards were given in five other categories, among which Walking Tourism and Slow Travel - Synergies with Cultural Tourism should be highlighted. The first place went to Rab Archeological races - open-air museum, a project nominated by the Lopar Cultural Center. In the Cultural and Creative Industries category, 3rd place was won by the Chocolate Museum in Zagreb.

"I am extremely honored that the Nerezinac camp is recognized as one of the best examples of sustainable cultural tourism, and I would like to thank everyone who participated in renovating and constructing the interpretation center of the maritime heritage of the island of Lošinj. This year, Croatia has distinguished itself as a leader in cultural tourism with four award-winning projects, and this is further proof that through culture and heritage creatively and innovatively can develop year-round sustainable tourism," said Dalibor Cvitkovic, director of the Mali Lošinj Tourist Board, who accepted the award in Athens together with the author of the project, Ferdinand Zorović.

Nerezinac is a valuable example of traditional shipbuilding. Since 2010 it has been included in the list of protected cultural assets of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Croatia. It was restored with the cooperation of many experts from various institutions to local masters, following the example of the Lošinj camps from the end of the 19th century.

Three of the winning projects from Germany and Romania were submitted by members of the ETC, the German National Tourist Board, and the Romanian Ministry of Economy, Entrepreneurship, and Tourism.

The German National Tourist Board launched a digital social media campaign called Feel Good to promote Germany with reliable and diverse sustainable tourism products. The campaign has direct synergy with cultural tourism due to topics such as local tradition and regional products (arts, exhibitions, handicrafts, regional food, urban gardening, organic restaurants) and the involvement of the local population. Also, visitors were inspired by the use of public transport and various slow travel options such as hiking and biking.

The marketing campaign #WanderlustGermany of the German National Tourist Board addressed nature and active travelers, emphasizing cycling and hiking that are just around the corner from the main cultural attractions or even next to them.

Following the stagnation in global tourism caused by the coronavirus pandemic, studies have found that customers consider the risk of COVID-19 to be a tiny nature-oriented vacation and individual forms of vacation. Accordingly, the campaign focused on a diverse range of products with well-thought-out hygiene and safety concepts and first-class service. Furthermore, through the targeted use of digital communication measures and events in local markets with great potential, the campaign focused on targeted impulses for a fresh start to incoming tourism in Germany.

The Romanian Ministry of Economy, Entrepreneurship, and Tourism has created a voluntary system for the recognition of national cultural tourist routes, developed by tourism organizations and local public bodies. The initiative stems from the recognition of local potential in promoting historical and archaeological heritage and religious or gastronomic traditions in Romania.

The cultural-tourist route of wooden churches in Romania and the Republic of Moldova is a transnational network that connects villages, towns, counties, districts in which local communities have built their churches over the centuries. It is a remarkable journey into history and local legends.

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October 23, 2021 - The 2021 Croatia Rally, the first-ever in the country, was watched by more than 100 million people in more than 150 countries. Organizer Danijel Šaškin reveals the fate of the international racing event and what needs to happen to fo it to continue. 

At this year's Sports Fest, one of the most exciting presentations was that of motorist Danijel Šaškin who, together with Davorin Štetner, brought the World Rally Championship race to Croatia. He addressed the observers with fascinating figures that the Croatia Rally was watched by more than 100 million people in more than 150 countries. Furthermore, estimates of how much consumption was related to this elite car competition, which was held in Croatia for the first time, are also impressive, reports Vecernji List.

"We are talking about 15 million euros, and we could not count on the spectators because, due to the pandemic, we were not allowed to have them. But according to police data, there were about 150,000 of them in the speed tests. We believe that in a typical year we can have half a million of them, and then the profit for the state would be about 50 million euros. The state would sell 12 to 15 million euros from the VAT alone for an event that lasts four days.

I was surprised that we are record-holders on social networks, that we had millions of impressions, that the follow-up of our Facebook channel and WRC was terrific. I was also surprised by so much media value. The most conservative estimate was about 50 million euros, and the strongest, with reruns, almost 200 million euros. And the Croatian National Tourist Board has not spent so much on the promotion of our tourism in ten years," Šaškin explains of the great coverage. 

"Croatia is new in this story, and in the last few years, we have imposed ourselves as a new tourist destination. It seems that we are currently the 18th destination in the world by profession, and I believe we can enter the top 10. The next reason for the great follow-up was that Finnish driver Rovanpera, the youngest driver in history to lead in this competition, crashed on the fourth kilometer. In addition, it was the third most uncertain race in history as the winner celebrated with only 0.6 seconds ahead of the runner-up. Ahead of us is only Jordan with 0.1 seconds and New Zealand with 0.5 seconds."

The interest in the Croatia Rally was also helped by the traffic incident of the seven-time world champion Frenchman Sebastien Ogier.

"This provoked a lot of comments all over the world, including stories that he would end up in prison in France. So like that, for us organizers, there were more heart attack moments, but we survived and managed to impose ourselves to the extent that the day after the race, we got an open offer to continue with it."

And for that to happen, Croatian organizers need three million euros.

"The Croatian Government has guaranteed us seven and a half million kuna a year, or one million euros. And where will they get the remaining two million? We would close the second million with commercial sponsors such as HEP, Ina, ACI Marina, Konzum... We have to earn the third million ourselves, from tickets, sales of our products and services, and the City of Zagreb would participate with a little more than half of that amount. And that is the agreed amount that needs to be formalized. We are waiting for that amount to be confirmed by the City Assembly so that Mayor Tomašević can sign the contract. But if we do not close the financial construction by mid-November, we will have to give up because the FIA will no longer wait for us."

It would be a pity for such a project to fail due to Croatian bureaucracy.

"You know what, there are great people in the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, just like in the CNTB, but they are also struggling with the system in which they work, and in the end, in this country, it all comes down to a few people who make such decisions. And the biggest problem is getting to them."

One such initiative led by Šaškin was dropped because there was no decision from the political top. 

"About ten years ago, Ozren Muller and I brought the main organizers of the Dakar Rally to Croatia. Given that the Lisbon start was canceled due to terrorism, we convinced the organizers that it would be good for this famous rally to start from Zagreb. The idea was to drive to Pula on the first day, to Dubrovnik on the second, and that the participants boarded the ferry to Tunisia there, and they liked it. Unfortunately, the then Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor did not like it. Either she did not understand the significance of everything, or we failed to convey it to her. And when a small country misses such an opportunity, it is a pity because, unlike big countries, big opportunities do not come to us often. It would be good if we had a special office for such events that would evaluate, approve or reject events of potential benefit to Croatia," concluded Šaškin.

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October 23, 2021 - Morski Kukumar is a beer made from sea yeast produced by a master engineer of Ecology and Marine Protection, Petar Puškarić.

Petar Puškarić is now a former student of the Split University Department of Marine Studies and someone who will indeed remain inscribed in the history of this faculty. Namely, this master engineer of Ecology and Marine Protection worked at the L.A.B. brewery in Split. When choosing a topic for his dissertation, he came up with an exciting idea - to make beer. But not just any beer - a beer made from sea yeast, reports Dalmacija Danas. 

His product was also given an appropriate name - Morski Kukumar (Sea Cucumber). 

"The topic was called 'isolation of sea yeast and its application in brewing.' It is a slightly different diploma than the professors and students are used to. I used to work occasionally at L.A.B. brewery from Split, and it occurred to me that I could connect it. At a lecture on Marine Microbiology, I approached my future mentor, prof. Marina Ordulja and asked if there were yeasts in the sea and if we could ferment them. We discussed a bit and came up with the idea to try making a beer with sea yeast," Petar described.

The yeast formation process is very complex.

"We had the most problems with how to find yeast that can ferment. So the yeast was collected from a sea sample and was taken near the shore, at a depth of about 30 centimeters. First, we isolated it by standard microbiological methods for the isolation of microorganisms. After that, we planted the filter paper on nutrient media, and thus the microorganisms from which we extracted sea yeast grew," Petar added. 

The beer was produced as any standard beer.

"The only difference is in the type of yeast because marine yeast was used instead of standard yeast. We brewed this beer in very small quantities, even small ones for home use. We only made a few tasting bottles. The taste of the beer is similar to the sour / farmhouse type of beer. It is slightly sour and gives fruity notes and aromas. Of course, a change in the recipe needs to be made, and the beer had 4.6 percent alcohol," Petar said.

Reactions at the faculty are more than positive.

"My mentor told me that everyone is interested and that this is a good idea. I think they were very pleased with my thesis. And my friends are thrilled. They said that it was something completely different from what they had been drinking so far but expected it from me. So they tried the beer and immediately gave me some ideas on how to develop it further - they will be satisfied."

And he has a plan.

"I need to find a way to develop the product and test it better, to see if it is one hundred percent safe for higher production. The next thing is to find investment, after which it will be much easier to work and develop the product," he added.

Unfortunately, despite his obvious abilities and potential, he has not found a job.

"I am planning further steps regarding beer. I have some opportunities to help through the Croatian Bank for Sustainable Development. They fund and co-finance projects that connect science and industry. Of course, the plan is to apply for EU funds, but there is more to it. Everything is still in the experimental phase, and it remains to be seen how the yeast will react to larger amounts of beer. I could find some more yeast in the sea, which will give even better results, so I will work on that. I'm going step by step," Petar said modestly.

His faculty is critical to our society.

"At my faculty, there are two majors at the graduate level. One is ecology and marine protection, and the other is sea fishing. It educates staff experts in marine protection and management of marine resources and fish farming and ecological and sustainable use of marine resources. As for our awareness of keeping the sea clean, I think it’s increasing more and more. Of course, it is never enough, but we are on the right track, and I believe that we will soon get the results," concluded Petar.

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October 23, 2021 - Croatian pommel horse gymnast Filip Ude was graded 13,833 for his exercise at the 11th World Championships, in his fourth world final, which wasn't enough for a spot on the podium.

The finals were delayed by more than half an hour, and Japan again showed disorganization at this championship. This long wait certainly upset the pommel horse finalists, which affected their final exercise, reports HRT.

The world champion is American Stephen Nedoroscik with 15,266 points, while silver was shared by Chinese Hao Weng and Japanese Kazuma Kaya (14,900).

"We waited a long time; we cooled down a lot. We waited for 40 minutes in the draft; we were cold. But we were all in the same boat. The conditions were the same for everyone. No one excelled on the pommel horse today. Except for the American gymnast, even though he didn't do the exercise properly. We all stumbled. I felt great, despite that delay. I didn't feel any great pressure; I just wanted to do my thing. I started great; I felt feather-light, full of strength. The horse was very slippery. And I put my hand on magnesium, not honey, and unfortunately, my hand twitched a bit, I slipped, I lost my balance. It all happened in a second, and unfortunately, I didn’t do the whole exercise. I did not lubricate the horse enough," said Filip after the final.

It took a minimum of 14,900 points for the medal, which was very accessible to Filip if we consider that he won 14,866 in the qualifications with the start of 6.0.

"Now, whether it would be enough for a medal or not, I don't know. Others may think, 'I did everything' ... Let's let it go now. I am overjoyed. At the age of 35 to be 7th in the world... I am proud that I did this World Champs as I planned, as I imagined, and that is to enter the finals. In the finals, anything is always possible; unfortunately, this time, I was not judged. But I have more motives, will, desires. Next year, I hope to intensify the exercise with "Busnari" to be even more competitive and to be able to fight with everyone. I look forward to the next competitions. I like that. I love gymnastics; I live for gymnastics. I hope to last as long as possible," said the silver Olympian, former world runner-up, and two-time runner-up in Europe.

Today was a good day for Italy in Kitakyushu. Nicola Bartolini brought her country the first world gold ever on the floor (14,800) in a final in which Japanese Kazumi Minami won silver (14,766) and Finn Emil Soravuo bronze (14,700). Shortly afterward, two Italians were on the hoop podium won by the Chinese Xingyu Lan (15,200). The silver went to Marco Lodadio (14,866), and the bronze to Salvatore Maresca and Russian Grigory Klimentev (both 14,833).

Asia D'Amato is the world runner-up in the vault (14,083), which was celebrated by the Olympic winner, Brazilian Rebeca Andrade (14,966), while the bronze medalist Russian Angelina Melnikova (13,966) is the all-around champion at this World Champs. The uneven bars were gilded by the Chinese Xiaoyuan Wei (14,733), the silver by Andrade (14,633), and the bronze by the Chinese Rui Luo (14,633).

Today, Croatian Lana Sambol traveled to the World Championships in Kitakyushu with coach Niko Robert Crevatini and Mirjana Starčević Bosnar. Namely, next week is the World Championships in rhythmic gymnastics.

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ZAGREB, 23 Oct, 2021 - Close to 30% of companies in Croatia did not have any employees in 2020 when of 139,009 businesses, 41,595  (29.9%) did not have workers, the Financial Agency (FINA) has said in a report which is based on processed annual financial statements.

A total of 37,865 of the 41,595 businesses without employees operated normally, 1,273 were undergoing liquidation, and 2,457 were undergoing bankruptcy proceedings.

A total of 17,438 businesses operated at a profit while 24,157 reported losses.

The share of businesses without employees in the total number of businesses was high, 29.9%, but it was small in relation to other positive indicators, with the share of businesses without employees in total revenue being 2.7%, in expenses 3.1%, pre-tax profit 7%, profit for the period 7.4%, exports 2% and investments 2.7%, FINA said.

Most of the businesses without employees operated in trade (8,280), followed by professional, scientific and technical activities (6,023) and construction (4,644).

Businesses without employees in trade had the highest total revenue (HRK 4.3 billion), followed by businesses in real estate activities (HRK 3.5 bn), and businesses in construction (HRK 3.3 bn).

Businesses without employees in 2020 incurred a net loss in 13 activities and operated in the black in eight activities.

The total financial result of all businesses without employees was negative, a net loss of HRK 2.1 billion.

The highest net loss was reported by businesses in real estate activities (HRK 755.7 million), construction (HRK 690.7 million), and manufacturing (HRK 403.2 million).

The lowest loss was reported by businesses in Other service activities (HRK 3.4 million).

Businesses without employees reported a net profit in only two counties - Međimurje County (HRK 16.8 million) and Virovitica-Podravina County (HRK 8.6 million) - while those in other counties reported losses, the highest having been reported in Istria County (HRK 436.1 million), followed by Split-Dalmatia County (HRK 433.1 million), and Zadar County (HRK 304.5 million).

The net loss of businesses without employees in the City of Zagreb, which had the largest number of such businesses (14,500 or 35% of the total number), was HRK 54 million.

Broken down by type of ownership, most businesses without employees were privately owned (41,165 or 99%) and they also reported the highest loss, of HRK 1.8 billion.

(€1 = HRK 7.5)

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ZAGREB, 23 Oct, 2021 - This year's sixth reforestation action in the areas of the coastal region of Dalmatia consumed by wildfires took place on Saturday in Donje Sitno, in the area of the coastal city of Split, with around 200 volunteers, including Canadian Ambassador Alan Bowman, participating.

In the three years of the reforestation project, called Boranka, more than 100,000 saplings have been planted.

Ambassador Bowman told reporters that this was the third time he was participating in the campaign since taking office in Croatia.

He stressed that in Canada tree-planting was very important as trees were one of the possible solutions to climate change.

Trees absorb carbon, which is good for the environment and Canada has always supported such projects, he said, noting that he was very proud wildfires in Dalmatia are put out with the help of aircraft made in Canada.

The business director of the Croatian Scouts Association, Dan Špicer, who launched the reforestation project, said that on Saturday several thousand seedlings would be planted.

Since 2018, when the Boranka project was launched, more than 8,000 volunteers have participated in reforestation drives and more than 100,000 seedlings have been planted on an area of more than 50 hectares, he said.

Špricer noted that in addition to reforestation, the association also organises watering in summer time.

The organisers of the Boranka project are the Croatian Scouts Association, the Hrvatske Šume forest management company, the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service and the Split Scouts Association.

This is the last reforestation action this year and the 29th since the launching of the project.

Boranka, the biggest European volunteer campaign designed to reforest areas consumed by wildfires, originally started in Split but in the meantime it has spread to other cities in Dalmatia.

It is sponsored, among others, by the European Parliament, the Ministry of Agriculture, the American Chamber of Commerce, the Canadian Embassy, and the German-Croatian Chamber of Industry and Commerce.

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ZAGREB, 23 Oct, 2021 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and Minister of the Interior Davor Božinović have welcomed the fact that Croatians can travel to the United States without visas as of Saturday, 23 October.

"As of today, Croatians can travel to the USA without visas!" Plenković said in a Twitter post.

"We have met the necessary criteria and achieved a strategic goal to the benefit of Croatian citizens," Plenković said.

"We are opening a new chapter in our relations, strengthening our partnership and creating preconditions for closer economic cooperation and investments," the PM said.

As of 23 October Croatians can travel to the United States for business or tourism purposes without visas, after obtaining approval via the online Electronic System for Travel Authorization, or ESTA, the US Embassy in Zagreb said.

Croatia has entered the Visa Waiver Programme, a comprehensive security partnership between the United States and participating countries that enables travel to the USA for business or tourism purposes in the duration of up to 90 days, with national security being protected in the process.

For a country to enter the VWP, it must meet criteria regarding the fight against terrorism, law enforcement, immigration, document security and border management, and the percentage of rejected visa applications must be below 3%, which Croatia met only recently.

Application via ESTA is possible any time before travel but the US Homeland Security Department recommends that travellers apply as soon as possible, and 72 hours before travel at the latest, the US Embassy says.

Božinović: Visa cancellation major acknowledgement for Croatia

The cancellation of visa requirements for Croatians travelling to the USA is a major acknowledgement for Croatia, Minister of the Interior Davor Božinović said on Saturday after talks with the Chargé d’Affaires at the US Embassy, Mark Fleming.

Božinović thanked the US Embassy for playing an important role in "moments that were very important" for Croatia, such as its accession to the EU and NATO.

He recalled "the hard work on the cancellation of visa requirements over the past few years", including the connecting of data bases, cooperation with the Homeland Security Department and with agencies in charge of fighting terrorism and organised crime, etc.

This is a very good day for US-Croatian relations, Fleming said.

We want more Croatians in the United States, he added.

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