April 20, 2022 - Gabriel Vidović is the 11th Croat in history to play for Bayern Munich in a competitive match and replaces Josip Stanišić as the youngest!

Bayern Munich beat Arminia 3-0 away in the 30th round of the German Bundesliga, and two Croatians played for the Bavarian giant. Josip Stanišić entered the game in the 48th minute, while in the 89th minute, Gabriel Vidović replaced Gnabry and thus made his debut for the Bayern Munich senior team in a competitive match. Vidović thus became the 11th Croat in history to play for Bayern in a competitive game, but he can also boast that he is the youngest to do so, reports Vecernji List.

The oldest Croatian debutant for Bayern is Zlatko Škorić, who was 31 in 1972. Vidović replaced Josip Stanišić as the youngest, who made his debut for Bayern at 21. The third youngest is Mario Mandžukić, who made his debut at 26.

Gabriel Vidović is a child of the Croatian diaspora - his father, Zoran, is from Žepče, and his mother, Marijana, is from Kiseljak. Zoran Vidović has been living in Germany since 1995, and Gabriel was born on December 1, 2003.

Although he only came of age in December, Gabriel's work and sacrifice at such a young age led him to share the pitch with players such as Lewandowski, Neuer, Müller, Kimmich, and many other Bayern stars.

"Everything is perfect. They accepted me as an equal; there is no hierarchy. Both the coach and the players talk to me in the most normal way; they share tips that will help me in my career. These are all international coaches and players, so you have to listen to them when they give you some advice because you know it will help you in the game. But yes, all these great players want and love to help," Vidović said recently.

A few years ago, at the invitation of Petar Krpan, Gabriel decided to play for the Croatia national team over Germany. 

"When it comes to playing for your country, you have to decide for yourself within your four walls, with your family. There is no one else to influence that decision. There was not much thinking in the conversation with mom and dad; I decided quickly and said that I wanted to play for Croatia. Germany also called me to come and play for them, but Croatia has always been number one," said Vidović, who played in some friendly matches for the Germany U15 team.

Gabriel, by the way, was not born in Munich but in Augsburg, where he still lives with his family. However, he trains and plays in Munich.

"Four times a week, the Bayern driver comes to pick up Gabriel in Augsburg and drives him to train in Munich and to the games. It is a 120-kilometer drive in both directions, and it has been five years since Gabriel moved to Bayern," Gabriel's father, Zoran, said.

That may change now that Gabriel has become a member of Bayern's first team. This debut for the first team confirmed that Bayern is seriously counting on Vidović for the future. Coach Julius Nagelsmann also supports this.

"He is an outstanding football player; he is our future!"

Vidović recently signed a contract with Bayern until the summer of 2025. :

"Gabriel is a player with fantastic technical abilities who creates many great opportunities in front of the opponent's goal. He has been with us for six years, during which he has done numerous training at our academy, so the time has come for the next big step in his career and on the way to the first team," said sports director Hasan Salihamidžić.

To follow the latest sports news in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

April the 20th, 2022 - The blossoming Croatian nautical tourism sector has high hopes for the upcoming summer tourist season, with reason to believe that 2022's summer season could be even better than the record one of pre-pandemic 2019.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes, if there are no major surprises in the geopolitical and epidemiological field, all indications are that for Croatian nautical tourism in 2022 in Croatia, traffic could exceed the pre-pandemic year 2019, with this sector already receiving its very first guests.

Good occupancy

According to eVisitor, from the beginning of the year until Easter itself, 13,000 arrivals and 61,000 overnight stays were realised in the Croatian nautical tourism sector, which marks an increase of 115 percent in terms of arrivals and 130 percent in terms of overnight stays when compared to last year.

Compared to the same period back in pre-pandemic 2019, it is also an increase of 6 percent in arrivals and 10 percent in overnight stays. The highest number of overnight stays in the Croatian nautical tourism sector are being realised in Split-Dalmatia, Zadar and Sibenik-Knin counties, and the highest number of overnight stays has been being realised by Austrians, Germans, Czechs, Poles and Slovenes.

"The charter lists are already pretty well filled. A significant number of departures on the booking lists are set to begin from the end of May, with June, July and August generally being filled with more than 70 percent of the capacity. September is traditionally a well-filled month, and because the prices are slightly lower than they are in the main season, and the crowds in the marinas aren't as heavy as they are during the very height of the season. Given the situation over in Ukraine, charters did notice a stalemate in reservations for the month of March. Despite that, it's good that the charters this season have mostly not resorted to approving big discounts on reservations,'' said Selma Cmelik, the founder of the čarter.hr/charter.hr platform.

Currently, the biggest problem for the Croatian nautical tourism sector is the overall increase in costs for external service services, such as cleaning services, gas suppliers, and spare parts. As Cmelik explained, charters cannot increase the price of their services, because all reservations have so far been paid in advance.

It is also not popular to increase rental prices when the season has already begun. Sean Lisjak, president of the marina association at the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK), explained that the competition across the rest of the Mediterranean has already started, which is why marinas here in Croatia will mostly stick to last year's prices of services this year. For now, the marinas are expected to surpass 2019's enviable figures.

"Although we don't have all the aggregate data for last year's business, we already know that the sector achieved almost the same amount in terms of turnover from 2019 last year, and according to announcements and reservations, this year should be even stronger if there are no major shocks elsewhere in Europe. Sailors are specific guests, they are loyal to this type of vacation, they have their own boats, nothing really bothered them during the pandemic because they're separated from other tourists,'' explained Lisjak.

The national marina chain, ACI, also pointed out that the previous season was already very good when compared to 2019, especially in the third quarter, when the most significant results were achieved.

"When we talk about the coronavirus pandemic, Croatian nautical tourism has really proved to be the most resilient type of all. People can stay undisturbed on their own or rented boats practically in isolation, and a safe holiday and stay in our marinas is guaranteed by the Safe stay in Croatia label, which is boasted by all ACI marinas. We're also witnessing a situation where an increasing number of countries have fully opened up or are opening up in the context of epidemiological measures and travel. When we talk about the geopolitical situation in Europe and its impact on the tourist and nautical season, it's too soon to say too much, but we expect the continuation of positive tourist trends this season as well.

At the moment, everything is in favour of things going well. The Croatian nautical season usually starts around Easter. So far, there have been no significant cancellations and all activities in the marinas are taking place as usual. Therefore, we can say that we're optimistic about the beginning of the pre-season and the season itself,'' they stated from ACI, which enjoyed growth in 2021 in terms of sales revenue of 35.9 million kuna, or 21 percent more when compared to 2020.

For more on Croatian nautical tourism, make sure to check out our travel section.

April the 20th, 2022 - The number of brand new cars being registered in the Republic of Croatia has increased by 17.5 percent, at least according to the last available data which is for 2021.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, last year, there were 2.38 million registered road vehicles in the Republic of Croatia, which is 3.2 percent more than back in 2020, with 1.8 million passenger cars registered with an increase of 2.8 percent, and the first (initial) registrations of passenger cars increased by 17.5 percent compared to 2020, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS).

Last year, 151,680 road vehicles were registered for the first time, which is an increase of 14.4 percent compared to 2020.

Unlike the 2020 results, when the decline in the number of road vehicles registered for the first time in this country was directly affected by the global COVID-19 pandemic, last year saw the registrations of all types of vehicles across the country, with the exception of mopeds.

The first registrations of personal vehicles last year across the country stood at 112,345, equal to 17.5 percent more than the year before when there were 95,577 of the same. The increase is a result of the increase in the number of first registrations of new cars (26.1 percent) and used vehicles (14 percent). The increase in the number of cars on the roads has also unfortunately resulted in a higher number of traffic accidents.

According to CBS data, in 2021 there were 9,146 traffic accidents across the country with casualties, which is an increase of 18.6 percent compared to 2020, when 7,710 were registered.

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

April the 20th, 2022 - Studenac, the very well known shopping chain most commonly seen up and down the coast of Dalmatia, has been spreading its wings over the last few months and has now entered another new Croatian county, this time taking over the Slunj-based Kordun retail chain.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, Studenac is one of the leading retail chains in the Republic of Croatia, it's also the chain with the largest chain of stores. It has now taken over the Slunj-based Kordun retail chain which operates in 9 retail stores across Karlovac County and employs 52 employees.

This new takeover of the Kordun retail chain by Studenac is a continuation of the continuous growth that the company has achieved over more recent years, and after the acquisition of the Dubrovnik chain Pemo d.o.o., Studenac has strengthened its position as the chain with the largest number of stores. In addition to that, Studenac is now present for the first time in Karlovac County in Slunj, Rakovica, Cetingrad and Dreznik Grad.

"Joining the Kordun retail chain to the Studenac network is of strategic importance for the company because, among other things, it brings us into a new geographical area. It also confirms our thesis that small formats of stores like ours have great potential and several advantages, and we successfully use them to fit into different local communities and provide customers with a pleasant and complete shopping experience. This is exactly what we're going to provide to our new customers, with the gradual improvement of all business aspects,'' said Michal Senczuk, President of the Management Board of Studenac.

The takeover of the Kordun retail chain implies their reorganisation into Studenac stores, the enrichment of the assortment on offer and the introduction of many other benefits for local customers. Speaking of benefits, in addition to regular weekly promotions, customers in Studenac can additionally expect welcome discounts, special promotions, as well as activities at points of sale such as a fun wheel of fortune in the first weeks of the store's opening.

On top of all of that, customers can also download ''Moj Studenac/My Studeanc'', a brand new loyalty programme in the form of a modern mobile application (app) that brings them value and extra savings for their loyalty. The free app, available for both Android and iOS devices, provides customers with a unique experience of everyday shopping in Studenac, with special benefits that will be designed according to their individual shopping habits.

Studenac, with almost 750 stores and more than 4,000 employees across the country, is continuing its business growth strategy and introducing brand new and improved existing activities in order to better position Studenac as the best choice in every neighbourhood in which it is present and as one that meets the needs of its customers.

For more, check out our business section.

April the 20th, 2022 - Might Croatian inflation reach six percent this year? Croatian Government statisticians are continuing to record relentless and very concerning accelerations in terms of price growth: Croatian inflation, as measured by the consumer price index, rose to 7.3 percent year on year in March.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the aforementioned figures in terms of Croatian inflation repesent the highest levels since the summer of 2008, and in just one month, prices rose by an average of 2.1 percent. The energy war between Vladimir Putin and Europe, in addition to the horrendous Russian invasion of neighbouring Ukraine, is increasingly extinguishing hopes that this ongoing jump in prices could be temporary. It isn't surprising that the corrections of inflation forecasts for this year are coming.

Raiffeisen analysts announced last week that their forecast for 5.9 percent in terms of Croatian inflation this year was "exposed to rising risks" and "put under review."

"With the previously present inflationary pressures generated by rising energy and food prices, in the current environment of geopolitical conflicts and extreme uncertainty about their duration and outcome, inflationary pressures are now growing stronger," they said.

The Croatian National Bank (CNB), the central address for all things related to Croatian inflation, predicts that price growth this year could average 5.4 percent, twice as much as last year's 2.6 percent.

In that, they pinpoint the causes of rising prices on three fronts; through the "import" of higher prices of raw materials and industrial products on the global market, among which energy is at the very top of the list, and the recovery of Croatian consumption, which encouraged producers and traders to pass on higher costs to their customers.

Finally, and not entirely negligible, is the factor of statistics, meaning the fact that current prices are being compared to last year's when they were under pressure due to the global coronavirus pandemic, which was an entirely different kettle of fish.

What will happen in the coming months and what will happen to prices across the country as this dire situation unfolds can be predicted only by Mystic Meg. Due to the war in Ukraine, the CNB corrected its estimates of economic growth (which showed acceleration in the first quarter). In the baseline scenario, assuming a relatively short war in Ukraine and a gradual normalisation of energy and raw material prices on the global market, the CNB expects Croatia's GDP growth to slow to 3.2 percent, from 4.1 percent back in December.

A number of factors are involved 

The latest Eurostat figures (which are still preliminary) estimate that inflation across the Eurozone should have reached 7.5 percent in March, after 5.9 percent back in February. That said, it should also be noted that this is only an average because for many countries, that the figure looks good, like Lithuania and Estonia with an estimated 15.6 percent and 14.8 percent, respectively.

EU member states outside of the Eurozone, ie those that still have their own currencies, generally experienced higher inflation back in February than those within the Eurozone and using the single currency: the Czech Republic 10%, Hungary and Bulgaria 8.4%, Poland 8.1%, Romania 7.9% and Croatia 6.3%. The only exceptions are the old member states Denmark and Sweden with 5.3 and 4.4%, respectively.

CNB Governor Boris Vujcic recently said that (along with the recovery, supply-side constraints and rising energy and food prices), Croatian inflation could be further pushed by "a number of structural factors, such as deglobalisation processes, adverse demographic trends and the ongoing green transition.

However, he added that "although there's a strong rise in inflation expectations among both companies and individuals, the financial markets are still maintaining their expectations that inflation in the Eurozone could stabilise close to the inflation target in the coming years, which supports the gradual normalisation of monetary policy."

For more, check out our lifestyle section.

ZAGREB, 19 April 2022 - Lawyer Anto Nobilo formally asked the Ministry of Justice and Administration on Tuesday to pardon Yugoslav-era intelligence officials Josip Perković and Zdravko Mustač, who have been sentenced to life imprisonment for their roles in the murder of a political emigrant in Germany 39 years ago.

"I do not know what President Zoran Milanović will decide, but I do know that Franjo Tuđman, if he were still alive, would pardon them both and (the late defence minister) Gojko Šušak would be the first on the list of generals to sign it," Nobilo told the press.

Perković and Mustač's legal representative said he no longer had an active role in this case and that they would have to wait for a decision on a possible pardon. He said he expected the decision to be made within a reasonable period of time, "a week or two."

Nobilo said he was aware of Milanović's statement that generally he would not sign a pardon, adding that there was a possibility of an exception.

The lawyer said this case was an exception because Perković and Mustač had found themselves caught between "non-harmonised German and Croatian judicial systems."

He said they would have been sentenced to 15 years in prison had they been tried in Croatia. "When an injustice is done in legitimate proceedings, there is the institute of pardon to ensure justice in exceptional cases."

A letter of support for a pardon has been signed by retired Croatian Army generals Ante Gotovina, Ivan Čermak, Ljubo Ćesić Rojs, Pavao Miljavac, Davor Domazet Lošo and Marinko Krešić, Krešić has later withdrawn his signature, as did General Krešimir Ćosić before him.

Media say that the retired generals believe Perković and Mustač deserve a pardon on account of their contribution to the defence of Croatia during the 1991-1995 Homeland War.

President Milanović's Office said they had received the request for a pardon this morning and that the President would speak to the generals, but there would be no special meeting on this matter.

Perković and Mustač were sentenced to life imprisonment by a Munich court in August 2016 for aiding and abetting in the murder of Croatian political emigrant Stjepan Đureković in Wolfratshausen, outside Munich, on 28 July 1983.

At the time relevant to the indictment, Mustač was the political chief of the State Security Service in Zagreb, while Perković headed a department dealing with political emigrants. In the spring of 1982, Mustač ordered Perković to prepare the murder of Đureković in Germany.

ZAGREB, 19 April 2022 - War Veterans Minister Tomo Medved said on Tuesday the process of collecting generals' signatures and a motion for the pardon of Josip Perković and Zdravko Mustač were "created" by President Zoran Milanović's Office and Perković's attorney Anto Nobilo.

"I hope that, in signing, the generals received more information about the motives and goals of collecting the signatures and that they will say more about it, as well as the attorney and the President's Office staff," Medved told the press.

He said this was a political initiative started by Nobilo by applying for an early release from prison. The generals who supported the initiative had a noble goal, he added.

Medved said some generals recognised the contribution of Perković and Mustač to the Homeland War as a mitigating circumstance, but added that this contribution could in no way absolve them of the crimes they had committed while working for the former Yugoslav secret service UDBA.

"In particular, it can't absolve them of the sentence delivered in Germany," Medved said about the life sentence the two received for participating in the murder of Croatian dissident Stjepan Đureković in Germany in 1983.

Medved said the decision to pardon Perković and Mustač was up to Milanović, recalling that in his presidential campaign he said he would not pardon anyone.

The minister said that since a letter in which several generals supported the pardon of Perković and Mustač appeared, he had received thousands of messages from Homeland War veterans and families whose members were killed by UDBA.

They are extremely displeased and expect there will be no pardon, he said, adding that this is causing divisions in society, notably among war veterans.

ZAGREB, 19 April 2022 - The Croatian financial services sector's exposure to systemic risks slightly decreased at the end of 2021, primarily due to the strong economic recovery, but a further decrease in the sector's vulnerability is being hampered by accelerated inflation and the escalation of geopolitical risks, HANFA said on Tuesday.

A more significant recovery and decrease in vulnerability of the sector is being hampered by accelerated price increases, which is reducing household purchasing power and slowing down consumption. Another source of uncertainty is the still present COVID-19 measures and the escalation of geopolitical risks relating to the war in Ukraine and sanctions imposed on Russia, the Croatian Financial Services Supervisory Agency (HANFA) said in its Macroprudential Risk Scanner.

This publication provides insight into the process of identifying, assessing and monitoring the evolution of systemic risks in the financial services sector so that appropriate measures can be promptly taken to prevent their materialisation and the impairment of financial system stability.