Work. Place. Culture. Press Conference Held in Dubrovnik, Starts Tomorrow
May 2, 2022 - Dubrovnik continues to establish its credentials as a remote work leader in Croatia, as Mayor Mato Franković is among those at this morning's press conference for the upcoming Work. Place. Culture. conference, which starts tomorrow evening.
The ''Work. Place. Culture.'' conference, which will bring together around 100 participants from around the world, with distinguished lecturers and workshop leaders, aimed at telecommuting professionals and decision makers, destinations, companies and service providers in the sector, was announced this morning at Lazareti. It will be held from 5 to 7 May 2022 in Dubrovnik, organized and cooperated by the City of Dubrovnik, the Dubrovnik Tourist Board, Saltwater Nomads and Total Croatia News, with the support of the Digital Nomad Croatia Association and Dubrovnik Heritage.
Today, the topic of digital nomads and the development of this type of tourism in Dubrovnik, ie the entire system of organization and offers for people working remotely, was addressed by Dubrovnik Mayor Mato Franković, Director of the Dubrovnik Tourist Board Ana Hrnić, Head of the Global PR Department of the Croatian National Tourist Board Lucijana Jerković, and Tanja Polegubić on behalf of the Saltwater Nomads agency, which presented the conference program and some of the speakers.
Mayor Mato Franković reminded the audience that Dubrovnik started the story of digital nomads two years ago, as the first in Croatia, thanks to an initiative that recognized the opportunity to rethink Dubrovnik tourism in a new way and open it to those who want to live and work here temporarily. remote work, and at the same time contribute to tourism and the promotion of the city.
"Today, what once seemed like science fiction, is a reality that can be measured by the numbers and great interest in Dubrovnik, which is already on the world map among the top 10 cities that are desirable for executive digital nomads, according to Savills. We are still working to reach the first place in the ranking, which is primarily strengthening the infrastructure network, which we have already started with Hrvatski Telekom through the 93 million kuna project "Development of broadband infrastructure in Dubrovnik", which brings high speed Internet to every family home. We will continue to introduce the 5G network because this type of infrastructure is most important for their work. I am sure that all digital nomads who come to Dubrovnik on this occasion as part of the conference will talk about our city as a perfect place to live and work," said Mayor Franković.
The director of the Dubrovnik Tourist Board Ana Hrnić announced a new website Dubrovnik long stay, intended for digital nomads, but also for those who plan a longer stay in Dubrovnik. The purpose of this station is to have all the information in one place such as where to find accommodation, how to get a visa and work permit, and other important paperwork and other procedures.
A Digital Nomad Check Point is planned at the Pile Gate office of the Dubrovnik Tourist Board, where digital nomads would be able to purchase a special Digital Nomad Card by registering, which includes a number of benefits and all the information that can make it easier for them to find and organize a longer stay in Dubrovnik. Since last year, the Tourist Board has also been actively working to encourage stakeholders in the tourism sector to engage in projects related to digital nomads - from private accommodation to restaurants and shops, and transport, creating a register of offers for this specific group of visitors.
Head of the Global PR Department of the Croatian Tourist Board Lucijana Jerković pointed out that the national promotion of the project began with a change in the law that introduced long-term work permits, emphasizing that the goal is to launch activities, continue promotion through social networks and associations through which to offer various information that is closest to digital nomads.
"As far as trends in the world are concerned, the pandemic is waning, but we believe that this trend of virtual work and longer stays will continue and that people will start living and working in Dubrovnik," Jerkovic said.
The aim of this conference is to further strengthen the position of Dubrovnik as a Digital Nomad Friendly destination and a direct promotional effect for the city of Dubrovnik and the whole of Croatia to attract more and more people working remotely and looking for new destinations to live and work.
Want to attend the conference? More details on th official website.
Plenković Meets With Business Executives to Discuss Aid for Ukraine
ZAGREB, 3 May 2022 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Twitter on Tuesday he had met with the chief executives of several large Croatian companies to discuss ways of helping Ukraine, particularly in supplying medicines and water.
"I met with the presidents of the management boards of the Atlantic Group, Fortenova Group, JGL, PharmaS, Pliva and Podravka regarding further aid to Ukraine, particularly with regard to supplying medicines and water. I will join with my contribution at the donors' conference in Warsaw along with the government and Croatian companies," Plenković tweeted.
A high-level international donors' conference for Ukraine is being held in Warsaw on 5 May.
The initiative aims to provide humanitarian support to Ukraine.
According to the UN, 13 million people in Ukraine need vital humanitarian aid, including shelter, food and medical supplies.
Milanović Says He Will Veto Finland's Admission to NATO
ZAGREB, 3 May 2022 - President Zoran Milanović said on Tuesday that he will veto NATO's invitation to Finland to join the alliance.
"In my capacity as the head of state representing Croatia at the NATO summit, I will veto the invitation, if it is extended at that level," Milanović told the press in Vukovar.
NATO is holding a summit in Madrid later this month.
If the invitation is sent through lower levels, he said he was not sure he would be able to make the Croatian ambassador accept his position and veto the invitation.
Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev said in his channel in the Telegram messenger on Monday that Milanović risked Kyiv's retaliation over his views and messages about Russia and Ukraine.
In reference to Medvedev's statement, Milanović said he did not want to "bite that hook", insisting he was not taking Russia's side.
"The Russians are playing their game. They are the aggressor in this war, and we have our own clique working actively against the interests of the Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina. I took the oath to protect them, too, and I will die a political death for them, if necessary," said Milanović
Milanović added that he was not afraid either of Russia or of Ukraine, and claimed that he was on the Croatian side and was fighting "for the Croatian state and nation."
"We are being treated like fools and a third-class nation," he said, accusing Prime Minister Andrej Plenković of supporting all that "like a scoundrel".
Milanović reiterated his accusations against the Plenković government, claiming that it was pursuing "a treacherous policy" towards the Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
HND and SNH Mark Press Freedom Day By Paying Tribute to Reporters Killed in Ukraine
ZAGREB, 3 May 2022 - On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, the Croatian Journalists' Association (HND) and Croatian Journalists' Union (SNH) in Zagreb on Tuesday paid tribute to reporters killed in Ukraine and to all reporters whose freedom is threatened.
Gathered in front of the memorial plaque commemorating reporters killed during the Second World War antifascist struggle and the 1991-1995 Homeland War, HND president Hrvoje Zovko, his deputies Branko Mijić and Goran Gazdek, SNH leader Maja Sever and their colleagues held photographs of reporters killed in the war in Ukraine.
Sever read excerpts from the Perugia Declaration for Ukraine saying that the Russian military aggression against Ukraine has once again underlined the essential role of independent and ethical journalism in informing people, assisting them in making life-or-death decisions, and holding the powerful to account.
"As a powerful antidote to disinformation and propaganda that characterise hybrid warfare, and as a pillar of democracy upon which other freedoms and rights depend, journalism in Ukraine is undergoing a terrible assault. The targeting, torturing, and killing of journalists is abhorrent and must be stopped. Those responsible must be held accountable and brought to justice under national and international law," Sever said.
The declaration says that vicious online attacks against news organisations and individual journalists must cease, condemning Russia’s attacks on press freedom and freedom of expression in Ukraine in the strongest possible terms. It expresses solidarity with all journalists and independent media covering Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
"The greater the threat to Ukrainian journalists’ lives, livelihoods, and ability to do their jobs, the greater will be our efforts to support them. Funding, protective gear, equipment, housing, training, office space in foreign cities, and psychosocial support – we will do everything we can to support our Ukrainian colleagues’ ability to continue reporting and serving the urgent needs of their audiences," the declaration says.
The document has been signed by the European Federation of Journalists and another 149 organisations, as well as by the HND and SNH.
€1.04 Billion Worth of Treasury Bills Sold to Refinance "Old" Treasury Bill
ZAGREB, 3 May 2022 - The Finance Ministry on Tuesday sold €1.04 billion worth of treasury bills at 0.1% interest, which is more than last year when treasury bills were issued at negative interest rates, when financial institutions actually paid the state treasury to hold treasury bills.
Ahead of the maturity of €1.2 billion worth of treasury bills, issued before the previous financial crisis, the ministry today offered €1.2 billion worth of bills for subscription and financial institutions offered €1.39 billion in total. The ministry then accepted the offers totalling €1.04 billion.
The new treasury bill has a maturity of one year.
The balance of subscribed treasury bills has now been reduced by € 164.65 million to 1.05 billion euro.
(€1 = HRK 7.564582)
Plenković Issues Message for World Press Freedom Day
ZAGREB, 3 May 2022 - The imperative of every democratic society is to provide journalists with conditions for unobstructed, safe and professional work, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Tuesday on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day.
"Freedom of the press is the foundation of every democratic society in which it is imperative to provide journalists with conditions for unobstructed, safe and professional work," Plenković wrote on Twitter.
Mayor Says Sweeping For Bugs at Zagreb Holding Standard Procedure
ZAGREB, 3 May 2022 - Zagreb Mayor Tomislav Tomašević said on Tuesday that sweeping for covert listening devices at the Zagreb Holding multi-utility conglomerate was a common procedure from the catalogue of services related to corporate security, aimed at preventing irregularities and corruption.
Speaking at a regular news conference, he said that corporate security was an integral part of large companies' business operations, notably with regard to major public procurement projects, and that the option "may or may not be used."
"This is also due to the various indictments issued by the USKOK anti-corruption office... so Zagreb Holding's management wants to improve corporate security in that regard as well," he said, adding that possible checks were not related to the leaking of the names of surplus Zagreb Holding employees.
Speaking of plans to carry out a forensic analysis of water pipelines in the context of ruptures in the city water supply grid this and last year, Tomašević said that it was under way and that it was a standard procedure to determine how exactly the ruptures happened and to rule out human error.
He said that there had been no investments in the city water supply grid for 20 years even though 15 years ago Zagreb Holding bonds were issued for that purpose.
Reconstructing the water supply grid will cost at least HRK 2 billion and the process will take seven to eight years, he said.
Asked if citizens should fear gas shortages, Tomašević said that the issue was within the remit of the state, recalling that he had already said that Croatia should reduce its dependence on fossil fuel imports because it was not only an environmental but also an energy security issue.
Tomašević also confirmed that the offices of a dozen local government committees would be repurposed to serve as kindergartens and that there were plans to create 60 jobs.
Croatia Registers 549 New COVID Cases, Five Deaths
ZAGREB, 3 May 2022 - Croatia has recorded 549 new coronavirus cases and five COVID-related deaths in the past 24 hours, the national coronavirus response team reported on Tuesday.
The number of active cases in the country now stands at 4,526, and 426 patients are being treated in hospital, including 21 placed on ventilators, while 2,402 people are self-isolating.
To date, a total of 4,794,945 tests have been conducted, including 4,123 in the past 24 hours.
A total of 5.2 million doses of a vaccine have been administered and 59.49% of the total population has been inoculated or 70.76% of the adult population, 68.69% of whom are fully vaccinated.
Bridge MP Says Euro Introduction Should Be Postponed
ZAGREB, 3 May 2022 - Opposition Bridge party MP Zvonomir Troskot said on Tuesday that Croatia should postpone the introduction of the euro, warning that its introduction would cause an additional rise in prices.
"The national economy is not ready yet for euro introduction, that decision should be postponed during this time with the war current in Ukraine, armament in Europe and high inflation. It would not be a prudent move," he told a news conference.
Troskot warned that the introduction of the euro would cause additional inflation, recalling in that context the introduction of the euro in Slovenia and noting that it would cause a drop in the standard of living and a new wave of emigration.
Deputy Split Mayor Confident Will Prove His Innocence
ZAGREB, 3 May 2022 - Former Split deputy mayor Bojan Ivošević said on Tuesday, after an indictment was upheld against him for threatening a reporter, that he was confident he would prove his innocence in court.
"I respect the legal institutions of the state at all levels, including the court's decision to issue an indictment against me, and I strongly believe that during the trial I will prove my innocence," he said in a statement for the media.
The indictment, upheld last Friday by the Split Municipal Court, charges Ivošević with having threatened an editor at the Slobodna Dalmacija daily after an argument over the phone.
A few days after the indictment was issued, Split Mayor Ivica Puljak stepped down together with Ivošević and his second deputy Antonio Kuzmanić, deciding to go to a snap election. Along with electing a new mayor Split residents will also elect a new, 31-seat City Council.
