March the 24th, 2022 - The Zagreb BiteMe Nutrition startup has received a very welcome and significant investment amounting to 2.25 million kuna from the Croatian Feelsgood venture capital fund.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, Feelsgood, the very first Croatian venture capital fund to invest with social impact, has signed an investment agreement with the Zagreb BiteMe Nutrition startup, which specialises in the production of raw energy bioplates and biscuits/cookies made from exclusively organically grown ingredients which are all gluten-free and without any additives or sugars.

It is an investment worth a massive 300,000 euros or over 2.25 million kuna that will help the Zagreb BiteMe Nutrition startup to make their 100 percent natural products available to athletes, recreationists and people who like to nurture a healthy lifestyle across even more outlets and markets.

A positive impact on society is one of the basic criteria that Feelsgood is guided by when choosing a company in which to invest. The co-founders and employees of BiteMe Nutrition have developed a category of healthy snack products which boast some truly outstanding nutritional properties and ingredients, and in less than two years, they have made inroads with them here on the Croatian market and on as many as seven international markets.

The Zagreb BiteMe Nutrition startup's array of healthy products encourage healthier consumer nutrition and are the work of certified producers of organic products who care for nature conservation. It is an entirely Croatian startup, a member of the Zagreb Innovation Centre (ZICER), and consists of former professional athletes, recreationists and experienced food technologists and entrepreneurs.

"We understood this significant investment as a recognition of the results we've achieved so far, but also as an incentive to continue to build a story that wants to encourage changes in the eating habits of active people - and globally. We believe that a dynamic lifestyle requires a quality diet every day, even when we aren't able to have a complete meal because we might be at work, training or travelling. This is where our BiteMe products find their perfect purpose. However, raising awareness of the importance of high quality standards in the human diet and natural gluten-free foods is only part of our purpose, a broader understanding of the connection with the environment also plays an important role,'' said Edo Mujkic, co-founder and CEO of the Zagreb BiteMe Nutrition startup.

The main mission of the Croatian Feelsgood Fund is to invest in young and promising companies across Croatia and in neighbouring Slovenia whose business brings positive change in society by meeting at least one global goal of the UN for sustainable development. The fund has been fully developed right here Croatia, and all investment capital of approximately 30 million euros is located within the borders of this country.

The Slovenian family company Medex was the first investor in the Zagreb BiteMe Nutrition startup, which contributed to the strong presence of its products under the BiteMe brand (Raw Bar and Lava Cookies) in that neighbouring market. In addition to the neighbouring nations of Croatia and Slovenia, they can currently be found on shelves in other European countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany, Poland, Greece and Estonia. When looking much further afield, they're also present in Hong Kong.

For more, check out our business section.

March 24, 2022 - The 24th Restaurant Week in Croatia returns on Friday, March 25, where participating restaurants around the country offer 3-course menus for promotional prices! 

Restaurant Week returns to Croatia for its 24th edition on March 25. The special event is a chance for foodies around the country to enjoy three-course menus at various participating restaurants for 100/125 kuna, during both lunch and dinner. The 24th edition of this event will be held from March 25 to April 3, 2022. 

So, what is Restaurant Week anyway?

Restaurant Week is the idea of Željka Marjanović and Ozren Drobnjak, who wanted to find a way to promote Croatia’s culinary scene in cooperation with its catering establishments. Restaurants participating in the campaign meet the needs of guests through a special promotional offer. The concept is modeled on capital cities around the world and is adapted to the Croatian market. During the event, participating restaurants offer various three-course menus at promotional prices. It is held twice a year, usually in late February and late September, though the 23rd edition was held last October and this one in March.

The Croatian capital has 20 participating restaurants this time, while Croatia's second-largest city Split welcomes eight restaurants this year. 

Thus, diners in Split can enjoy 3-course menus from Brasserie on 7, Da'Mar at Hotel Marvie, Dujkin Dvor, Olive Tree, Kaštil Slanica, Sidi Bar,  Restaurant Split 1921 at Hotel Park, and Zinfandel Food & Wine Bar. 

Some menus on offer: 

Brasserie on 7

Lunch

Appetizer

1. Sweet potato and ginger soup - Sour cream with vanilla, pepper & walnuts

2. Endive and Citrus Salad - Endive, Grapefruit, Orange, Red Onion, Radish & Citrus Dressing

3. Cheeses & charcuterie - Selection of local OPG cured meat products and cheeses served with fig jam

Main course

1. "Carbonara" of smoked mackerel - Smoked mackerel, cream & parmesan

2. Bbq beef sandwich + french fries - Chili aioli & ginger slaw served with french fries

3. Chicken sandwich + french fries - Basil aioli, roasted peppers, cottage cheese & rocket

Dessert

Selection from the cake display case

Dinner

Appetizer

1. Shrimp tartar - Marinated shrimp, wasabi mayo, red pepper coulis & toasted nori

2. Cheeses & charcuterie - Selection of local OPG cured meat products and cheeses served with fig jam

3. Shrimp and mussels risotto - “Bisque” from shrimp, prawns, mussels, squid & parmesan 

Main course

1. Buzara - Mixed mussels, basil, kulen & confit tomatoes

2. Adriatic fish - Young onions, potatoes, peas with an emulsion of shellfish and saffron

3. Duck confit - Potatoes, roasted peppers, arugula & honey, and mustard vinaigrette

Dessert

Selection from the cake display case

You can find all of the menus on the official website! 

For more, check out our lifestyle section. 

ZAGREB, 23 March 2022 - Health Minister Vili Beroš said on Wednesday that the number of new COVID cases had fallen by 17% however, regardless of "a lull in the epidemic," he called on citizens for continued responsible conduct and necessary caution.

"In the past 24 hours there were 2,077 positive cases registered, or 17.53% fewer new cases compared to last Wednesday", Beroš said at a cabinet meeting.

Since the beginning of February, the number of COVID related deaths has decreased significantly and the number of hospitalised patients in that period has halved from 1,400 to less than 700.

"According to the opinion of epidemiologists, they expect milder and milder symptoms in new cases, with fewer deaths and fewer hospitalised patients", said Beroš.

He added that all the relevant epidemiological parameters are constantly being monitored and the epidemiological framework is being adapted accordingly.

"Entering into the third year of the epidemic, even though we in a lull we have to be aware that responsible conduct and caution are a must," underscored Beroš and recalled that there are still many unanswered questions of the possibility of new mutations emerging or of the length of immunity after recovery or vaccination.

2,080 health services provided to Ukrainian refugees

The minister also informed that since 25 February some 2,080 health services had been provided to Ukrainian citizens with 227 receiving hospital services and 15 patients being hospitalised. Thirteen Ukrainians have been diagnosed with the coronavirus infection.

During a meeting of EU health ministers last week, including Croatia, a recommendation was made to the European Commission to ensure funds for health care for refugee Ukrainians and Beroš said that this will also be Croatia's stance at the extraordinary meeting of the Council of the EU on 29 March regarding employment, social policy, health and consumer protection (EPSCO) issues.

For more, check our lifestyle section.

ZAGREB, 23 March 2022 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Wednesday that so far 9,357 Ukrainian refugees had entered Croatia, telling representatives of county and city authorities that the most important thing was to resolve the issue of accommodation for the refugees and to cover those costs.

During a meeting with county heads, representatives of the Association of Cities and the Association of Municipalities, as well as an inter-departmental task force dealing with the reception and accommodation of Ukrainian refugees, Plenković said that by Wednesday morning 9,357 refugees had entered Croatia, 4,556 of whom were women (48.7%), 1,172 were men (12.5%) and 3,629 were children (38.8%).

The prime minister said the purpose of the meeting was to improve coordination between the state and county governments.

"The issue of accommodation and covering the cost of accommodation, as well as a comprehensive policy towards refugees are particularly important. That is a policy of welcome, solidarity and acceptance of Ukrainian refugees. That is our duty and we want to do that," he said.

"We will continue to help with all available resources, particularly humanitarian aid. At this time, Croatia is on the right side of history and international law but also on the side of the values enshrined in our Constitution", the PM said.

For more, check out our dedicated politics section.

ZAGREB, 23 March 2022 - The leader of the Bosnian Croat HDZ BiH party, Dragan Čović, has described the demand by the leading Bosniak SDA party to abolish the powers of the upper house of parliament of the Bosniak-Croat Federation entity, as an attempt at toppling the Dayton peace agreement.

Čović wrote a letter to EU officials Ursula von der Leyen, Josep Borrell and Charles Michel, Croatia's President Zoran Milanović, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković, as well as to Western diplomats to inform them about the HDZ-SDA talks that ended inconclusively on Sunday.

He said that the talks failed because the SDA made the electoral reform conditional on abolishing the legislative role of the House of Peoples, adding that such moves would lead to the Federation entity becoming a Bosniak statelet.

"As a representative of the policies pursued by the Croatian people, I underline that abolishing the legislative powers of the House of Peoples of the Parliament of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, reducing it to the role of protector of vital national interests and equating it with the Chamber of Peoples in Republika Srpska is a gross violation of the Washington and Dayton agreements and a serious threat to peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina", Čović wrote. 

The House of Peoples of the Federation Parliament is ethnic-based and allows each of the three constituent peoples to participate in decision making and adoption of laws, and to choose executive bodies. On the other hand, in Republika Srpska, the Serb entity in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croats and Bosniaks cannot influence decisions taken by the majority Serb authorities, because the upper house of the Serb entity parliament has been completely disempowered. By redefining the upper house of the Bosniak-Croat entity parliament, Bosniaks who have four times the number of representative might exert full dominance over the Croats.

Čović said that this demand was a dangerous act of hostility aimed at reducing the Croats as a constituent people to the status of a national minority. He recalled the conclusions of a recent extraordinary meeting of the Croatian National Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina which announced that the Croats would call for the territorial reorganisation of the country if their disenfranchisement continued.

For more, check out our dedicated politics section.

ZAGREB, 23 March 2022 - Even though the new law on settlements seems to be of a technical nature, a parliamentary debate on its amendment on Wednesday was marked by ideological and political differences, with SDP MP Arsen Bauk noting that this was the best proof the situation was back to normal. 

"There is no better proof that we are back to normal than the fact that Marshal Tito has been mentioned five times in replies," Bauk said during the debate on the new law that is expected to improve the process of determining the borders of settlements, naming settlements, streets and squares, and house numbering.

Ivan Kirin of the ruling HDZ warned about the Zagreb city administration's plans to restore the name of Marshal Tito Square, wondering why Zagreb needs a square dedicated to Tito and why a debate would not be held on whether Croatia needs so many squares and streets named after Tito.

"Local administration is responsible for street names", Construction Ministry State Secretary Željko Uhlir replied.

MP Davor Dretar boasted that the Homeland Movement had initiated the renaming of Marshal Tito Square in Velika Gorica, which was renamed City of Vukovar Square.

MP: Will someone come up with crazy idea of renaming Yuri Gagarin Walk? 

MP Vesna Nađ of the Social Democrats said that the purpose of renaming Marshal Tito Square in Zagreb had been to "erase from the collective memory a military commander, statesman and politician who in the World War II antifascist struggle made Croatia a member of the victorious side."

She wondered if someone "in a fit of anger at everything that comes from Russia" would come up with the idea to rename Yuri Gagarin Walk in Zagreb.

MP Bauk insisted that the naming of streets and squares should be the right of cities and municipalities and that the government commission for the standardisation of geographic names, envisaged by the new law, could not act as a censor.

"Standardisation can only be possible to determine if a square will be named Josip Broz Square or Marshal Tito Square," Bauk was resolute.

Not denying the right for municipalities and cities to name streets and squares, Anja Šimpraga of the Independent Democratic Serb Party (SDSS) asked how one could prevent the naming of streets and squares after officials of the Nazi-styled WWII Independent State of Croatia, suggesting that a regulation be defined under which the names would have to be in line with the Historical Foundations of the Croatian Constitution.

Roma MP: No street or square named after a Roma 

Veljko Kajtazi, a Roma member of parliament, said it was sad that even though Roma had lived in Croatia for 700 years, there was almost no street or square bearing the name of a Roma person.

Uhlir said that under the new law, all business premises would be numbered and not just those where a business was headquartered.

"Who will pay for that, will farms also have to be numbered?" asked independent MP Marijana Petir, while Nikola Mažar of the HDZ wanted to know if the new law would bring new obligations for citizens, specifically regarding the change of house numbers.

Uhlir also added that the law did not contain a provision that would force a local government unit to change the existing street names.

For more, check out our dedicated politics section.

ZAGREB, 23 March 2022 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Wednesday presented 52 grant agreements for investment in public water supply and drainage projects and in kindergartens, community centres and fire stations in rural areas. The total value of the agreements is HRK 565 million.

The agreements were awarded under the EU Recovery and Resilience Facility through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan 2021-2026.

Of the 52 agreements, 25 relate to public water supply and drainage systems. Their total value is HRK 394 million, of which HRK 241 million is provided by the EU in the form of grants. The other 27 agreements were awarded under Measure 7 in the Rural Development Programme for the construction of kindergartens, community centres, sports facilities and fire stations. Their total value is HRK 155 million, but the total value of these investments exceeds HRK 171 million.

"The point is that we have joined the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, as a new, additional instrument to speed up the economic development of Croatia, with activities under Measure 7, which has a much wider reach," Plenković said, adding that the purpose of this was to improve the quality of life and infrastructure in rural areas.

(€1 = HRK 7.5)

For more, check out our dedicated politics section.

ZAGREB, 23 March 2022 - The Coalition for Decent Pay warned on Wednesday that the average pay in Croatia amounted to only two thirds of decent pay, asking the government to adopt policies that would gradually guarantee wages for all workers.

"Decent pay means that we can afford quality living standards, including the payment of regular as well as extraordinary costs and saving," said Coalition member Sandra Kasunić of the Centre for Peace Studies.

According to a calculation by the Coalition for Decent Pay, before the latest price increases, decent pay in Croatia amounted to HRK 10,428, but according to data for 2021, the average wage last year equaled to only two-thirds of that amount.

"The amounts in question show that decent pay for all in Croatia is, for the time being, a distant future," said Kasunić, recalling that decent pay was a constitutional category and basic human right recognised by Croatia.

"Even though the government has shown social sensitivity with its set of measures designed to cushion the impact of rising prices on living standards, the problem is that the package does not cover all workers", she said.

"We call on the government to expand its measures to also include workers who do not earn decent pay, and we demand that it adopt policies that will gradually guarantee the implementation of all social and economic rights," she said.

Mario Iveković of the New Trade Union said that they did not expect minimum pay to be raised to the level of decent pay in two years, but asked the government to make decent pay the ultimate goal of the minimum pay, as stated in the Constitution.

Iveković said the Coalition for Decent Pay would join a European civic initiative, which in two months will start collecting signatures to seek a "strong" social responsiblity directive from the European Commission (EC).

The EC has put forward the first draft of a directive which aims to commit corporations with more than 500 workers and annual revenue of more than €150 million to respect workers' rights.

Even though that limit for some industries, such as the textile industry, is 250 workers and a revenue of €40 million, civic initiatives want it to be lowered so that the directive could apply also to small and medium companies.

"We will insist on the payment of decent pay which is mentioned in the directive," said Iveković.

(€1 = HRK 7.572093)    

For more, check our lifestyle section.