February the 24th, 2022 - PM Plenkovic has had his hands full with the most recent scandal involving former Minister Darko Horvat, but he's managed to avoid any snap elections.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Brnic writes, the development of events and the latest reshuffles on the Croatian political scene and the increasingly serious military security crisis in which the moves of Russian President Vladimir Putin are of growing concern have been being followed with trepidation recently.

PM Plenkovic wanted to see Croatian People's Party (HNS) leader Stjepan Curaj placed in the position of Minister of Physical Planning, Construction and State Property after Darko Horvat was arrested a few days ago. Curaj is also currently state secretary in the Ministry of Finance, but despite his resume, the idea didn't work with PM Plenkovic's coalition partners.

Stjepan Curaj is otherwise a lawyer and the fact that there are no references to his name that would make him particularly desirable for the leading position in the construction department has sparked heated debates over the Prime Minister's intention to position him in such an important position, just after the European Commission gave Croatia another year to use cash from the Solidarity Fund.

In addition, Curaj has been reproached for being in a wave of recent questions about the character of politicians and the use of benefits covered by the state budget and his name having emerged on that infamous list.

PM Plenkovic definitely wants to avoid any snap or early elections, but with the latest developments, he will probably not take the opportunity to "clean start" and introduce completely new, unblemished people from the profession. The question is still open as to what further consequences there will be for the functioning of the Government and other state bodies if he is forced to make changes in some other positions.

Whether he will be able to push his mandate right through to the end with this level of shaky credibility and whether there will be disruptions at lower levels in decision-making after all of this are some of the questions that can be heard from the political, analytical and even economic ranks. Unfortunately, all this is happening in the midst of strained relations and an increasingly serious crisis in which Russia is leading with the recognition of two separatist regions in Ukraine, and which will cause a wave which will inevitably spill over into the Croatian economy.

Not only will the likely sanctions against Russia, announced from Western countries against Russian banks and companies, again hamper trade, which last year exceeded 5 billion kuna, but the consequences will all be felt indirectly, through rising oil and gas prices that will close access Russian raw materials and their procurement in other markets. The new sanctions, which in the case of the EU should be similar to those put in place back in 2014 after the annexation of Crimea, will be felt through business with EU member states that have extensive trade with Russia, such as Germany, one of Croatia's most important foreign trade partners.

Therefore, a new global military and economic crisis is imminent, and the current proverbial earthquakes (thank God they're at least not real ones this time) we're experiencing due to rising electricity and gas prices and the threat of inflation will not be tackled until April the 1st. Let's hope that date carries none of its traditional meaning, either.

"We're live between unpredictable events, and predictability is a prerequisite for stability, which is essential for successful business," said Damir Zoric, director general of the Croatian Employers' Association.

For more, check out our dedicated politics section.

February the 24th, 2022 - The Great Resignation, or as it is also often referred to, ''The Big Quit'', is a trend among employees who, in large numbers, leave their jobs voluntarily to find their places elsewhere under the sun. Is this affecting Croatian workers, too?

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, this has been stated by the MojPosao/MyJob portal, which investigated whether this phenomenon had reached Croatian workers yet. The survey was conducted on 800 employees and 26 employers, who asked if they had thought more about stepping down in the last year than before the coronavirus pandemic which altered life as we knew it completely.

Poor interpersonal relationships are the main reason for saying goodbye among Croatian workers...

As many as half of the respondents (51%) who had a job in the last year in that period resigned and changed their work environment. Only every third person (36%) had a secured second job at the time of them leaving, while two thirds of respondents left a secure job without having a "Plan B" at all. In the same period, as many as 88% of surveyed employers said they noticed an increased rate of Croatian workers leaving under their own steam. Men (54%) appeared to be more likely to resign than women (49%).

In addition, Croatian workers with a university degree (51%) are more prone to leaving their employers than those with a higher (46%) and secondary (48%) education, and respondents with less years of work experience. Namely, as many as 84% ​​of those with one year of work experience resigned in the last 12 months and only 18% of those with up to 10 years of work experience did the same.

They most often resigned because of bad interpersonal relationships, that is, because they felt that the company didn't appreciate them enough. In third place is too low a salary, followed by the bad impact of work on health and the impossibility of professional advancement, ie the acquisition of new knowledge and skills.

Job saturation and feelings of underestimation also have a role to play for Croatian workers...

On the other hand, employers are convinced that the main reason for the departure of their employees lies in low wages, feelings of underestimation/unappreciation and better offers from other employers (although this reason was stated by only 16% of Croatian workers).

Compared to the pre-pandemic period, employees were increasingly considering quitting due to feelings of underestimation/unappreciation and job saturation, while once the most important factors in deciding to leave a company such as receiving a better offer and low pay fell very much into the background. Women resigned to a slightly greater extent than men did citing poor interpersonal relationships, while men appear more likely to leave employers due to job saturation, large amounts of overtime and dissatisfaction with the company's management.

Observing the level of education, Croatian workers with a university degree leave more often because of burnout and poor management than those with higher and secondary education do. Although slightly more than half of the respondents (53%) stated that the pandemic didn't affect their decision to resign, a large number of people (47%) have just started thinking about a career change in the last two years, primarily due to the changed situation in companies (working conditions, interpersonal relationships, etc).

What does the future hold?

Half of the respondents (50%) intend to change jobs within the next year, and men (53%) are slightly more inclined to this decision than women (48%). One in two people think more about quitting now than they did two years ago (51%), a fifth (22%) do the same as before, while 27% of respondents today are less likely to juggle with that thought in these current circumstances.

Although in the past, Croatian workers typically didn't leave their employers solely due to dissatisfaction with their wages, most employees can be attracted by a new employer offering a higher income. In second place is the company's image (they would move to a company they believe is more caring for its employees), followed by a better financial benefits package, more flexible working hours, the chance to work from home, a better position within the company and a better non-financial benefits package.

The MojPosao portal concluded that The Great Resignation has not yet reached the proportions with Croatian workers as it has across the Atlantic in America, however, it is definitely visible that employees have begun to question their own values, the company's values ​​and think more about what is better for them than they did just two years ago.

Poor interpersonal relationships, a company that doesn’t value employee efforts, low pay, and poor working conditions are what will drive Croatian workers to reconsider their employment relationships.

For more, check out our lifestyle section.

February the 24th, 2022 - A plan to bring down the sometimes insufferable crowds in busy Croatian tourist destinations is currently in the works as hopes for a good summer and an even better epidemiological picture this year grow.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes, busy Croatian tourist destinations that want to reduce tourist crowds and make life easier for residents and visitors alike will soon have a so-called ''heat map'' or destination control panel, a tool that measures the concentration of tourists in a particular place in real time.

The tool was developed as part of a European project in which the Croatian Institute of Tourism is also participating, and last summer it was tested out by the very busy cities of Venice, Bari, Ferrara, Sibenik and, unsurprisingly when it comes to crowding issues - the City of Dubrovnik.

Cameras and sensors

“Tourist movement data is made available in real time thanks to the cameras and sensors installed exclusively for this purpose in each of the partner cities. The collected data provides an opportunity for users of the destination control panel, such as local authorities, tourist boards, etc., to make short-term forecasts of tourist movements, and accordingly make appropriate decisions that directly affect the relief of city centres and cultural heritage sites, redirecting tourists to less visited parts of a given city,'' the Institute of Tourism explained.

The heat map to control busy Croatian tourist destinations is one of the tools developed within the Interreg project S.LI.DES. (Smart strategies for sustainable tourism in Lively cultural DEStinations), which is being implemented until June this year with a budget of 2.5 million euros attached to it.

The project holder is the Ca ’Foscari University of Venice, and the Institute of Tourism is one of the ten partners in the project. In addition to the system for monitoring the movement of tourists, the project has developed a prototype system for analysing various aspects of heritage management, those related to identifying the potential of intangible cultural heritage in various destinations.

According to the Institute, based on the results collected during the pilot actions, the partner cities will plan a joint strategy aimed at encouraging the sustainable development of urban spaces. All of the project's results will be made publicly available and applicable in other interested tourist destinations, especially destinations that struggle with the problem of excessive tourism and congestion in city cores during the high tourism season.

A series of innovative events

Dino Karadjole, the director of the Sibenik Tourist Board, explained how the pilot project was carried out. “The pilot conducted in Sibenik in the summer of 2021 was organised through eight Thursdays in July and August. We had a number of various innovative events where we promoted tangible and intangible cultural heritage, workshops, screenings of a short film, a guided tour called ''Stories from Sibenik's cuisine'', trade fairs and art evenings.

On top of that, we tried out giving some of the partner institutions, such as the Museum of the City of Sibenik and the interpretation centre of the Cathedral of St. James, free admission,'' explained Dino Karadjole.

Through the ''control destination board'' in Sibenik, they then tested the concentration of tourists and locals in a certain period of time on Thursday compared to another day of the week, and compared the differences between a day full of content and activities compared to everyday life on another ordinary day. They were especially interested in whether the existence of the content in the time interval from 18:00 to 21:00 would increase the number of visitors, or motivate them to come to the city a little earlier than usual.

The results of counting tourists using four different camera counters really showed that there was an increase in the number of tourists in that period and that the cameras recorded an increase. Karadjole pointed out that there is a good basis for further research and application of a smart control panel for informed resource management and planning assistance, especially when it comes to notoriously busy Croatian tourist destinations.

For more, check out our dedicated travel section.

February 24, 2022 - The latest flight news to Croatia as the Norwegian Airlines Croatia summer flights have been announced to Zagreb, Split, Dubrovnik and Pula this year. 

After SAS Scandinavian Airlines, Norwegian Airlines has announced its summer program, reports Croatian Aviation.

Namely, Norwegian has announced 17 regular international flights to four Croatian airports in the upcoming summer flight schedule - to Zagreb, Split, Dubrovnik and Pula!

This well-known airline has confirmed its summer flight schedule, which will significantly increase the number of rotations and routes to Croatia compared to last year. In addition, the largest number of lines,  or 7, has been announced to Split Airport.

7 lines to Split
Bergen - Split, three times a week, from June 18 to August 13,

Copenhagen - Split, from two to seven times a week, May 3 to October 29,

Helsinki - Split, two to five times a week, from March 30 to October 29,

Oslo - Split, one to seven times a week, from April 23 to October 29,

Stavanger - Split, twice a week, from June 18 to August 13,

Stockholm - Split, two to five times a week, from May 4 to October 29,

Trondheim - Split, twice a week, from June 18 to August 13.

6 lines to Dubrovnik
Bergen - Dubrovnik, once a week, from May 18 to August 13,

Copenhagen - Dubrovnik, up to twice a week, from April 2 to October 29,

Helsinki - Dubrovnik, twice a week, from May 3 to October 29,

Oslo - Dubrovnik, two to seven times a week, from June 4 to October 29,

Stavanger - Dubrovnik, twice a week, from June 18 to August 13,

Stockholm - Dubrovnik, up to four times a week, from May 7 to October 15.

3 lines to Pula
Helsinki - Pula, once a week, from June 4 to August 6,

Oslo - Pula, twice a week, from June 1st to October 1st,

Stockholm - Pula, once a week, from June 10 to August 12.

1 line to Zagreb
Copenhagen - Zagreb, twice a week, from June 25 to August 13.

Norwegian will operate up to 55 times a week on 17 announced routes to Croatian airports, thus offering almost 21,000 seats in the peak summer season weekly. The schedule could still be reduced according to passenger demand and the pandemic.

Thus, with this summer flight schedule, flights from Stavanger, Helsinki, Bergen and Trondheim have been relaunched, while the airline also returns to Pula Airport. The Copenhagen-Zagreb line will run only twice a week, though Croatia Airlines also operates on this route throughout the year.

For more on flights to Croatia and other travel announcements, make sure to check out our dedicated travel section.

February 24, 2022 - Croatian painter, designer, and graphic artist Boris Bućan can be found among the 425 posters at the 86th International Auction of Rare Posters in New York City.

From February 25 to March 19, 2022, the 86th International Auction of Rare Posters (Poster Auctions International) will be held at the PAI Gallery in New York City, where rare and cult posters from the end of the 19th century will be offered for sale, reports Jutarnji List.

Among the 425 posters is an anthological poster for Igor Stravinsky's ballets 'The Firebird' (Žar ptica) and 'Petrushka' at the Croatian National Theater in Split in 1983, authored by Croatian painter, designer, and graphic artist Academician Boris Bućan, which was also published on the cover of the auction catalog.

"This auction not only features top works by our most beloved artists but also includes rarely seen paintings, models, drawings, and books. From Belle Époque designs by Alfonso Mucha and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec to jazz, Paul Colin, and Charles Loupot fashion, there’s really something special about this collection for every collector," said Jack Rennert, president of Poster Auctions International.

The 'The Firebird' poster price ranges between $10,000 and $ 15,000. According to the auction catalog, the poster is a stunningly original creation, at the same time bizarre, enchanting, and lavish, and thus the perfect design for the mythical rise of imagination evoked by Stravinsky's ballets.

The 'The Firebird' depiction is described as an androgynous obscure Egyptian bird creature posing in red high-heeled shoes, which is more austere than flaming but unquestionably provocative.

Zagreb painter Boris Bućan is one of the most successful Croatian painters. Since 1984, he received more than twenty top international awards and recognitions, including an honor in the representative catalog of the world-famous London Victoria & Albert Museum for one of the most successful posters of the 20th century.

Bućan’s works are displayed in the world’s most renowned museums and galleries (New York, Munich, Essen, Melbourne). In addition, they have been exhibited at more than 70 solo exhibitions (Ljubljana, Edinburgh, Venice, Sarajevo, Shanghai, Ankara, Zagreb, Melbourne, New Jersey, Copenhagen, Adelaide, Jerusalem, Dordrecht, Wiesbaden, Berlin, Osijek, Našice, Rijeka). Bućan has also participated in more than 150 collective exhibitions at home and abroad.

Boris Bućan also received the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Croatian Design Society in 2006,  while three of his posters have been permanently displayed at MOMA in New York since 2020, writes HAZU.

For more, check out our lifestyle section.

February 24, 2022 - Dubrovnik tourism experts weigh in on the developing Russia-Ukraine crisis and answer if we should worry about it hurting what is meant to be a stellar 2022 tourist season. 

Slobodna Dalmacija asked Dubrovnik tourism experts if the tense situation between Russia and Ukraine could shake up the upcoming Croatian tourist season, from which we all expect a lot.

"My first impression is that it can and will, but I hope that it will not to a large extent," says Đuro Market, a tourism expert with many years of experience.

"In addition to COVID-19, which is here now and will be here for a long time, we have this situation with Ukraine and Russia. The question is how things will turn out. Certainly, this crisis will shake the wider area, not just Europe. In general, it will affect the results of tourist countries, and since we are still where we are, maybe a little more on us," says Market, who remembers other events that threw Dubrovnik tourism off track.

"When was the standstill? In 1995, the war in Croatia ended, and tourism began immediately. But NATO's bombing in the region in 1999, from March to June, is a stalemate. This significantly slowed down the sudden rise of tourism in Croatia after the war, and in 2000 everything started again.

When the Cypriots went to a part of the country that is still Turkish today, there was turmoil in tourism at the time. Tourism was also affected by diseases, such as smallpox. So it was a health situation, like today's corona, with the smallpox being controlled quite quickly," Market added.

Asked whether Americans and Russians will still travel as tourists despite tensions over Ukraine, he said:

"If there is an escalation, we are all in trouble. And as for travel, they will both travel. If it stops at this, life and tourism will go. But, in any case, the greater torment and pain is the pandemic. 

The other day I spoke to an agent who works in Germany and told me that guests booking the Adriatic, the Croatian coast, ask first about the vaccination rate, indicating what could affect this season's tourist achievements, which will be certainly better than last year. However, they will not be close to 2019."

Successful tourism entrepreneur Goran Hrnić believes that "this situation is quite problematic and critical for us, given that both Ukraine and Russia were our significant markets."

"Maybe not so much in Dubrovnik as in other parts of Croatia, but it also has an impact on the American market because Americans will find it difficult to decide to travel across the ocean to Europe if this is already the case. So if that conflict escalates, I’m not exactly optimistic. The whole of Europe is too close; people will not travel if that is the case. I still believe it won’t happen, but if it does, then I’m not very optimistic. It would certainly affect the season," Hrnić says. 

Can something be done to mitigate the possible consequences?

"I don't have a formula. To do additional promotion and throw money at it, and the result depends on the political situation, not on us? Tourism will be bad in Greece, Spain, and Croatia. One should pray to God that reason prevails," Hrnić answered.

Tourism expert Filip Marinko Žaja, the mayor's tourism adviser, says that the situation with Ukraine is "a bit more serious," and it is difficult to predict whether it will affect our tourist expectations.

"If they don't start fighting each other, it's good; it doesn't matter, it's far away. However, tourism is strange and sensitive. A long time ago, in the 1970s, something happened to the mussels down in Venice - they were poisoned. At that time, tourists didn't even come here because we also had Ston and mussels. God forbid there is war because in that case it will be felt in our country as well," says Žaja and continues:

"Istria and Kvarner will not be hurt, again they have the advantage because they have car guests. It takes them a four-hour drive from Munich to Poreč, and it takes at least 10, 11 hours to reach us."

Last year's tourist season was marked by the launch of direct lines between Dubrovnik and the United States, flying over the ocean eight times a week. In addition, we were connected to Moscow by Aeroflot, which opened a massive market for Russia. Can we expect Russians and Americans this season as well?

"If there is a conflict, it will be difficult for Russians and Americans to travel as tourists. They need to come by plane and cross the ocean. It's back to the same thing - if! And that "if" is trouble," says Žaja.

What kind of season can we expect if the Russia-Ukraine crisis remains calm?

"I hope it will be better; there is no fear of corona. They aren't shouting "put on a mask" in the store. So maybe only Spain, Portugal, and Greece will take a little bit of traffic, which they didn't have last year."

Nino Dubretić from Direct Booker, another experienced connoisseur of tourist opportunities, especially in private accommodation, believes that the tension in Ukraine has no impact on our tourism at this time.

"If the situation changes for the worse, it would be safe. It depends on what kind of escalation there is; if NATO is against Russia, then we all have a problem because practically the whole world is interfering. It is not seen in the numbers, but God forbid it escalates, as it would undoubtedly be noticed. But again, the question is in what number? I don't see that guests would give up traveling if there were some problems up there unless it was World War III," says Dubretić and adds that the pandemic is still our greatest danger.

He mentions that we are objectively entering a better season for everyone, the congress industry is alive, cruisers are returning, and announcements from the airport are optimistic.

"When we look at private accommodation, the numbers show that in the worst case, we will work 80 percent of 2019. I wouldn’t be surprised if we reach or overtake 2019. A lot depends on how you enter the season and how active the pre-season is. If it fails, there could be a lack of those 10, 15 percent of 2019 figures, but June, July through October should be repeated or even jump 2019," Dubretić is optimistic, concluding that "tourism will happen in April, especially bearing in mind the 'last minute' booings, which have been vital in the pandemic era. 

For more on travel in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

February 24, 2022 - The City of Split, as the majority owner, has applied for funds from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan for the Poljud Stadium renovation.

Poljud Stadium, a symbol of Split that has hosted some of the most spectacular football matches of Hajduk and the Croatia national team, has adorned the city under Marjan since 1979 when it was built for the 8th Mediterranean Games. However, this spectacular shell near the sea is in dire need of an upgrade, which is fortunately in the plans. 

Namely, according to the latest analysis, the renovation of the Poljud stadium costs around 148 million kuna, and the City of Split, as the majority owner, has applied for funds from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, writes Dalmacija News. As a result, the roof and concrete reinforcement of the Split beauty will be restored. If the City fails to receive support from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, funds will come from ITU mechanisms or other European Union financial instruments.

"The city of Split will have to intervene urgently in some parts of the stadium, regardless of the grant, and we will have to provide some funds in the rebalance," Split Deputy Mayor Antonio Kuzmanic told Dalmacija News.

"The amount is too large for the City of Split to invest on its own. We have both Plan B and Plan C, which might still delay the renovation a bit. As you can see, we are not standing on only one option. We are considering and preparing all variants," said the Deputy Mayor, claiming that the renovation of Poljud is one of the critical projects for the City. 

"In any case - we are ready for all situations, and we are ready for all adjustments to the financing model," the deputy mayor of Split concluded in an interview with Dalmacija News.

Recall, Hajduk has surpassed 50,000 members and could soon break the record from 1985, when there were 53,000. A fit stadium to hold its beloved fans has never been more needed. 

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

ZAGREB, 23 Feb 2022 - It is still possible to delay elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina, due in October, if that would help resolve the problem of electoral law reform, the leader of the predominantly Bosniak Democratic Action Party (SDA), Bakir Izetbegović, said on Wednesday.

Izetbegović was speaking to the press in Sarajevo after talks between the Croat and Bosniak parties on the reform of electoral law, which were to have been held in Mostar on Tuesday, had been cancelled without explanation.

Izetbegović said he had not been invited to that meeting at all, but added that that did not affect his readiness for talks to continue in order to reach a solution.

"It is not unrealistic for an agreement to be reached," the SDA leader said, adding that an agreement should include a provision requiring the enforcement of all court judgments that had found discrimination in the election process. He said that "some progress" had been made in the consultations held so far.

Izetbegović said that the representatives of the international community were now waiting for the politicians in Bosnia and Herzegovina to come closer in their views, after which they themselves might get involved in the finalisation of the agreement.

The SDA leader, however, rejected the possibility of changing the composition of the Central Election Commission (SIP), as demanded by the Croat HDZ BiH party and the SNSD of the Serb member of the state presidency, Milorad Dodik.

At a meeting of the upper house of the state parliament on Wednesday, the HDZ BiH and the SNSD adopted a conclusion saying that the present SIP had been appointed illegally and that the appointment procedure should be repeated. The two ruling Croat and Serb parties are dissatisfied because they consider the present Serb and Croat members of the SIP to be close to the opposition. The Bosniak MPs were against the proposal.

Izetbegović said that the HDZ and the SNSD could ask the court to decide on their proposal, otherwise the composition of the SDP would not be changed.

For more, check out our dedicated politics section.