August 11, 2022 – A safe tourist season is a good tourist season. Safety at sea is just as important as any other kind. A significant maritime safety action was conducted on Wednesday, August 10, resulting in hefty fines.

The Adriatic Sea remains safe, as the officials of the port authorities gave out fines in the total amount of HRK 421 thousand to violators who did not respect the prescribed sailing speeds in the unauthorized sea area.

As reported by Poslovni, as part of the "Safe navigation 2022 II" action in all port authorities, 368 inspections were carried out and 157 violations of regulations were found, for which the violators were fined HRK 421,000, as announced by the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure.

The second coordinated action of enhanced navigation surveillance lasted on Wednesday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. across the Adriatic coast.

Eighty officers with 14 vessels from eight harbor master's offices and associated branches performed 360 inspections, finding 157 violations of regulations, based on the Maritime Code and the Rulebook on the Safety of Maritime Navigation.

Special attention was put on the inspection of passenger ships in national navigation, intended for one-day trips and multi-day cruises, whereby the validity of the ship's administration, the number of crew members, and certificates of qualification of the crew members were closely monitored.

Also, the officials of the port authorities gave out fines in the total amount of HRK 421,000 to violators who did not respect the prescribed sailing speeds in the unauthorized sea area.

Port authorities will continue to implement actions to increase the safety of navigation in the summer season, while maritime traffic is intensified, primarily with the aim of preventing maritime accidents and incidents, that is, sanctioning violators, which indicates the necessity of observing safety regulations during navigation, the Ministry of the Sea traffic and infrastructure points out.

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

ZAGREB, 11 August, 2022 - The Safe Journalists network and the Croatian Journalists' Association (HND) on Thursday condemned threats against a reporter for the Zadarski List, Toni Perinić, who was investigating a case of a tourist scam, with the associations calling on competent institutions to punish the perpetrator as soon as possible.

The Safe Journalists network said that Perinić, who is 21, received threats while investigating online tourist complaints, as well as those sent to the local tourism board, about an apartment renter from Privlaka.

The associations added that the reporter was threatened by the renter's father, who, among other things, told Perinić to "be careful what he writes because it could cost him."

"The Croatian Journalists' Association strongly condemns the threats received by our colleague, whom we fully support," said HND President Hrvoje Zovko.

He added that this case is another indicator of the atmosphere in which reporters of local media outlets work.

The Safe Journalists network said the threats were made when Perinić went to photograph the apartments in question for his article.

The journalist was investigating complaints by guests from whom the apartment owner asked for an advance payment of HRK 500, and then cancelled the reservations for various reasons.

The apartment owner's father allegedly took down the number plate of the car Perinić was driving and found Perinić's father's phone number, and made the threats over the phone.

Zadar police have said that a criminal investigation has been completed against the 54-year-old man who threatened Perinić and that a criminal report is about to be filed with prosecutorial authorities.

ZAGREB, 11 August, 2022 -  Croatia has registered 1,583 new COVID cases and 15 related deaths in the past 24 hours, the national COVID response team reported on Thursday.

There are currently 616 hospitalised patients, 23 of whom are on ventilators, while 4,746 people are self-isolating.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, a total of 1,197,804 COVID cases have been recorded in Croatia; 16,461 patients have died as a consequence and 1,173,158 have recovered, including 1,093 in the past 24 hours.

To date, 59.58% of the total population, or 70.85% of adults, have been vaccinated.

August 11, 2022 - Looking for a job in Croatia? A new weekly feature on TCN, in partnership with leading job site agency, Posao.hr, who present a selection of weekly job listings.

How hard is it to find a job in Croatia, and what is on offer?

We spoke to Ines Bokan, director of leading jobs site Posao.hr, who kindly took the time for this excellent interview overview.  

Ines has kindly agreed to work with us on a new weekly feature on TCN - a weekly selection of 10 job listings, as chosen by Posao.hr.  Details and links to the job opportunities below in the fourth week of this feature.

Posao.hr selected specially for you

WEEKLY SELECTION OF JOB LISTINGS

Gi Group Staffing Solutions is looking for a Head of ICT Infrastructure & Security (m/f) in Istra and Kvarner. Applications can be submitted until Aug 28^th. and the employer can provide a competitive financial package, allowances for various occasions; and opportunities for professional development. Apply via this link.

Strabag AG is looking for a Construction Technician / Civil Engineer (m/f/d) as Product Manager for BIM Platforms for work in Zagreb, Vienna or Stuttgart. If you'd like to work in a highly innovative, technologically challenging and creative work environment, apply by clicking this link. Applications can be submitted until Aug 27^th.

Salesianer Miettex GmbH is hiring a Project Manager AT / CEE / SEE (w/m/x) in Wien, Austria. If you are looking for top career opportunities in a successful, fast-growing Austrian family business, this is a great opportunity for you! Apply via this link by Aug 24^th.

The Emirates Group is looking for new Cabin Crew (m/f) members. The requirements include, among other things, at least one year of previous hospitality experience and a minimum height of 160cm. If you are ready to relocate to Dubai, UAE, with free accommodation, a tax-free salary and generous travel benefits apply by Sep 1^st by clicking this link.

CHEP is looking for a Business Analyst – Asset Productivity (m/f) for remote work! They are offering an annual bonus depending on personal and company performance, an option to purchase shares within the Brambles Group, professional & self-development programs and 3 days paid leave for volunteering. Apply by clicking this link on Aug 26^th at the latest.

Sayart is looking for a Digital Designer (m/f) to join their growing team in Zagreb. They are offering a starting salary between 8.000 kn and 14.000 kn, a high-end gaming laptop, additional courses and knowledge development. Apply by Aug 15^th by clicking this link.

Accenture Services Sp. z.o.o. in Warsaw, Poland is looking for a new Junior Data Reviewer with English and Croatian/Bosnian/Serbian/Macedonian (m/f). If you are fluent in one of these languages and either proficient in or willing to learn Cyrillic, this could be a great opportunity for you. Applications can be submitted by clicking this link until Aug 18^th.

CCPORTER Sp. z.o.o. is hiring a Sales Trainer with Croatian and English language (m/f) for remote work anywhere in Croatia. Other than working from home, this position offers attractive remuneration, a high level of independence and an opportunity to develop coaching skills. Apply through this link until Aug 26^th.

yoummday GmbH is looking for new Home-Office Agents (m/w/d) for remote work anywhere in Europe! The employer is offering flexible work hours, work with reputable customers and up to 3.500 € a month! Apply by Sep 1^st via this link.

Gi Group Staffing Solutions is hiring a Research and Development Manager (m/f) in Zagreb. Applications can be submitted until Aug 16^th. They are offering you a part in a unique project, growth with the company, working in a passionate multi-national team and helping you pursue your ideas. Apply by clicking this link!

For more career options and job listings visit posao.hr.

These weekly job listings will appear in the weekly TCN newsletter - you can subscribe here.

****

What is it like to live in Croatia? An expat for 20 years, you can follow my series, 20 Ways Croatia Changed Me in 20 Years, starting at the beginning - Business and Dalmatia.

Follow Paul Bradbury on LinkedIn.

Croatia, a Survival Kit for Foreigners will be out by Christmas. If you would like to reserve a copy, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Subject 20 Years Book

August 11, 2022 – Croatia is a land of many joys. Its young minds should certainly take the top of the list to be celebrated. This time, the first Croatian humanoid robot can even tell you that.

A student of the Technical Faculty in Rijeka, Karlo Džafić, presented his work at HRT. “The robot's name is Timmy Hartera. It all started in 2019 when I wanted to do robotics and I 'googled' the InMoov site, designed as a platform for everyone who wants to do robotics and do something like I did”, said Karlo.

The robot was made using two 3D printers, while plastic and a lot of electronics were used as materials.

“I got most of it online from abroad, and it all took two and a half years. The robot has over 400 parts - it even has ears, eyes that are two web cameras, and different sensors to be as human-like as possible and behave like it. I did everything completely by myself – from financing to production”, he says, adding that he decided to take on this venture to test his limits.

“Robotics includes more areas than mechanics, electronics, and programming – and all three technical areas interest me, so why not”, he concluded.

In autumn, Karlo plans to make an updated version of his robot, and in the spring, maybe record a podcast where the robot will speak Croatian, so that, says Karlo, the experience would be even greater.

The robot is now under 'repair'.

“Now I want to analyse things and improve what can be improved”, said Karlo.

Scientific associate at the Technical Faculty in Rijeka, Ph.D. Ivan Lorencin supports Karlo in his venture and points out that students like Karlo are a motivation for the scientific department of the faculty to continue their work in science and higher education.

“Such projects are our motive for establishing the Ri-STEM conference, which is being held for the second year in a row, and where Timmy Hartera, the robot was presented to the public for the first time. Such projects provide our students and potential future scientists with a springboard for further careers”, explains Lorencin.

The research group for artificial intelligence and robotics of the Technical Faculty plans to open a STEM center in Medulin soon, through which Karlo, as well as other future young experts and scientists, will be able to receive certain financial support for the development of their projects.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated Made in Croatia section.

August 11, 2022 - A summer blast from the past brought to us by the Nikola Tesla Technical Museum in Zagreb. Check out the 1970s swimsuits in Croatia!

"Summer gives birth to new people...harmonious, unrestrained. Pristinely beautiful. Between air, water, and sun. A swimsuit is part of them. Their ways. Their beauties." reads an advertising brochure used by the Varaždin VIS factory in the 1970s to entice customers to buy its swimsuits. 

Swimwear has undoubtedly evolved throughout history, and many new swimwear trends are met with outrage - well, compared to the swimsuits of the past. The Nikola Tesla Technical Museum has thus published a series of photos of how 1970s swimsuits in Croatia looked, where they were bought, and how manufacturers lured customers to buy them. 

The first Yugoslavian swimwear and terrycloth show was held at the Hotel Slavija in Borik near Zadar at the end of March 1970. The collections presented by the manufacturers were distinguished by 'exclusive designs' and 'very stable colors,' with the women featured being very attractive and feminine.

In addition to Lisca, another participant in the show was the Varaždin VIS factory, which at the time even offered to make custom designs on orders. Umbrellas from the VIS factory, which cost as much as a vacuum cleaner (a fifth of someone's month's salary back then), were taken to the beach, ALKA Frigoterm small portable coolers made by Jugopastika kept food cool, while Badel's Nara or Inka or Droga's Fla-Vor-Aid were the drink of choice. Coppertone Tropical Blend from Belupo or Nivea from the NEVA factory in Zagreb was the go-to sun protection brand.

START Magazine wrote about what a summer vacation looked like in the 1970s: "Vacation is not only about relaxing the body but actually activating it. A man in his seventies is mature enough to go to the sea, sail, and find his bay. The era of tourism with air mattress man is passing. People no longer come to the sea to gain weight but regain some of their elasticity and adventure.'

New water activities then included water skiing, windsurfing, and fishing. In 1979, swimming was a skill practiced by 75 percent of respondents in Croatia, more often men than women and younger than older.

Although no one was seen wearing thongs and bikinis at the time, these new swimwear trends caused disbelief, which is best described in the text below:

"The intense heat, which prevailed at the beginning of the month and forced the mercury in the thermometer to an unusual height, so to speak, lured all of Zagreb to the Sava. Especially on Sundays, the number of people from Zagreb on the Sava reaches ten thousand! Everything bustles here, everyone mixes, enters the water, and from the water to the sand to sunbathe. From small children to the elderly, everyone left the city to cool off in the silver foamy waves of the Sava. Even if the city's swimming pool is huge, and Gospodarič's has been enlarged, it is still too small to accommodate so many bathers and provide everyone with a cabin. Many come and can't find a place to undress; they are forced to swim further west of the city swimming area. Life at the swimming pool faithfully reflects Zagreb and all its citizens. Many of them have lunch at the swimming pool, then go to homes or restaurants in the afternoon to have dinner, from the Sava through Zrinjevac to Maksimir and the pleasant and quiet courtyards in Gornji grad. 

It's no wonder that at the crowded Sava swimming area these days, feinschmeckers or gourmands, precisely gourmands, enjoy looking at the young women, those golden fishes, Nymphs, and Sirens in the silvery waters and sigh to themselves: Ah, ah and ah! So they go for a beer so that the wishes live on! That's why the well-dressed older ladies are outraged by today's women's swimsuits. Today, women are almost naked, and when we were their age, we had full bathing suits and socks on our feet just so that no one could see a glimpse of our naked body. Oh, how corrupt the world has become!"

Source: 24 Sata

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

August 11, 2022 - Employment in Croatia is always an interesting topic. The fluctuations of unemployment rates are in line with the tourist season, with the increase usually happening in August. This year's self-employment increase, however, all happened thanks to women who have started their trades or companies.

As Poslovni reports, a streak of five months of consecutive reductions in the number of unemployed in the records of the Croatian Employment Service (HZZ) ended in July.

At the end of last month, 109,571 unemployed people were registered, i.e., 3,772 more than the month before, and the first third of August also points to the beginning of a seasonal increase in the number of unemployed (compared to yesterday, an increase of about 900 persons was recorded), although currently there are more than 16 thousand vacancies.

Last year, the seasonal deflation only started in August, but a little later seasonal employment started to increase. All in all, in year-on-year comparisons, significantly fewer unemployed persons are still registered with the Institute. Compared to last July, that amounts to 13 percent or 16,431 fewer.

The latest figures from the CES show that during July of this year, slightly less than 15.2 thousand people were newly registered in the unemployment register, or about five percent less than last year.

Every third person from the sector of education

At the same time, the majority (about 70 percent) came to the Institute directly from previous employment, while for every third of them that previous job was in education.

More than 2,500 newly registered persons entered the unemployment register having graduated from regular education, and nearly 1,900 persons registered with the Croatian Employment Service after previously being inactive.

At the same time, last month there were about 30 percent fewer exits from the unemployment register than in July last year, while more than eight thousand out of 11.4 thousand exited the register due to employment.

Nine out of ten (or a total of 7,234 people) established a working relationship with an employer, and the other 824 had other business activities. More than half (448) of them became self-employed by registering a trade, and more than 220 of them did so by establishing a company, while the rest mainly involved earning income from another independent activity that exceeds the amount of the average guaranteed benefit.

There were 5,420 of those who were in the records of the CES and were employed based on these business activities (and not by entering an employment relationship) in the first seven months of this year, or about a hundred more than in the same period last year.

Although there are more men in that group (and the largest number refers to starting a trade or company), it should be noted that practically the entire year-on-year growth is the result of an increase in such (self-)employment among women.

Most of the new employees who entered employment contracts with their employers in July (as well as the newly registered unemployed) were in the tourism and hospitality industries and the trade and processing industry.

Considering the seasonal characteristics of July, last month among the counties, Split-Dalmatia and Osijek-Baranja counties led the way in terms of employment, which are also the counties with the highest absolute numbers of registered unemployed (in Split-Dalmatia there are more than 18.5 thousand or almost 17 percent of the total unemployed in the Republic of Croatia, and in Osijek-Baranja more than 14.2 thousand or 13 percent).

European statistics

The share of the unemployed who receive minimum benefits has been trending downward in recent years, and recently that has been approximately a fifth. In July, it meant about 22 thousand users.

The unemployment rate according to the methodology of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in Croatia was at 6.3 percent in the middle of the year (according to ILO standards, there were 114 thousand people without a job), i.e. significantly below 7.7 percent at the same time last year.

Although this 6.3 percent is slightly higher than Croatia’s historically lowest rate, unemployment is currently very low throughout the European Union, with places like the Czech Republic, Poland, Germany, Malta, and Hungary where it is within (up to) three percent, while Spain and Greece were the only ones with a double-digit unemployment rate according to ILO standards in June.

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

ZAGREB, 11 Aug (Hina) - The average net monthly salary for May paidby legal entities in Zagreb was HRK 8,863 (€1,182), an increase of 7.4% over May 2021, the city department for strategic planning and development said.

Compared with the national average of HRK 7,690 (€1,025), the average take-home pay in Zagreb was HRK 1,173 (€156) higher.

The highest average net salary was paid in the extraction of crude oil and natural gas industry, of HRK 15,851 (€2,113), and the lowest in the leather manufacturing industry, of HRK 4,883 (€651).

(€1 = HRK 7.5)