ZAGREB, 23 March 2022 - Even though the opposition Bridge party still lacks 31 signatures to file a motion for the replacement of three government members, being seven signatures short of the number of signatures required for such a move, Social Democrats are not likely to sign the petition either.

Bridge vice-president Nikola Grmoja last week commended Bridge MPs as well as deputies of the Homeland Movement and the Social Democrats as "true opposition groups," attacking the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and We Can! for not wishing to sign his party's motion for the replacement of Deputy PM Boris Milošević, Labour Minister Josip Aladrović and Economy Minister Tomislav Ćorić.

Bridge is not likely to collect the remaining seven signatures from the Social Democrats as their position is similar to that of the SDP and We Can!, which believe that the dissolution of the parliament and calling an early election is a priority rather than insistence on the replacement of individual ministers.

A month ago, seven left-liberal groups put forward a proposal to dissolve the parliament, noting that a government reshuffle was not the solution because the government was incorrigible.

Even though Grmoja said that his party motion had been supported by Social Democrats Davor Bernardić and Matko Kuzmanić, according to unofficial sources from that party group, it is not very likely that more members of the party group will sign the petition.

Grmoja said that his party would continue calling on the rest of the Opposition to support the Bridge motion because it believes it is the only right thing to do.

"In these unstable times, it is not normal for people who are under investigation to keep their ministerial positions. It is the Opposition's task to make the prime minister come to the parliament and at least defend his ministers," Grmoja said, recalling that a month and a half ago the Bridge parliamentary group gave all of its eight signatures for the motion of the left-liberal opposition parties.

Asked on Monday by reporters about the Opposition's motion for the parliament's dissolution, Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković said that even when it was put on the agenda, it would not receive support.

Speaking of the ministers who were under investigation by the Office of State Attorney, he admitted that that made the situation more complicated but underlined the presumption of innocence and added that a decision on the matter was up to PM Andrej Plenković.

For more, check out our dedicated politics section.

ZAGREB, 23 March 2022 - Zagreb ranks fourth in Europe in terms of daily cannabis consumption, 11th in cocaine consumption, 12th in amphetamine consumption and 14th in terms of MDMA daily consumption, shows a European wastewater analysis project.

The results of the biggest European wastewater research in 2021, conducted by the Sewage analysis CORe group - Europe (SCORE) and the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, were published by psychiatrist and expert on dual diagnosis Ivan Ćelić of Zagreb's Psychiatric Hospital Vrapče on his Facebook wall.

SCORE is a Europe-wide network for the standardisation of the approaches used for wastewater analysis and coordination of international studies through the establishment of a common protocol of action.

The project analysed wastewater in 75 European cities in 23 EU countries as well as Turkey and Norway, to study the behaviour of drug consumers. This is so far the largest number of countries covered by the survey.

From Barcelona to Limassol and from Oslo to Porto, the survey analysed daily samples of wastewater during a week-long period between March and May 2021. The wastewater generated by around 45 million people was analysed for traces of four illegal stimulants - cocaine, amphetamine, methamphetamine and MDMA/ecstasy, and cannabis.

The survey indicates a general increase in the use of four of the five stimulants, with a decline in drug use having been reported only for MDMA in most cities.

The drugs were more evenly distributed among the locations covered by the survey and all five were detected in almost all cities, which is in contrast to previous years, when geographic patterns differed more.

Cocaine most frequently found in the west and south of Europe, Zagreb 11th

The latest results show that cocaine, even though still the most used drug in the cities of west and south Europe (notably Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain), is increasingly more present in the east of Europe.

In Zagreb, daily cocaine consumption was 548.62 mg per 1,000 population, which puts the Croatian capital in 11th place in Europe.

Czechia and Slovakia traditionally had the highest methamphetamine loads, and now that drug is also present in Belgium, Cyprus, the east of Germany, Spain, Turkey and several northern European countries.

The analysis of wastewater shows that the level of concentration of amphetamine still varies, with the highest levels being reported in northern and eastern Europe, and much lower in the south.

In Zagreb daily consumption of amphetamine was 151.41 mg per 1,000 population, which makes it rank 12th in Europe.

Croatia fourth in cannabis consumption  

As regards cannabis consumption, it was detected in Croatia, Czechia, Spain, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Portugal.

Restrictions introduced due to the COVID-19 pandemic do not seem to have affected the use of cannabis, unlike other drugs. Almost half the cities covered by the survey have reported an increase in cannabis consumption, with daily consumption in Zagreb being 132.9 mg per 1,000 population, which makes it rank fourth in Europe.

MDMA is the only drug whose metabolites have decreased in most surveyed cities, presumably due to the closing of nightlife spots during the pandemic, where that drug is often consumed.

The biggest concentrations of MDMA were found in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and Norway.

Zagreb ranks 14th, with daily consumption of 28.26 mg per 1,000 population.

In most countries the concentration of metabolites was higher in big cities. The survey also shows that in more than three-quarters of the surveyed cities typical recreational drugs, cocaine and MDMA, are used more on weekends than on working days while metabolites and the other three types of drugs were more evenly distributed through the week.

For more, check our lifestyle section.

ZAGREB, 23 March 2022 - The Croat parliamentary group in the House of Peoples of the Parliament of the BiH Federation entity on Wednesday harshly condemned death threats sent to HDZ BiH officials Dragan Čović and Ivo Tadić, calling for an urgent investigation and punishment of those responsible.

The death threats against Čović and Tadić, who is at the helm of the HDZ branch in Zenica-Doboj Canton and is also the whip for the Croat parliamentary group in the House of Peoples of the BiH Federation Parliament, were published on Tuesday in a Facebook post.

The Croat caucus underscored that the police and judicial bodies need to treat this as a very serious case because Tadić was exposed to similar threats in 2011, when an explosive device was planted in his car.

The HDZ BiH believes the threats are due to the failed negotiations on election reform. After the last round of negotiations failed, Čović and the leader of the Bosniak Party of Democratic Action (SDA), Bakir Izetbegović, exchanged some sharp accusations, blaming each other for the blockade and obstruction of the reform.

Čović told reporters on Tuesday that he had been exposed to threats for years, adding that he would not be intimidated.

For more, check out our dedicated politics section.

March 23, 2022 - With the 94th Academy Awards just around the corner, Total Croatia News takes a look at some of the major Croatian film festivals celebrating the best of Croatian and international cinema, paving the way for major film festivals in the world.

This Sunday, at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, the 94th edition of the Academy Awards will be held, celebrating the best of the film industry in 2021. In recent years, the role of international cinema in the film industry has been growing progressively. This was evident at the 92nd Academy Awards, where the Oscar for Best International Feature Film was awarded for the first time, replacing the previously named Best Foreign Language Film. More importantly, it was the fact that it was the first time that a non-English language film had won the prestigious Oscar for Best Picture. This was the case of 'Parasite', from South Korea, directed by Bong Joon-ho, who also won the statuettes for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay.

It seems that, in this last decade, the Academy has decided to reorient its vision of cinema towards a more globalized one, in which we can notice the presence of international films in different categories, thus nominating films, directors, actors, actresses, and scripts from all over the world.

Unfortunately, it could not be the year for Croatian cinema again as it failed to find a place among the best international films. No Croatian film has ever been nominated for Best International Film yet. This year, in particular, saw quite a bit of controversy in the selection process, after ''Murina'', directed by Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović, was not chosen by Croatia as its representative in the race for the Oscars, despite its enormous international recognition at festivals such as Cannes, where it won the Caméra d'Or for Best First Film. Instead, the Croatian candidate was ‘‘Tereza37’’, directed by Danilo Šerbedžija.

The Pula Film Festival, one of the most important Croatian film festivals. (Photo: www.pulafilmfestival.hr)

The road for Croatian filmmakers to the world's major film festivals is long and very competitive, but in recent years the international public has set its sights on this region of the continent, due to its richness in stories stemming from its turbulent past and present. The Bosnian film ''Quo Vadis, Aida?'', nominated in 2021, and the Macedonian film ''Honeyland'', nominated in 2019, are proof of this.

But despite the fact that the dream of every director is to show their stories to all corners of the world, it always starts here, at home. Many start out at student film festivals, or at film festivals organized by their towns or counties. If one investigates enough, they would realize that there are film festivals almost everywhere in Croatia. The Croatian Audiovisual Center, for instance, currently co-finances 60 Croatian film festivals and other audiovisual events. These Croatian film festivals serve various functions: they are particularly important for promoting Croatian audiovisual creation and serve as a platform for screening artistic content and non-commercial film forms, which makes them relevant on a local, regional, national, and, in some cases, international level.

In this article, we review ten Croatian film festivals with great recognition and importance not only for aspiring filmmakers but also for a large audience willing to enjoy good Croatian cinema. Many of these festivals also include workshops and special events for aspiring filmmakers. Pay close attention to the dates of these Croatian film festivals, you may still be in time to buy your ticket, or even submit your own movie or short film!

Zagreb Film Festival

Zagreb (23 – 30 October, 2022 | 20th Edition)

Zagreb Film Festival is one of the central and most visited cultural events and the largest among the Croatian film festivals. It is held during November in Zagreb and presents to its audience the best of newer independent international and local film production. From its beginnings, ZFF’s mission is to discover and promote contemporary independent film and debut films of directors from all over the world. For almost two decades, it has offered a festival, and later also a distribution platform, and it has screened works that are often left out of the programs of multiplex cinemas.

Photo: www.zff.hr

The festival has also played a key role in educating generations of audiences who enjoy film art. The festival program offers diverse film and educational content for all ages and interests, and serves as a platform for the networking of professionals: each edition of the festival gathers around 200 film experts from Croatia and around the world who come to Zagreb to present their films or participate in the festival’s educational programs.

Split Film Festival – International Festival of New Film

Split (1 – 9 September, 2022 | 27th Edition)

Photo: Split Film Festival/Facebook

The Split Film Festival – International Festival of New Film focuses on new, creative, experimental, radical, and subversive films, videos, and new media works. It screens all forms and genres, with a special focus on works diverging from the mainstream film and video production model, regardless of whether it concerns traditional filmmaking techniques or the use of the most recent digital technology.

The competition programme is divided into two parts: feature films and shorts. The festival’s side programme presents web projects, interactive works, performances, special programmes, and retrospectives of local and international filmmakers.

Pula Film Festival

Pula (16 – 23 July, 2022 | 69th Edition)

Photo: www.pulafilmfestival.hr

Pula Film Festival is one of the oldest ongoing film festivals in Europe and the world. Launched in 1954 as the main festival of Yugoslav films, Pula Film Festival became Croatia’s national film festival in 1992. Its main competition programme includes feature fiction films. Alongside other city locations, the festival’s programme takes place in Pula’s amphitheater, popularly called the Arena. It is organized by the Pula Film Festival public institution.

STIFF – Student International Film Festival

Rijeka (November 25 – 28, 2022 | 9th Edition)

Photo: www.studentfilmfestival.eu

STIFF is Croatia’s first International Film Festival dedicated entirely to student films. Established by the SKC Rijeka (Student Cultural Center) and Filmaktiv – the purpose of the festival is to strengthen the student film industry by allowing an insight into the work of other fellow student filmmakers, encouraging the development of new ideas, and establishing international collaborations in the field of media production. STIFF’s main goal is to present the best of student film production from all around the world and help them get their audiences. It strives to educate audiences about the quality of work of emerging filmmakers.

Mediterranean Film Festival Split

Split (16 – 25 June, 2022 | 15th Edition)

Photo: www.fmfs.hr

Mediterranean Film Festival Split takes place annually in June in the city of Split, the second-largest city in Croatia. The Festival's focus are feature and short fiction and documentary films from Mediterranean countries. Besides feature films, great attention is dedicated to the program of short films and the promotion of young authors and their work. The Festival also organizes lectures, workshops, exhibitions, and other side events. In 12 years of its existence, the Festival has become the most visited cultural event in the city of Split. Kino Mediteran project is also part of the FMFS. It is a network of cinemas in 30 small Croatian coastal towns, mostly on islands. 

Croatian Film Days

Zagreb (10 – 14 May, 2022 | 31st Edition)

Photo: www.dhf.hr

The Croatian Film Days are a national festival founded in 1991 devoted to showcasing Croatia’s annual production of short- and medium-length feature, documentary, experimental, animated, and commercial films. The festival is of a competitive nature, with awards handed out by the festival jury, members of the Croatian Film Critic’s Association, and the audience. The organizer is the Croatian Film Association.

Motovun Film Festival

Motovun (26 – 30 July, 2022 | 25th Edition)

Photo: www.motovunfilmfestival.com

The Motovun Film Festival is dedicated to films made within small film industries and by independent productions. The programme consists of feature and short fiction and documentary films. The festival is jointly organized by the Motovun Film Festival, the Istria County, and the Municipality of Motovun.

Vukovar Film Festival – Danube region film festival

Vukovar (Summer, 2022 | 16th Edition)

Photo: www.vukovarfilmfestival.com

Vukovar Film Festival screens films from the Danube and neighboring countries – Slovenia, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Czech Republic, Greece, Croatia, Hungary, Moldavia, Germany, Romania, Slovakia, Serbia, and Ukraine. It is the only festival that takes place literally on the Danube. The competition programme accepts feature, short fiction, and documentary films, and the jury hands out awards for all three categories. The festival is organized by Discovery Film, the City of Vukovar, and the Croatian House of Vukovar.

ZagrebDox

Zagreb (3 – 10 April, 2022 | 18th Edition)

Photo: ZagrebDox © Julien Duval

ZagrebDox is an international documentary film festival launched in 2005. The Festival is intended to provide audiences and experts insight into the recent documentary films, stimulate national documentary production, and boost international and regional cooperation in co-productions. The festival's competition program has international and regional categories. Besides the competition program, ZagrebDox has a number of non-competition programs – retrospectives and films focused on specific subjects, genres, techniques, and esthetics.

Brač Film Festival

Brač (Summer, 2022 | 8th Edition)

Brač Film Festival is an international feature film festival for emerging filmmakers from Europe and the Mediterranean. Key goals of the Festival are promotion of the first time feature film directors, presentation of short student films, development of film literacy amongst children and youth, and connecting young film professionals with experienced ones. The short film program is the only competition program, where the audience gives prizes for the best short film.

Learn about other Croatian film festivals at the Croatian Audiovisual Centre official website HERE.

For more, check out our lifestyle section.

ZAGREB, 23 March 2022 - Minister of Regional Development and EU Funds Nataša Tramišak has confirmed for the Jutarnji List daily that she has received threats which she hasn't officially reported yet, saying that the problems started when she did not extend a contract with the Omega Software company.

"Unfortunately, I can't say that the rumours of the threats I am receiving as reported by the Nacional weekly aren't true. I have been receiving indirect threats for months now and all because of business decisions I make as Minister of Regional Development and EU Funds. The last one I received said '... There will be blood...' and was conveyed to me by a man whom I'd rather not name but who was in the ministry in January this year," said Tramišak.

The Wednesday issue of the Jutarnji List daily said that the problems for Minister Tramišak started when she decided not to extend a contract for the eFond information system with the Omega Software company and awarded it to the Financial Agency (FINA).

Not one of the threats were directed or sent to her personally, so she did not officially report them.

"However, in that last conversation with that man and following his comment that 'there will be blood', I said I would then seek asylum in Brussels," said Minister Tramišak.

She said that she did not discuss this with Prime Minister Andrej Plenković but had told her friends and colleagues about it.

"I didn't discuss the threats with Prime Minister Plenković," she said, stressing that she had a few witnesses who were present at the meetings when the threats were conveyed to her.

Asked whether she would name the persons conveying the threats, if they were the people the Nacional weekly wrote about and if speculation was true that it was Milijan Brkić, Tramišak said that she had never spoken with Brkić.

"I heard from FINA unofficially that Brkić had met with them when we terminated our cooperation with Omega Software and hired FINA," said Tramišak.

There is no official confirmation that Brkić allegedly conveyed the threats.

The Jutarnji List tried to contact Brkić but he did not respond to its calls or messages.

Plenković's advisor Zvonimir Savić has frequently visited the ministry, however, Tramišak said that the purpose of his business visits was of a completely different nature.

"I don't know who is behind those messages. I don't know if Omega Software - which has in the meantime reportedly changed its owner - has a shadow owner, but the messages aren't stopping, in fact, they have intensified and I do not feel comfortable," she said.

Omega Software was taken over by the M SAN Group in October.

Omega Software said they cannot comment on "unverified and sensationalist media reports" of which they have no knowledge, claiming that someone evidently wanted to slur the company's reputation, the Jutarnji List daily said.

For more, check out our dedicated politics section.

March 23, 2022 - On Tuesday, the procedures for the 2022 FIFA World Cup draw were announced, scheduled for April 1. 28 national teams, which have already qualified, will be divided into four strong groups based on the FIFA rankings, which will be published March 31. 

Croatia is currently 15th in the FIFA ranking. If it stays in that position, it will be in the second strong group (Pot 2), which will depend on the results of the friendly matches against Slovenia and Bulgaria in Doha. Croatia is most threatened by Sweden and Senegal.

The first seven teams in the FIFA ranking on March 31 will be the top seeds, and Qatar as the host country will be the top seed of Group A. The final fourth pot will include 24th to 28th in the ranking, plus three teams, which will not be defined at the time of the draw, and which will come out of the intercontinental playoffs and the remaining UEFA playoff winners.

Ukraine has been granted a postponement of the semi-final playoff against Scotland, and the winner of that match will face the winner of Wales and Austria. The European playoffs will end in May or June, and two intercontinental playoffs in Qatar on June 14 and 15. 

FIFA also announced that teams from the same confederation could not be included in the same group, except those from Europe, of which there are 13. Thus, five of the eight groups will have two European teams.

The group stage will play across 12 days, with four games played per day. The schedule will be determined after each match is assigned a stadium and start time.

The Croatia national football team will play two friendly matches later this month in Qatar. The first match is scheduled for Saturday, March 26, at 3 pm against Slovenia. The second match will be played against Bulgaria on Tuesday, March 29 at 4 pm, both at the Education City Stadium in Doha.

These will be the first Croatia national team matches after qualifying for the 2022 World Cup and will serve as preparation for coach Zlatko Dalić and what awaits the team for the rest of the year. This tournament also serves as excellent preparation for the World Cup in Qatar, as the climate and stadiums will be tested. As far as tactics are concerned, Dalić will also test a new formation with three in the backline as there will be no room to experiment in the four Nations League matches in June.

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

March 23, 2022 - 41-year-old former Croatia handball pivot Igor Vori has come out of retirement to join German Bundesliga club Fuchse Berlin!

The celebrated Croatia handball player Igor Vori will play handball again after almost three years! On Tuesday, he signed a contract with the German Bundesliga club Fuchse from Berlin, reports Sportske Novosti.

Fuchse striker Johan Koch from Denmark is seriously injured, and the German club sent an offer to Igor Vori, who accepted it, even though he has not played handball for almost three years.

Vori was the director of the Croatia national handball team. From June to October 2020, he was also the coach of PPD Zagreb, and he was recently named the coach of the Croatia junior national team.

Vori has 246 appearances for Croatia. He became the Olympic champion with Croatia in 2004, was the best player of the 2009 World Championships, and won the Olympic bronze in London in 2012. From 2009 to 2013, Vori played in the Bundesliga for HSV Hamburg. The 2.03-meter-tall pivot also played for Zagreb, Barcelona, and Paris Saint-Germain.

Board member Stefan Kretzschmar spoke about Vori's arrival: 

"We were thinking about how we could make up for the absence of Johan Koch. As the transition period closed in February, only players who did not previously have a contract or played were allowed to be brought in. The choice is, of course, limited. I talked to some pivots on the phone, and Igor Vori immediately said he wanted to help. His readiness was also decisive. We get a very experienced player who can relieve Mijaj Marsenić. We get a great player for the tasks ahead. I would also like to thank Bob Hanning for making this transfer possible."

Füchse coach Jaron Siewert is also satisfied.

"Some at the club know Igor, and I've only heard positive things about him from them," Siewert said.

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

March 23, 2022 - The latest on flights to Croatia as the British Airways Zagreb line is boosted for the summer, and Air France adds two daily flights to Zagreb in the peak summer season. 

With the start of the summer flight schedule, British Airways is increasing the number of rotations on the regular line between London and Zagreb, reports Croatian Aviation. 

British Airways has renewed its route to Zagreb with a relatively modest number of weekly operations. Still, with the start of the summer flight schedule, there will be a positive shift in increasing the number of weekly operations between London and Zagreb.

The number of weekly rotations will gradually increase, with five flights announced this week and 8 return flights available next week.

From April 4 to 10, British Airways will operate between the two airports 10 times a week, daily, with two daily flights available on Mondays, Fridays, and Sundays.

The number of operations will continue to increase. As of mid-April, 13 rotations per week are currently announced, the number corresponding to the British Airways winter flight schedule in 2019, before the pandemic. Two flights a day are planned, every day of the week except Saturday.

There are 49 British Airways return flights in April between the two cities. A320 aircraft with 180 seats have been announced for the flights, offering more than 17,500 seats in one month.

Furthermore, Croatian Aviation reports that French national airline Air France, a member of the SkyTeam alliance, has revised its summer flight schedule and offers two daily flights to Zagreb in the peak summer season. 

Although Air France announced a second daily flight between Paris and Zagreb before the pandemic, the plan did not materialize due to a sharp drop in demand and lockdown across Europe. Thus, instead of this airline, the second daily flight was introduced by partner KLM, and now the same is announced by Air France.

Namely, from the beginning of the summer flight schedule, Air France will continue to operate daily between Paris and Zagreb, and in the peak summer season, from July 9, the second daily flight was announced.

Namely, two daily flights are currently announced in July, except on Wednesdays when Air France will have one daily flight, while in August, two daily flights are available for booking every day of the week.

In addition, Croatia Airlines continues to operate between Paris and Zagreb, so a total of three daily flights will be available between these two airports during the peak summer season, or 21 flights a week!

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