October the 28th, 2021 - Croatian ACI marinas have been extremely popular ever since their arrival in the country, and with the coronavirus pandemic haven shaken the economy, it's more than encouraging to see that they have finally reached their pre-pandemic revenue levels.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes, thanks to the accelerated vaccination rollout and the highest standards of protection across all Croatian ACI marinas, as well as mitigation of epidemiological measures and the opening of borders in Croatia to tourists, the operating revenue of this chain of marinas increased by 20.1 million kuna in the third quarter of 2021, or 29 percent in the third quarter of last year, the company recently reported.

These results are at the level of the results achieved in the third quarter of the pre-pandemic record year of 2019. More specifically, ACI d.d. earned 88.7 million kuna in the third quarter of 2019, 69.4 million kuna last year, and 89.5 kuna million in the third quarter of this year.

"Looking at these results, with special emphasis placed on the results achieved in the third quarter of this year, we can say that we're extremely satisfied. All the activities we undertook to prepare for the tourist season, with the priority having been the health and safety of both our employees and our guests, ensured an increase in operating revenues and the season in the wake of 2019, which is something we'd wished for.

With the end of the nautical tourism season for this year and the beginning of its preparation of the next season, it should be emphasised that we're going ahead with the complete reconstruction of the breakwater on Korcula, and that we had investments that began after the end of the season - primarily in the Croatian ACI marinas of Dubrovnik, Trogir, Zut and Piskera, Rab, Milna and Vodice, which all represent significant investments.  All of the above, as well as new projects launched during the year, indicate the dynamic period the company is currently in,'' said the director, Kristijan Pavic.

ACI also noted that this year, they established a joint company with GITONE Kvarner, which operates within the Lurssen Group. ACI-GITONE has applied for a concession for the construction and economic use of the nautical tourism port Porto Baros in Rijeka, the future ACI marina Rijeka, which is also the largest and most important nautical project in the history of the Republic of Croatia.

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

October the 28th, 2021 - Yet another Peljesac bridge construction site has popped up as the final completion of this massive strategic project draws ever closer and the final touches are dealt with.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, after what seems like an eternity of talking and then constructing, the works on Peljesac bridge have entered their final phase. Another very important Peljesac bridge construction site has now popped up and been opened next to the bridge itself - the sewage system from Komarna to Duboka.

''We've done 350 metres of the canal and now we're waiting for the entrance to the construction site next to the bridge itself. From there, we're left to connect across the road and descend towards Duboka,'' Ante Jukic, the construction site manager, told HRT.

''I must point out that we've received a valid permit for the use of this section to Duboka, and all of the preparations are underway to connect it all, ie, to connect those facilities that gravitate along the main pipeline,'' said Smiljan Mustapic, the mayor of nearby Slivno.

The connection of the facility to the system in Klek, Duboka and Komarna should start functioning in March next year, because a secondary network has already been built in the streets located directly by the shoreline.

''We've now got until next summer to solve this problem of our bay and then to continue with further development,'' emphasised Stipan Parmac from Duboka.

''We know that every day there are bigger and bigger capacities in the place itself. There's an increasing influx of tourists and I must say that it is to be commended,'' said Mate Dragobratic from Komarna.

Slovenian tourists, including the mayor of Ljutomer, have also been coming to see Peljesac bridge construction site as works have progressed. The bridge thus provoked a spontaneous meeting between the two municipal leaders.

''It's a good bridge because it was designed by a man from Slovenia. Bravo Croatia for building it,'' said Olga Karba, the mayor of Ljutomer, Slovenia.

''We've exchanged numbers and I hope there might even be a possibility of twinning,'' added Smiljan Mustapic, the mayor of Slivno, in response to the Slovenian mayor's comments on Croatia's largest strategic project which will finally unite the extreme south of Dalmatia with the rest of the country's territory.

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

October 28, 2021 - Outgoing Zagreb Digital Nomad Ambassador Andrae Smith invites you to share your scariest and funniest travel story at her final event at Canopy by Hilton on Saturday.

Have you ever woken up in a Belgian hospital with no idea how you got there, unable to move your legs?

Been arrested wearing just a (very short) bathrobe by St Petersburg main train station?

Been chased by 7 armed Rwandese soldiers after you inadvertently destroyed their military road block?

Or ripped the duvet off a sleeping naked guest by mistake while working as a male chambermaid who had host his glasses?

If not, do you have your scariest and/or funniest travel story which you would like to share?

Following the success of last month's Zagreb Digital Nomad Meetup and Pitch night, when LOTS of people took advantage of the open mic session to take about their travel and nomad experiences, this month's ambassador Andrae Smith from South Africa will be hosting a similar event based on the themes of scariest and funniest travel stories. 

The event will start at 18:30 on Saturday at Canopy by Hilton, who will welcome everyone with a complimentary drink. Andrae is looking for volunteers to speak, so that we have a confirmed list of contributors before handing the mike to the floor. If you would like to share your pain on the road, please contact her via her Work Wanderers website. 

After the event, the party will continue over at Bustan Bar in Varsavka, which is hosting a Halloween party - all welcome. 

Andrae will also be introducing the new Zagreb Digital Nomad Ambassador for November, Rax from Singapore. I am sure both Rax and Andrae have plenty of tales from their lives on the road. 

Would you like to apply to be the Zagreb Digital Nomad Ambassador for December?

For more news and features on digital nomads in Croatia, follow the dedicated TCN section. 

ZAGREB, 27 Oct 2021 - President Zoran Milanović said on Wednesday that Croatia's problem is that it is on the "external border of the Schengen Area, yet it isn't Schengen," he said, criticizing the EU for procrastination in allowing Croatia to join this passport-free area.

That is being prolonged yet Croatia is expected to act as if it is playing in the first four Series A or premiership league teams, Milanović said after meeting with his Maltese counterpart George Vella.

Apart from strengthening cooperation, the presidents discussed foreign policy topics including migration which has once again come to the fore with the Afghanistan crisis.

Milanović believes that Croatia is in an unfavorable situation due to its position.

"This puts us and our reputation in a bad situation because if the Croatian police don’t control the border then Croatia is unreliable and isn’t doing its job. If the Croatian police do their job and make mistakes at times, exceeding their authority, then it is something that Europe points its finger at Croatia. That’s not fair," said Milanović.

Milanović asked Malta to support Croatia, as the youngest EU member state, and its accession to the Schengen Area and criticized the Union for "procrastination and delay."

Romania and Bulgaria have been members of the EU since 2007 and are still waiting for a green light to access that European area without border controls.

Vella said that the migration issue is a huge challenge for the EU, however, he expects a consensus from all 27 members of the bloc.

Saying that his small country is full of migrants, the only solution is to proportionally distribute migrants and refugees among member states prepared to take them. 

We are trying to find countries - 20, 22- as many as possible willing to work together and try and implement a system of distribution (of migrants), said Vella.  

Milanović praised Malta for its treatment of the migration issue.

"A small nation such as Malta, in the middle of the Mediterranean – with a special culture, language and identity, is different from others yet open in every aspect the whole time – it is able to deliberate the difficult topic of migration maturely, soberly and humanely, while some Central European states are just about to arm their population. Incredible difference! This just says how openness, especially for small economies, is important. Well done, Malta!"

This is the second meeting between the presidents in a few weeks and Vella said that it confirms "the splendid relations between the two countries and the friendship that has been developing between our nations."

EU enlargement: The bloc "is buying time and the years are passing"

The two presidents talked about the countries in Southeast Europe and their journey towards the Union.

Vella said that Malta has "always advocated for the Western Balkans to become part of the EU."

"Countries such as Croatia and Slovenia have become members and can definitely help, they can show the way. The process of EU accession is lengthy, certain sacrifices are necessary, but I am sure that there is a strong will both in the EU and in the Western Balkans for them to join the EU," said Vella.

During the recent EU-Western Balkans Summit organized by Slovenia as the incumbent chair of the Council of the EU, membership prospects for those countries were once again confirmed however they were not given any time frame for that.

I wouldn't want this to be transformed into some kind of procrastination, delay. "A lot indicates that the EU has such a policy because, in fact, it hasn’t got one, it’s buying time and the years are passing," said Milanović.

There is an election here or there, hence the fear of leading mainstream politicians of right voters and rivals on the right (...) and then countries with an Islamic population which is one of the prejudices we have to talk about, are some of the reasons why the EU is not clearly stating what it wants, believes Milanović.

Croatia's President said he wants a more stable neighbor and that in the context of the Western Balkans it is necessary to talk about stability, predictability, security, and money.

"When we talk about the Western Balkans, we must talk about stability, predictability, and security, and ultimately we talk about money too because those are fundamentally impoverished states," he said.

Malta's President Vella and his wife are on a state visit to Croatia at the invitation of President  Milanović.

Vella is expected to meet with Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković. He will also visit Varaždin.

For more, check out our politics section.

ZAGREB, 27 Oct 2021 - Opposition MPs said on Wednesday that the Prime Minister's Annual Government Report and indicators he boasted of do not correspond to the reality of life, with Bridge leader Božo Petrov saying that more people had emigrated in the past eight years than in the 45 years of communist dictatorship.

People are not leaving just because of wages but because they feel the injustice, and research indicates that the more people that emigrate the higher the level of corruption, Petrov said during a parliamentary debate on Prime Minister Andrej Plenković's annual report, which Petrov believes isn't impartial.

Grbin: We traveled to Switzerland for an hour

"I thank you for enabling us to travel to Switzerland for an hour because this report does not reflect the reality of life in Croatia," Social Democratic Party (SDP) leader Peđa Grbin told Plenković, saying that he had omitted to provide concrete responses to some burning issues in the country.

Grbin criticized the government's handling of the COVID pandemic and the situation in healthcare, where debts are continuing to increase despite government intervention.

Hrvoje Zekanović (Sovereignists) told the Prime Minister that he supports a lot of things the government has done during the pandemic and in general, saying that Croatia "actually didn't cope badly," but there are some issues he cannot agree with.

One of them, he said, is the introduction of the euro currency, which is not an act of monetary stability but an exclusively political aim of additional cohesion and unitarism in the EU. I do not advocate exiting the EU, but I advocate constantly examining our status to see what membership brings or takes, said Zekanović and added "for now it seems that we are good here."

Milorad Pupovac of the Independent Democratic Serb Party (SDSS) referred to the pandemic and warned that the virus is spreading because we do not have a sufficient level of vaccination and that it is spreading among young people and jeopardizing their health.

With regard to the earthquakes, Pupovac said that the worst is behind us. We know what needs to be repaired. We have adopted a law to speed up reconstruction. I am not sure that the Fund is equipped for that task and that it is doing the job properly and that the ministry is equipped adequately, said Pupovac.

For more, check out our politics section.

ZAGREB, 27 Oct 2021 - Croatian National Bank (HNB) Governor Boris Vujčić said on Wednesday that next year Croatia would know the exact date for its changeover to the euro, adding that a strong campaign will be conducted in 2022 to inform the public of all the details.

Addressing a conference on what switching to the euro would mean for SMEs, which was organized by the 24 Sata daily, Vujčić underscored that Croatia has set a date for the introduction of the euro currency, but next year only will we know the exact date of the euro changeover.

If that is to be 1 January 2023, we have only 14 months for preparations, he said.

A law will be passed precisely regulating the changeover from the kuna to the euro, and the main principle will be to protect consumers so they are not brought into a worse position than they were prior to the conversion.

"The experience in all the countries that have entered the euro area indicate that wages increased more than prices while the standard of living increased and that is why the support for the euro in those countries is very high," he underscored. In other transition countries where the euro was introduced, the support is about 80% which Vujčić believes is proof that the fear of declining living standards is unreasonable.

Dual display of prices

The governor said that in the countries that adopted the euro the practice of dual display of prices was useful.

The dual display will also cover wages and not only prices, he also explained.

The logistics of exchanging the currencies have been worked on for a year and a half already, he said.

Payments will continue in both currencies for the next two weeks after the euro is introduced, explained Vujčić.

Finance Minister Zdrako Marić also underscored that based on current forecasts, the earliest the euro could be introduced is 1 January 2023.

He explained that prices in both currencies will be shown on articles five months prior to introducing the euro and for 1 year after its introduction. Marić believes that legislation related to the euro should be adopted in the spring of next year.

The president of the Croatian Chamber of Crafts and Trades (HOK), Dragutin Ranogajec, expects problems to occur during the 14 day period of payments in both currencies with regard to accounting and fiscalisation.

For more, check out our politics section.

ZAGREB, 27 Oct 2021 - Krešimir Rogina, an architect and leader of the International Summer School of Architecture in Grožnjan, and Bernarda Ivančan, have been awarded a silver medal for their project Storiescapes, the Croatian Musical Youth reported on Wednesday.

Ivančan and Rogina presented their project at the International Architectural Design Competition in Japan.

The project won the second prize placing Croatia among the world leaders in this area.

The judging panel always includes leading Japanese architects like Kengo Kuma, Jun Aoki, and Yoshiharu Tsukamoto.

This year's theme was Interpathetic Spaces dealing with the effects of COVID-19 and the way it has changed our lives.

Rogina and Ivančan presented a model and video animation with a five-minute film which was presented via video link to the judging panel.

Rogina has already been awarded twice at this competition - 1990 and 1999 - when he applied with his colleague Vinko Penezić.

Ivančan has been working with Rogina since 2016 when they established the R/INovation research and experimental center.

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

ZAGREB, 27 Oct 2021 - The main Zagreb Stock Exchange (ZSE) indices closed in the red on Wednesday, with the Crobex falling by 0.96% to 2,027 points and the Crobex10 by 0.66% to 1,235 points. 

Turnover at the close of the trading session was HRK 11.3 million, about 3 million higher than on Tuesday.

The highest turnover, of HRK 2.17 million, was generated by the Atlantska Plovidba shipping company. The price of its share fell by 1.18% to HRK 502.

It was followed by plastic car parts manufacturer AD Plastik with a turnover of HRK 1.92 million. It ended the day at HRK 154 per share, down by 9.14%.

The only other stock to pass the turnover mark of one million kuna was the HT telecommunications company. Its price rose by 0.27% to HRK 185.

A total of 46 stocks traded today, with 10 of them registering share price increases, 23 recording price decreases and 13 remaining stable in price.

(€1 = HRK 7.523152)

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