ZAGREB, 14 July, 2021 - Economist Jehan Arulpragasam has been appointed the new World Bank Country Manager for Croatia and Slovenia, the World Bank Office in Croatia announced in a statement on Wednesday.

In this position, he will lead the World Bank Office in Zagreb and oversee the World Bank’s strategic, analytical, operational and knowledge program in both countries.

Mr. Arulpragasam is an economist with 35 years of experience working in international development in over 40 countries world-wide. His work has focused on inclusive growth and human development, covering a range of issues from macro-economic and fiscal policy to structural sector reform and social policy.

The World Bank's current program in Croatia focuses on mitigating the economic and social impact of COVID-19, post-earthquake reconstruction, transport, justice, innovation, business environment, land administration, science and technology, and economic development of the Pannonian region.

The World Bank has been a partner to Croatia for over 27 years. During this period, the Bank has supported more than 50 projects, worth almost US$5 billion, produced numerous studies, and provided technical assistance to help strengthen institutions and support the design of policies and strategies, the statement said.

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ZAGREB, 14 July, 2021 - In the past 24 hours, there have been 155 new cases of coronavirus in Croatia and two people have died, the national COVID response team said on Wednesday.

Currently, there are 595 active cases in the country, including 111 hospitalised patients of whom 8 are on ventilators.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic in Croatia on 25 February 2020, there have been 361,079 people infected with the virus, of whom 8,233 have died and 352,251 have recovered, including 54 in the past 24 hours.

Currently, there are 3,939 people in self-isolation.

A total of 2,201,991 people have been tested to date, with 3,965 tests conducted in the past 24 hours.

As of 13 July, a total of 2,848,709 doses of vaccines have been administered and 38.5% of the population has been inoculated or 46.3% of adults. 

A total of 1,562,081 people have received at least one dose and 1,317,827 have received both shots.

For more about COVID-19 in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

July 14, 2021 - If you are traveling to Croatia by car, this overview of the current measures will certainly help!

It is the holiday season, meaning increased cross-border traffic for travelers. To make it easier for travelers from Slovenia, Austria, Germany, and Switzerland to come and go on vacation in Croatia, HRTurizam outlines the currently valid measures.

Entry into the Republic of Croatia will be allowed to passengers coming directly from EU member states and/or regions, i.e., Schengen member states and/or areas and countries associated with the Schengen area, regardless of citizenship, if they have a valid EU digital COVID certificate.

Exceptionally, passengers coming directly from EU member states and/or regions or countries and/or regions of the Schengen area and countries associated with the Schengen area, and do not have an EU digital COVID certificate, will be allowed to enter the Republic of Croatia with a negative PCR test or rapid antigen test - BAT. With a BAT test made abroad, the test manufacturer and/or the commercial name of the test must be visible. Otherwise, the test will not be accepted as credible for entry into the Republic of Croatia. In addition, the result of the PCR test must not be older than 72 hours, and the BAT test 48 hours from the moment of testing until the arrival at the border.

Entry into Croatia will also be possible for persons with a vaccination certificate and a certificate of COVID-19 infection or with PCR testing or rapid antigen testing - BAT on SARS-CoV-2 immediately upon arrival in the Republic of Croatia (at their own expense), with the obligation of self-isolation until the arrival of a negative result. If testing is not possible, a self-isolation measure of ten days is determined.

From Thursday, 15 July, Slovenia will change the entry criteria. The same measures will apply to all passengers, regardless of their country of origin - they will need to present a valid vaccination certificate, a certificate of illness, or a negative test for COVID-19 not older than 48 hours and 72 hours, respectively, depending on the test. These measures will also apply to professional drivers in freight and passenger transport.

A European digital vaccination certificate or third-country digital certificate will be valid as proof for the entry of passengers into Slovenia without quarantine. The new rules will not apply only to foreigners who own land or real estate in Slovenia and to children under the age of 15 if a parent or guardian accompanies them. All passengers in transit, including professional drivers in passenger and freight transport, must leave the country within 12 hours. Otherwise, they are assigned an epidemiological measure of self-isolation. Detailed information is available here.

Entry into Austria is possible upon presenting a negative test (rapid antigen test not older than 48 hours or a PCR test not older than 72 hours), a vaccination certificate, or a certificate of recovery from COVID-19. If none of the above certifications is available, it is necessary to register via the Pre-Travel-Clearance form and be tested in Austria within 24 hours of crossing the border.

Certificates in German or English are valid as proof of vaccination. As proof of recovery, a medical certificate in German or English is valid, which shows that the person has suffered from COVID 19 in a period of 180 days and which is not older than 90 days. Confirmation of illness is identical to the evidence of neutralizing antibodies, which at the time of entry into Austria must not be older than 90 days.

Children up to the age of 12 are exempted from the obligation to test and present other certificates. Furthermore, passengers for medical reasons can enter Austria without restrictions upon presenting a certificate of necessity to use the medical service in English or German. Likewise, persons in transit, carriers of goods and passengers, emergency vehicles, and the like can enter Austria without restrictions.

According to the existing rules, entry into the Federal Republic of Germany is basically possible for all citizens of the European Union with certain restrictions and compliance with the prescribed epidemiological measures. Germany categorizes areas into risk and areas with mutated variants of the COVID-19 virus, and the current categorization is available here.

The entire territory of the Republic of Croatia - except Zadar County - is categorized as risk-free. Therefore, passengers coming from risk-free parts of the Republic of Croatia can enter the Federal Republic of Germany without the obligation to announce entry, test, certificates, and quarantine.

Passengers coming from the Republic of Croatia from risk areas can enter Germany without quarantine if they have a negative PCR test not older than 72 hours or an antigen test not older than 72 with proof of digital announcement of entry (electronically or in printed form, available at the link) 48 hours before arrival, made in an authorized health institution and printed in German, English or French, a certificate of complete vaccination with a vaccine from the Paul-Ehrlich-Institute list in German, English, French, Italian or Spanish in paper or digital form or a certificate for persons who have survived COVID-19, a medical certificate in German, English, French, Italian or Spanish in paper or digital form proving that at least 28 days have passed since the cessation of the disease, and not more than 6 months. Children up to 6 years of age are exempt from this obligation.

Air passengers, regardless of their area of ​​origin (risk-free or risky), are obliged to comply with the rule of submitting evidence of testing, proof of recovery from infection, or evidence of vaccination before take-off. Information can be found on the website of the German Federal Ministry of Health.

People who come to the Swiss Confederation from Croatia do not need to be quarantined. However, all persons arriving by bus, train, boat, or plane must complete an online form available at the link. In addition, all persons arriving in Switzerland by plane are required to present a negative PCR test not older than 72 hours upon boarding.

Exempted from these obligations are children under 16 years of age, persons who have been fully vaccinated following the recommendations of the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health or the country of arrival, upon presentation of appropriate documentation, persons who have survived COVID-19 for 6 months, with appropriate documentation. For travelers coming to the Swiss Confederation, detailed information is available here.

All additional information on entry into the Member States of the European Union and the measures in force in individual countries can be found on Reopen Europa.

For all you need to know about coronavirus specific to Croatia, including travel, border, and quarantine rules, as well as the locations of vaccination points and testing centers across the country, make sure to bookmark our dedicated COVID-19 section and select your preferred language.

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

July 14, 2021 - So how is life as a digital nomad in the Croatian capital? Meet Julian, partner of the first Zagreb Digital Nomad Ambassador, two weeks into his residency. 

One of the things I was most curious about Zagreb Digital Nomad Week was how the city would be perceived by visiting digital nomads. Perceiving things from within Croatia is obviously quite different from someone who has a more global overview, as well as multi-country experience of this alternative way of living. 

And despite temperatures up to 37 C that week, the Croatian capital shone during Zagreb Digital Nomad Week. So many people commented on the quality of the co-working spaces, the unbelievable English spoken by EVERYONE, the food, the safety, the great Internet. Dean Kuchel of Digital Nomad World summed it up best of all when he was asked what Zagreb is missing to cater to the global digital nomad community. 

"The only thing Zagreb is missing is more digital nomads."

Fast forward a couple of weeks to the second phase of the project, Zagreb Digital Nomad Ambassador Project. Six digital nomad ambassadors, staying a calendar month each from July 1 to December 31, as guests of the city. American Veronica Mulhall duly arrived on July 1, as the first ambassador, and you can get to know her here.

Veronica was accompanied by her partner Julian, whose roots are from Manchester and Zimbabwe but has a base in Ghana. From the moment we met at the welcome drink at Bornstein Wine Bar, I knew that I had to get Julian on camera. SUCH a positive force and appreciative of everything.

As he explains in the interview below, Julian knew almost nothing about Zagreb prior to his arrival, and yet he had already fallen in love with the city by the time they parked their car at their accommodation at Doma Zagreb in the centre. That initial enthusiasm for all things in Zagreb a few days after his arrival was really refreshing to witness. It is always instructive to see a destination through the eyes of a new arrival. The parks, the food, the people, all the boxes were being ticked. There are even discussions about buying some real estate and using Zagreb as a base. 

Julian seems to have entered Zagreb life with gusto. He has joined a gym, been to the dentist, even had his hair braided by a Congolese hairdresser. And he was more than surprised to meet a hairdresser specialising in ethnic hair at his gym. A really nice interview of someone who knew little about the city before arrival, but who is totally in love with it now that he has had the chance to experience it. 

And what is Zagreb missing to attract more digital nomads, in his opinion?

Just the information about what a cool city Zagreb is, how EVERYONE speaks English, the people, the architecture, the food, the parks. Did he mention the people? Julian also has some interesting observations on his experiences as a black African in Croatia.

There is a momentum builing about Croatia as a destination for digital nomads, and Zagreb is now coming more and more onto the radar. With enthusiastic ambassadors such as Dean and Julian, it will not be long before the word is heard far and wide. 

Zagreb Digital Nomad Week & Zagreb Digital Nomad Ambassador Project is a cooperation between Saltwater Nomads, Total Croatia News, and Zagreb Tourist Board. 

For more on Zagreb Digital Nomad Week 2021 & Zagreb Digital Nomad Ambassador Project, visit the Saltwater Nomads website.

Would you like to be a Zagreb Digital Nomad Ambassador? Applications are open until November, with the last ambassador taking up residence on December 1. Find out more here.

For the latest news and features about digital nomads in Croatia, follow the dedicated TCN section. 

July 14, 2021 - Zagreb Airport flights to 46 destinations are available for passengers ahead of the peak season!

After months of falling traffic caused by the coronavirus pandemic, Franjo Tudjman Airport experienced a significant recovery in the second quarter of this year after European borders opened and COVID-19 (at least temporarily) fell into the background. As the peak of the tourist season approaches, Zagreb has once again become attractive to foreign carriers

From April to the end of June this year, air traffic in Zagreb increased by 350 percent,

The peak season at 'Franjo Tudjman' is expected at the end of this month when the low-budget carrier Ryanair will open its base and introduce a number of new lines for foreign and domestic passengers. T.portal researched where passengers can fly from Zagreb this summer and the options if you are planning a trip abroad.

Most of the traffic this summer, but also all year round in Zagreb, falls on Croatia Airlines, the national carrier that flies from Zagreb to five domestic airports - Split, Dubrovnik, Zadar, Pula, Brac - and maintains international routes that include Frankfurt, Vienna, Copenhagen, Munich, Zurich, London, Brussels, Paris, Amsterdam, Dublin, Sarajevo, Skopje, Rome, and Athens.

Another domestic carrier, Trade Air, connects Zagreb and Osijek.

The biggest expectations from this season are set for Ryanair, currently flying from Zagreb to Charleroi Airport near Brussels and Bergamo near Milan.

When the Irish carrier opens its base on July 23, as previously announced, Zagreb will be connected to as many as twelve new destinations. These are Ciampino (near Rome), Dortmund, Gothenburg, Podgorica, Sofia, Beauvais Tille near Paris, Karlsruhe, Memmingen (south of Germany), Hahn (near Frankfurt), Malmö, Weeze (near Duisburg) and Torp Sandefjord (south of Oslo). 

Of the destinations within the EU, 'Franjo Tudjman' currently connects Lufthansa with Munich, Austrian flies to Vienna, Air France to Paris, KLM to Amsterdam, Eurowings flies to Cologne and Stuttgart, TAP to Lisbon, Iberia to Madrid, British Airways to London, Vueling to Barcelona, and LOT to Warsaw.

The Airport reveals that Eurowings flights to Düsseldorf, Nordwind Airlines to Moscow, EL AL, and Croatia Airlines to Tel Aviv have been announced for the season, while Aegean Airlines will fly to Athens during the peak season.

The offer of destinations outside the European Union is quite modest, with only five offered. Turkish Airlines can take you to Istanbul, Windrose Airlines to Kyiv, Aeroflot to Moscow, Air Serbia to Belgrade, and, finally, Qatar Airways to Doha.

Follow the latest on flights to Croatia HERE and the latest travel updates and COVID-19 news from Croatia HERE.

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

July 14,  2021 - We will see Croatian stadiums at full capacity during the upcoming Croatian First League season, so long as Covid certificate conditions are met. 

The new HNL season starts on Friday when two first-round matches are scheduled, and the most important news related to Croatia's top football league is that clubs will be able to open their stadiums at full capacity - but with conditions, of course. 

The Croatian Football Federation Executive Board met to decide on how they would return fans to the stands after the 2021 First League matches were played without any spectators.

We have transmitted the HNS statement in its entirety:

"The decision of the Civil Protection Headquarters of the Republic of Croatia of 18 June 2021, which is in force since 1 July 2021, stipulates that sports competitions are held without spectators in compliance with all epidemiological measures, and point V defines the exceptional possibility of organizing competitions with the presence of spectators if special conditions are met.

Given the interest of spectators in attending HT First League matches, matches will be organized without a limit on the number of spectators with the obligation that all spectators, technical and organizational staff, teams, and officials have an EU digital COVID certificate (which can also be obtained with a PCR or antigen test and is valid for 72 hours). The host club is responsible for checking the certificates of the spectators, and the delegate, with the technical assistance of the host club, for checking the certificates of the players and members of the professional staff registered in the minutes of the match.

All players, members of the professional staff, and other staff of HT First League clubs participating in the match must have an EU digital COVID certificate, PCR, or rapid antigen test for each match," the Croatian Football Federation explained. 

To follow the latest sports news in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

To learn more about sport in Croatia, CLICK HERE.  

July 14, 2021 - Dinamo defeats Valur for a spot in the 2nd Champions League qualifying round!

Croatian football champion Dinamo advanced to the 2nd qualifying round of the Champions League after defeating Valur 2:0 in the return match of the first round of the competition in Reykjavik. In the first match at Maksimir Stadium in Zagreb, Dinamo celebrated 3:2.

Luka Ivanušec scored in the 31st minute for 1:0, and Mislav Oršić in the 89th minute for the final 2:0. 

Dinamo won 3:2 in Zagreb last week after having a 3:0 lead and a missed penalty in the 82nd minute, after which the guests scored two goals in the last five minutes of the game. This time, Dinamo did not allow any drama. 

In the second qualifying round, Dinamo will play against Cypriot club Omonia. The first match is in Zagreb next week and the return match in Nicosia.

After Dinamo was weakened in the first match by playing without Croatia national team players, Damir Krznar did not want to risk anything this time, so from the first minute, Mislav Oršić, Bruno Petković, and Luka Ivanušec were in the team. Interestingly, a chance was also given to the Swiss Francois Moubandje, who has not been in Dinamo's plans so far and spent last season on loan at Alanyaspor.

"We can be satisfied; we have achieved our goal, the second round of qualifications follows, against Omonia Cyprus. Now we are shifting the focus to that game, and before that to the beginning of the HNL, i.e., Slaven Belupo. This match - calm, routine, again in some moments with black holes, but considering the beginning, all this is understandable, mostly, all in all - satisfied," said Dinamo coach Damir Krznar after the match.

It was not complete domination as in the first match at Maksimir.

"Valur stood firmly in the block without wanting to open, they increased their line, and that on this artificial grass slows down and makes the game harder. However, we were patient, and after 1:0, the matter was resolved," said Krznar and added:

"They created some chances from our mistakes, and we will have to work on that. But, it cost us nothing, and we move on."

Source: HRT

To follow the latest sports news in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

To learn more about sport in Croatia, CLICK HERE. 

July 14, 2021 - Croatian Olympic Committee president Zlatko Mateša has criticized the Tokyo organizers after Croatian canoeist Matija Marinić ended up in self-isolation. 

"The system in Tokyo is unsustainable, we ask the IOC to protect athletes," said the president of the Croatian Olympic Committee, Zlatko Mateša, after Matija Marinić, the first Croatian athlete to arrive in Tokyo for the Olympic Games, ended up in self-isolation, reports HRT.

The best Croatian whitewater canoeist came to Japan a week ago, and received the decision on Tuesday morning that he must spend the next week in quarantine. Namely, there was an infected passenger on the flight Marinić and his coach Stjepan Perestegi took to Japan.

Matija Marinić was vaccinated, he has no symptoms, and he has ten days of daily coronavirus testing behind him, eight of which he did in Japan, but still had to end up in self-isolation.

"This system is simply unsustainable. What is the benefit to an athlete staying in Japan and spending time in isolation, with a lot of testing and evidence that he is not infected? The Olympic Games have already been lost for our Matija Marinić, even if he performed at them, as planned from July 25. Who can compensate him for the years of training and preparation, effort and sacrifice that he invested for his first Olympic appearance?" said Zlatko Mateša.

"This is a glaring example of the inability of the organizers to deal with the problems associated with the pandemic. We ask the International Olympic Committee to protect athletes who prove their health status by daily tests and not to be subjected to such rigorous and unfounded measures, because then everything loses its meaning," the COC president added.

The COC appealed the self-isolation decision for Marinić, and the Deputy Head of the COC Mission Petra Nosso explained that Marinić and his coach Stjepan Perestegi were in self-isolation based on their seats printed on their airline tickets. According to them, they were sitting close to the infected passenger. 

However, as they did not sit in those seats in the end, they were quite far from a potential source of infection.

Nosso added that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is trying to resolve this case through talks with a partner organizer - the Japanese government, which in such cases should be above the authority of a particular prefecture.

To follow the latest sports news in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

To learn more about sport in Croatia, CLICK HERE.