HZ Cargo Seeks State Support, Croatian Government Approves 50 Million Kuna
December the 18th, 2020 - HZ Cargo sought urgent help from the Croatian Government recently as a result of the ongoing crisis, and the powers that be have responded by approving 50 million kuna in state aid to help smooth out virus-induced issues.
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, on Thursday, the Croatian Government approved state aid to HZ Cargo in the generous amount of 50 million kuna, which is being implemented in the form of a loan with a repayment period of six months, with the regular interest rate of one percent per year implied.
The Minister of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure, Oleg Butkovic, explained at a recent government session in which the matter was discussed that HZ Cargo had contacted the competent Ministry with a request for emergency assistance, given that its liquidity had been significantly impaired as a result of the crisis and that because of that, it wouldn't be able to meet its business obligations in the coming period.
The state aid paid out to HZ Cargo, amounting to 50 million kuna, is intended for rehabilitation of the company and it obliges HZ Cargo to adopt the necessary measures of the crisis management plan, as well as a formal restructuring plan.
The state aid will be, as previously stated, implemented as a loan with a repayment period of six months with a regular interest rate of one percent per annum on top of it. The decision, as Butkovic said, is an act on the basis of which aid is granted, as set out in the Guidelines on State Aid for the Rehabilitation and Restructuring of Non-Financial Entrepreneurs in Difficulty.
HZ Cargo, the Minister pointed out, is already implementing measures for financial consolidation, business optimisation, and the measures implemented so far have significantly reduced operating costs for the company as a whole.
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New Croatian ID Cards to Boast Modern Features in 2021
December the 18th, 2020 - Far more modernised new Croatian ID cards are set to be introduced next year, and their features will go several steps beyond what we already have. Parliament has now formally adopted the new ID Card Act.
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, after the Croatian Parliament officially adopted the new ID Card Act, which will enter into force in August next year, HRT's Dnevnik learned that an application (app) is being prepared that will enable the use of the new Croatian ID card on mobile devices with the highest security standards.
Previously issued ID cards will be valid until their expiration date, and the price of their production remains the same, according to a report from HRT
"We'll be able, as we are now, but from our mobile devices or tablets, to literally sign our documents, we'll practically be able to sell our property or buy it digitally from the comfort of our own homes," Bernard Grsic, Secretary of State of the Central State Office for the Development of the Digital Society, revealed to HRT.
Amendments to Croatia's ID Card Act were adopted to implement the Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on strengthening the security of identity cards of Union citizens and residence documents issued to Union citizens and their families exercising the right to free movement, which entered into force on the 1st of August 2019, and is directly applicable across all EU member states as of the 2nd of August, 2021.
As the Ministry of the Interior (MUP) explained to HRT, the novelty brought by the amendment to the ID Card Act is that the new Croatian ID cards will boast another chip which will contain biometric identifiers of the identity card holder, ie a display of the identity card holder's face and two of their fingerprints (the papillary lines of the index finger of the left and right hands) in interoperable digital formats.
The appearance of the new Croatian ID card will be somewhat changed in accordance with the provisions of the aforementioned EU Regulation, meaning that on the front, it will contain a two-letter mark of the Republic of Croatia printed in negative in a blue rectangle surrounded by twelve yellow stars.
Age limit raised
The validity period for which these new Croatian ID cards will be issued to persons up to the age of 70 will be five years.
Amendments to the Act changed the age limit for issuing identity cards that were issued without a validity period in such a way that the age limit (formerly 65) was raised to 70, so persons who are 70 will be issued an identity card with a duration of 40 years. In reality, this means that new Croatian ID cards issued to these individuals will boast an unlimited validity period. This continues to be expressed in years so that the validity period of these identity cards can be more easily read on electronic document readers.
Most of the previously issued identity cards will remain in use until their expiry dates, and some will need to be replaced within a certain period, as provided for in the above Regulation. Here's more:
- Cards issued on the basis of the provisions of the 2015 Identity Card Act with a validity period of five years and identity cards issued on the basis of the provisions of the previous 2002 Identity Card Act with a validity period of ten years will remain valid until their expiry and will not need to be changed.
- Cards issued to persons aged 65 and over without a period of validity pursuant to the provisions of the existing Identity Card Act (2015) shall cease to be valid on the 3rd of August, 2031, and persons will have to replace them with those issued pursuant to the provisions of this Act. Exceptionally, this doesn't apply to persons who will be 70 years of age or older as of the 2nd of August 2021, and those people will continue to be able to use their identity cards issued without an expiration date even after the 3rd of August, 2031.
- Cards issued without a period of validity pursuant to the provisions of the Identity Card Act 2002, will be abl to be used after August the 3rd, 2031 and their holders aren't obliged to replace them with new Croatian ID cards issued pursuant to the provisions of this Act.
- Cards issued without a period of validity pursuant to the provisions of the 1991 Identity Card Act shall cease to be valid on the 3rd August 2026 and their holders will have to replace them with new Croatian ID cards issued pursuant to the provisions of this Act (because they won't contain the minimum security standards).
Logging into the e-Citizens (e-Gradjani) system
In addition to the provisions ensuring the implementation of the above Regulation, the amendments to the ID Card Act also contain provisions that will enable the creation of preconditions for the use of identity cards on mobile devices such as phones and tablets, and not only on computers as was the case before. Digital certificates stored on the current Croatian ID card's chip can now only be used via a smart card reader connected to a computer from which a particular electronic service is accessed, such as services made available by the e-Citizens system.
After activating the electronic part of the new Croatian ID card, the holder will be able to download the appropriate software solution for mobile devices free of charge, ie, the ID mobile app in which they'll be able to log in to the previously created access on the Electronic ID Card Portal.
The appropriate software solution for mobile devices, ie the application ID, will then be ready for use and will enable easy login to the e-Citizens system with the highest level of security, as well as valid electronic signing via mobile phones. This new service/software solution for mobile devices will not come with any extra charges.
The provisions of the existing ID Card Act were also amended, which prescribed the obligation for both parents to participate in the procedure of issuing an identity card to a child. Namely, in the implementation of the ID Card Act, a number of problems arose in obtaining identity cards for children when one of the parents couldn't participate in the procedure due to objective reasons or had difficulty in giving consent to the other parent to conduct the procedure. Amendments to the Act will enable either parent, as the child's legal representative, to submit a request and deal with the issuing of their child's new Croatian ID card.
This law will enter into force on August the 2nd, 2021.
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PlanRadar Croatia: 20 Million People Access App Daily
December the 18th, 2020 - PlanRadar Croatia has done well despite the ongoing coronavirus crisis as the world turns more towards digitalisation. This Croatian company developed software for digital documentation in the construction industry, and it expects excellent growth by the end of 2020.
As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marta Duic writes, PlanRadar Croatia, the company that developed the software for digital documentation and communication in the construction industry, expects annual growth of 100 percent in 2020 despite the pandemic.
PlanRadar Croatia's software is used within more than 25,000 projects around the world, including some of the most important here in Croatia, such as the construction of the Peljesac Bridge and its accompanying access roads as well as the continuation of the construction of the Istrian Y. During 2020, the number of users of the PlanRadar Croatia application has grown, they say, to more than 10,000, and now every week 80,000 users worldwide process projects with it.
“The coronavirus crisis has made it clear to our clients how useful and effective the use of digital tools is. Access to our solution increased from 12 million per day in early March, to 14 million in mid-April. Now the daily rate is more than 20 million visits. With the successful completion of the round of financing with more than 30 million euros in March this year, we have enough capital to further strengthen our presence on existing markets and expand our teams to new locations,'' said Bojan Petkovic, the director of PlanRadar Croatia, Slovenia and Serbia.
He added that during the year, PlanRadar, in addition to having representative offices in the European capitals of Zagreb and London, as well as a headquarters in Vienna, opened representative offices in Moscow, Warsaw, Stockholm, Paris, Bolzano, Bucharest, Madrid and Amsterdam, which resulted in an increase in employees to 150.
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Croatian Bio-Mi Only Company in Southeast Europe Making This Product
December the 18th, 2020 - the Croatian Bio-Mi company has succeeded in standing out among the rest owing to the fact that it is among only a few in Europe, and is the only one in this part of Europe to produce one material.
As Poslovni Dnevnik/Darko Bicak writes, the Croatian Bio-Mi is the only company here in Southeast Europe, and one of only a few in Europe at all, which produces biodegradable and compostable thermoplastic raw materials that are used for further processing into finished products.
As Filip Miketa, co-owner and director of the Croatian Bio-Mi explained, after four years of hard work in terms of research, which is supported by 2.75 million euros from eight and soon nine EU projects, the company is now positioning itself out on the market.
Although the Croatian Bio-Mi is a relatively new company, having only been around for three years and enjoying modest revenue of around 2.5 million kuna last year with nine employees, it's dealing with a much larger and longer project. Namely, Filip Miketa worked for years within his family company Mi-Plast, which has existed for about 40 years and which deals with the recycling and processing of various plastics.
Miketa was also in charge of research and development at Mi-Plast, and in the previous period he withdrew significant EU funds, around 2.5 million euros, for various Mi-Plast projects. “In the last six months, we've invested in higher production capacities and raising production and productivity of both obtained and produced formulations, which is a very expensive process.
It should be mentioned that bio-polymers themselves are non-processable, but that's why we and companies like us mix and assemble them into functional items and process raw materials consisting of several components. At the moment, we have a couple of competitors in Europe, and these are more or less large and serious companies because in this segment, smaller companies like us are a rarity,'' pointed out Miketa.
He added that, in addition to materials, the Croatian Bio-Mi has invested and still plans to further invest in processing these materials into final products such as food packaging, bags for the separate collection of biodegradable waste, mulch foil for agriculture that decomposes on the ground for which there is no need for collection and disposal, etc.
"Basically, these are products that make sense and that the European Commission counts on in all of its plans and strategies because they're raw materials and products that are bio-based and are designed to help society with the disposal of organic waste by encouraging the circular bioeconomy.
These materials and products, in addition to composting and/or biodegradation under different conditions, can also be mechanically recycled, just like traditional plastics such as PE, PP and PET. Therefore, each of these materials and products boast several possibilities for an efficient and sustainable end of life, but of course, composting with other degradable waste is preferred,'' explained Miketa, adding that, for example, bags for the separate collection of organic waste are composted together with waste, and EU countries have increased their share of organic waste recovery.
Thus, he says, northern Italy has reached a recovery of as much as 80 percent where compostable plastics have played a key role. He is aware that this is not the case here in Croatia for now, but he is convinced that, due to EU regulations and the general overall development of public awareness, recovered organic waste will represent about 40 percent of waste accumulated here in Croatia.
Therefore, he pointed out, biocomposite materials and such products should be viewed from that angle because they're there to help where conventional plastics has failed, but the most important thing is to check the characteristics on the product.
''Namely, in the last few years, we've witnessed false propaganda and only two certification companies in the EU are responsible for issuing certificates through authorised certification laboratories. Basically, the Croatian Bio-Mi got its first TUV certifications according to EN13432 that our materials and products are compostable, which in the case of material certification, is a pretty big deal,'' he explained.
In addition to the certification of the first formulation of MI3 blend, this innovative company is preparing for certification of other blends that are not only compostable in industrial and domestic compost, but are degradable on soil and in seawater.
It isn't only important whether the product decomposes or composts, it's important what is left there after the fact, so it's best to see the results of product analysis "from cradle to grave" where bioplastics and compostable plastics have an advantage over fossil traditional plastics or the far worse oxodegradable plastics.
The Croatian Bio-Mi director believes that compostable and biodegradable plastics can offer better and more sustainable solutions here in Croatia, and many EU countries are switching or have switched over to this type of material and products based on many years of work, research and development, but also owing to scientific facts and analyses.
EU regulations are becoming stricter towards the use of classic plastic, and a new proposal for the Croatian Waste Management Act, for which the public debate has now ended, is on the same track. However, the Croatian Chamber of Commerce warns that its implementation in this form would lead to problems for about 30 small and medium-sized companies with about 800 employees engaged in the production of disposable plastic products, mainly PVC bags.
The Croatian Chamber of Commerce proposes that the law introduce an intermediate model for disposable plastics that contains recyclables and that would be allowed as such. The Croatian Chamber of Commerce is also aware that there is no technology that would determine whether there is recycled plastic in a particular plastic and in what percentage, so they'd solve this problem with chamber certificates that would "guarantee the principle of material traceability".
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First Vaccine Doses in Croatia on December 27, Says PM
ZAGREB, Dec 17, 2020 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Thursday the first smaller quantities of the COVID-19 vaccine could arrive in Croatia as part of European COVID-19 vaccination days planned for December 27-29.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen tweeted today that COVID-19 vaccination across the EU would begin on December 27-29.
Asked by the press if this meant that the first doses could arrive in Croatia before January 4, which was previously announced, Plenkovic answered affirmatively.
Since the distribution of the first doses depends on the European Medicines Agency's approval, he said the EMA planned to move the initial approval date from December 28. "That would enable the first distribution of a smaller amount of doses."
Plenkovic said all European leaders had a brief conference this morning at which the European Commission outlined its plan to hold COVID-19 vaccination days on December 27-29, adding that this would be "a gesture of common vaccination at European level."
He recalled that Croatia ordered 5.7 million doses from all manufacturers based on agreements which the Commission concluded on behalf of the member states, including one million of the Pfizer vaccine which the EMA is expected to approve first.
"After them, it is expected that the European Medicines Agency will approve the Moderna vaccine as well. We'll see if that date, set for January 12, will also be moved a little, and the delivery of those doses to Croatia will go in line with that."
Plenkovic said a diplomatic competition for the vaccine was under way and that he told von der Leyen that procurement should be "without any discrimination against anyone and that the vaccine distribution pace be as originally agreed and in the quantities requested."
He said the government would adopt a vaccination plan next week at the suggestion of the Croatian Institute of Public Health and the Health Ministry. Vaccination of the population will last at least six months due to the production pace and distribution, he added.
Health Minister: Scientific Council Agrees with New Restrictions, Passes Discussed
ZAGREB, Dec 17, 2020 - Health Minister Vili Beros said on Thursday the government's Scientific Council agreed with the introduction of new COVID-19 measures but would not say if travel passes would be one of them, although they were discussed at today's meeting.
Speaking to the press after the meeting, at which the new measures were presented to the Council, Beros said they were all agreed that the measures were necessary ahead of the coming holidays as well as that the "winter COVID wave is far more challenging both scientifically and clinically."
Asked if passes for travelling within the country were discussed, he said they were but would not say if they would be introduced because the new measures will be presented tomorrow.
He said that "if they are introduced, they will be on the county, not the municipal level," adding that bars and restaurants would stay closed.
Asked if private socialising would be restricted to two households, Beros said the goal was to prevent unnecessary socialising. "As all European countries, we too will consider it. We will call for that. However, no one will certainly enter homes to check."
"We will do everything for the initial vaccine doses to arrive in Croatia. However, vaccination will be a long process lasting more than six months," he said, adding that Croatia had a "comparatively enormous advantage" as an EU member state.
The minister said that at the moment it was impossible to foresee the vaccination pace, adding that he would consider general practitioners' suggestion to create a vaccination registration platform.
He went on to say that the meeting also discussed the effects of the restrictions in surrounding countries, the conclusion being that tougher restrictions were not necessarily more effective, "not just economically, on which there is no dilemma, but health-wise too." He said it was too early to draw concrete conclusions.
Researcher: 60%-75% of population must get vaccinated to curb epidemic
Scientific Council member Dragan Primorac said the meeting also discussed how to communicate with citizens about the need to get vaccinated.
"The right communication... is the only way we can convince people in countries where vaccination won't be mandatory... that it is a matter of everyone's responsibility," he said, adding that it concerned the protection of the entire population.
Primorac said 60% to 75% of the population must get vaccinated in order to curb the epidemic.
Asked if it was certain that Croatia would procure enough doses, he said the procurement of the COVID vaccine was a test of the EU's credibility because all member states were equal.
Minister Horvat Promises Reconstruction of All 16 Flooded Houses in Kokorici
ZAGREB, Dec 17, 2020 - Physical Planning and Construction Minister Darko Horvat said on Thursday that the ministry would reconstruct all 16 houses damaged in recent floods in the village of Kokorici near Vrgorac.
"The Housing Agency, Real Estate Agency and ministry have planned resources that can be earmarked to cover some of the damage," said Horvat and added that conditions would be established to procure household appliances for those affected by the flood, as has been done previously elsewhere.
"I think that is the least the state can do for residents in Kokorici," said Horvat and claimed that the floods had caused a lot of practically permanent damage.
According to Horvat the priority now is to see how to render these houses liveable so people can return to their own homes.
"We will very quickly in cooperation with the Faculty of Civil Engineering see how individual houses can be repaired and perhaps this is an opportunity to legalise them and obtain building permits," said Horvat.
Horvat added that a meeting with town and county officials in Vrgorac agreed to urgently send in the army to clean up after the flood and to register the damage so that a cost listing can be compiled.
As far as damage to crops is concerned that is in the remit of the Agriculture Ministry, he added.
When asked Horvat confirmed that the state had HRK 100 million to build a tunnel which would channel water away from the fields around Vrgorac.
Horvat added that the EU recovery programme and multiannual financial framework had great funds for the Hrvatske Vode and Hrvatske Ceste water and road management authorities.
2022 World Cup Qualifiers: Croatia Meets Cyprus and Malta in Rijeka
December 17, 2020 - The Croatian Football Federation has announced the schedule for the 2022 World Cup qualifiers in March when Croatia meets Cyprus and Malta.
The Executive Board of the Croatian Football Federation decided on the host of Croatia's qualifying matches against Cyprus and Malta in March 2021.
On March 24, 2021, the Croatia national team will open the European qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar in 2022 away against Slovenia.
The 2018 World Cup finalists then have two matches at home, against Cyprus and Malta, and the HNS Executive Board has decided that the two matches will be played at the HNK Rijeka stadium (Rujevica).
The match against Cyprus will be played on March 27 starting at 18:00, and three days later, the match against Malta is scheduled at 20:45.
Croatia has played 16 games in Rijeka so far and has never lost, with 13 wins and three draws.
Croatia's qualifying cycle for the World Cup in Qatar will continue with three September matches, against Russia (September 1, 20:45) and Slovakia (September 4, 20:45) away, and against Slovenia (September 7, 20:45) at home. Zlatko Dalić's team will play two matches in October next year, against Cyprus (October 8, 20:45) away, and Slovakia (October 11, 20:45) at home.
In the final part of the qualifications in November 2021, Croatia will play in Malta (November 11, 20:45), and in the last qualification round at home, they will meet Russia (November 14, 15:00).
As a reminder, the ten group winners will qualify directly for the World Cup, and the ten second-placed teams will try to win the same in the playoffs, which will be played from March 24 to 29, 2022.
In addition to the ten runners-up from the group stage, the playoffs will also include the two best national teams in the overall standings of the UEFA Nations League for the 2020/2021 season, which will not directly qualify for the World Cup, nor will they win the playoffs as the second-placed teams in the group. Twelve teams in the playoffs will be divided into three "pots" and will fight for the three remaining European places at the World Cup in March 2022.
The 2022 World Cup will be held from November 21 to December 18, 2022, in five Qatari cities (Doha, Lusail, Al Khor, Al Wakrah, Al Rayyan).
Source: HNS
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Two Croatia Women's Handball Players Make Best Team of Euros Second Round!
December 17, 2020 - Two Croatia women's handball players have been included in the ideal team of the main round of the European Handball Championships!
Namely, Tea Pijević was named the best goalkeeper of the second round, while Ana Debelić is the best pivot in this phase of the competition. Both are totally deserved.
Pijević's brilliant defense in goal destroyed rivals in both of Croatia's victories in the second round. She was especially impressive in the decisive clash against Germany when she had as many as 16 saves with an almost unrealistic 50 percent.
Ana Debelić was brilliant in that match and finished as the most efficient player for the Croatia national team with a perfect shot ratio (6/6).
WATCH: The top 7 players of the main round were ...@HRStwitt ?? @NORhandball ?? @FRAHandball ?? @rukometnisavez ?? @dhf_haandbold ??#ehfeuro2020 #handballispassion pic.twitter.com/7o0xxN2I7a
— EHF EURO (@EHFEURO) December 16, 2020
The rest of the ideal team of the second round includes two players from Norway, one from Denmark, one from Montenegro, and one player from France.
On Friday at 18:00, Croatia and France will meet in the first semi-final of the European Championships, and Denmark and Norway will play later that evening. The last match between Croatia and France was back in 2007, and France celebrated 28:26.
Croatia entered the Euros as the ultimate underdog, and coach Šoštarić had many problems with injuries and the selection of players before they left for Denmark. However, even with a weakened squad, Croatia shocked favorite Hungary in the first round, then the world champions the Netherlands and Serbia in the remaining group stage games.
Croatia opened the second round with a victory against another favorite, Romania, and then suffered their first defeat against a mighty Norway before defeating Germany for a spot in their first-ever semi-final. Croatia’s best result at the Euros thus far is fifth place in 1994.
France, on the other hand, has not recorded a single defeat in the Euros, and only Russia managed to snatch a point from them.
In the first group stage, they defeated the host and the second semifinalist, Denmark, Montenegro, and Slovenia. In the second round, apart from drawing against Russia, they defeated Spain and Sweden. Although this part of the draw was stronger, it should be noted that France recorded two victories only by one goal, against Montenegro and Spain, which gives Croatia hope.
Source: Gol.hr
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Fall in Demand for New Cars in Croatia Nearly Double EU Average
ZAGREB, Dec 17, 2020 - Demand for new cars in the European Union fell by 25% in January-November 2020 compared with the same period of 2019, while in Croatia the fall was nearly double the EU average, a report by the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA) shows.
From January to November this year, a total of 12 million new cars were registered in 26 EU member states (excluding Malta), which is a decline of 25.5% compared with the same period last year.
"Eleven months into the year, the impact of COVID-19 continued to weigh heavily on the cumulative performance of all EU markets, including the four major ones. Spain saw the biggest drop (-35.3%) so far in 2020, followed by Italy (-29.0%), France (-26.9%) and Germany (-21.6%)," ACEA said.
In Croatia, 33,393 new cars were registered in the January-November period, 42.2% fewer than last year, which was the largest decrease in the EU.
The second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic compelled EU governments to impose severe restrictions to curb its spread. This resulted in a 12% drop in the number of new car registrations in the EU in November 2020, compared with a 7.8% decline in November 2019.
Last month, 897,692 new cars were registered in 26 EU member states (excluding Malta), with four key passenger car markets posting declines.
"France and Spain suffered double-digit drops (down 27.0% and 18.7% respectively), followed by Italy with a more modest decline (-8.3%). German losses were limited to just -3.0%," ACEA said.
In Croatia, 2,646 new cars were registered in November, down by 23.5% from November 2019. A similar drop was also recorded in October.
