November 28, 2020 - The Split Sports Association has sent an open letter to the relevant institutions regarding the new lockdown measures in Croatia, which forbid sports activity for the younger population. 

Index.hr reports that in an open letter to the relevant institutions, the Split Sports Association assessed that the latest measures to combat the coronavirus epidemic are not prudent because they prevent children's sports activity, warning that the decision on these measures is discriminatory towards younger ages.

"We are interested in who participated in the adoption of these measures on behalf of Croatian sports, which leads to the very logical conclusion that it is not prudent to prevent children's sports activities until the measure of closing regular classes in primary and secondary schools is adopted," the open letter reads.

The letter raises the question - what guided the proponents of these measures when they made the discriminatory decision to allow seniors to engage in sports activities despite scientific evidence that the effects of COVID-19 are significantly less pronounced in the younger population.

The Split Sports Federation sent an open letter to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, the National Civil Protection Headquarters, the National Sports Council, the Croatian Olympic Committee, and the Split-Dalmatia County Civil Protection Headquarters.

“How is it possible that the same children (primary and secondary schools) can be in daily contact for five to six hours indoors and cannot be outdoor or indoor training with their clubs, two to three times a week for one to two hours?" the letter adds. They recall that the Sports Act explicitly speaks of sport as an activity of special interest to the Republic of Croatia.

Furthermore, the letter raises the question - what is the greater risk of transmitting COVID-19 in sports activities in nature or indoors with a prescribed distance compared to the permitted activities in some other activities?

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

ZAGREB, November 28, 2020 - The Tourism Council of the Croatian National Tourist Board (HTZ) on Friday adopted the programme and financial plan for 2021, and the revenues for next year are projected in the amount of 285 million kuna, the HTZ said in a press release after its online meeting.

The HTZ is set to ramp up marketing and PR activities next year to offset a decline in the intensity of marketing activities at the level of local HTZ branches.

The press release says that according to data collected by the e-Visitor system, over 54 million tourist nights have been registered year-to-date, which is half as in the corresponding period in 2019.

The HTZ is a national tourist organization founded with the aim of creating and promoting the identity and reputation of Croatian tourism domestically and internationally. 

Its activities "include both planning and implementing the promotional strategy, as well as proposing and implementing promotional activities that are of common interest to all entities in tourism, and raising the level of quality of the entire Croatian tourist offer," the HTZ says on its website.

ZAGREB, November 28, 2020 - In the past 24 hours 3,987 SARS-CoV-2 infections have been registered in Croatia and 55 COVID-19 patients have died, the national COVID response team said on Saturday.

There are 23,573 active cases, including 2,221 patients in hospitals, of whom 262 are on ventilators.

Since February 25, when the first case was registered in Croatia, 123,693 persons have contracted the new virus, 1,655 have died and 98,465 have recovered, including 2,767 in the past 24 hours.

Currently 51,247 persons are self-isolating.

To date 736,102 persons have been tested, including 11,282 in the past 24 hours.

November 28, 2020 - In the third qualifying match for EuroBasket 2022, Croatia basketball topped Turkey in the Istanbul bubble on Friday evening.

The Croatia national team defeated Turkey 79:62 in the third qualifying match for the European Championships in 2022!

In the previous cycle of qualifications, Croatia beat the national teams of Sweden and the Netherlands, and Friday's game continues their perfect qualifications - three wins, no defeats.

On Sunday, November 29, at 18:00, Croatia will play against Sweden (broadcast on HRT2 and SportKlub), and in February 2021, the qualifiers will end with two more return matches against Turkey and the Netherlands. These matches will also be played in a bubble, and the host of Croatia's group has not yet been determined.

The most effective player of the match was the fantastic Miro Bilan with 30 points and 12 rebounds, followed by Željko Šakić with 17 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists. Roko Rogić also hit double figures with 12 points.

It should certainly be noted that Roko Prkačin made his debut for the Croatia national team with 6 points. Filip Krušlin also made an important contribution with 9 points and 4 assists, while captain Roko Leni Ukić, who recorded 5 assists and 2 rebounds, was an important and experienced support.

Croatia started the game strong, and their power over Turkey extended to the entire first half. 

Croatia ended the first quarter with a 16-0 series advantage, which grew to +17 (24-7) thanks to Roko Rogić's three-pointer. 

Nothing changed in the second quarter either, which was opened by a three-pointer by Filip Krušlin for +20 (27-7).

In the 27th minute, Croatia came to an unexpected 25-point advantage (40-15), when Miro Bilan nailed two free throws.

In the last minute of the first half, Turkey hit a three-pointer (43-24), but Bilan made it +21 (45-24) at half time.

Turkey recovered from the shock experienced in the first 20 minutes and opened the second half with a 9-0 series, leaving Croatia without a steal for a full three and a half minutes.

However, Veljko Mršić's team did not allow Turkey to get closer than 11 points (47-36) in the third quarter.

In the second half, there was a lack of a little more flow and precision in Croatia's attack, and Turkey continued to gain the advantage.

With a triple by American Shane Larkin, Turkey was eight points behind (70-62) just under two minutes before the end.

However, a possible turnaround was prevented by Bilan (4), Sakić (3), and Rogić (2), who finished the game with a 9-0 Croatia series for the final +17 (79-62).

In the second game, the Netherlands beat Sweden 78-76.

Saturday is a day off for the basketball players in the "Istanbul Bubble", and the remaining two games are scheduled for Sunday.

Turkey - the Netherlands will play from 3 pm, and at 6 pm Croatia will look for a victory against Sweden to confirm their placement in the EuroBasket.

Source: HRT

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As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 29th of November, 2020, wearing a face mask as an anti-epidemic measure will no longer be left up to a question of individual conscience and good will. Although mask wearing was initially only a recommendation in Croatia's coronavirus measures, and later for some time an obligation, individuals who didn't comply with the decisions of the National Civil Protection Headquarters could actually only be given a verbal warning because there is no sanction. That will no longer be the case.

As part of a package of more restrictive coronavirus measures, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic announced the introduction of harsh penalties for such violators, but in order to determine the issuing of such fines and then collect them all within the scope of the law, it is necessary to amend the Law on the Protection of the Population from Infectious Diseases.

In order to create a legal framework as soon as possible, a commission met as early as Friday, and a draft of those changes in the name of the latest coronavirus measures should be ready on Monday. According to Jutarnji list, they are working on the document being ready for the next session of the Croatian Government which will be held on Thursday, and after that it will go to the Parliament for an urgent vote.

The financial amounts these fines will reach has yet to be determined and agreed upon, but it should be in line with those being issued in other European countries in accordance with their respective coronavirus measures.

''The fine should be in accordance with our standard, but still, it will certainly not be small because then it wouldn't make sense and the goal wouldn't be achieved, and that goal is primarily reducing the number of coronavirus patients with one of the most important measures, and that's wearing a mask properly,'' says one committee member. Otherwise, fines for violating measures in Europe range from 250 to 1,000 euros.

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November 28, 2020 - Another great recognition for Croatian winemakers, as Croatian wines win 86 medals at International Wine Challenge 2020. 

Jutarnji List reports that at the prestigious wine competition International Wine Challenge 2020, Croatian wines excelled once again, winning 86 medals. This competition is held in two parts, and on Thursday, the awards of the second part of the competition were announced, in which Croatian wines won 1 gold, 28 silver, 39 bronze medals, and as many as 18 recommendations.

The Istrian winery Monte Rosso has the most reason to celebrate in the autumn edition of one of the strictest and most rigorous international wine competitions in terms of judging, winning the only gold and the corresponding 95 points for 2019 Malvasia. In the previous edition of this year's competition, the gold was won by Iločki podrumi with their 2018 Graševina vrh. Thus, the highest medals at IWC 2020 went to the two most represented domestic varieties.

The Krajančić winery, Luka Krajančić, achieved exceptional success with 5 silver medals. Most of them, or 93 points, were won by Pošip Intrada ’19 wine. Ninety-two points went to Pošip macerirano ’16 and Pošip Statut ’16, and 90 points each for Opera ’19 and Moro ’19 wines. Kozlović winery won three silver medals, 90 points for Malvasia '18, 91 points for Malvasia Selection '17 and 92 points for Malvasia Santa Lucia '16, while Rossi winery won 90 points each for the Malvasia '19 and Malvasia Templar wines and 91 points for the Chardonnay Riserva ’17. Among the most significant successes are two silver medals for Agrolaguna wineries, Fakin and Testament, and several wines in the silver medals class with the highest scores of 93 points, namely Andrea Cosetto Prima Luce '19, Testament Pošip '19 and Benvenuti San Salvatore Muscat '15, reports Jutarnji list.

At this autumn edition of the International Wine Awards, the winners from 14 countries were selected and declared the best wines, proving to be the absolute top in their categories after intense blind tasting. Six of these excellent wines have been named champions by the co-chairs of the International Wine Challenge, a group of the world’s six best wine tasters.

Chardonnay from Tasmania, the Tolpuddle Vineyard Chardonnay 2018, won over wines from more than 50 countries that were awarded the Champion White Trophy at this year’s competition. Australia was one of the countries with the best performance, with four wines ranked in the top 30.

For the first time in the history of the International Wine Challenge, Georgian producer Tbilvino was awarded Champion 2020 for its wine produced from the indigenous Saperavi grape variety. Portugal was the best this year with four wines on the list including Justino’s overall winner Madeira Terrantez 1978, which was awarded the highest Champion of Champions award.

See the complete list of awarded wines HERE.

Recall that at this year's 17th edition of the Decanter World Wine Awards, a total of 226 Croatian wines received one of the Decanter labels. Of these, Croatia has three platinum medals, 11 gold, 68 silver and 88 bronze medals and 56 Decanter recommendations.

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November 28, 2020 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic addressed Croatian citizens on Friday night before the new COVID-19 measures in Croatia came into force.

Just before the new and stricter epidemiological measures took effect in Croatia, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic addressed the citizens.

"The coronavirus pandemic that has affected the whole world has changed our way of life. With the arrival of autumn, the pandemic has accelerated. As elsewhere in Europe, we have gradually tightened measures. We are fighting against the virus on the basis of trust between the citizens and the state. With the measures taken so far, we have tried to avoid a complete closure and curfew," the Prime Minister said.

"As of midnight new, stricter measures will take effect. They aim to protect health, save lives, and reduce the burden on the health system. We need to be re-aware of the dangers posed by this virus. One in nine hospitalized is sadly dying. New measures will be effective until December 21, and perhaps longer.

I understand the dissatisfaction of all those who will suspend their business due to the epidemiological situation. I remind you that we have so far adopted measures to save jobs and many companies. The new measures will ensure that the livelihoods of many are not endangered. During the suspension of work, in addition to the exemption from paying contributions, we will also provide new Covid loans.

We will also adopt new measures for all those who have a temporary suspension. In the years ahead, we will use European funds to accelerate the recovery of our economy.

We are reluctantly changing the law so that we can punish violations of measures. We must do this to protect those responsible from irresponsible individuals. If even a small number of those gathered do not adhere to the measures, the infection will continue to spread.

Dear fellow citizens, I am sure you are following the progress in vaccines. The government has taken all steps to ensure a sufficient number of doses for Croats. A vaccination plan has already been made. I would like to once again express my gratitude to all health professionals who are at the forefront of virus protection and who are up to the task. We must show solidarity with them through responsible behavior. 

This year we will not be able to celebrate Christmas as before. Let’s show that we can give up old habits and socializing that is unnecessary. In these times of sacrifice, our priorities are health, jobs, production, and education. By protecting each other, we will win together," said Plenkovic.

Translated from Slobodna Dalmacija 

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As Marija Brnic/Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 27th of November, 2020, Croatia remains the record holder in the EU in terms of the number of free zones. Out of a total of 72 after Brexit, there are 11 Croatian free zones. It's true that two of these Croatian free zones are in the process of liquidation, and one is inactive, but even without them, Croatia is at the top, along with the Czech Republic, which also has eight zones, and Poland and Spain have seven each.

Port areas

Although after joining the EU it was expected that the interest in doing business in Croatian free zones would disappear, most of these zones do still exist, and those in port areas are especially active. According to the report on the operation of Croatian free zones in 2019, which was adopted by the government recently, a total of 71 companies operated within the zones, with a total of 2.8 thousand workers, and generated 1.69 billion kuna in revenue and 166 million kuna in profit. The number of enterprises in these Croatian free zones is one fifth lower than it was one year earlier, and the liquidation procedure of the Krapina-Zagorje Free Zone, which was initiated two years ago, contributed to this, but the liquidation is still underway and the zone has not been deleted from the court register as yet.

A similar case can be seen with the Split-Dalmatia Free Zone, in which the liquidation procedure has dragged on for even longer, more precisely since back in 2016. When it came to the inactive Kukuljanovo Free Zone, which is part of the Bakar industrial zone, the government even had to eventually revoke the concession due to its failure in starting business, so in the next government annual report on the situation in these zones, it will be exempted from observation.

In the port zones in Split, Pula, Ploce and Rijeka, the turnover was higher, 994 million kuna, although this is a 9 percent lower result than what was earned the year before, and in the land/mainland zones, the revenues were 700.5 million kuna and 20 percent lower. Individually, the largest revenues were generated by enterprises in the area of ​​the port of Rijeka, four of them earned a total of 547 million kuna and on an annual basis this means 18 percent growth, and also represents the best result in five years. 900 workers are employed in that zone, which is the largest number in relation to other Croatian free zones. In the Danube Free Zone Vukovar, the number of enterprises was reduced, but six of them operating last year improved their revenues, they were at the level of 292 million kuna, and their profits also doubled.

Last year, the zone in Ploce had a weaker result for the second year in a row, revenues were less by 15 percent and amounted to 261 million kuna. This was due to a significant reduction in the number of the zone's users, five of whom left the zone, but the remaining 19 increased their respective number of employees, reacing a total of 734. What certainly sets this zone apart is the record investments made by its enterprises, which far exceed the investments made in all other zones and also exceed 150 million kuna. In the Pula free zone, users had a lower revenue, a total of 74 million kuna, with the number of employees was halved to 190. In the Split zone, the income of local enterprises was halved to 112 million kuna, with their number also slightly decreased, although the remaining nine employed 205 workers, which has more or less remained unchanged from the year before.

Decline in revenue

They had an even bigger drop in income from entrepreneurs in the Split area in the Osijek zone, with enterprises at the level of 214 million kuna. Two new users came to operate in the zone, and a total of 11 of them employed 133 workers. In the Osijek zone, with the exception of the one in Ploce, significant investments were made, reaching around 27 million kuna, while the total investments in the Rijeka free zone were about 10 million kuna.

In the Free Zone Zagreb, Freight Terminals in Jankomir, 19 users operated last year, a fifth less than were in operation there one year earlier, but the number of employees remained at the same level, 333 workers, while revenues were higher by 37 percent, reaching 166 million kuna. Most of the users of this zone were engaged in storage, and two in production.

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