ZAGREB, Nov 4, 2020 - In the last 24 hours, 2,480 new coronavirus cases and 26 related fatalities have been confirmed, the national COVID-19 crisis management team said on Wednesday.

There are currently 14,843 active cases, including 1,221 patients who are receiving hospital treatment and of whom 118 are on ventilators.

Since February 25, when the first case of coronavirus infection was confirmed in Croatia, 56,567 people have been infected, of whom 654 have died and 41,070 have recovered, including 1,690 in the last 24 hours.

Currently, 29,404 persons are in self-isolation.

To date, 523,382 people have been tested, including 9,206 in the last 24 hours.

November 4, 2020 - Olive groves and vineyards are iconic elements of the vista on the Croatian coast. They appear frequently, as does the international recognition for the wine and olive oil they produce. This makes it all the more surprising to learn that the country's biggest export is, in fact, Croatian chocolate.

On 4 November 2020, 24 Sata reported the surprising statistics about Croatian chocolate. Their sources are agricultural and food product reports from 2018 and 2019, made by the Croatian Chamber of Commerce. They state that Croatian chocolate and cocoa products were at the top of the export rankings. Croatia wine and Croatia olive oil didn't even get a look-in the top five Croatian exports – the next biggest were corn, tobacco products and then fresh and frozen fish.

© Alexander Stein

The production of wine and olive oil in Croatia goes back many thousands of years. The industry for making Croatian chocolate is a baby in comparison – Europeans only encountered cacao beans in the 16th century, while exploring and colonising the Americas. Still, the production of Croatian chocolate does have quite a history.


Bajadera by Zagreb's Kraš is one of the most popular boxes of Croatian chocolate to be given as a gift © Kraš

The oldest maker of Croatian chocolate is Zagreb's Kraš. The company's roots lie in three confectioners from the early 20th century. Union is the oldest chocolate manufacturer in south-east Europe (just two years after its foundation in 1911 was awarded the title of supplier to the royal court in Vienna and Budapest), Karolina, a former flour mill which switched to making biscuits and waffles in 1921 and Bizjak, founded in 1923, which made cookies and wafers. These companies, along with a number of smaller Zagreb confectionery manufacturers were merged in 1950 under the name of Kraš, in honor of Josip Kraš, a Croatian union leader and anti-fascist who was killed in World War II. Their range today includes the bars Dorina and Animal Kingdom, boxed classic Bajadera, chocolate biscuits Domaćica and the wafer bars Napolitanke and Tortica.

Kandit's classic Rum bar, made in Osijek. Hands-down the best ultra-cheap Croatian chocolate mini-snack bar © Kandit

The second oldest company making Croatian chocolate is Kandit, which is today still based in Osijek where its parent company was established way back in 1905 as a sugar production outfit. It switched to making waffles, sweets and chocolates in the early 1920s. Its range today includes the kids' favourite Choco Banana and hands-down the best ultra-cheap Croatian chocolate mini-snack bar Rum. It's a classic. Keeping on-trend, the relatively recent No Guilt series of high-quality, no-sugar chocolate bars has made a great addition to Kandit's offer. This range is the only Croatian chocolate currently recommended by the country's diabetic association.

Kandit's No Guilt range has no added sugar and several bars with a high cacao content © Kandit

The third big player in the Croatian chocolate scene is Zvečevo, from Požega. The company traces its roots back to 1921, but its association with chocolate only really began in 1934 when Swiss company Nestle began to manufacture there (the association continued until 1995). Zvečevo is notable as having invented the combination of toasted rice and milk chocolate in a bar. Now considered a classics pairing across the world, it was first produced in 1964 in Požega under the name of the Mikado bar. As well as still making this classic of Croatian chocolate, Zvečevo now makes a dark chocolate version, chocolate for use in home cooking and a popular range of strong alcoholic drinks. It has won several awards for its ethical and eco-friendly business practices.

Zvečevo's Mikado range. With Mikado, the Požega-based manufacturers were the first in the world to combine rice and chocolate © Zvečevo

Standard Croatian chocolate available on the high street can be a surprise to visitors. It has a higher content of the cheaper ingredient (sugar) than the more expensive ingredient (cacao) than many chocolates made in more westerly European countries. But, that's the way Croatians seem to like their chocolate. Well, most of them. According to a survey conducted in 2017 by the Hendal agency and JaTRGOVAC magazine, 63.5% of asked Croatians said they choose domestic chocolate products above the 36.5% who more often buy foreign chocolate products.

© Nawal Escape

Data from the Central Bureau of Statistics state that in 2018 the country produced 18,799 tons of Croatian chocolate and cocoa products. Over 800 million kuna's worth of Croatian chocolate was exported in the same year. The bond between Croats and their Croatian chocolate is strong, the love heartfelt. It is no doubt this affection for confection that has prompted some of the third of Croats who go in search of foreign alternatives, for the introduction of premium chocolate ranges by the aforementioned big manufacturers of Croatian chocolate and for the rapid increase in artisan and handmade Croatian chocolatiers over recent years.

Croatian chocolate smaller and artisan producers

Split-based Nadalina have become increasingly recognised over recent years © Nadalina

Split-based Nadalina make high-quality raw chocolate bars with non-standard flavours like rosemary, figs and olive oil. They held the Guinness World Record for making the world’s largest chocolate bar and in 2017 were voted the world's third-best at the International Chocolate Awards. Vilma slastice from the island of Rab combine dark chocolate with flavours like Pag cheese, white truffles and lavender. Salt manufacturers Solana Nin have a salt-infused chocolate and Zagreb's Chozen make impossibly-pretty handmade Croatian chocolate pralines with a surprising and adventurous range of flavours. Besides these, the list of small manufacturers of Croatian chocolate grows every year. It seems that the love affair between Croats and their chocolate is far from finished, and that's certainly good news for Croatian exports.

Impossibly pretty handmade chocolate truffles, produced in Zagreb by Chozen © Chozen

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November 4, 2020 - Coach Zoran Mamic and several Dinamo players test positive for COVID-19 ahead of Europa League on Thursday. 

On Tuesday, GNK Dinamo announced that coach Zoran Mamic and one player had tested positive for COVID-19. 

"GNK Dinamo hereby informs the public that COVID-19 testing resulted in one positive first-team player of GNK Dinamo and two members of the professional staff, including the head coach Zoran Mamic.

They felt mild symptoms upon their return from Russia and were referred for testing, which in their case turned out to be positive," Dinamo said in a statement.

Thus, Dinamo will play against Wolfsberger without coach Mamic on Thursday, and he will not be on the bench on Sunday in the home game match against Istria in the 11th round of the HNL. This is followed by a representative break.

Even before the game against CSKA, Dinamo had one infected player who did not travel with the team. Zoran Mamic noticed his first symptoms and fever on Monday, after which he went for testing and was positive.

Dinamo's coach did not appear at the presentation of Dinamo's "No Surrender" foundation, which was held before the news was announced that he was positive. 

But that's not the end of the bad news for Dinamo ahead of their 3rd round Europa League match on Thursday. 

The team was tested for COVID-19 again on Tuesday, according to the regular UEFA protocol. Thus, before the match against Austrian club Wolfsberger, four more players tested positive, bringing the number to five.

"With four positives from before, GNK Dinamo has a total of nine players on the UEFA list who will not play in the match due to COVID-19."

While assistant coach Damir Krznar should have been on the bench to replace Mamic, there has been a change there as well.

"The test results of several professional staff members are also positive, and Alen Peternac will lead the match from the bench," Dinamo announced.

Dinamo will play against Wolfsberger Thursday at 9 pm at Maksimir.

Source: GNK Dinamo website, HRT

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November 4, 2020 - The Kopilica area of Split will be modeled on the Spanish city of Barcelona thanks to a 600,000 euro project financed by the EBRD.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is financing the strategic plan of Austrian company iC Consulenten with 600,000 euro, according to which the Kopilica area of Split would undergo a thorough revitalization to develop cultural, congress and hotel facilities and become like parts of Barcelona, the EBRD said on Tuesday.

The statement reads that the urban revitalization plan will radically transform Split by redeveloping a key port area and developing the city's Kopilica district. Split itself, it is said, will be able to reach its full potential, inspired by the success of similar interventions in cities such as Barcelona, ​​Copenhagen, and London, where the neglected railway and port locations have been transformed into lively new neighborhoods tempting to work and live.

The strategic plan, developed by Austrian civil engineers from iC Consulenten and financed by the EBRD with 600,000 euro, focuses on the location of the main railway station in the port area and the Kopilica district on the northern coast of the Split peninsula. The goal of the plan is to reduce congestion in the city center and use the best city locations such as the main station, with the possible expansion of the city center.

The new arrangement of the port area and Kopilica would create a potential gross developed area of ​​about 1.2 million square meters for approximately 15,000 inhabitants and 10,000 to 15,000 jobs.

The revitalization of the main station and the new road tunnel in the port would enable the development of cultural, congress, and hotel facilities.

As for Kopilica itself, the expansion of the city center is expected to include business premises, a university, large residential areas, and a "park and use public transport" system, which will be of great importance for the entire city area. EBRD estimates that meeting these goals will require a substantial new transport infrastructure.

A new light railway to the airport and a motorway bridge across the bay from Solin to Kopilica will be necessary preconditions for this development project. The EBRD supports this plan as part of its broader work in the field of urban revitalization as a holistic approach to overcoming the challenges faced by many cities in the countries in which they are active.

The EBRD is currently participating in projects in Pula, Šibenik, and Zagreb.

"Urban revitalization provides opportunities to rebalance the economy, attract foreign investment and use EU funds efficiently, and as the state has a key role to play in stimulating that investment, the EBRD is working closely with governments and state-owned enterprises at all levels to support the implementation of ambitious plans to transform Croatia's larger cities," the statement said.

The EBRD is a multilateral bank that promotes private sector development and entrepreneurial initiative in 38 countries on three continents. It is owned by 69 countries and the EU and the EIB.

Source: HINA, The Financial

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November 4, 2020 - The Arena Zagreb operating headquarters are ready to receive 100 COVID-19 patients with a mild to initial moderate clinical picture. They will be cared for by 60 nurses and technicians and 18 doctors.

Jutarnji List reports that the Arena will house patients with a milder form of the infection who need rehabilitation before being discharged home, head nurse Snjezana Krpeta told reporters on Tuesday after the presentation of the COVID hospital.

In the beginning, the Arena will be able to accommodate one hundred patients. Still, there is a possibility of expanding the capacity to 290, and it will cover the area of Zagreb and parts of the county.

Krpeta explained that only agreed patients will come to the COVID hospital, which means that the institution that transfers such a patient must arrange the transfer.

Patients will be admitted to the hospital according to a pre-established protocol. Thus, the ambulance that brings the patient to the counter will show their documentation; they will then receive a bar code bracelet, after which they will be picked up at the hospital by a doctor and a nurse who will triage them and place them in a hospital bed.

The center currently has 33 oxygen bottles, two bottles in the intensive care unit, and one in the admission clinic, and in the event of an expansion of the hospital, new staff and equipment are planned.

Krpeta said that KBC Sisters of Charity has currently provided 60 nurses and technicians, logistics that will change oxygen bottles, bring food and water and take away dirty laundry, and all other ancillary activities needed for a functioning COVID hospital.

She explained that people with milder forms of the infection would be accommodated in the hospital, and these are people who are not yet for discharge home but are not for KBC Dubrava either.

"These are mostly older people who still have other comorbidities, internist and surgical patients who have a harder time recovering and then they have extended care and treatment," Krpeta said, adding that these are people who will need basic health care and basic needs, like food and changing because they sweat a lot.

In the ambulance for patients, all needs were taken into account, and the civil protection provided enough disposable bottles of water for each patient. Showering places were provided for people who will not be unwashed or malnourished. Food will be packed in disposable boxes so that it can go to waste after use.

However, before the center opens, the chief sanitary inspector has yet to take a water and air sample.

Krpeta, who will lead the nursing section, claimed that they are fully medically and technically equipped, have enough workforce and necessary materials, including a handy laboratory and a pharmacy, and have 24-hour communication with the parent KBC Sisters of Charity.

The coordinator of the organizational headquarters for the construction of Arena Zagreb, Davor Vagić, said that 18 doctors would work on one hundred beds. Three doctors would be provided by the HV, seven by KBC Sisters of Charity. In comparison, the minister would appoint eight doctors.

Colonel and neurologist Berislav Dalic, who has completed four missions in Afghanistan, said the HV was happy to respond after receiving calls from the Sisters of Charity because they saw they could help with their experiences.

Igor Milić from the Directorate of Civil Protection said that everything needed by health professionals from the non-medical work is provided with colleagues from the Armed Forces. 

Minister of Health Vili Beroš said that the Arena would not be a health facility but an auxiliary health institution that will relieve the health system.

He thought about the idea and role of the Arena as a tertiary center, he said, with comparative analyzes of what was happening in the surrounding countries and reflections on what could happen in Croatia.

He explained that they are trying to think ahead and be a step, if possible, in front of this threat, and expressed hope that the Arena will not be operational, although now the numbers are much more serious, and it may be filled with patients.

He also pointed out that each of us can contribute to the Arena's capacity to be filled as little as possible.

The coordinator of the organizational headquarters for the construction of Arena Zagreb, Davor Vagić, thanked his team for making it possible in an incredibly short time, the civil protection and the Croatian Army, which participates logistically and with the work of medical staff.

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November 4, 2020 - The three largest Croatian airports, Zagreb, Split, and Dubrovnik, released their monthly statistics for October. All airports recorded a decrease in the number of passengers compared to September.

Croatian Aviation reports that the drop in passenger numbers in October was actually expected for several reasons. First, we traditionally have fewer seasonal lines in October, especially in Split and Dubrovnik. This year, due to the pandemic's impact, several lines stopped operating in late September, a month earlier than usual in previous years.

Zagreb, Split, and Dubrovnik combined did not reach 100,000 passengers in October

In addition to the earlier cancellation of routes, aircraft operating to and from the three mentioned airports had low passenger cabin occupancy. In addition to the pandemic itself and the crisis it causes, there is the fear of traveling by plane due to frequent flight cancellations and uncertainty about frequent changes in rules at state borders. All of the above resulted in record low numbers - the three largest Croatian airports in October together did not have even 100 thousand passengers (specifically, there were 95,432)! 

Zagreb Airport in October this year recorded 55,289 passengers, by far the most of all Croatian airports. Still, there is a noticeable decrease in the number of passengers than in September (more than 10 thousand fewer passengers than the previous month).

In October 2019, Zagreb registered 330,598 passengers. In total, from January 1 to October 31, 840,610 passengers passed through the main Croatian airport (2,957,109 in the same period last year). Thus, it is clear that Zagreb Airport will not reach the millionth passenger this year. From January to October, Zagreb recorded a drop in passenger traffic of over 71% compared to the same period last year.

Split Airport recorded 25,796 passengers in October, while in October 2019, 247,172 passengers passed through this airport. Split lost its chance for the millionth passenger a long time ago; by the end of October, only 657,570 passengers passed through Split Airport, which is actually an excellent result considering that there was almost no significant traffic by May. Hence, most passengers passed through Split at the height of the season. Namely, from June to October, Split generated over 600 thousand passengers!

This airport had more passengers from January to October last year than Zagreb - over 3 million (3,214,702).

Dubrovnik was far from famous this year in air traffic, and October was another modest month. Only 14,347 passengers passed through Dubrovnik Airport, while in the same month last year, there were almost 300,000 passengers (299,532).

At Dubrovnik Airport, slightly better traffic monthly was achieved only in August (almost 120 thousand passengers).

From January to October, 321,296 passengers passed through this airport, while last year in the same period - 2,804,478.

One thing is for sure, the decline in the number of passengers will continue in the last two months of this year, but the problem is that the market recovery is not in sight, almost certainly not until the spring of next year. Detailed statistics of other Croatian airports (Pula, Rijeka, Zadar, and Osijek) will be published soon.

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As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 3rd of November, 2020, the Financial Inspectorate of the Republic of Croatia has issued a decision by which the otherwise popular Zagrebacka banka was found guilty and fined an eye-watering amount.

The guilty verdict comes as a result of the supervision of the Croatian National Bank which established that in the period from the 1st of January 2017 to the 8th of November 2019, Zagrebacka banka failed to implement all of the necessary measures, actions and procedures as prescribed by the Law on Prevention of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing (ZSPNFT). As a result of the finding, a single fine in the amount of 33,000,000 kuna was published on the CNB's website. However, as Poslovni Dnevnik/Ana Blaskovic reports, the bank has earned a discount on that huge fine, and will now pay ''only'' 22 million kuna.

According to the Misdemeanor Law, if the bank pays the fine within a month, which it will do, Zagrebacka banka will ultimately only pay the aforementioned ''discounted'' amount of 22 million kuna.

The decision of the Financial Inspectorate was made and became final on October the 30th, 2020. This fine is the highest misdemeanor ever imposed on a credit institution in all of Croatia, not only in the field of the prevention of money laundering and terrorist financing, but also in all areas for which the misdemeanor liability of credit institutions can be prescribed. In this case, the Croatian National Bank, as the supervisory body and authorised prosecutor, complied with the obligations under the Misdemeanor Law, informed Zagrebacka banka of its right to come to an agreement, which Zagrebacka banka used, admitted guilt and agreed to accept the aforementioned large fine.

Zagrebacka banka: We have implemented all of the due regulatory measures

''Zagrebacka banka has resolutely implemented all of the due regulatory measures in close cooperation with the competent authorities and remains strongly committed to the continuous strengthening of the system and its processes. The entire set of measures (75) identified by the bank, and ordered by the CNB in ​​its decision, was fully implemented three months before the deadline set by the CNB,'' Zagrebacka banka stated.

The Croatian National Bank has identified a total of 11 violations related to violations of the Law on the Prevention of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing, in the following areas:

Risk assessment of an individual business relationship
Identifying and tracking suspicious, complex and unusual transactions
Reporting suspicious transactions to the Office for the Prevention of Money Laundering
Implementation of measures of enhanced in-depth analysis of all parties
A system of internal controls to reduce and effectively manage the risk of money laundering and terrorist financing.
The aforementioned violations established by the CNB upon the supervision of Zagrebacka banka were committed in the period from the 1st of January 2017 to the 8th of November 2019, and relate to the following omissions:

It did not implement measures of enhanced in-depth party analysis for 72 clients
It did not analyse the background and purpose of 1,126 transactions that were identified as complex and unusual and didn't have an obvious economic or visible legal purpose
For 2,028 transactions made by parties, the lists of indicators weren't used as guidelines in determining the grounds for suspicion of money laundering or terrorist financing
It failed to report 1,122 suspicious transactions to the Office for the Prevention of Money Laundering
It hasn't established an effective system of internal controls to reduce and effectively manage the risk of money laundering and terrorist financing.
The number, type and duration of identified illegalities indicated structural shortcomings in the implementation of prescribed measures, actions and procedures to prevent money laundering and terrorist financing. Such conduct is particularly unacceptable given the position held by Zagrebacka banka in the financial system of the Republic of Croatia as the largest credit institution.

The amount of the fine imposed is proportional to the determined number and severity of the committed offenses.

After the completion of the CNB's supervision, Zagrebacka banka reorganised its operations and increased its capacity to detect and prevent money laundering and terrorist financing, and proceeded to implement supervisory measures based on the decision of the Croatian National Bank. Zagrebacka banka demonstrated an appropriate degree of readiness to address all of the identified weaknesses within the anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing system. Among other things, Zagrebacka banka has committed itself to implementing 75 measures to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of its anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing system. In the meantime, Zagrebacka banka informed the CNB that it had implemented all of the measures it undertook.

This case emphasises that the implementation of measures to prevent money laundering and terrorist financing by banks remains an important priority of the CNB and that it is more than determined to take all of the measures to ensure that banks comply with regulations in the field of the prevention of money laundering and terrorist financing. The Croatian National Bank expects banks to have effective and efficient anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing systems that should be proportionate to their size, type, scope and the complexity of their operations.

In accordance with the law, the CNB informed the Office for the Prevention of Money Laundering in detail about their decision, as well as all competent state institutions.

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November the 4th, 2020 - We recently wrote about the introduction of rapid coronavirus testing which has become available at three separate Zagreb locations. Now that things have officially ''kicked off'' with this rapid coronavirus testing process, let's take a look at the Croatian prices, regulations and procedures involved.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the assistant Director of the Croatian Institute of Public Health, Marija Bubas, PhD, was recently a guest of the show "Good Morning Croatia/Dobro Jutro Hrvatska" on HRT, during which she commented on how things were going with the new rapid coronavirus tests which are now available to the public. She explained that antigen testing is fast, but that the people who will be tested in this way will not see any difference in the process themselves. She added that they will be sampled as before by conducting a PCR test and the testee will receive their result by e-mail.

Bubas said that for testing at the Rockefellerova 2 location, ie in the Croatian Institute of Public Health, people must book in advance online. She stressed that doctors will decide based on the presented symptoms of the new coronavirus who will get to have a rapid test, and which people will get the classic PCR test. She added that all negative results from antigen testing will be repeated by taking a sample with the classic PCR test.

What about Croatian prices for this new rapid testing for SARS-CoV-2?

The assistant director of the CNIPH said that the price for a quick test is around one hundred kuna. "I don't know the exact amount at the moment, but it will be found out during the day," she said.

Testing with a quick antigen test will be possible in Rockefellerova, and in a few days at the Andrija Stampar Institute. In certain health systems and in certain circumstances, these tests aren't new, as they've already been being used in the Sveti Duh Hospital and at the Clinic for Children's Diseases in Klaiceva, as well as at the Dr. Fran Mihaljevic Clinic for Infectious Diseases.

Bubas said that all people who come for testing should adhere to the prescribed epidemiological measures and should answer questions responsibly and honestly. "If we adhere to the measures, in three to four weeks we will have lower numbers than we've had over recent days,'' she concluded.

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