October the 8th, 2020 - The Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has published a ''coronavirus map'' which showcases the rate of infection in European countries. Despite Croatia having been placed on the red lists of many countries, it appears that two Croatian regions in particular are doing well when compared to not only the rest of the country, but the rest of the continent.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 7th of October, 2020, the Belgian ''coronavirus map'' acts as yet another confirmation of the fact that the beautiful region of Istria is not only the best in Croatia in the fight against the spread of the new coronavirus, but it is also among the best in all of Europe, local Istrian portal Glas Istre writes.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Belgium has published a map of Europe divided into green, light orange, dark orange and red areas. Of all the regions in Europe, only eleven of them are in the lucky colour - green. These are one region in Sweden, four in Poland, two in Bulgaria, two in Italy (Marche and Calabria) and two in Croatia, more precisely Istria and Varazdin counties.

Most of the other Croatian regions are in orange on Belgium's coronavirus map, and in the unfortunate colour of red are the counties of Split-Dalmatia, Karlovac, Lika-Senj and Pozega-Slavonia. Belgium has no travel restrictions, but, depending on the colour, travel is either recommended or not recommended unless necessary. However, returning from the red areas involves testing and quarantine, and this isn't the case when returning to Belgium from any of the others.

Within Croatia, Istria has the fewest cases, in the last 14 days only cumulatively around 6 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants, which is excellent indeed.

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As Novac writes on the 7th of October, 2020, ENNA Fruit, a new player in the Neretva Valley fruit and vegetable purchase market, created by the recapitalisation of Marinada, intends to buy about a third of the entire mandarin crop in the Neretva Valley this year, triggering a sigh of relief from the Neretva fruit growers.

As the head of the purchase centre, Dragan Crnomarkovic, revealed, they plan to buy about 10,500 tonnes of mandarins. It is estimated that this year, the yield of the Neretva fruit growers is about 32,000 tonnes in total. This redemption centre started with a price of four kuna for the first and 2.5 for the second class of mandarins. After just one week, the price was adjusted to 3.5 kuna for the first class, while the second class remained at 2.5 kuna.

"The average price shouldn't be bad because the yield is lower than average, and the quality is excellent. There's no reason for a sudden and large drop in prices because there will be demand for Neretva mandarins on the market," Crnomarkovic told Slobodna Dalmacija.

ENNA Fruit buys from more than 380 Neretva fruit growers, more specifically mandarin producers, of which only five have a yield of more than 100 tonnes. The fragmentation of plots is one of the bigger problems. "We suggest producers to gather in associations and producer organisations. Then it would be easier for them and also for us. They could protect their interests, and it would be much easier for us to work and communicate. It would be easier to plan delivery dynamics, prices, and ultimately negotiate and about the delivery of raw materials,'' Crnomarkovic explained.

Export potential

The first quantities of purchased early varieties of mandarins from ENNA Fruit were placed out in the usual environment. The strategic buyer is Konzum, and they also sold them to Mercator Slovenia and Mercator Serbia. "This week, foreign markets are opening outside of our region, the most represented of which is the Czech and then the Slovak market. We're the only company that sells mandarins in more distant markets such as the British, Irish and Dutch markets. We also sell something in Austria. There's export potential, but we must have good quality and good organisation,'' stated Crnomarkovic.

He also revealed that Spanish mandarin producers are less competitive in high-tariff and regulated markets than in unregulated, price-sensitive markets. ''Our small volumes don't endanger them on markets where they're heavily represented, and they're the most prevalent on the British and German markets,” he noted.

ENNA Fruit cannot, according to Crnomarkovic, function only in the purchase of mandarins. Mandarins, he says, are the backbone of business and without it nothing would be worth doing. But they are a significant buyer of other produce of Neretva fruit growers, such as watermelon and strawberries. Leaving fruit aside, they're also fond of cabbage, greenhouse greens such as lettuce and chard, cucumbers, peppers...

"Apart from watermelon, which we buy about 2000 tonnes and, of course, mandarins, other production in the Neretva Valley has fallen sharply. The merging and direct cooperation of these associations with distribution centres could result in the production of fresh fruit and vegetables in the Neretva Valley returning to their former levels, but without the association and organisation of producers this goal is difficult to achieve.

Joint promotion

''The label of authenticity, which was given to the Neretva mandarin, unfortunately, hasn't provided it with any progress. In order to have an effect, we must organise ourselves at all levels and jointly promote the Neretva mandarin. That way, we could achieve a higher price on the foreign market,'' said Crnomarkovic.

ENNA Fruit, he says, is now a very potent company on the market. "Liquidity has significantly improved. The payment deadline is 30 days. We have an excellent buying and selling network, both in Croatia and in the market of the region, and we're positioning ourselves better when it comes to exports," Crnomarkovic concluded.

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October the 8th, 2020 - The George platform, a form of digital banking being introduced by the already well respected Erste bank, is now available to clients of the bank living in the Republic of Croatia.

Let's face it, Croatia is hardly a friend of the digital world and of the process of modernisation. The stark contrast between the tech savvy and innovative entrepreneurs this country consistently produces and the lack of political and administrative will to move on from stamps and endless paperwork couldn't be more evident. The coronavirus crisis has actually been beneficial in forcing a lot of the administrative processes in Croatia out of the dark ages and into the digital world, and it seems that things are finally heading in the right direction.

Banks in Croatia have always had a slightly more modern edge on other institutions, and the arrival of the George platform for digital banking marks a significant step forward in that respect. As Novac writes on the 7th of October, 2020, the George digital platform, which has been used for several years in Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Romania, is now available to Erste Bank's clients here in Croatia.

Among other things, it allows Erste bank clients to increase the speed of standard user operations and create their own version of the George platform, tailored to the often specific needs of each individual user, and with each upgrade, the new service will become "even more advanced, smarter and intelligent."

Zdenko Matek of Erste Bank said that the George platform provides Erste's clients with "an even better user experience, through the more intuitive, personal and visually attractive management of their personal finances, in line with the expectations and trends of the digital age."

Erste bank has already earned a lot of respect here on the Croatian banking scene, and it's certain that the introduction of the new George platform will only boost the bank's reputation even more.

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As Novac writes on the 7th of October, 2020, Pevex (formerly Pevec) officially opened the doors of its new centre to customers on Wednesday at 07:00, kicking off business in a new location in Slavonski Brod.

The new sales centre in Slavonski Brod employs a total of 48 employees who will help customers with Pevex's offer of more than 50,000 items from both Croatian and foreign suppliers.

It's worth clarifying that Pevex has already operated in Slavonski Brod, but the new centre is in a more attractive location in Naselje Slavonija II No. 4 and it has additionally hired 5 new employees.

The opening was held in accordance with the prescribed epidemiological measures of the National Civil Protection Headquarters of the Republic of Croatia.

''After the opening of our new sales centre in Vinkovci in September this year, the time has come to modernise our centre in Slavonski Brod. The new centre has a richer offer that covers as much as 5,118 square metres. This is another significant step in our long-term strategy where we want to be present in all areas with more than 15,000 inhabitants,'' said Jurica Lovrincevic, President of the Management Board of Pevex at the opening of the new outlet.

New facilities, continued investment and more employment

Compared to the old one, the new Pevex sales centre located in Slavonski Brod also has a number of accompanying facilities, such as a car wash and a café.

Since back at the end of 2015 (the final year of the company's previous management), Pevex has opened ten new sales centres and hired more than 700 new employees. Today, Pevex boasts 26 sales centres, of which 12 are owned, while at the end of 2015, only one sales centre was actually owned by the company.

Despite the ongoing coronavirus crisis, the construction of new sales centres next year and investment in a new business model of delivery centres are also planned.

''In the new year, we plan to open as many as two new centres - in Pozega and Porec. We're also launching a business model of delivery centres. We plan to open two such centres by the end of this year - one up to 500 m2 and the other up to 1000 m2. In 2021, we'll open them in a number of cities. Gospic, Ogulin, Otocac, Zabok, Krapina and Knin are the first already announced locations where we're looking for landlords, but others are also possible. The crown of the new development phase of the company is certainly the large logistics and distribution centre near Zagreb. The value of this investment stands at 300 million kuna, and for the realisation we're looking for a piece of land of 200,000 m2,'' announced Lovrincevic.

However, before the aforementioned investments, Pevex is waiting for the opening of a new sales centre in Makarska this year, where its business will move from the old centre at some point in November.

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October 8, 2020 - Najfiniji sapuni itd. (Finest Soaps, etc.) is a line of all-natural cosmetic products, owned by two Croatian single moms, Maja Pejcic and Jasminka Grbelja. With a breath of the Mediterranean and a lot of will, they have become noticed in Croatia.

So, “Najfiniji sapuni / Finest soaps, etc.” Not at all mundane or standard. How did you come up with the name? 

Najfiniji sapuni started with solid soaps. After that, we decided to start making face creams, lotions, balms… In essence, the name comes from a combination of what we are - the finest cosmetics for body care and growth. And now, we are going further with our product range.

What is in your product range? What are the ingredients used?

Najfiniji sapuni now has a nice range of body care products. Face creams, lip balms, butter and body lotions, part creams, hydrolats, solid and liquid soaps, shower gels, salt and cream peels, hand creams, and soon micellar waters and facial cleansing foams. We decided to go with simple basic raw materials: coconut oil, olive oil, shea butter and butter, Mediterranean essential oils. We try to weave all the best from nature into our body care products (following all legal regulations and norms, of course). We want our consumers to understand what they are reading when they check out the ingredients on the bottle. That the raw materials are recognizable - we go to a lot of ingredients to win over the audience with a lot of text on the packaging - we go to quality and comprehensibility.

© Matej Paluh

I believe that you like every product, but which one are you especially proud of and why?

All our products are loved and created with a lot of love. But we have our pride.

Maja: I am very proud of the solid soaps - they were basically made according to my grandmother's recipe. So here’s my significant sentimental connection. And deodorant creams.

Jasminka: Deodorant cream! My firstborn in the Finest Soaps.

When moving into each new product design, the guiding thread was: what would we want on our skin? What are the ingredients that are really good and what we don't like in the products? How do we use that wonderful Mediterranean of ours and its essences? So there was a lot of imagination, love, and effort to create the product.

Najfiniji sapuni © Matej Paluh

What hindered you the most in starting a business? What motivated you?

Like everyone else, it is the bureaucracy. Collecting documentation, finding regulations, applicable regulations, reading the law, fighting various offices. These are things you need to learn on the go. No one prepares you for such a struggle; no one prepares you to understand systems and norms.

And what motivated us? Well, of course, the desire to put everything on a sound footing and start with the finest story. When you want something strong enough, then you have a powerful motive to fight for it.

The word "Mediterranean" runs through the whole story - how did it find its place in your laboratory?

It was a logical sequence. Najfiniji sapuni made our first steps in Baška on Krk. All these fragrant herbs, all these benefits were at hand, so why not use them and create something useful, that is, in body care? Thus, olive oil, essential oils of immortelle, lavender, mint, rosemary, sage, immortelle, lavender hydrolats, orange, and cherry found a place in our laboratory. The Mediterranean provides a great treasure.

The media often tells the fact that you are single mothers. When combined with the context of what you have achieved, is it a compliment to you, or do you feel it is not necessary to mention it?

In one segment, it is important for the very reason that many think that it is impossible with such a status to be equally committed to your home and work. The proof is there - it can be done. A lot has been achieved, but the fact is that it was not at all easy to reconcile everything. We don't consider it a handicap, but maybe even a benefit, because we are used to holding all four walls of the house by ourselves. Let that struggle be something to us every day, and we may have found it easier to cope with all the obstacles than others. We know nothing but persistence and strength.

Najfiniji sapuni © Matej Paluh

Speaking of kids, are they faithful helpers, or do they still not know what mom is concocting in her dish?

Of course! Little Iva is a master at mixing with a spoon in her dish. She is a real lady who enjoys applying lip balms and hand creams. And Antonio is a teenager who uses solid soap and faces cream. They are faithful helpers because they are with us. They know what we are doing, but it is our job for them. Of course, with us, they learn to use the natural, to protect the environment - and when they grow up, who knows, maybe they will follow in our footsteps.

Where can potential customers find you, and what would you recommend from your product range?

All fans of our cosmetics can find us all over Croatia. We are on the shelves of specialized stores, souvenir shops, and we are also in the offer of larger retail chains. To make it easier, we have created an overview list of cities and shops under the contacts section on our website. For all those who do not have a point of sale in their vicinity, they can order directly from us through our Najfiniji sapuni webshop.

Najfiniji sapuni © Matej Paluh

Do you have a message for the youth or maybe adults who would like to start something similar one day?

Our cosmetics are used by people ages 9 to 99 years. Women and men are equally represented, which we are happy about. People have recognized the benefits of such products. Anyone who wants to embark on a story like this must first know exactly what they want to produce. Furthermore, they have to be educated because, without knowledge, there is nothing. They also have to be ready for one big battle with bureaucracy. And now that they have set it all up like that and decided they have to know nothing happens overnight. It takes over half a year of effort and financial resources for a product to appear on a shelf and be ready for the consumer. Nothing will go smoothly right away, but when you succeed and see your product in someone’s hands - it’s a reward for everyone.

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October 7, 2020 - In a friendly match played in St. Gallen on Wednesday evening, Croatia topped Switzerland 2:1.

The Croatia national football team played a friendly match against Switzerland in St. Gallen on Wednesday, ahead of two consecutive matches in the Nations League against Sweden and France (October 11 and 14).

Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic announced an opportunity for players who have not had much time in the national team so far, and from the first minute was debutant Domagoj Bradaric. Croatia's starting 11 in the first half included Livakovic - Uremovic, Vida (C), Caleta Car, Melnjak - Badelj, Kovacic - D. Bradaric, Pasalic, Brekalo - Petkovic.

The match began promptly at 8:45, with a stadium filled at 30% capacity thanks to a new UEFA rule. Almost half of the fans in the stands wore the famous Croatian checkers.

The first threat to Croatia's goal came after a corner over Rodriguez in the eighth minute, who shot diagonally, but Livakovic defended. Two minutes later, Josip Brekalo shot from the other side from 18 meters, which went over the goal.

The 23rd minute saw the best opportunity of the match until that point. Gavranovic came out alone in front of Livakovic, who defended the shot of his Dinamo teammate.

Unfortunately, Switzerland finally took advantage of their next opportunity. In the 31st minute, Xhaka crossed to Gavranovic, whose header sent the ball into the corner of the goal for 1:0.

Croatia immediately picked up their pace. Five minutes later, Bruno Petkovic had an excellent chance, which he shot five meters from the goal.

In the 42nd minute, however, Croatia got their equalizer. Debutant Bradaric crossed perfectly into the box to find Brekalo, who volleyed into the goal for 1:1.

????

✅ Josip Brekalo with his second international goal
✅ Domagoj Bradarić with his first international assist

?#SUICRO #Vatreni? pic.twitter.com/QE8aMkQEET

— HNS (@HNS_CFF) October 7, 2020

At half time, Switzerland made three subs - Xhaka, Rodriguez and Mehmedi came out for Freuler, Zuber and Vargas. Dalic subbed Brozovic for Badelj.

The second half began with pressure from Switzerland. In the 56th minute, Marko Rog came on for Kovacic and Budimir for Petkovic.

Croatia was certainly holding their own without captain Luka Modric on the pitch, so much so that they scored their second goal to take the lead. A beautiful one-two between Budimir and Pasalic resulted in a Pasalic goal for 1:2 in the 67th minute.

????

⚽️ #Croatia comes back from behind to take the lead! Ante Budimir finds Mario Pašalić, who scores his first international goal! #BeProud #SUICRO #Vatreni? pic.twitter.com/Y9KTH5ogXR

— HNS (@HNS_CFF) October 7, 2020

Luka Modric and Ivan Perisic were subbed on for Pasalic and Brekalo in the 74th minute. 

Switzerland had one great opportunity in the 81st minute to equalize, though Itten hit over the crossbar. Croatia continued to press in the final 10 minutes of the match, but was unlucky to increase their lead. The match ended 1:2 for Croatia!

Source: HRT

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ZAGREB, Oct 7, 2020 - The Museum of Modern and Contemporary Arts in Rijeka (MMSU) said on Wednesday that an installation artwork with a red star, erected on the top of a high-rise building in Rijeka on 20 September, was removed on 4 October, and workers hired for the erection and removal of the installation requested anonymity.

The museum emphasized that the artwork installation by author Nemanja Cvijanovic had been put on display only temporarily and that the removal was conducted without the presence of the media, as requested by workers hired to erect and put down the installation.

This statement ensued as the museum's response to an article in the Rijeka-based newspaper "Novi List"  that claimed that the red star installation had been removed in secrecy.

The museum recalls that the artwork had been installed without the presence of the media and that upon the completion of the installation, a lengthy press release had been sent to media outlets about the event as well as about the symbols which the installation wanted to show and about the author of the installation.

The press release also included official photographs of the event, the museum said.

The museum also notes that a Novi List photo-journalist had appeared at the top of the building when the installation was being removed, and he was explicitly requested to erase the photos he had taken and that those photos should not be published.

However, the daily newspaper ignored the request and it also published "fake news" that the installation had been erected and removed in secrecy, the museum says.

The institution also accuses the newspaper of violating the rights to privacy of persons who explicitly insisted on their privacy and whose role in this installation is of no interest to the general public.

Novi List explains that its photo-journalist had heard from a citizen in Rijeka that the red star installation was being removed and he then went there to cover the event. After he took photos of Nemanja Cvijanovic and workers, they demanded that he erased those photos, he however declined their request. They have been published by the daily, with the faces of the workers concerned being blurred.

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ZAGREB, Oct 7, 2020 - The We Can! political platform has said that the HDZ party is right to fear a proposal to form a parliamentary commission to investigate possible influence by the authorities on investigations and prosecution of corruption, noting that it will not give up until that influence has been investigated.

"They are afraid that the commission of inquiry could find answers to the questions of why we do not have convictions for corruption, why after billions of kuna stolen there are no culprits, and why long-term prison sentences are not being served," MPs Sandra Bencic and Tomislav Tomasevic said after the HDZ said that it would reject the Opposition's motion to form a commission of inquiry to investigate the work of state institutions and information leaks in the JANAF corruption case.

The two MPs said they would not give up on the goals stated in the motion for the commission of inquiry regardless of whether the commission would be formed with the will of the HDZ-led parliamentary majority.

"Our message to the HDZ is: We will investigate it one way or another, so you have reason to be afraid," they said.

They dismissed PM Andrej Plenkovic's and the HDZ's justification for their opposition to the motion, such as that the commission's investigation would be too extensive, that the commission would bring into question court autonomy, that state institutions already function, and that the same objectives could be achieved through existing parliamentary committees.

Bencic and Tomasevic say that the commission has a very clear and narrow objective, which boils down to the influence of politics on investigations and the judiciary and the leaking of information from investigations.

The commission would not bring court autonomy into question

The law on inquiry commissions says that a motion to form such a commission must refer to an entire area and an entire set of questions, and not just one, as claimed by Plenkovic, they say.

Court autonomy does not entail a ban on the oversight of the judiciary as a system, and the purpose of the opposition's motion is not to investigate individual cases but rather the way the system works, its weak points with regard to resilience to corruption, and it's capacity to deal with big corruption cases, the two MPs say.

They note that the commission will not bring into question court autonomy but will ask representatives of the judiciary to say, based on their experience, how the system can be improved.

As for the PM's claim that "state institutions function", Bencic and Tomasevic wondered how it was possible for the Express weekly to publish a list of 60 big corruption scandals of which only a few resulted in a conviction and most involved members of the HDZ.

Existing parliamentary committees cannot carry out the investigation because they lack the powers a commission of inquiry has. Nobody can refuse to testify before or submit documents requested by a commission of inquiry on pain of penalty, they say.

Bencic and Tomasevic conclude that Plenkovic and the HDZ are afraid the commission would deal with systematic shortcomings in the fight against corruption and organized crime and that it would transpire that the HDZ has created and maintained a system that is weak and susceptible to political influence, which is why it cannot resolve any major corruption case.

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