Coric: JANAF Should Continue Its Successful Business Path
ZAGREB, Sept 23, 2020 - Economy and Sustainable Development Minister Tomislav Coric said on Wednesday that the government would propose an interim CEO to the JANAF supervisory board at tomorrow's session, noting that this state-run oil pipeline operator should continue its successful business path.
"JANAF should continue doing business, it should continue its successful business path. JANAF ended 2018 and 2019 with good business results. ... The government, as the majority owner, will propose to the supervisory board that an interim CEO, an acting director, be appointed, and in the coming period that advertisement for JANAF CEO position for a period of four years will be published", Coric told reporters after the Big Plans Day conference.
Asked to comment on President Zoran Milanovic's claims that Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic must have known about suspicions about JANAF CEO Dragan Kovacevic's corruption activities, which Prime Minister rejected yesterday, Minister Coric said that he had nothing to add as Prime Minister had been clear on the matter.
"It is on us to conduct the economic policy of our country and other policies, and it is on institutions that deal with investigations, proceedings and punishment in such situations to do their share of the work," Coric said.
Asked about public procurement and the fact that the Elektrocentar Petek company from Ivanic Grad did business with all state-run companies, local units, Economy Minister recalled the Public Procurement Act and the fact that the procurement contract is awarded to the company with the best price economy-wise, and that others can file a complaint to the State Commission for Supervision of Public Procurement Procedures (DKOM).
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Milanovic: Main Objective of Economic Policy Should Be to Increase Employment
ZAGREB, Sept 23, 2020 - The main objective of Croatia's economic policy should be to increase employment, and Croatia must make the transition from a holiday country to a great country for work, President Zoran Milanovic said on Wednesday while speaking at the Big Plans Day conference organised by the Lider weekly.
"We should strive to increase the share of highly educated people in the workforce because they are a key source of competitive advantage," the president said, adding that the Croatian society and economy needed to open up, because being closed led to being non-competitive and falling behind.
Commenting on the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown in the first half of the year, Milanovic said that new possibilities were opening up now but an agreement had to be reached on what Croatia's new economic identity was.
He also said it was time Croatia focused on investment growth instead of personal consumption, adding that this should not be investment that mostly depends on EU funds, but greenfield investment that creates new jobs.
He warned that we should not be in a situation where the tax system stimulates rental activities and excise duties force production companies out of Croatia "no matter what they are producing, even if we do not like what they are producing."
"My vision of Croatia is a modern, innovative, open, healthy, green and sustainable country. That is the economic identity I will advocate during my term," he said.
Milanovic said that investment should focus on the sustainability of business models, adding that the European Green Deal was the basis for building economic competitiveness.
Diversification, sustainability, production, employment -- these are the goals on which we all must actively cooperate to ensure the growth of prosperity of our people, he said.
Economy and Sustainable Development Minister Tomislav Coric said that 2021 would be a year of recovery, but also a year of correcting economic mistakes. The government thought, he said, that the country's dependence on tourism was its main mistake, so one of the main priorities of this government would be to deal with this issue.
The main task of the government's economic policy next year will be digital transformation and strengthening production capacities and digital transformation, he underscored.
According to Coric, Croatia should make use of its comparative advantages and increase its competitiveness, and a fast economic recovery is possible if everyone works together in synergy -- the government, entrepreneurs, the industry and the financial sector.
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Council of Europe Recommends Slovenia Recognise Croatian as Minority Language
ZAGREB, Sept 23, 2020 - The Council of Europe has again recommended that Slovenia recognise Croatian as a traditional minority language, the Council said on Wednesday.
The Committee of Ministers of the Council Europe reiterated its long-standing recommendation that Slovenian authorities recognise Croatian, German and Serbian, which are present in parts of Slovenia, as traditional minority languages.
In 1992, the Strasbourg-based organisation, which includes 47 member states, adopted the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages which aims to promote and protect those languages.
In a report based on the Charter, which entered into force in Slovenia in 2001, the Committee called on Slovenian authorities to enter into a dialogue with representatives of the three languages to strengthen their protection.
It is recommended to create educational models and to broadcast radio and television programmes in the minority languages, the press release said.
According to the 2002 census, 35,642 Croats lived in Slovenia, and Croatian was the native language of 54,079 citizens, the website of the Central State Office for Croats Abroad says.
Data on the nationality and the native language of the population was not collected for the 2011 census in Slovenia, it is added.
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Calling All Dog Lovers: Head to Nemetin this Week for Party of Century!
September 23, 2020 - Nemetin is the center for all dog-lovers this week! Namely, in this suburban settlement in the city of Osijek, you can walk shelter dogs until Sunday and win thousands of prizes, too.
As reported by Jutarnji.hr, from Monday until Sunday, every day from 10 am to 6 pm, in the Osijek shelter of the Pobjeda association, the party of the century will be held. One hundred eighty of their shelter dogs have a good time every day, and the party is traditionally called Povratak Otpisanih.
"Povratak Otpisanih is a way for dogs to reward the kind people who will take them for a walk. Children are welcome, and we hope that parents will bring them in as many numbers as possible. Anyone who comes to the asylum in the next few days, apart from coffee and cakes served by volunteers, will take part in tombola (raffle). Each ticket is a winning one, and a thousand prizes have been prepared," say asylum volunteers, who collected awards from almost 150 companies, family farms, and various institutions.
"When we talk about love for dogs, then Osijek is the most beautiful city in the world. 350 dogs are adopted dogs a year for which the City of Osijek, in cooperation with the Pobjeda Association, provides vaccinations, chipping, and castration to ensure a better life and is the best indicator of how dogs are loved. After foster parents, dogs love volunteers, people who come in their free time to walk those who are, through no fault of their own, locked behind fences," says Pobjeda.
Volunteers invite everyone to visit them, spend time with their dogs, and at the same time, they get a thoughtful gift - apart from phenomenal memories.
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226 Croatian Wines Received Decanter Labels at Decanter World Wine Awards
September 23, 2020 - After a month of judging, the long-awaited results of the 17th edition of the Decanter World Wine Awards 2020 have been announced. This year, 226 Croatian wines received Decanter labels, including platinum, gold, silver, bronze, and recommendations.
HRTurizam reports that for 28 consecutive days in August, 116 of the world’s leading wine experts, including 37 wine masters and nine Master Sommeliers, blindly tasted 16,518 wines under strict safety guidelines for COVID-19, resulting in a total of the top 50, 178 platinum, 537 gold, 5,234 silver, and 7,508 bronze medals.
The best wine regions this year are France, Italy, and Australia.
This year, a total of 226 Croatian wines received one of the Decanter labels. Croatia was given three platinum medals, 11 gold, 68 silver, 88 bronze labels, and 56 Decanter recommendations.
It is important to point out that Croatia has not had a single wine in the platinum category for two years in a row, and this year, Croatia now has three.
At next year's awards, Croatia will try to reach the top of Decanter's list with at least one wine in the Best in Show category or the top 50 best wines in the world.
Platinum medals:
Kozlović Selection Malvazija 2017
Kutjevo Graševina de Gotho 2018
Catunnar Nonno 4 Terre 2015
Gold medals:
Tomaz Barbarossa Teran 2017
Vina Laguna Festigia Castello 2016
Fakin Teran 2019
Rossi Templara Riserva Malvazija 2017
Pilato Istrian Malvazija 2019
Terzolo Campi del Bosco 2019
Vina Laguna Festigia Istrian Malvazija 2016
Tomaz Sesto Senso Istrian Malvazija 2017
Testament Pošip 2019
Štampar Urban White NV sparkling wine
Testament Babić Dalmatian Dog 2016
You can see the list of all awarded Croatian wines HERE.
The Decanter World Wine Awards is known as the largest and most influential wine competition globally, which is judged by the top wine experts from around the globe through a rigorous judging process.
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MP Removed from Parliament Chamber for Refusing to Wear Face Mask
ZAGREB, Sept 23, 2020 - MP Karolina Vidovic Kristo of the rightwing Homeland Movement was asked to leave the Parliament chamber on Wednesday after refusing to wear a face mask during the session.
"Please put your mask on or I will have to suspend you from the discussion," Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandrokovic told Vidovic Kristo after she demanded that the national coronavirus response team lift the obligation for children to wear masks in school.
Jandrokovic then called a break and suspended the Homeland Movement MP for the day because she refused to wear a face mask.
Showing 1,033 letters from concerned parents demanding that the national coronavirus response team be disbanded, Vidovic Kristo called for an immediate end to what she said were questionable, excessive and unnecessary restrictions on children's freedom.
"We demand that the obligation for children to wear face masks be revoked immediately," the MP said, citing scientific research showing that wearing masks did not help in reducing the risk of infection with the coronavirus, but could cause health and mental problems in children.
She also criticised the excessive use of hand sanitisers and unnecessary tests for people showing no symptoms, saying that Croatia had wasted HRK 200 million on that.
Branko Bacic, the chairman of the parliamentary group of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), described Vidovic Kristo's speech as scandalous, stressing that the national response team's decisions had been upheld by the Constitutional Court.
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Gallup: World Becoming Less Tolerant of Migrants
ZAGREB, Sept 23, 2020 - The world is becoming less tolerant of migrants, according to a Gallup poll released on Wednesday, which shows that Croatia was the fourth least accepting country for migrants in 2019.
In 2016, following a migrant crisis that hit the European Union, Gallup designed the Migrant Acceptance Index based on people's views about having migrants living in their country, becoming their neighbor, and marrying into their family. These three questions were asked in 140,000 interviews conducted in 145 countries last year.
The highest score, of 8.46 out of 9 points, was recorded in Canada, while the lowest score, of 1.49, was recorded in North Macedonia.
North Macedonia was followed by Hungary, Serbia, and Croatia as the least accepting countries. Croatia's score was 1.81. They were followed by Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Latvia, Thailand, Slovakia and Turkey.
In the previous poll, Croatia's score was 2.39, which made it the 10th least accepting country for migrants, while North Macedonia ranked first as the most unwelcoming country.
After Canada, the countries most tolerant of migrants were Iceland, New Zealand, Australia, Sierra Leone, and the United States. Among the most tolerant countries in Europe were Sweden (ranking eighth) and Ireland (ranking tenth).
The biggest drops in the tolerance of migrants were recorded in Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia after these countries took in a lot of Venezuelans fleeing the economic hardship in their country.
Bosnia and Herzegovina also recorded a large decline because of a large number of migrants from the Middle East in the country.
The global index fell from 5.34 in 2016 to 5.21 in 2019, mostly as a result of the changes in Latin American countries.
On Wednesday, the EU is due to unveil changes to its migrant acceptance system, under which member states would be legally required to take in a certain share of migrants, which is opposed by the Visegrad Group countries (the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia).
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Croatia Records 204 New Coronavirus Infections, Two Fatalities
ZAGREB, Sept 23, 2020 - Over the last 24 hours, there have been 204 new cases of the coronavirus infection and two deaths, and the number of active cases in Croatia stands at 1,268, the national COVID-19 management team said on Wednesday.
There are 278 COVID patients in hospitals, including 27 who are on ventilators. In the past 24 hours, a total of 6,387 tests have been performed and 828 people have recovered.
Currently, 9,314 people are self-isolating.
Since February 25, when the first case of the infection was registered in Croatia, a total of 15,340 people have contracted the disease, 257 have died and 13,815 have recovered.
To date, 273,684 people have been tested for coronavirus.
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Croatia Filming Locations Are Best Again As Succession Bags 7 Emmys
September 23, 2020 – Following incredible success with Game Of Thrones, Mamma Mia and others, Croatia filming locations prove to be the best again as HBO's Succession wins 7 Emmys
Historic Dubrovnik was always pretty enough to attract people from far and wide. Dubrovnik has a lot of sights to visit. In addition, it offers many activities such as hiking, cycling, sailing, boat ride, Seabob experience etc. But, following its appearance in TV show Game Of Thrones, interest in visiting the walled city went through the roof. Tourists were not the only ones who wanted to come.
HBO drama Succession is just the latest hit to take advantage of the spectacular scenery while filming in Croatia. The show has just bagged no less than seven prestigious Emmy awards for the season partially filmed in Croatia. In the drama series category, it picked up Emmys for Best Leading Male Role, Best Guest Role, Best Casting, Best Directing, Best Screenplay and Best Picture Editing.
Cast members filmed aboard a yacht with beautiful Croatia and its Adriatic waters as the backdrop © HBO
The shooting took place over 12 days in July 2019, primarily on a yacht on which the show's central characters, the Roy family, were taking a holiday. The Croatia filming locations used were the waters around Cavtat, Korcula, Mljet and Sipan. The series ventured into more urban areas of Croatia and, for those scenes, filming locations in Zagreb and Rijeka were sourced. The German-built Solandge was the yacht used in the filming and costs as much as $1.1million (£850,000) to rent for one week.
The Roy family aboard the yacht Solandge in Croatian waters © HBO
Now in its third season, Succession centres on the dysfunctional Roy family, owners of a global media and hospitality empire. It stars British actor Brian Cox as the ailing family patriarch with Kieran Culkin heading up the otherwise all-American cast. A total of 613 people worked on the shooting of Succession in Croatia, of which 595 were Croatian (161 film workers, three trainees and 431 extras).
Solandge is currently one of the most luxurious yachts in the world © Moran Yachts
In recent years, major movies such as Star Wars, Robin Hood and one installment in the long-running James Bond series have joined the likes of Game Of Thrones and Mamma Mia in enjoying Croatia filming locations. However, filming in Croatia goes back much further than that. During the 1970s and early 1980s, no less than three Oscar-winning movies used Croatia filming locations - Fiddler on the Roof (1971), The Tin Drum (1979) and Sophie’s Choice (1982).
You can read more about filming in Croatia and Croatian filming locations by reading our dedicated section here
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VIDEO: Visitor Easily Unscrews Part of Biokovo Skywalk, 1228 Meters Above Sea Level
September 23, 2020 - Less than 90 days after the Biokovo Skywalk opened, a Makarska Facebook group shared a video by a visitor who too easily was able to unscrew part of the attraction, which stands 1228 meters above sea level.
24 Sata reports that Facebook page Dnevna doza makarskog nereda published a rather troubling video from the recently opened Biokovo Skywalk above Makarska.
"Less than 90 days after the opening of Skywalk, the screws are unscrewing themselves," it is written in the post, while in the video, the visitor can be heard saying: "Here it is, it's easily unscrewing."
The video shows a man unscrewing a screw that holds a part of the Skywalk's protective railing, which stands tall at a height of 1228 meters.
Index.hr has since contacted the Biokovo Nature Park Public Institution, which is in charge of Skywalk.
In response to Index's inquiry, they say the contractor was notified when the video went public. They add that no irregularities were noticed.
"The Biokovo Skywalk passed all the necessary safety and durability tests before it was opened for visitors. After the video went public, the contractor was informed about it, as well as expert supervision, and all screws were checked and have been found to be in good condition. The lookout remains open to visitors until the end of the visitor season. We point out that the lookout itself has been visited by more than 100,000 visitors since its opening," the response reads.
The Skywalk Bikovo lookout was opened in early July by Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and is part of the 'New Adrion' project worth 31 million kuna, which is mostly financed from the European Regional Development Fund.
It was designed to be in the shape of a horseshoe that towers over a cliff overlooking the Makarska Riviera, the Adriatic, the islands, and the open sea.
The project partners were the Public Institution Makarska, the development agency 'MARA' and HGSS.
At the beginning of the year, a video was shared by Dalmatinski Portal, in which people jump over a fence to visit the still unfinished Skywalk.
At that time, they had not even installed the supports for the protective railing.
The construction of the lookout is part of a project called 'New Adrion - Promoting the Sustainable Use of the Natural Heritage of PP Biokovo'.
The Skywalk is located 1228 meters above sea level and is envisaged as an upgrade of an existing lookout point in the Ravna Vlaška area of the Biokovo Nature Park.
This lookout is designed as a prestressed reinforced concrete structure that cantilevers over a cliff overlooking the Makarska Riviera, Adriatic, islands, and open sea. A glass walkway has been laid on the primary concrete structure to provide a bird's eye view in all directions, creating a unique adrenaline experience.
The potential of the Ravna Vlaška lookout point has been enhanced by an innovative architectural and engineering solution, which with its attractiveness, goes beyond the local tourist offer and contributes to the tourist potential of the whole of Dalmatia.
Within this part of the Biokovo Skywalk project, which will be in the zone of the visitor infrastructure of Ravna Vlaška, the construction of a geological pillar with special info blocks is envisaged.
The total cost of the construction of the lookout and the geological pillar, as well as its accompanying surveillance, stands at slightly more than 8 million kuna in total.
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