As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 23rd of July, 2020, at a recent e-consultation, the proposal of the National Programme for Assistance to the Wine Sector for the period 2019-2023 was published, giving ''birth'' to the so-called wine envelope, which significantly increases funding for crisis distillation and crisis storage measures, which is excellent news for Croatian winemakers.

Instead of the originally planned 43 million kuna, the Ministry of Agriculture provided an additional 13 million kuna, so now the total support for the stabilisation of the wine market which will certainly allow Croatian winemakers to breathe a sigh of relief amounts to 56 and a half million kuna.

"The Wine Association of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK) welcomes such a decision, which envisages a significant increase in funds for crisis distillation and the crisis storage of wine from 43 million kuna to 56 and a half million kuna. Specifically, for the measure of crisis distillation of wine, the funds were increased from 38 million kuna to 46.5 million kuna, and for the measure of crisis storage of the wine, there was an increase from 5 million to 10 million kuna. I believe that the funds will be fully used and that they will significantly mitigate the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic and the decline in tourist spending, because we shouldn't forget that Croatian winemakers sell about 70 percent of their total production through the tourism sector and through HOREC channels,'' said HGK's Vice President for Agriculture and Tourism, Dragan Kovačević, adding that this is another example of good cooperation between Croatian winemakers and the Ministry of Agriculture.

Namely, the crisis caused by the spread of the new coronavirus has strongly affected the wine sector, so the Croatian Chamber of Commerce proposed changes to the so-called wine envelope to the Ministry of Agriculture even earlier.

Wine sales in Croatia have a very seasonal character, ie, a significant percentage is related to the tourist season, which this year will be at 30 percent of the level it was in previous years, which has already led to a drop in wine sales of 80 percent in the pre-season. An average annual decline of 50 percent is expected.

Crisis distillation and storage programmes will help Croatian winemakers and the wine sector to bridge current liquidity, preserve employment and prepare for the purchase of grapes in the 2020 harvest, not only through financial support but also by removing surplus wine from their cellars.

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As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 23rd of July, 2020, as part of the "Take Me Home/Ponesi me doma" campaign, the much loved Croatian ice cream brand Ledo raised more than 750,000 kuna for the Croatian Red Cross "Your gift for the right thing/Vas dar za pravu stvar" humanitarian action intended for the most needy members of the community.

The campaign lasted from May the 8th to June the 7th, 2020, and during that period, Ledo donated two kuna from the sale of each Quattro ice cream in a package of 1650 ml. With the collected amount, Ledo will help as many as 3,000 families by providing basic foodstuffs.

"We'd like to thank the company Ledo, which recognised the Croatian Red Cross as an organisation that cares for thousands of people in need throughout Croatia every day. Unfortunately, the number of people who need help with basic foodstuffs is growing and it is the task of all of us not to forget these people and to give them a helping hand," said Robert Markt, executive president of the Croatian Red Cross.

These funds will enable the purchase and distribution of food packages to those who are most need across the country. One package worth 250 kuna is enough for two weeks, and contains food for two people such as salt, flour, oil, sugar, rice, pasta, soup in a bag with canned fish and meat.

Given that more than 8,000 families in the Republic of Croatia don't have a daily meal, with this campaign with the Quattro brand as their favourite family ice cream, Ledo wanted to raise awareness of this problem and encourage citizens to show their solidarity.

“Since Quattro is synonymous with family, we wanted to make a difference with this favourite ice cream and contribute to the most needy members of the community. Being able to help as many as 3,000 families is truly a great pleasure. We're happy that with our "Take me home" campaign, we were able to provide a feeling of warmth and a family home to those who need that the most, and at the same time, encourage consumers to spread solidarity and a sense of togetherness,'' said Ivan Babić, President of Ledo.

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The Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK) is the holder of an EU project called InnovaMare, which creates an innovation ecosystem of SMEs, public and scientific sectors.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marta Duic writes on the 23rd of July, 2020, Mateo Ivanec, Head of the Innovation System Department in the Sector for Industrial Development and Innovation System of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce, talked to Poslovni dnevnik about the InnovaMare project, its goals and plans, and the partnership with Italy in the implementation of the project.

What prompted you in regard to the InnovaMare project? How long has it been planned?

The process of developing the project idea, preparing the tender documentation and the project application itself took a year. In the last four years, the Croatian Chamber of Commerce has invested in strengthening the capacity of a team of about 20 employees who have been educated and worked on projects in the areas of innovation systems, technology transfers, and research and development. One of the key activities is to improve cross-border cooperation between research institutions and the private sector and to enable the involvement of SMEs in international research networks as a way of adding value to SMEs in the field of internationalisation and technology transfer.

The InnovaMare project is based on a different approach, which is increasingly represented across the EU, and this approach refers to solving key societal challenges through different public policies. Namely, social challenges are increasingly becoming not only an issue of the protection of human health or the environment, but also an economic issue because they negatively affect various economic sectors. By solving social challenges by applying the most modern technologies and innovative solutions, we're strengthening SMEs that can offer solutions of such a kind, and we're also opening global markets with the same or similar social challenges. Considering this approach, we detected one of the extremely important social challenges, and that is the pollution of the Adriatic sea. If we don't approach this social challenge systematically, in an organised manner and at the cross-border level, we can expect extremely negative consequences in the near future.

What is the main goal of the InnovaMare project and how much of it is EU funded?

The main goal of the project is to develop and establish an innovation ecosystem for the development of innovative solutions in the field of robotics and sensors for the monitoring and prevention of pollution in the Adriatic sea through the cooperation of public and private sectors, as well as scientific research institutions. Encouraging the integration of scientific research and the private sector and providing access to networking tools, innovative processes and technologies, educational models and funding schemes will provide space to increase investment in research, development and innovation. The project is co-financed by the EU in as much as 85 percent, and the total value of the project is 5.6 million euros.

Who, of all of the partners, are involved in the project and whose role and task is the biggest?

The Croatian Chamber of Commerce is the project holder and bears all of the responsibility for the implementation of the InnovaMare project, as well as for achieving the defined results. There are a total of seven partners from the Republic of Croatia, in addition to the Croatian Chamber of Commerce. These are the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing, the Ruđer Bošković Institute, the University of Rijeka, the University of Dubrovnik, Geomar d.o.o. Split and Šibenik-Knin County. There are also seven partners from Italy, namely the MARE FVG cluster, the University of Trieste, the Chamber of Commerce of the Veneto region, the National Institute of Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics, the Regional Agency for Technology and Innovation, and the Institute of Marine Science, Commtec d.o.o.

Tell us more about the innovation ecosystem you plan to establish

The established innovation ecosystem aims to improve the framework conditions at the cross-border level by jointly building strategic and operational capacities by using public policy instruments to strengthen the cooperation of innovation system stakeholders. The key role of the InnovaMare innovation ecosystem is to be a platform and facilitator that defines challenges, sets priorities and brings together information, stakeholders and resources to create innovative solutions to the challenges that lie ahead of us. The innovation ecosystem strengthens the cooperation of innovation "players" and provides them with mechanisms and tools to encourage the development of new innovative solutions in the field of underwater robotics and sensors.

How many people are working on that development? What are all of the plans and in what time frame do you expect to be able to see visible results?

A total of 46 people were involved in the implementation of the project through thirteen partners. The total duration of the project is 30 months, ie, the deadline for the implementation of these activities is December the 31st, 2022. We believe that the first results, in terms of developing new projects and strengthening cooperation between stakeholders in this area, will be seen during 2021. The main elements of the project are the establishment of the Digital Innovation HUB (DIH), the strategy and action plan for the innovation ecosystem model, the prototyping of a robotic sensor solution for monitoring marine pollution and the development of a digital site for cooperation, financing, information gathering and web development, as well as interactive platforms.

What are the plans for the DIH (Digital Innovation Hub) that will be part of the InnovaMare project and one of the main visible results? Where will the Hub be located?

The Digital Innovation Hub is planned to be the central place of the innovation ecosystem and will be located in Šibenik with a branch office in Italy. The City of Šibenik was chosen for two reasons. One is its history, which marks many exceptional economic achievements as well as achievements in the field of innovation, and the other is its central position on the Adriatic, which enables extremely good connections.

The DIH will be based on four development pillars, namely; technology transfer, digital tools for networking and strengthening cooperation, innovative models for financing projects and technological solutions, and educating the business and scientific research sector on key areas for cooperation and business development, such as new business model, spin off companies, innovation management, etc.

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As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 23rd of July, 2020, Rimac Automobili has appointed Chris Porritt, former chief engineer at Aston Martin, vice president of engineering at Tesla and head of Apple's special projects group, and chief technology officer (CTO). Chris will report directly to founder and CEO Mate Rimac, with a focus on future projects within the company.

Over a career spanning more than three decades, Chris has overseen the development of a range of sports and electric vehicles. During his sixteen years at Aston Martin, he was chief engineer for the limited production of the One-77 and V12 Vantage Zagato hypercars. In 2013, Porritt moved to California where he became vice president of engineering at Tesla, and then moved to Apple where he had a leading role in a group for special projects to develop new products. In addition to his professional career, Chris spends his weekends and free time constructing and racing his own vintage race cars. His experience in the development of luxury supercars at Aston Martin, and electric cars at Tesla that have reshaped the entire industry and enthusiasm for race cars make him the perfect addition to Mate Rimac's talented team.

Mate Rimac, founder and CEO of Rimac Automobile, stated: ''We've started a journey in a country that isn't known for car development. We learned a lot through trial and error as it was difficult to attract people from other countries, which made the whole process challenging but also exciting. I can’t imagine what our journey would be like and how far we'd have come by now if we had Chris from the very beginning. I was worried that people with a lot of experience in the industry wouldn't suit our culture and company spirit. However, as an absolute car lover, who likes to get involved in creating new projects, Chris fit in right from the start. We share the same way of thinking: we want to develop cars that raise the bar, and that are fun and high quality. I can't wait for the results we'll achieve together.''

Chris Porritt, Chief Technology Officer of Rimac Automobiles, stated: ''The opportunity to join Rimac Automobili is the dream of every engineer. Since almost every key component is constructed and designed at Rimac itself, we have real freedom to create something that is completely different from anything else previously developed in the world of super sports cars. Rimac is the perfect place to make good use of my combined experience gained in the development of supercars working for Aston Martin and with electric cars in California. What the team has achieved so far with the development of the C_Two car is phenomenal and I look forward to helping them develop future products that will push the boundaries.''

This year is a key period for the presentation of the latest all-electric Rimac car, codenamed C_Two, as prototypes are continuously constructed, used and tested for the purpose of global homologation. Starting in 2021, 150 examples of Mate Rimac's brand new car will be constructed manually on the new production line in Veliko Trgovišće. All of the major systems and components for the C_Two were developed and built within Rimac Automobili itself.

Mate Rimac's C_Two will reach a speed of 0-100 km/h in less than just two seconds and a top speed of 258 mp/h in its final production form. These values ​​were achieved by developing the original C_Two concept and then with later prototypes. In parallel with the development of the C_Two car, Rimac Automobili's business continued to grow, as evidenced by the increase in Porsche's ownership stake in the business to 15.5 percent, while the Hyundai Motor Group invested 80 million euros in the business. The latter announcements join a long list of Mate Rimac’s earlier partners, including Koenigsegg, Automobile Pininfarina and Aston Martin.

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July 24, 2020 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for flights to Croatia with updates from Zagreb, Split, Dubrovnik, and Pula. 

Croatian Aviation reports that Qatar Airways has canceled flights on the Zagreb-Doha route until mid-August. There have been frequent cancellations on this line in recent weeks.

Qatar Airways resumed traffic to Zagreb on July 1 this year, reconnecting Doha and Zagreb 3 times a week (Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays) with the A320 aircraft.

Due to reduced demand, the company has often canceled certain departures on this route since the beginning of re-operation, and now all flights on this line have been canceled until mid-August.

Traffic should resume from Wednesday, August 12, when the Qatar Airways aircraft should fly on this route again. Recall that this carrier operated twice a day between Doha and Zagreb in the summer, in the morning and the evening, but there was a significant reduction in the number of weekly flights due to reduced demand due to the impact of the global pandemic.

Croatian Aviation also reports that FlyDubai, a company that closely links its business to Emirates, will not fly on a seasonal route to Dubrovnik this year.

The company previously announced the operation of its B737-800 aircraft on the Dubai-Dubrovnik route twice a week this summer season, but all flights have been canceled until the end of the summer flight schedule and the company does not intend to launch them this year.

Considering that many tourists from Asia came to Dubrovnik with this line, which is almost non-existent in our country this year, the cancellation of this line is a logical step of the company.

FlyDubai operates on the Dubai-Zagreb route in winter, instead of Emirates. After Emirates canceled all flights on this route for this year, FlyDubai should work on the same from the end of October this year. FlyDubai has not yet made a final decision on whether this line will operate in the winter flight schedule, and there is a possibility of its cancellation, which would leave Zagreb without a direct connection with Dubai after many years.

Finally, Croatian Aviation reports that before the outbreak of the pandemic, Windrose Airlines announced the launch of a new route to Croatia, between Kyiv and Zagreb. The company ultimately canceled the line for this year, but introduced flights to its third destination in Croatia.

The company planned to launch the first direct line between Zagreb and Kyiv three times a week (Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays), then postponed it until the winter flight schedule this year due to the pandemic, only to cancel it now. Windrose Airlines could return to Zagreb with this new route in the summer of 2021.

But that is why the company announced an increase in weekly flights between Kyiv and Pula, and as of July 23, it operates on this route three times a week (Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays), and regular operations are planned until mid-September.

Interestingly, Windrose Airlines sent an ATR 72-600 aircraft on this route for the first time yesterday. The journey with this smaller type of aircraft took 3 hours and 40 minutes from Kyiv to Pula! The line is regularly operated by aircraft of higher capacity type A321.

The Kyiv-Split line will continue to operate three times a week (Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays) in August, on A321 aircraft.

Despite giving up the launch of the Kyiv-Zagreb route this year, Windrose Airlines connected, for the first time, the capital of Ukraine with Dubrovnik, and amid the pandemic, launched a new route to Croatia.

The Kyiv-Dubrovnik line has been in traffic from July 17, once a week (every Friday), and traffic will run regularly until the end of August, specifically until August 28 this year. ERJ145 aircraft with a capacity of 48 passengers operate on this route.

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July 24, 2020 - National airline Croatia Airlines and leading Croatian passenger shipping company Jadrolinija have signed an agreement on business cooperation, on the basis of which they will try to improve Croatia's tourist offer further.

HRTurizam reports that this cooperation aims to benefit from the advantages that both companies undoubtedly have as important participants in the Croatian transport scene, and thus offer Croatian citizens and tourists a unified service in the future, which will make Croatia even more accessible and its destinations more accessible.

Thus, Croatia Airlines and Jadrolinija will jointly develop a platform through which passengers will be offered an intermodal transport service in the future, i.e., a combination of air and sea transport for travel from European airports to Croatian island destinations.

"The challenging environment in which we operate and everything that has additionally affected the entire Croatian and global economy in recent months poses new challenges to all of us that need to be readily and strategically addressed in order to create competitive advantages in the future," said Croatia Airlines CEO Jasmin Bajic and added:

“That is why we have decided to unite our forces with Jadrolinija, the leading passenger shipping company in the Republic of Croatia, whose ships complement our air fleet perfectly. Croatia Airlines connects Croatia with the world by air, Jadrolinija by sea, and together we can create additional benefits for passengers during their travels. We believe that our cooperation will achieve the expected goals and thus create even more satisfied passengers and tourists, making the Republic of Croatia even more attractive and accessible," said the President of the Croatia Airlines Management Board.

Jadrolinija is particularly pleased to join the business cooperation with Croatia Airlines in order to bring Croatian islands closer to passengers arriving by plane, said Jadrolinija's CEO David Sopta, adding that the number of passengers transported, which in  2019 was a record 12.5 million passengers, certainly represents an excellent potential for both companies in terms of offering new travel.

"The cooperation, which is currently based on mutual advertising, will soon enable passengers to purchase a joint ticket, i.e., the passenger will be able to buy one ticket with which they will be able to use the services of both Croatia Airlines and Jadrolinija. We believe that the partnership between Jadrolinija and Croatia Airlines, the Croatian Navy and Air Force, will very soon contribute to mutual successful business results," Sopta points out.

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July 24, 2020 - As expected, the Executive Board of the Croatian Football Federation (HNS) at its session on Thursday confirmed that Zlatko Dalic had extended his contract until the 2022 World Cup.

His existing contract expired this summer, but HNS president Davor Suker and Dalic officially agreed on a new contract for two years and five months.

Their agreement was confirmed by the HNS Executive Board, but it was only a formality.

The Executive Board of the Croatian Football Federation confirmed the agreement between HNS President Davor Suker and Croatia national team coach Zlatko Dalic on extending cooperation until the end of the FIFA World Cup, which will be held at the end of 2022.

"For us, at no time was it questionable that Zlatko will lead the team at the Euros next summer, and I am very glad that we immediately agreed to cooperate until the 2022 World Cup. Zlatko is a straightforward and genuine person to talk to, and we easily agreed on all details about continuing the collaboration. His results speak for themselves; we are proud of everything he has achieved so far as a coach and the Federation will provide him and the national team with maximum working conditions, as it has been so far," said HNS President Davor Suker.

"I thank Davor as the president of the Federation, the leadership of HNS, and the Executive Board for the expressed trust. As the situation with the epidemic and the postponement of the Euros to next summer unfolded, we agreed that it makes sense to round out the whole story until the 2022 World Cup. I have always said that there is no greater honor than leading the national team of my country and that is why I had no dilemma about continuing the cooperation. I have a lot of motivation, energy and ambition, and as long as I feel that way, I will lead the Croatia national team with a lot of pride," said the coach of the 2018 World Cup finalists, Zlatko Dalic.

Dalic took over the helm of the "Vatreni" in October 2017 after Ante Cacic was fired. Under his leadership, the Croatia national team won the playoff qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup and then achieved its greatest success in Russia, winning second place at the World Cup.

With Dalic, Croatia also qualified for the 2020 European Championships, which was postponed to next summer due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Along with Miroslav Blazevic, Dalic will become the only Croatia coach who will play with the national team at the World and European Championships.

Blazevic is also a record holder in the number of matches on the bench of the Croatia national team. Ciro led the national team 72 times, Slaven Bilic is second with 65 appearances, and Dalic is currently in third place with 30.

The Croatia national team is expecting a busy autumn program. From September to November, they will have as many as eight appearances - six in the Nations League, and two friendly matches.

The World Cup finalists are in the Nations League in a group with the world champions France, the European champions Portugal, and Sweden. The first place from this group will win a place in the Final Four, while the last place will fall to a lower rank.

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July 24, 2020 - Due to epidemiological reasons, the traditional procession through the city streets of Sinj for the Assumption of Mary on August 15 will not be held, revealed the Franciscan monastery of Our Lady of Sinj on Thursday evening.

"We will organize this year's celebration of the Assumption without a big procession through the city, attended by thousands of people from different parts of our beautiful country, to avoid provocation, and God forbid, to be a hotbed of infection," read a statement signed by monastery guard Ante Covo, as reported by Slobodna Dalmacija.

It warns that we are celebrating this year's celebration of the Assumption in "unprecedented circumstances because we are surrounded by an invisible enemy, COVID-19, which threatens us." However, they say, that the parish, under the protection of the Miraculous Lady of Sinj, has been almost unscathed during this epidemic.

In order to reduce the gathering of a larger number of believers in certain hours of the day, they will have Holy Mass almost every hour on August 14 and 15, and invited the faithful to carefully read the posters and choose the best time to attend Mass.

During Holy Mass, as stated, only the changing parts will be sung: the entrance song, the singing of the psalm, hallelujah, the gift, the communion, and the closing song, and the choirs will sing from the church choir.

The Sacrament of Penance will be accessible in the cloister and the monastery courtyard under the aisle, so that there are as few believers as possible in one closed space.

"During the holidays, listen carefully to the instructions of the Civil Protection Headquarters. Be sure to disinfect your hands at the entrance to the church and the cloister and, if the measure remains in force, wear a mask.

Stick to those measures that the Church recommends: take communion only by hand, do not give a sign of peace, try to keep a distance while you go or wait for Communion, during Mass, be with those who are from your family and your environment, avoid socializing with strangers, and if you do not feel well, stay at home," continued the statement of the Franciscan Monastery of Our Lady of Sinj.

This year's celebration of the Assumption is celebrated under the motto "Our Lady, be our salvation."

"May he save us from all that we could harm ourselves and others. May he lead us on a path that will soften everyone's hearts, open hands, strengthen faith, strengthen hope and lead everything to effective love," the Sinj monastery concluded.

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