ZAGREB, July 10, 2020 - The Croatian Ministry of the Sea, Transport has been informed in a letter from the US Coast Guard that ships sailing under the Croatian flag have met the highest criteria of safety and quality in the previous three years as prescribed by the Qualship 21 eligibility criteria.

Conditions determined with Qualship 21 are very high and the number of incidents of being stopped at US ports has to be less than 1% over a three-year period, and ships sailing under the Croatian flag have met these criteria, the ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

The ministry explained that all foreign-flagged vessels are examined no less than once a year by the US Port State Control.

Advancing the status of Croatian flagged-ships to meet Qualship 21 criteria is a valuable achievement by the ministry, the Croatian ship register and Croatian shipping companies whose vessels sail in international waters, the ministry said.

July 10, 2020 - Marko Kašić a Croat From Knin, trapped in the Philippines for four months by a COVID-19 travel ban, puts his time to good use. 

Nothing to do, nowhere to go, nobody to see. Even with the world (online) at their fingertips, some people met the strictest period of Coronavirus lockdown with negativity that bordered on despair. But, the response depended on your attitude.

Of course, some people had it worse than others. Now stranded in the Philippines for four months because of the country's COVID-19 travel ban, you couldn't say Marko Kašić had it easier than anyone. Over 10, 000 kilometres from home and family, he might have had more of a reason to despair than most. But, that never happened. Instead, Marko spent his time raising over €50, 000 to help the country's poorest.

Marko Kašić, a Croat from Knin at work in the Philippines © Fundlife

Having first visited the Philippines almost a decade ago, Marko is more than familiar with the country. In 2014 he set up the Fundlife NGO there to promote sports – specifically football – to underprivileged children. He even has a girlfriend there. It was while visiting her in Manila for Valentine's Day in February that he got trapped.

After the romantic day was finished, Marko decided to take a short internal plane ride over to Cebu, on one of the archipelago's other islands, to check up on his sports projects. Then Coronavirus hit. The country went into lockdown with a strict travel ban. He could neither travel back to Europe nor to his girlfriend in Manila.

Even in a country infamous for the huge disparity between its rich and poor, Cebu, where Marko is trapped, is one of the most impoverished areas. Over 40% (800,000 people) of its residents are informal workers, with 'no work, no pay' contracts and no social services to rely on for help. When there is work, such people work for an average of €3 per day. But, because of Coronavirus, all of the work stopped.

“Even before COVID, they were just able to survive by having this small daily income,” Marko told TCN. “When the lockdown started, it was clear they would struggle to have enough food.”

Marko realised he had to do something for these people, simply because nobody else was. The bloody Drug War instigated by the country's President Duterte has been the biggest international news story about the Philippines since 2016. Fundraising, charity and NGO work for the country's poorest has suffered as a direct result. But, Marko hit up all of the contacts he'd made for help. He has raised over €50, 000 to help feed the country's poorest, taken on many volunteers to help distribute food and changed his sporting NGO into the largest volunteer-led humanitarian response to COVID-19 in the Philippines.

Some of Marko's volunteers at work for Fundlife's COVID-19 response © Fundlife

Perhaps it is the years Marko spent living in the UK that prompted his positive response to the situation he found himself in? But, in his compassion, his Croatian heart is clearly visible. Born in Knin, Marko's NGO has already helped over 60,000 children in the Philippines and even took some to the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia as part of the FIFA Foundation Festival. European football organisations are among the financial supporters of the NGO.

Asked about his plans for the immediate future - whether he will fly back to Manila, to his girlfriend, or back home to Europe - Marko has no answer. The country is still on lockdown. He still cannot travel. And, besides, there's still so much work there to do.

"I might not even have a girlfriend anymore,” Marko told TCN, perhaps only half-joking. “I told her I'd be back in a week, but it's been four months. I hope she understands."

To learn more about the work FundLife is doing in the Philippines or to support their relief efforts, you can visit www.globalgiving.org/projects/covid-19-relief-response/ or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 9th of July, 2020, what is certain for now under the new Croatian Government is that Zdravko Maric will remain at the head of state finances, Vili Beros will continue to lead the health care system, as will Davor Bozinovic with the police, and Oleg Butkovic should remain at the head of the Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure ministry.

The maths at the minute reads as follows: Closer to 16 than to 12, but most likely 15.

Although Plenkovic doesn't want to come out with the precise number of ministries that will exist under the new Croatian Government yet, Vecernji list has learned that it could eventually have exactly 15 ministers. They are still talking and agreeing on things.

''The Prime Minister will decide who will stay, and who will go, he's the selector,'' Butkovic said using his football-style vocabulary on the eve of the meeting of the cabinet of the Government. Asked if his department was one of those intended for ''merging'', he was surprised.

''With what? When it's already too big, we're already connected,'' said the minister who "covers" road construction, telecommunications, maritime affairs and transport. What has not yet been merged, and will most likely be, is state property and energy, which should be annexed to the Ministry of Economy, all under the leadership of Tomislav Coric.

''Different options for mergers and acquisitions have been mentioned, we've announced a reduction in the number of ministries and we'll implement that, and what is important in all these reductions is that the functionality is equal or greater,'' said yesterday Josip Aladrovic, whose Labour Ministry should be annexed under social policy.

As Vecernji list finds out, Aladrovic is also one of the ministers who should take over a larger scope of work, and he himself said that it is quite normal at the European level to merge departments that deal with the aforementioned issues.

''It's important that the ministries that remain, or the new ones that will be created, are all functional and that we show the public that our public administration and the Government can be equally functional or more functional than before with a smaller number of ministers,'' said Aladrovic.

Mario Banozic, the ''first man'' of state property, was still on the same track, saying that nobody was born to be a minister. He explained that he was ready to be left without a ministry, while Goran Grlic Radman, who is in charge of foreign and European affairs, said that he was "serving the homeland".

For more on politics and the forming of the new Croatian Government, follow our dedicated section.

As Novac/Barbara Ban writes on the 8th of July, 2020, despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, a breath of the tourist season is finally being felt in the popular Istrian city of Pula. The stormy weather that arrived recently drove most tourists off the beaches and they decided to finally go into the city.

The main streets and the Forum were full of people, which is really unusual to see during the coronavirus crisis and gives encouragement to continue with 2020's otherwise enfeebled tourist season. Restaurants, bars and shops, as well as souvenir shops in the city centre, which had been eerily empty in recent weeks, began to fill up slowly.

''Yes, we're satisfied with the beginning of July in Istria and all these numbers are growing every day. Last week we had about 90 thousand guests on the Peninsula, and this week we expect about 120 thousand. A slightly longer procedure on the border with Slovenia didn't deter guests from arriving in Istria,'' the director of the County Tourist Board, Denis Ivosevic, said briefly.

Many tourist workers in Istria were afraid of this situation given the health crisis we're still embedded quite deeply in, but fortunately the beginning of the week showed that it will not be an obstacle for the arrival of tourists.

As has been heard from the director of the largest hotelier in Pula, the Arena Hospitality Group's Reli Slonim, the numbers are getting better in camps in the south of Istria and even in hotels.

''It's difficult to predict the season now, but maybe we could reach around 60 percent of last year's turnover. We're satisfied with the situation as the camps are filled, where the largest number of our guests are currently located, and our hotels and tourist resorts have better and better numbers,'' said Slonim.

It's worth mentioning that Istrian holiday homes are currently well filled and have proven to be an ideal choice in a situation where most people are looking for safety and an escape from the crowds. A good part of them have been well filled since mid-June, and if the situation around the coronavirus epidemic remains under control, a good season in this segment of accommodation is expected by the end of September.

According to data from eVisitor, in the first seven days of July, 106,722 arrivals and 638,085 overnight stays were recorded in Istria. Most guests are from Germany, who realised the most overnight stays - 227,276 of them.

As is being said, there is potential for Istria to even reach last year's figures from this period for the beginning of July this year, which is something that was simply unimaginable to most up until very recently.

The Germans are followed by Slovenes with 147,326 overnight stays, Czechs with 55,479 overnight stays, Austrians with 49,031 and Italians with 35,595 overnight stays. The most visited destinations in Istria are Rovinj, Medulin, Umag, Porec, Vrsar, Tar-Vabriga, Funtana and of course, Pula.

For more on travel to, from and within Croatia during the coronavirus era, follow our travel page.

As Novac writes on the 9th of July, 2020, the Croatian Bank for Reconstruction and Development (HBOR) has extended the repayment period of "COVID-19" working capital loans from three to five years in order to facilitate the operations of Croatian businessmen, according to HBOR.

"Due to the still difficult business conditions being experienced by Croatian businesses, and in order to facilitate business and the repayment of credit obligations, HBOR has extended the repayment period under the Working Capital Programme Measure ''COVID-19'' to five years, including the possibility of using a grace period of up to one year," reads the bank's statement on the matter.

An interest rate as low as 0% on HBOR's share in the loan

In addition to a longer repayment period, the advantage of this programme is the interest rate of 0% on HBOR's share in the loan for the first three years of repayment (the interest rate depends on the regulations on the allocation of state aid). HBOR's share in the loan isn't subject to a fee for processing the request, nor is there a fee for reserving funds. Borrowers can be private and public sector entities but they both need to prove the negative consequences caused by the COVID-19 epidemic (meaning they need to obtain a COVID score). The request for these funds can be submitted to one of the fourteen banks with which HBOR has agreed cooperation under this particular programme. The lowest loan amount that can be requested from HBOR's sources is 1 million kuna, and the second part of the loan is then approved from a commercial bank source. For loans larger than 37 million kuna, direct loan approval is possible.

Lower interest rates were provided through 8 banks

Business owners can also request favourable liquidity funds from HBOR sources through 8 banks with which this development bank concluded framework loan agreements back in May. In this way, 1.2 billion kuna was made available to Croarian business ownders for new liquidity loans, which are granted at interest rates reduced by 0.75 percentage points compared to regular loans, thanks to HBOR's sources. The lowest loan amount that can be requested is not limited, and the highest is 35 million kuna.

300 million kuna has already been approved for businesses operating in the tourism industry

Until June the 5th, 2020, small and medium-sized enterprises from the Croatian tourism industry could apply directly to HBOR for a working capital loan at an interest rate of as little as 0%. To date, more than 550 applications have been received, half of which have already been processed, and loans totaling almost 300 million kuna have already been approved.

Working capital for rural development with an interest rate of 0.5%

Loans under the Working Capital for Rural Development programme in the amount of 190,000 kuna to 1.52 million kuna are approved by HBOR directly, without any accompanying fees, with an interest rate of 0.5% and with promissory notes as the only collateral.

HBOR assumes 50% of the risk for liquidity loans granted to exporters and indirect exporters

In addition to favourable loan funds, HBOR also introduced the Export Liquidity Loan Portfolio Programme. HBOR provides 50% of the amount of principal and interest on approved loans that banks include in their portfolio and as such, this enables the faster and easier approval of new funds to preserve the liquidity of exporters and indirect exporters.

An extended moratorium for all clients

HBOR has directly enabled all clients to whom a loan has been approved to use the moratorium for up to a total of 7 months (until the 30th of September, 2020), or for up to 10 months for those who have a positive COVID score (until the 31st of December, 2020). Clients engaged in tourism are allowed to use the moratorium for up to 16 months, more precisely until June the 30th, 2021, according to their statement.

For more, follow our business section.

July the 9th, 2020 - Representatives of Croatian creative industries claim that it's an illusion to think that the current climate is something that will pass, and that instead we need to realise that this is our new reality. On top of that, as Novac writes, they stated that classic banks don't understand what such industries do, and the interest rates they offer are entirely unrealistic.

"So far, we've been more concerned with emphasising the importance of culture and creativity, but now we're all in a war. Our activities are intertwined, so even now our entire ecosystem is disrupted. The crisis has shown how much we all depend on each other, for example, the impact of closing restaurants on musicians' earnings,'' said the president of the HGK Association of Cultural and Creative Industries, Tomo in der Mühlen, at a recent extended session of the HGK's Community of Cultural and Creative Industries Council.

He noted that, as stated, banks tend not to understand Croatian creative industries well at all.

"There's better support abroad in that sense, and we can see that the owners of festival licenses are foreigners and that they're coming to be a competition on our market. We're going to make the rules of the game the same for everyone,'' said in der Mühlen.

"We've created two sets of measures, the first as direct assistance to the affected sectors during the suspension of cultural events. The second is the exit strategy, ie, an adaptation to the current situation. We'll have to live with this for a while,'' said Kresimir Partl, State Secretary at the Ministry of Culture.

He pointed out cinema screens not only in Croatia but in the entire EU are among the hardest hit of all.

"It will take a long time for this industry to recover," Partl said.

He also presented concrete measures from the Ministry of Culture for Croatian creative industries, such as additional funds for audiovisual activities financed from HAVC for the needs of additional production costs due to the enforced epidemiological measures. In cooperation with HAMAG-BICRO and the Ministry of Finance, credit lines for cultural enterprises based on the Temporary Framework of the European Commission have also been provided. A total of 300 million kuna in credit lines is envisaged, for which the Government provides a 100% guarantee with an interest rate of up to 2%.

"The long-term goal is to connect these industries with other segments of the economy, such as manufacturing, in order to create products competitive on the global market because we can't go for economies of scale, but added value," said HGK's Tomislav Rados.

Jagoda Divic, Business Secretary of the Association and Assistant Director of the Industry Sector of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce, presented the upcoming activities of the Association.

"The goal is to establish [these] industries as a competitive and independent economic area, systematically monitor indicators, attract external capital, establish a platform for funding models, especially for beginners, and continue to work on copyright protection and dialogue with institutions, other professions and the scientific community," said Divic.

Nenad Marcec from ZAMP pointed out that the concept under which events can be organised was accepted by the Croatian Government, but that events still aren't taking place. Organisers simply don't dare to invest. However, there is also an increase in online revenue as well as an increase in creativity.

"People used this time to be productive," Marcec said. Attendees also agreed that the problem was that the public thought that nightclubs were the main culprits of the spread of infection, or at least one of them.

"When recommendations were made, in order to enable cultural events to take place, the maximum number of people was determined, and the possibility to consult the Ministry of Culture for a larger number of visitors under specific conditions was also enabled," said Partl, calling on everyone to contact the Ministry.

Robert Zuber, the director of the Rab Film Festival, commented on the inconsistency of the instructions, due to the rapid change, but also the different levels of implementation at the local level. "I refuse to give up and I refuse to be guilty if we did everything right," said Zuber, noting that funds are limited and that we need to think about how to create a model through which we can continue to make money.

Berislav Marszalek also confirmed that the problem for everyone is uncertainty. "In Belgium, they created an application where the organiser reports the event to the system, he is assigned with a 'risk colour' and that's something he can then communicate to the audience. We also need a risk assessment model and a central place through which we can inform and communicate about events,'' said Marszalek.

Petar Pavic, vice-president of the Marketing Association of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce, agreed about the platform, which would then be broadcast by the media, thus reducing the stigma for the event organisers.

Boris Kovacek from the Weekend Media Festival also commented on some old ills of the industry and pointed out the complicated procedure of bringing in foreign lecturers. "It would also be good to exclude festivals from the fiscalisation system if you only pay with cards," Kovacek said.

The president of the Association for Industrial Design of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce, Silvija Jonjic, agreed that there were problems even before the coronavirus pandemic struck Croatia, such as a shortage of products because the industrial designer doesn't always cooperate with the manufacturer, who stated that a real and high quality strategy is now desperately needed.

For more on Croatian creative industries and the coronavirus age, follow our lifestyle section.

July 10, 2020 - The travel information provided by this website and the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community is helping Americans travel to Croatia. And not everyone is happy. 

I had a phone call from CBS News a couple of days ago. They were researching a follow-up to the New York Times story on where Americans could travel freely to this summer. Croatia was the only country in the EU which was on the list, and one of the few in all Europe where Americans could visit at all and also without  any testing/quarantine requirements.

I smiled to myself when I took the call, just as I smiled when I saw the New York Times story. For while many saw this as breaking news, Americans have actually been free to enter Croatia as tourists since May 11, as has anyone else on the planet who could get to a Croatian border and have proof of paid accommodation (official statistics show that 1,853 Americans entered Croatia in June). Without any requirement for testing or self-isolation in Croatia (the quarantine rules on returning to the home country after Croatia are obviously varied - and subject to change).

Croatia relies on tourism for 20% of its GDP, and for the world to realise after two months via one of the biggest global media that Croatia was open to Americans says a lot about the way Croatia has communicated its message. 

To say nothing of the many Americans who were refused boarding at American airports during that time because airlines said that they could not go to Croatia. 

I have had a LOT of criticism for publishing clear, transparent and accurate travel advice about how Americans can come to Croatia currently, as well as (but far less) positive communications from people who have found the advice in TCN articles and the community feedback in the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community invaluable. Several have stated that they would have cancelled the trip without the guidance and feedback from the community, while others have said that they felt bold enough to try after reading the advice and testimonials.

But why is TCN helping Americans to come to Croatia during a pandemic, given the epidemiological situation in the United States?

One thing I have learned over the years is that there are certain things that it is better not to take public sides on as a portal. Brexit, Tito, was Tesla a Croat or a Serb,that kind of thing. 

And so too with corona, and the delicate subject of health v tourism and the economy. I have my private view, just as other TCN writers do (and I have no idea what those are), but as a portal, I decided very early on that we would report the news as factually and accurately as possible, keeping comment and opinion to a minimum. 

Regarding providing information to help Americans come to Croatia and perhaps bring more cases of corona, my position is this. 

I don't make the decisions on who can, and who cannot enter Croatia, or whether tourism is more important than fighting the pandemic, in the same way that I don't decide if we should wear masks on public transport or limit gatherings to a certain number of people. 

But I do report on those things, putting them out there as simply and transparently as possible, so that people can be informed. 

If people are informed, they can make better decisions and perhaps not invest in a plane ticket and holiday, only to be denied boarding. 

If people are informed and they don't like or agree with the policies, they can address that concern to the authorities. 

Here is the situation today (and it has been this way since May 11, effectively).

Anyone who can make it to a Croatian border with proof of paid accommodation will be allowed to enter Croatia, with no test or self-isolation requirement - EU/EEA countries can just come. 

Although Croatia is in the EU, it is not in the Schengen zone. This means that you CAN TRANSIT through a Schengen airport if you are flying straight through from the USA and anywhere else. (Please note that this applies to ONE transit only, we have had several reports of two transits through Schengen airports not being allowed). This is how you do it. 

The message is clear - Croatia wants tourists as a priority. They have just done an incredibly bad job at communicating this simple message. The fact that CBS News is contacting me after joining the Viber community and concluded our chat with a hearty thanks that everything is finally very clear, is one proof of that. 

Croatia's strategy is very different from other neighbouring countries, who also want tourism, but not at any cost, it seems. 

Americans and many others cannot currently visit Montenegro, for example. Montenegro has made a decision that it wants tourism, but it wants to put restrictions on tourists, depending on their country of origin and its epidemiological situation. Tourists from most countries can come, some require proof of a recent negative test, others are refused entry or must undergo 14 days of self-isolation. The list is constantly updated according to the situation in other countries. 

Montenegro is not in the EU, of course, but Slovenia is. Slovenia also wants tourism, but not at any cost, and the Slovenians too have introduced a traffic light system of entry, with Croatia currently on amber (see the Total Slovenia News report - What Do the Green, Yellow & Red Lists Mean for Entering Slovenia During the Corona Crisis?).

So Croatia clearly has a different policy than its neighbours and tourism competitors. Whether that is right or wrong is not for me to say or have an opinion on. This has been an INCREDIBLY confusing time for tourists who want to have a summer holiday. Should they be even travelling at all during a pandemic? Again, that is not for me to say or have an opinion on. 

Transparency is what I think is required so that people can completely understand the situation, and transparency is what TCN is trying to deliver, albeit in very challenging circumstances. For those who don't agree with the decisions being taken, take it up with the decision-makers. 

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

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The Netherlands - as of July 21, Croatia is placed on the "Orange" list by the Dutch government, which means that both the Croatian nationals and the Dutch nationals returning to the Netherlands from Croatia are strongly advised to self-quarantine for 14 days.

July 10, 2020 - The inaccessibility of the Croatian National Theater in Split for people with disabilities will soon become a thing of the past.

Dalmatinski Portal reports that everything is ready, one of the most important infrastructural interventions - the installation of an elevator, which will finally bring the program of the Split HNK closer to people with disabilities. The City of Split has initiated the procedure for the procurement of elevators, as well as the procurement procedure for reconstruction works to install elevators.

The estimated value of the purchase was 195 thousand kuna, excluding VAT, and is funded by the EU project 'TURISM4ALL' in cooperation with JU RERA and HNK, which aims to promote the availability of tourist destinations and cultural heritage across borders. The value of the reconstruction works amounts to HRK 395 thousand, excluding VAT. The deadline for submission of bids is July 13, 2020, at the latest.

In 2019, the City of Split ordered the development of major projects for the adaptation of the Split HNK building to people with disabilities and reduced mobility. With this project, it is planned to install an elevator from the level of the entrance area on the ground floor of the Croatian National Theater to the level of the first floor - the foyer, from where access to the lodges (mezzanine) is provided. The installation of the elevator is planned where the cash register is currently located. All projects for adapting the HNK building to people with disabilities have been approved by the Ministry of Culture, Conservation Department in Split, according to the City of Split.

With this project, the Croatian National Theater becomes another cultural institution that is accessible, after the first elevator in the Old Town was installed in the Golden Gate Center due to the accessibility of the cinema to spectators. The new building of the Croatian Home is accessible for people with disabilities, and the adaptation of the Old Town Hall and the new polyvalent hall on the Square of the Croatian Fraternal Union is underway. The goal is to make culture accessible to all and encourage everyone to get involved in the social life of the city.

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