Croatian General Election Preview: Expert Analysis from Kresimir Macan
June 22, 2020 - The Croatian general election is less than two weeks away. Leading political commentator Kresimir Macan offers his thoughts in this pre-election preview.
More questions than answers expected after July 5th, polling date in Croatia
Two weeks ahead of July 5th, the date set for the Croatian general election, everything seems more blurred than ever. Add to that the recent corona outbreak, and what looked like a clean reelection for Prime Minister Andrej Plenković could turn to a nightmare. His HDZ (Hrvatska demokratska zajednice) right party lags somewhat behind the broad left Restart coalition formed by SDP (Socijaldemokratska partija) and led by Davor Bernardić. Both parties will still need coalition partners to form a ruling majority and this is making things even more complex - or simpler - depending on the final outcome.
The State Electoral Commission (DIP) ( you can follow them on izbori.hr where the election results are to be expected too on July 5th after 19:00 when polling stations close) received 190 slates and 17 minority candidacies for the July 5 parliamentary election. More slates were submitted than four years ago but less candidacies for Constituency 12, where ethnic minorities elect their MPs. In 2016, 177 slates and 29 minority candidacies were submitted. A record 313 slates were submitted for the 2011 parliamentary election.
They published them on June 18th, which marked the beginning of the official election campaign period that will end on midnight of July 3rd, followed by a day of election silence.
At first glance, HDZ has a somewhat larger potential for a post-election coalition. Two other relevant political players are coming from the right spectrum. Miroslav Škoro, a former presidential candidate who came third in December’s presidential elections, leads the Homeland Movement (DP), while Božo Petrov leads MOST. They are both now in the conservative or far-right spectrum, while HDZ is trying to position itself from the center to the right, so forming coalition with any of them would mean some compromises. Škoro is already wanting to be Prime Minister, which was rejected immediately by Plenkovic, while both previous coalitions between MOST and HDZ ended in an ugly divorce, so nobody is ready for a third failure.
Miroslav Škoro and his conservative entourage also do not have an especially positive opinion about Plenković. They believe that Plenković is not authentic enough to serve either the interest of HDZ or of Croatia; rather they see him as a Brussels-oriented politician who is only at the disposition of his friends from the European Union. HDZ, on the other hand, are clearly pointing fingers at Škoro who they hold responsible for the loss of the presidential election when he invited his voters to cross their ballots and not vote for either Grabar Kitarović or Milanović.
SDP have formed a broad pre-election coalition called Restart with center-left parties and their leader, Davor Bernardić, publicly announced that he does not want to enter a post-election coalition with Škoro or MOST. Their strategy is clear – to secure as many seats in parliament - 65 preferably + 8 MP from minorities would bring them just 3 seats short of a 76 majority. Voters will elect 151 MPs, 140 in ten constituencies in Croatia, three will be elected by Croats residing abroad, and eight by ethnic minorities, thus making 76 MPs ruling majority.
We’ll see whether this is possible because two new blocks have emerged on the left and could take some planed seats from Restart, although is very likely that they could from a coalition together after the elections. MOŽEMO movement is formed around City of Zagreb MPs lead by Tomislav Tomašević and made a quick and effective campaign around the them of post-earthquake Zagreb and seem to be gaining some support recently. The other block are the center and liberal Pametno and Focus who joined forces with StrIP (Stranka s imenom i prezimenoom – Party with a name and surname) who gathered some strong names to lead their lists in Zagreb and Split and could also win several seats.
The leadership capabilities of both of the main leaders is a topic which is causing plenty of comment, with most leaning in favor of Plenkovic compared to Bernardic, so everybody is eagerly awaiting the personal TV debates in the last week before the elections.
Pre-campaign polls (Crobarometar i Crodemoskop) suggest that Restart could win around 32%, while Možemo and the block around Pametno Focus and Strip, both are at 4%, close to the census of 5%. Other lists on the left are not likely to win any MPs, but could influence the final results by taking votes from these three blocks.
On the right HDZ could win around 31%, DP around 14% and Most is dancing on the edge of census of 5%.
If you model this to MP seats – it is very likely a win for Restart in Croatia ranging from 56:55 to 61:59 compared to HDZ. HDZ could win 2 extra MPs among Croats residing abroad, taking the lead eventually. They would depend on DP’s 15-20 mandate to from a ruling majority, while Restart should look for 3 to 5 mandates of Možemo and Pametno Focus Strip blocks. Most is expected to win 3-4 mandates. More on Macan's election analysis here.
Croatia is divided into 10 electoral units, each giving 14 MPs and it is very hard to model it without precise polls by electoral units that we can expect in the following days.
As far as themes of the campaign are considered HDZ is trying to get credit for the economic growth in the last four years, as well as management of crises from Agrokor to Covid-19 and the earthquake in Zagreb claiming that they are the guarantee of Safe Croatia (Sigurna Hrvatska). Restart on the other hand claim that this HDZ government was corrupt since so many ministers left it, claims that Croatia needs a new, fresh start and calls on voters to Come out and Change things (Izađi i promijeni). All this was shadowed with Miroslav Skoro's statements on abortion and woman rights, which triggered strong reactions from women. The only thing stronger than this could be rthe eturn of coronavirus in recent days. With only two weeks ahead it is very obvious that as of July 5, we could have more questions than answers.
For more election coverage, follow the TCN politics section.
HNS Cancels All rallies, SDP-led Coalition Scraps Pre-Election Events in Zadar
ZAGREB, June 22, 2020 - The Croatian People's Party (HNS) has decided to cancel all election rallies and events from its campaign tour in the run-up to the 5 July election, urging other political parties to follow its example due to a rising number of new COVID-19 cases in the country.
Following the developments in Zadar where a few tennis players and participants in Novak Djokovic exhibition tournament were diagnosed with the coronavirus, the RESTART coalition led by the Social Democratic Party (SDP) stated on Monday that it had cancelled all its campaigning events scheduled for Monday evening in that Adriatic city.
The RESTART coalition says in a press release that it has decided to postpone the rally in Zadar for general health reasons.
The HNS leader Predrag Stromar said in a press release on Monday that the HNS would continue presenting its platform online and by media outlets, underscoring that the "health of our citizens is of utmost importance."
Stromar recalls that the first wave of COVID-19 epidemic has caused negative economic consequences, and one should not allow a new lockdown.
This should be considered primarily by those candidates who are running for the premiership in the coming elections. Political activities must not be given priority over the safety and health of people or over economic activity, he added.
President: Present-day Croatia Wouldn't Have Existed Without Antifascist Struggle
ZAGREB, June 22, 2020 - President Zoran Milanovic said in his congratulatory note on Monday on the occasion of the national Antifascist Struggle Day that present-day Croatia would not have existed without the WWII anti-fascist resistance movement in the country.
Croatia marks Antifascist Struggle Day on June 22 in memory of 22 June 1941 when the first antifascist unit was formed in the Brezovica forest near Sisak in the then occupied Europe.
The Croatian president writes in his message posted on his Facebook account that "Antifascist Struggle Day revives memories of "the unique uprising in 1941, the uprising of our people, who were ready to say 'no', before all others in the then Europe occupied and destroyed by Fascists and Nazis."
He underscored that the participants in the first unit, set up in Brezovica Forest, enabled their followers in the months and years to come, to grow into the Croatian people's antifascist army.
"It was an army that fought for freedom, an army that ended the war on the right side, that is on the victorious side, which was important for the survival of the Croatian state," Milanovic writes.
"The good defeated the evil then, we chose a difficult path, but, let me repeat, we chose the right side as we did many times before and after that," the president said in his message.
This is our Croatian history about which our children should know. We can discuss that, but we cannot negate or deny that he added.
Present-day Croatia is a democracy and the country of the Croatian nation that respects all its citizens regardless of which minority they belong to, this is a state defended during the Homeland War, he added.
Turizam i korona: usporedba Crne Gore i Hrvatske
22. lipnja 2020. - Gotovo je nemoguće potpuno uravnotežiti potrebe turizma i korone. Jedan pogled na pristupe Hrvatske i Crne Gore (koja nije članica EU).
Već mjesecima pišem o koroni, toliko da su mi se stvari već počele miješati i stapati.
Iscrpljivalo me dok sam tjednima pisao dnevne izvještaje i javljao o brojevima novooboljelih i novopreminulih, pa mogu priznati da dosta dugo nisam bio u stanju vidjeti širu sliku, što dovodi do toga da mene još uvijek iznenade neke stvari koje su svima drugima dobro poznate. Danas sam sudjelovao u dva razgovora koji to jasno potvrđuju.
U prvom razgovoru s mojim nećakom u Velikoj Britaniji pitao sam ga kako izgleda njegova svakodnevica ovih dana.Rekao mi je da će se pubovi konačno otvoriti za koji tjedan, da će se 4. 7. moći otići ošišati i da se trenutačno smiju družiti samo s još jednom obitelji u svakom trenutku.
Ali, može direktnim letom doći u Hrvatsku (ako ne otkažu letove) ako je unaprijed platio smještaj, popiti nekoliko piva, družiti se sa svima u baru i otići na šišanje prije povratka kući. Sve ono što u Velikoj Britaniji za sada još ne smije.
Cijena koju bi platio za takav odmor bila bi 14 dana samoizolacije nakon povratka kući.
Svjedočili smo tome da je postojalo mnogo (namjerno stvorene) zbunjenosti oko toga smiju li Britanci i drugi doći u Hrvatsku na odmor. Kako je Hrvatska u EU, ne smije donositi jednostrane odluke, pa su turistički šefovi smislili vrlo balkansko rješenje - plaćeni smještaj u hotelu ili u nekom privatnom smještaju odlučili su klasificirati kao 'ekonomsku aktivnost', pa su tako svakome tko bi na hrvatskoj granici pokazao da ima uplaćen smještaj u Hrvatskoj dozvolili da uđe u zemlju.
Nije bilo potrebno da se testiraju, nije bilo potrebno da idu u karantenu. Hrvatska diše turizam, rekao je ministar Cappelli - svakome tko može doći do granice bit će dozvoljeno da uđe.
I mnogima je i bilo.
Ne bih trebao procjenjivati argumente zdravlja vs. ekonomije, ja sam izvještavam o činjenicama kako ih ja vidim. A vidio sam obje strane granice proteklih tjedana, čak i iz blizine i iza kulisa, i posve mi je jasno da je politika nadvladala sve ostale argumente. Hrvatska izlazi na izbore 5. srpnja, te se domaćoj publici stalno serviraju poruke o tome kako je Hrvatska jedna od rijetkih zemalja u Europi u kojoj će biti blagodati turizma, kao i izvještaji o prepunim nacionalnim parkovima. Izvan naših granica, govorilo nam se, postoji informacijski kaos. Ministarstvo turizma odbilo je priključiti se našoj Viber zajednici Total Croatia Travel INFO, koja je jedino mjesto gdje se pitanja postavljaju i dobivaju odgovore u stvarnom vremenu Ovdje se možete priključiti, ali ćete morati preuzeti aplikaciju Viber
Moj prijedlog da možda ne bi bilo loše da Ministarstvo turizma, Hrvatska turistička zajednica i policija pokrenu svoju vlastitu Viber zajednicu dočekan je s osmijehom i klimanjem glavom. Uobičajena nezainteresiranost.
Drugi važan razgovor bio je s jednim od autora koji pišu za Total Montenegro News, a koji živi u Tivtu. Ona isto piše o koronavirusu od ožujka, kada je Crna Gora bila posljednja zemlja u Europi bez virusa. A onda, nakon infekcija, i ponovo prva bez virusa.
Crna Gora je jednako očajna da pokrene svoju turističku sezonu, pa su morali poduzeti neke teške odluke. Njena glavna tržišta su Srbija, Rusija i Velika Britanija, sve tri s groznom situacijom s koronom. Kad bi se njihove državljane slobodno pustilo da ulaze, sigurno bi došlo do porasta slučajeva, a kad bi odlučili da ih se ne pusti to bi bilo porazno za turizam. Zaista težak izbor.
Crna gora je izmislila sustav u tri boje, koje su vezane za epidemiološku situaciju u pojedinim zemljama. Većina zemalja dobila je zelenu boju - slobodan ulaz, a samo neke su dobile žutu - što znači da je potreban nedavno obavljen negativni test na koronu.
I za kraj postoje one zemlje koje su dobile crvenu boju, a koje uključuju tri najveća crnogorska tržišta, Srbiju, Rusiju i Veliku Britaniju. Da, ljudi iz "crvenih" zemalja mogu doći, ali će im se propisati 14 dana obavezne karantene u nekoj instituciji. Pa turisti neće doći.
Ogroman gubitak za ekonomiju, ali čini se da je to odluka koja na prvo mjesto stavlja zdravlje. Uz toliko ljudi koji ovise o turizmu i uz to što crnogorci također izlaze na izbore 30. kolovoza, bit će zanimljivo vidjeti kako će se to razviti. Porast slučajeva u BiH, koji je djelomično izazvan Srbima koji su prolazili kroz BiH uzrokovao je to da je ta zemlja dobila žutu oznaku, što znači da će biti još manje turizma.
Crna Gora nije u EU, naravno, ali to joj naravno daje slobodu da samostalno povlači poteze.
Ali, Grčka je članica, pa je čak i ona ograničila pristup građanima VB, naprimjer.
Nakon dugog perioda u kojem u Hrvatskoj ili nije bilo slučajeva ili je bio po jedan slučaj dnevno, broj slučajeva je porastao na 18 ili 19 dnevno. I dalje su to niski brojevi u usporedbi s globalnom situacijom, ali dovoljni da se započne razgovor o strožim mjerama, drugom valu i slično.
Parlamentarni izbori u Hrvatskoj su za 14 dana. Zanima me što će biti najvažniji čimbenik u razmišljanju onih koji donose odluke: zdravlje, turizam, ekonomija... ili ponovni izbor na vlast.
Headline 6 Days Ago, Djokovic, Adria Tour and COVID-19
June 22, 2020 - As more infections emerge from the Adria Tour tennis tournament, some important questions from a news headline six days ago.
Premier League football returned to England a few days ago, much to the relief of the billions of fans all over the world.
The new normal meant empty stadia, of course, which must be a huge financial strain on the big clubs.But safety first, and all that.
Meanwhile, in Croatia, which has done an outstanding job in containing coronavirus thus far, with just 2,317 cases in total, 107 deaths and 68 active cases, things are a little more relaxed.
Global tennis superstar Novak Djokovic was in Zadar with the Adria Tour, a fantastic event in normal times, and great PR for Zadar. Such a good PR event that Prime Minister Plenkovic dropped in - with two weeks to a general election, one doesn't get better photo ops than this.
(Photo credit Marko Stefanek, Total Waterpolo)
Unlike the Premier League, there were plenty of fans.
All was fine.
Until...
Adria Tour Final in Zadar Canceled After Dimitrov Tests Positive for Coronavirus
Then...
Borna Coric Among Players Positive for Coronavirus at Adria Tour in Zadar
(Borna Coric, who has since tested positive for COVID-19, surrounded by fans at Adria Tour - photo credit Marko Stefanek, Total Waterpolo)
And now for something VERY strange. A report from UBI Tennis, dated June 16, 2020 - SIX days ago:
ATPAdria Tour: Djokovic And The Other Players May Have Been In Contact With COVID-19
A Serbian basketball player that met Novak Djokovic last week in Belgrade tested positive for COVID-19. Thiem, Zverev and Dimitrov could have been exposed to the virus as well. The next Adria Tour event in Zadar is going ahead as planned
A great PR opportunity for sure. What is more important to the Croatian authorities at the moment - health, tourism, the economy... or re-election?
It is 13 days until the Croatian general election.
Meet StreetballOG, A FIBA-Licensed International Basketball Tournament in Ogulin
June 22, 2020 - Meet the FIBA-licensed StreetballOG tournament, a streetball spectacle in Ogulin.
After one of the daily trainings, a team of boys from the neighborhood in the small mountain town of Ogulin decided to realize their dream. And that dream was to bring the best world players to Ogulin and organize an international streetball tournament. After months of organizing, gathering sponsors, and convening teams from all over Europe in 2018, the day came - StreetballOG FIBA international tournament was established in Ogulin.
And that day, it rained, a downpour. But that was not enough for some to give up their desire to return the small town and Croatian basketball to its former sporting prestige. In 2019, they received a FIBA license and hosted 12 teams, 4 of which were foreign.
Today, they continue their fight and are organizing the third edition, to which they invite all parties to join this street basketball spectacle.
But let's start from the beginning. Natalia Zielinska interviewed Miljan, the coach of KK Ogulin and one of the founders of the StreetballOG FIBA tournament.
Hello Miljan, first of all, why streetball?
Primarily because of the symbolism. The greatest talents of world basketball were created on concrete playgrounds in the middle of urban settlements. Sports halls are a luxury. It does not require a rich infrastructure for individuals to succeed in basketball, and a lot of perseverance and love for sports is enough. That is the case with Ogulin; we have no infrastructure, we are not the capital, we are quite isolated. But our concrete basketball court is always full of young enthusiasts, and we believe they will end up in the NBA one day.
In addition, this type of basketball is becoming more popular, simpler and more attractive for recreational players. It is played in two teams of 3 players. But it is demanding enough to become an Olympic discipline by 2020. So, we have a symbolic aspect but also an interesting and demanding sport discipline.
Where did you get the idea to organize the tournament?
The very idea of the international StreetballOG FIBA tournament was born after many years of organizing a local tournament for all generations of basketball players in Ogulin and the surrounding area. As the tournament has always attracted a lot of attention from citizens, and in parallel streetball has become increasingly popular in the world, somehow everything went in that direction to make an international tournament with a FIBA license.
It started over a beer in the summer talking about being able to make a tournament in Ogulin that would be on the world map and what seemed like a completely impossible idea was a real challenge, so we decided to make it possible. So, in 2018, we connected everything and started the organization, started the tournament licensing process, used all our basketball acquaintances domestic and foreign, and simply started the story. After the first year, due to the rain, we held a tournament in a hall with 12 teams, and the following year, everything was as we imagined. The second edition of the tournament, we had 14 teams in the open, made various contacts with teams from Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Serbia, Bosnia, Azerbaijan, USA and shared experiences.
Everyone praised the organization for giving this strength and our desires are only growing - we simply want Ogulin to be an unavoidable stop when someone in the basketball circles of our region mentions streetball.
What are the reactions? Are you satisfied with the cooperation and response of the viewers?
Whenever we travel to other tournaments, we have the feeling that there is a greater response and interest in basketball, whenever we go to a tournament, because of promotion, contact and experience, we are surprised by the interest of the audience, sponsors, etc. Unfortunately, this is not the case.
Precisely because of this neglect of small places, but also of young people, today's basketball is where it is.
If we think we can achieve something, we have to start working at the lowest, local level, create habits in children, encourage them to believe in themselves, to continue training to one day achieve something. That's why we started organizing the tournament. We wanted to bring good teams, domestic and foreign, so that everyone, especially young people, has the opportunity to see the best of Croatian streetball.
But besides that, it is important that domestic teams compete in the tournament, so that we can see young spectators in relation to foreign teams and that we also have our own qualities, and that it is not all that unattainable. In this way, we create self-confidence in young people, strengthen the love for local sports, but also show how sport can be both fun and an opportunity for further development.
And did you succeed in that idea?
Last year, we partially succeeded, we had the best Croatian team, the boys from Ogulin played for third place with the team from Azerbaijan, where there were two Americans. Unfortunately, they were defeated in overtime, but what the audience, all those gathered could experience and feel that some basketball players from Ogulin have the knowledge, strength and capabilities as everyone else. So we started breaking down prejudices and underestimating ourselves because we are from a smaller background.
Today, it is impossible to do anything if you don't believe in yourself and work on it. That is something that is the essence of this tournament and that its message to young people and generations to come is irrelevant, it is sports and basketball. All that matters is the idea, the determination to work and success must come, and it is always the result and equivalent of the effort and work invested.
So what is the plan for this year?
This year we didn't even think that the tournament wouldn't take place because of COVID, and we just kept thinking about what and how. Sponsorships are a bigger problem in all of this than inviting and informing teams. But we do not give up, the support of local entrepreneurs and crafts exists, they need a lot to close the financial picture, and this is the biggest challenge. This year we want to get our own background, organize a concert so that foreign players can feel the tourist benefits of Ogulin, introduce everyone who comes to the natural beauty of Ogulin and its surroundings, our food, and simply with basketball to use the time for additional facilities. We are trying to create another platform through streetball to promote our region, the tourist offer of Ogulin, and the opportunities that are opening up.
To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.
What is the entercroatia.mup.hr Form and Do You Need to Fill It?
June 22, 2020 - Croatia recently introduced the entercroatia.mup.hr online form for foreign visitors to the country. What exactly is it, and who needs to fill it out?
Just over a month ago, we started a Viber community called Total Croatia Travel INFO in an attempt to help tourists get accurate travel information for their holiday to Croatia. It has been one of the most informative and educational things that I have done in the last year, and you can join the group here (you will need to download the Viber app).
For in addition to us giving information, the community also shared their experiences and questions. Real-life experiences of crossing borders (or not), boarding planes (or not) has allowed us to build perhaps the most accurate picture of travel to Croatia on the Internet right now. Many thanks to all who have - and continue to - contributed.
The Viber community is also a great source of information about the messages which are not getting across, as we see the same questions again and again. One of the areas of confusion surrounds the entercroatia.mup.hr form, which is now in 11 languages. What exactly is it for, do we need to fill it, and what about if we are transiting Croatia?
The simple answer is that if you are a foreign tourist to Croatia, you SHOULD fill in the form before your arrival, even though it is not obligatory. If you need accommodation in Croatia, you can find it here. It will facilitate your travel to Croatia at airports and any borders, as well as saving lots of time at the actual Croatian border. It is one of the most efficient systems I have ever seen after the Croatian police allowed me full access behind the scenes, and I then fully understood the system and how it is working perfectly. I want to quickly explain why the system was introduced, what it does and why you should fill in the form.
When I first visited the main Bregana border between Croatia and Slovenia on May 17, 2020, there was much confusion, and the border crossing was painfully slow - taking 5-8 minutes in most cases (transit was much quicker). The reason for this was that the border police had to manually enter details of the visitor's contact details, as well as all the information of where they were staying and for how long. This was necessary in the event of a corona outbreak so that the police would be able to contact them locally. It was a time-consuming process, and one can only imagine what the peak season queues would look like.
An emergency software fix was procured, and I was curious to see how it worked. I will refer to it more below, but this information is important for EVERY foreign visitor to Croatia at the moment, whether you are coming by land, sea or air.
1. If you fill the form in with your details (choose from 11 languages), you will receive an email from the police confirming receipt. Print this off, as well as your confirmed reservation, and show at any borders you encounter on the way, and you will be allowed to enter.
2. The procedure to proceed through the border if you have already registered is less than one minute, so 5-8 times quicker than three weeks ago. Simply hand over your passport, which will be scanned. All relevant details will be sent to Interpol, Schengen, and the Croatian ministries of health, tourism and the interior. This includes all the accommodation details and your contact numbers entering into the system. It is an outstandingly efficient system and is reducing the waiting time at the border considerably.
3. Even if you are from the 10 countries which now have open borders with Croatia, the official advice is to fill in this form, because it will reduce the waiting time at the border.
A fabulous system, put together in record time, and severely reducing the waiting times at the border just in time for peak season. Congratulations to the Croatian police and all involved in the project.
Please note (from the entercroatia.mup.hr page):
*After entering your contact information (telephone number and e-mail address), you will receive an announcement certificate which we kindly ask that you display on the windshield of your vehicle in order to facilitate the border crossing. Furthermore, you will receive all of the necessary information regarding your safe stay in the RC.
*The announcement certificate does not constitute an entry permit and is not equivalent to a document required for crossing the border (passport/identity card).
There seems to be some confusion in the community regarding 'The announcement is valid from' and 'The announcement is valid until 'entries. Please enter the dates you expect to arrive and depart.
UPDATE (July 13): We've received several questions on whether there are any issues with extending your stay in Croatia, beyond what you reported on your entercroatia.mup.hr form, if you need to do anything about the extension, re-submit your form or anything. We can confirm that, once you're in Croatia, you don't need to worry about your entercroatia form anymore; there are systems in place where the hosts need to report where you're staying, because of the tourist tax via the eVisitor system, so just enjoy yourself once you manage to enter Croatia (pun intended).
The question Self-isolation/quarantine measure in the country of residence? means have you self-isolated due to being in contact with someone with the virus.
If you are in transit through Croatia, you do NOT need to fill in the form, as it is designed to keep track of where people are staying in the event of a corona outbreak. (Confirmed to TCN by MUP on June 22).
Croatian citizens do NOT need to fill in the form. (Confirmed to TCN by MUP on June 22).
For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily.
Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages
Borna Coric Among Players Positive for Coronavirus at Adria Tour in Zadar
June 22, 2020 - Bulgarian tennis player Grigor Dimitrov tested positive foor the coronavirus, which is why the final of the Adria Tour in Zadar between Novak Djokovic and Andrej Rublev was canceled on Sunday.
N1 reports that three more tennis players are positive for coronavirus, as confirmed by Sime Vickovic, Chief of the Civil Protection Headquarters of Zadar County.
Among them is Croatian tennis player Borna Coric and the fitness coach of the infected Dimitrov, N1 has learned.
Tests are being conducted in Zadar on people who have been in close contact with the coronavirus-positive Bulgarian tennis player Grigor Dimitrov. Dimitrov was at the Adria Tour in Zadar for a few days, and in addition to tennis, he also played basketball with other players and hung out with citizens.
It was announced in Croatia on Sunday that there were 18 new cases of coronavirus in the last 24 hours.
More on this developing story soon...
To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.
As Music Returns to Sibenik Fortress, Plastic Enters History Books
As Morski writes on the 21st of June, 2020, the day-long festival called Let’s ROCK!, which took place on June the 21st at the popular Sibenik Fortress of St. Mihovil, returned a form of musical and social life to the Dalmatian city of Sibenik after several months of silence caused by the coronavirus. As part of the Sibenik Zero Waste City project, specially designed reusable cups have been introduced at events being held at this Sibenik fortress and others, starting with this first post-coronavirus festival.
The Sibenik Zero Waste City project will be implemented over the next two years with the aim of launching numerous environmental activities and educating visitors and citizens of Sibenik about the importance of environmental protection, proper waste separation and recycling. The holder of the project is the association Youth in the European Union, which is implementing it in cooperation with the City of Sibenik, the Tvrdjava kulture (Fortress of Culture) Sibenik public institution and the Zeleni grad (Green city) Sibenik utility company.
One of the first things that will be introduced in cooperation with the Fortress of Culture Sibenik is the setting of a new standard at festivals and other events at this Sibenik fortress and in others through the use of reusable cups instead of disposable, plastic ones that have been used so far.
These specially designed reusable glasses made of polypropylene enjoyed their premiere on June the 21st at the Sibenik Fortress of St. Michael.
''The crisis brought to us by the coronavirus made us all even more aware of the importance of having a responsible attitude towards the environment and the protection of nature. Our first eagerly awaited festival this year is a great time to put washable, reusable beverage glasses into practice and thus involve our visitors in the effort to keep Sibenik clean and an example of a responsible attitude towards waste and the environment,'' said Vera Jergovic Bolanca.
On the first day of summer, which is also World Music Day, the people of Sibenik were able enjoy some of the more prominent names of the Croatian alternative music scene such as The Fogsellers, Pi, Porto Morto, Ichabod, Ischariotzcky, Jonathan, JRAugust, Lovely Quinces, Nipplepeople, Pocket palm and Rolo. These musicians will take turns on several stages at the Fortress of St. Michael.
In addition to encouraging environmental protection at festivals and other events in and around the city, as well as educational environmental activities for citizens, the Sibenik Zero Waste City project will also provide city infrastructure that will further enable responsible waste management.
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Eurostat: Croatia at Top of European Union in Number of Temporary Employees
The Republic of Croatia is at the very top of the list of European Union countries in terms of the number of temporary employees, according to a new Eurostat survey for the year 2019.
As Novac writes on the 20th of June, 2020, as many as 18 percent of Croats, in the total number of employees working with temporary employment contracts, seasonally or through an employment agency. The share of temporary workers is higher only in Spain (24 percent), Poland (21 percent) and in Portugal (19 percent).
At the same time, Croatia is the only country in the whole of the European Union in which significantly more Croats are employed in temporary work positions compared to foreign nationals working in Croatia. In other words, out of one hundred employees born in Croatia, 18 of them are employed in temporary positions, while when it comes to the same number of employed foreigners (born outside of Croatia and the EU) only 14 of them work temporarily.
This is a completely reverse trend when compared to all other European Union countries in which, on average, almost a quarter (22 percent) of foreign nationals work in temporary positions and 13 percent of the domicile population are employed.
The trend of high temporary (or occasional) employment of Croatian nationals can be partly explained by the fact that European statisticians take the data for seasonal jobs into their calculations. Namely, a large number of Croats are employed exclusively during the summer tourist season, mostly in the catering, tourism and hospitality sector.
As far as European Union countries in Croatia's immediate area are concerned, Eurostat's report shows that the share of temporarily employed Italians stands at 16 percent, Slovenes 12 percent, and Hungarians a little more than five percent. The share of foreigners employed on temporary contracts in Italy is over 20 percent, in Slovenia almost 15 percent, and in Hungary a little more than 10 percent.
Germany, Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Malta, for example, all have a similar share of foreign temporary workers as Croatia does (all at around 15 percent). However, a smaller percentage of the domicile population in those countries work in temporary jobs. 11 percent in Slovenia do so, nine percent in Germany, seven percent in the Czech Republic and five percent in Malta.
On the other hand, the largest share of those born outside the European Union and who are employed on temporary contracts is in Poland (53 percent), followed by Spain (38 percent), Cyprus (33 percent), Portugal (29 percent), Sweden (26 percent) and the Netherlands (25 percent).
The lowest share, on the other hand, was recorded in Estonia (2 percent), followed by Latvia (4 percent), Austria (8 percent) and Ireland (10 percent). However, in all these countries, the employment of the domicile population on temporary contracts is either lower or at the same level.
According to the explanation, the Eurostat survey serves, among other things, to compare the position of migrants in relation to the domicile population, but also to monitor the success of European Union policies in regard to the integration of migrants.
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