August the 17th, 2022 - Just how will mystery shoppers work to protect Croatian consumers and their rights out in the field as we edge ever closer to Eurozone accession?

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, although it was said that the application would be finished by now, that has unfortunately failed to happen, meaning that the mystery shoppers haven't yet gone out into action in the country's stores.

It was also explained how these mystery shoppers will monitor the entire process of price alterations as we approach Eurozone entry and work to protect Croatian consumers.

"Each mystery shopper will keep their eye on twenty different products, they'll be the exact same products every month being sold by the same retailers or service providers. It must be checked whether the price is stated in accordance with the law. For now, we're only listing prices in kuna, because the obligation to declare prices in both kuna and euros will only been mandatory as of September the 5th, 2022. Then, we'll start checking whether the price is expressed in kuna and euros, whether there's a fixed exchange rate being used, and whether or not it's being calculated correctly. Given that the prices must be expressed to two decimal places, we have to make sure that there's no rounding up of the figures going on,'' said the president of the Association for Consumer Protection.

She also said that it is to be assumed that the rounding up of prices will also occur in Croatia if it happened in Italy, Slovenia and Austria as well.

''Croatia isn't going to be an exception, given that the country even worse than those countries in terms of legal regulation. We'll probably have to cope with that too. Since there is a lot of talk about it, I expect that it won't occur on such a large scale, that we'll manage to control it, so traders will probably also be aware that they should show the correct prices. If they start rounding up, we'll report it," she warned.

Where should Croatian consumers exercise the most care? In all situations, the president of the aforementioned association believes.

"We expect that it will be very difficult for customers in the beginning. It will be especially difficult in the period from New Year to January the 14th, 2023, when it will be possible to pay in both currencies, and merchants must only return euros. It's there where problems will occur because people will pay for items in kuna and receive euros in return. We're warning people that they should react to any issues with that right there, before they move away from the cash register," she said.

She noted that Croatian consumers must pay attention to the fact that merchants and service providers have a price list with prices in kuna and euros available to them.

She assessed the reduction of VAT on food as a bad decision by the Croatian Government.

"The opposite has now happened, items haven't become cheaper, they've become significantly more expensive. If the government had limited the prices and used that money to subsidise retailers and producers, then consumers would have benefited," the president of the Association for Consumer Protection believes.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated lifestyle section.

August the 17th, 2022 - There are more and more foreign workers in Croatia from all over the world. There will soon be more than 100,000, in fact, with employees having come from nearby war-torn Ukraine to all the way from India and beyond.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, RTL talked about the growing number of foreign workers in Croatia, but also how we might work to retain the ''homegrown'' labour force from Croatia, with the CEO of the Croatian Association of Employers (HUP), Damir Zoric.

The Republic of Croatia will soon exceed the number of 100,000 work permits having been issued for foreign (non EEA) workers, and Zoric said that the cause of this is the large demographic changes that Croatia is still going through, the increasing numbers of the younger generation leaving Croatia to work elsewhere, and the paradoxical situation of the outflow of labour on the one hand, but also economic growth on the other.

"The Croatian economy has to find its way and now requires the import of labour," he told RTL. He also said that highly qualified workers and low-qualified workers, of which there are very many, come to Croatia.

"These are workers in service industries, primarily in tourism, hospitality and catering, they're also construction workers who are extremely needed and in high demand, and there are some of them working in agriculture in seasonal jobs. Croatia is dominated by foreigners who come from neighbouring countries, traditionally for them, Croatia is the area where they find work. There are more and more people coming from Asian countries, but also from Ukraine and the Philippines," he said.

He also said that employers only have words of praise for foreign workers in Croatia. "People praise them, saying that they're extremely hardworking, disciplined, yes, of course they need a period of adjustment, which is natural, but I don't know of a single case where people have expressed themselves in any sort of negative manner," he said.

He also commented on whether the days have passed when local workers worked in hospitality, tourism and catering establishments on the coast, considering that there are more and more foreign workers in Croatia doing such jobs. "We need to see what happens in certain Western countries. When you arrive at a hotel in Paris, it's rare to see a native Frenchman working there, these are people who have sought happiness in work and life in France. Croatia is on that path and it will not stop now," he said.

He also commented on whether foreign workers in Croatia work under conditions and for wages that Croats don't want to work for.

"Everything is a matter of the market, it's about the relationship between demand and supply. For some, a salary of 500 or 600 euros is good, for some it isn't, and that's why what is happening is that some people leave and some come," he said. When asked how we might retain the local workforce, Zoric said: "Net wages need to be higher for Croatia to be more attractive to people with a higher educational structure, more complex knowledge and more demanding occupations.''

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated politics section.

August the 17th, 2022 - Croatian pensions are set to increase by at least six percent in September this year for a large group of those in receipt of them.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, during the month of September of this year, Croatian pensions will increase by at least 6 percent, or more precisely from 150 kuna to 210 kuna for the largest group of pensioners whose pensions range from between 2,500 kuna and 3,500 kuna, according to a report from Vecernji list.

The average pension paid out to those entitled to them during the month of July 2022 stood at around 2,700 kuna, and if you look only at people who completed their entire working life in Croatia, then the average is slightly higher, standing at 3,050 kuna.

With this increase in Croatian pensions, the average worker's pension during the month of September will be around 3,200 kuna.

People with fifteen years of service have pensions of less than 1,000 kuna, and in receipt of those between 1,500 kuna -2,000 kuna are those with 23 years of service. Those who have worked for 32 years receive 2,500 kuna - 3,500 kuna, and for 38 years of service, Croatian pensions stand at around 4,500 kuna - 8,000 kuna.

The average salary in this country currently stands at around 7,600 kuna, meaning that at this moment in time, Croatian pensions are unfortunately still almost two and a half times less than the average salaries of working people are.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated lifestyle section.

August the 17th, 2022 - The ongoing Zadar hinterland drought is causing a feeling of insecurity and desperation among local winemakers of the area, of which there are a great many. The Zadar hinterland hasn't really seen any rain for around two months now, and it doesn't seem as if relief will come any time soon.

As Morski writes, it hasn't really rained in the Zadar hinterland for two months now, and the ongoing drought is severely harming both local farmers and winemakers, especially in Nadinsko polje, the most ecological vineyard in all of Croatia. Young vineyards with white varieties growing there suffered the most, and if there is no rain in the near future, the harvest will also be worse, and due to the lower yield, there could be problems in the wine cellars as well.

''There's a small amount only, it's pretty miserable. The rest [of what we have] is as it was a month ago, nothing is developing, it isn't getting any colour to it and it should already be turning yellowish so that you can see that it is ripening, but it isn't doing so because these leaves have been burned,'' pointed out winegrower and winemaker Tomislav Glavic.

Glavic planted a Marastina vineyard in the nutrient-rich mud here five years ago. After last year, when the crop was affected by extremely cold temperatures and adverse conditions, this year should have been very good.

''This is our autochthonous variety of Marastina which I had very high hopes for. Last year, everything was frozen, there weren't even any grapes to speak of. This year the harvest was meant to be excellent, it should have been one of the better vintages. Until a month ago, everything was fine,'' he said. The situation is the same in the nearby vineyard of Sime Skaulj in the Zadar hinterland. Both his varieties suffered.

''This is a young three-year-old plantation that should produce extremely high-quality wines, however, it will be difficult to get a quality wine from here now. There's been no photosynthesis, no ripening, no sugar in the grapes, even though these are varieties that achieve very high sugars, but this year that isn't going to happen,'' said Skaulj.

Droughts in the Zadar hinterland, scorching, damagingly high temperatures and storms this summer have all been a fatal combination for these young vineyards.

''We had days when the temperature was 45 and there hasn't been a single drop of rain here since June the 9th. Actually, we had about four tiny drops ten days ago, but that's neither here nor there,'' said Glavic.

''This vineyard needs about 30 litres per square meter. If 30 litres of water had fallen here back at the end of July, it would have been amazing. We don't need a lot of water here, but we don't have a lot of it either,'' explained Skaulj.

''The annual requirements of the vines in terms of precipitation are somewhere from 650 to 850 litres of rain water. From April the 1st to July the 30th, we had somewhere around 176 litres with a very unfavourable precipitation schedule. We've actually got a situation in which these bunches have been exposed to very harmful UV radiation,'' said Zvonimir Vlatkovic from the Croatian Ministry of Agriculture.

If there is no serious rainfall soon, even though the vines have deep roots and are more resistant to drought, even the older, well-established vines will feel it. The harvest from the young plantations could be below average, and the quality could also come into question.

There are about 1,330 hectares of vineyards in not only the Zadar hinterland but spanning the entire territory of Zadar County. All of them have been constantly exposed to extreme temperatures. The situation is better in those that have an irrigation system, although they're also struggling to maintain an average and high-quality crop this year. In recent years, Zadar's local winemakers have made a big step forward when it comes to quality. The market recognises and acknowledges them, and it would be much easier to maintain that level of quality if the plantations didn't depend solely on the whims of nature, which is often cruel.

The straw for not only the winemakers of the Zadar hinterland but for winemakers up and down the country could be EU funds. In the new programme period starting in 2023, the emphasis is, among other things, on irrigation systems, as reported by HRT.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated lifestyle section.

August 16, 2022 - Sandra Perković becomes the European discus champion for the sixth consecutive time!

In the dramatic European Championship final in Munich, Croatia's best female athlete beat the silver medalist, German Kristin Pudenz, by eight centimeters.

After a phenomenal first day when Filip Mihaljević won the shot put gold, and Matea Parlov Koštro won silver in the marathon, a Croatian athlete was on the podium yet again in Munich.

Pudenz made it difficult for Perković in the second series, throwing 65.05 meters, to which Perković answered with 65.77 meters. However, the highly motivated German threw an excellent 66.93 meters in the third series and held the advantage until the crucial fifth series. Sandra then threw 67.95 meters, which seemed unattainable for Pudenz, whose personal record was 67.10 meters. However, Pudenz immediately responded with 67.87 meters and luckily remained eight centimeters behind Perković.

No other female athlete has more than four European gold medals in one discipline, and Perković has now extended her streak to six. She started in 2010 as a 20-year-old in Barcelona, followed by gold in 2012 in Helsinki, 2014 in Zurich, 2016 in Amsterdam, and 2018 in Berlin. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Sandra had to wait four years to claim her sixth title.

German Claudine Vita won the bronze with 65.20 meters.

The second Croatian representative in the final, 22-year-old Marija Tolj, finished in sixth place with 63.37 meters, which is a meter shorter than her personal record set earlier this year.

After the third series, Tolj held eighth place with a modest 57.57 meters, the last spot that allows you to move forward in the competition. After the fifth series, she improved her ranking by two places.

22-year-old Marko Čeko took eighth place in the long-jump final with a result of 7.77 meters.

Čeko achieved his best jump in the third series and secured another three series. Unfortunately, the Knin athlete failed to improve his result in the remaining three jumps. In the fourth series, he jumped to 7.38 meters, in the fifth to 7.56 meters, and in the sixth to 7.59.

Bravo, Sandra!

Source: HRT

To follow the latest sports news in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

August 16, 2022 - Bodo/Glimt narrowly beats Dinamo 1:0 in Norway on Tuesday night in the first leg of the Champions League play-off round. 

Bodo/Glimt and Dinamo met in Bodo, Norway, on Tuesday night in the first of the last two battles to enter the Champions League. Aspmyra Stadium, which holds 8,300 spectators, was said to be nearly sold out.

Bodo/Glimt is the only obstacle between Dinamo and the elite football competition, which guarantees around 20 million euros. Dinamo says they have already achieved their first goal, which is playing in the Europa League group stage, but we all know the Champions League is the ultimate goal for any club. 

Bodo/Glimt is undoubtedly a dangerous opponent and was a hit in the last European season, meaning this match would be anything but easy. However, Dinamo was coming off of a 4:1 victory against their eternal rival Hajduk, which should have boosted their morale going into Tuesday's play-off. 

Lineups

BODO/GLIMT: Haikin – Wembangomo, Amundsen, Hoibraaten, Sampsted – Vetlesen, Hagen, Saltnes – Mvuka Mugisha, Salvesen, Pellegrino

DINAMO: Livaković – Ristovski, Šutalo, Lauritsen, Ljubičić – Ademi, Mišić – Špikić, Baturina, Oršić – Drmić

Match report

Bodo's first attempt of the match came in the 6th minute but was blocked by Dinamo's defense. Dinamo's first chance came a minute later when Drmić shot over the goal from the edge of the penalty area. A dangerous Bodo cross went into the box a minute after that but was cleared again by Dinamo's defense.

Bodo was hungry for a goal at the start of the first half and had their first shot on target in the 14th minute. Livaković was concentrated and easily defended the attempt. It had been a tough match so far without any major chances. 

Oršić shot from 25 meters in the 23rd minute, which went out for a Dinamo corner.

By the 36th minute, the possession was 51:49.

We saw the first goal of the match in the 37th minute. Pellegrino headed easily shot past Livaković for 1:0 Bodo. They also had a dangerous free kick from 22 meters out two minutes later, and hit the crossbar just a few minutes after that. 

It was 1:0 for Bodo at the half. 

Ivanušec and Petković entered the match for Drmić and Špikić to start the second half. 

Pellegrino had a golden opportunity in the 54th minute, which went just wide of the goal. 

Dinamo started picking up the pace nearing the 60th minute and pressed Bodo's defense. Petkovic had a chance that went a hair over the crossbar. 

Orsic had a chance in the next play and shot just wide of the far post. 

Orsic played through to Petkovic in the penalty area in the 63rd minute, but the Bodo keeper got to the ball first. 

Bodo was in Dinamo's half for the following five minutes and was lucky not to increase their lead. 

Bodo made their first sub in the 68th minute - Espejord entered for Slavesen. Dinamo subbed on Emreli for Orsic.

Dinamo scored from the offside position in the 71st minute, keeping the match at 1:0. 

Dinamo countered in the 73rd minute, which ended in no shot on goal, and Bodo had taken their 10th corner of the match a minute later. 

Gojak was subbed on for Baturina in the 77th minute, and Bodo's Grunbek and Koomson entered for Hagen and Mvuka Mugisha in the 81st minute. 

Petkovic missed the best chance of the game in the 86th minute. Petkovic dribbled the Bodo defense and found himself one-on-one with the Bodo keeper but shot over the goal! 

The ref added three minutes of stoppage time to the end in which neither team was able to score. The match ended 1:0 for Bodo and the return match will be played next week at Maksimir Stadium in Zagreb.  

Post-match interview

More soon... 

To follow the latest sports news in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

ZAGREB, 16 August, 2022 - A 22-year-old Hajduk football fan was convicted in the Portuguese city of Guimarães for attacking a television cameraman, receiving a suspended prison sentence of one year and three months, and he must pay the cameraman €600 in damages, a local police spokesman told Hina.

A suspended sentence means he has been released, but if he commits a new criminal offence in Portugal during the specified period, he will be imprisoned and serve the sentence, the spokesman said in a telephone conversation on Tuesday.

The football fan, whose name was not revealed by the Portuguese police, was banned from football matches in the next year.

This applies to competitions organised by UEFA, but I think he will not be allowed to attend matches in Croatia or elsewhere in Europe either, the spokesman said.

The incident occurred last Thursday after a Europa Conference League qualifying match between Vitoria Guimarães and Hajduk. Vitoria won 1-0, but failed to qualify for the play-off because it had lost 1-3 in Split a week earlier.

After the match, reporters filmed Hajduk fans leaving the Afonso Henriques Stadium.

Some fans were bothered by this, so they insulted the cameramen and poured water on them, as shown by footage from Portuguese media outlets.

The convicted football fan, a Croatian citizen, lunged at a TVI and CNN Portugal cameraman in front of policemen, the police said after the incident. CNN Portugal said that he kicked their cameraman.

The fan was immediately arrested and, on Friday, brought before an investigating judge in Guimarães, a city in the north of Portugal, where he was sentenced.

He damaged the reporter's camera and must pay him €600 in damages, the police spokesman said.

The fan and his lawyer were not available to Hina for comment.

ZAGREB, 16 August, 2022 - In the last 24 hours, 165 coronavirus cases, out of 1,237 tests, and 12 related deaths have been registered in Croatia, the national COVID-19 crisis management team said on Tuesday.

There are 6,107 active cases, including 680 hospitalised patients, 28 of whom are on ventilators, while 2,838 persons are self-isolating.

Croatia has registered 1,200,972 coronavirus cases to date, and the death toll has reached 16,520, while 70.89% of adults have been vaccinated.