ZAGREB, May 23, 2020 - Former HDZ leader and deputy prime minister Tomislav Karamarko said on Saturday that the accusations against his wife Ana Karamarko made by the prosecutorial authorities who are probing nine companies and 38 persons on suspicion of tax fraud are "the theatre of the absurd".

In his lengthy Facebook account on this investigation against his wife and other 37 persons believed to have committed tax evasion and other murky dealings, Karamarko said that "this theatre of the absurd" was another attempt to find anything that could incriminate him.

Karamarko criticizes the media coverage of the whole case and also wonders how come those reporters of the Jutarnji List daily arrived in front of his flat at the same when the police officers who then arrested his wife.

He also criticizes media outlets for insisting on and highlighting that one of those 38 suspects in this operation was the wife of Tomislav Karamarko.

Karamarko associated in an ironic comment that with speculations that "some elections will be held soon and I will reportedly be some sort of candidate."

He said that all those developments resembled the political showdown in 2016 when he resigned as the leader of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) after the Bridge party used "infantile moves" to topple down the government and accuse him of the conflict of interest and of advocating the interests of the Hungarian side in the INA-MOL case.

He went on today that he was exposed to all those attacks due to "his ideological structure and policies" which he was trying to pursue and implement.

In this context he said that he had tried to strengthen domestic production, limit the power of lobbies of importers, strengthen SMEs, create an implementable population policy, conduct lustration, and prosecute communist crime.

His wife Ana Karamarko was arrested last Wednesday as one of the suspects in an investigation into the suspected financial crime. After she was questioned by the authorities she was released in the evening that day because anti-corruption investigators did not ask that she be remanded in custody.

The investigation covers nine companies and 38 persons, one of whom has been in prison from before while six are currently beyond the reach of Croatian police.

Tomislav Pavkovic and Oliver Kolobaric are believed to have led the group suspected of conspiring for the purpose of evading taxes and customs duties, abuse of trust in business operations, and aiding and abetting the commission of those crimes.

The group, suspected of using fictitious contracts to siphon HRK 20 million from a number of companies, defrauding the state of HRK 11 million in the process, was allegedly put together by the two men.

The persons in question and their companies are suspected of charging non-existent services via fictitious invoices and tax fraud from 2017 until 2019.

May 23, 2020 — A black streak of spray paint strikes through the name of Nerežišća, a village on the island of Brač, replaced by “WUHAN” in block letters. The reference to COVID-19’s launching point seemed appropriate 15 days ago when a coronavirus outbreak struck Dalmatia's largest island and home to its most famous beach. 

Authorities declared the outbreak over after new infections dropped to zero. The island is now easing back measures meant to stem the spread of the virus. It might be time to take the “WUHAN” graffiti down.

“We have won all the significant battles against the coronavirus, but caution still remains,” said the Brač’s chief epidemiologist, Dr. Nađan Šerić, who was on the front line all the time. “A lot of knowledge, effort, and love was invested in breaking COVID-19 and all those who participated in the actions deserve thanks.”   

The island off the coast of Split became a hotspot with 22 new infections emerging on May 8. The announcement fueled an exodus from the island, with even wild boars heading for the exits. Authorities tested 564 residents, with 41 testing positive in the first two rounds and none afterward. The steady stream of negative tests makes local authorities comfortable reopening the island.

The potential for an outbreak emerged when several workers at the Sardina factory were infected with COVID-19, raising questions about the 160 employees inside the plant. Fortunately, the infection didn’t spread within the company.

Brač residents can now roam without seeking permissions or passes. The orders to stay in place expired, with no need for renewal, said the head of Brač’s Crisis Staff Nikola Martinić.

Ferry service connecting the island to Makarska resumed as well. Schools will reopen on May 27.

In two days, the National Civil Protection Directorate’s ban on restaurant and retail businesses will also lift, ending the island’s perilous two-week stint as Croatia’s coronavirus hotbed.

“It wasn't easy. There were difficult and uncertain moments, but our Brač togetherness and determination once again won,” the mayor of Supetar and a member of the Crisis Staff Ivana Marković said.

ZAGREB, May 23, 2020 - Social Democratic Party (SDP) leader Davor Bernardic said on Saturday in Dubrovnik that voting for the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) meant voting for corruption.

Responding to Plenkovic's statement in an interview that a vote for Miroslav Skoro was a vote for the SDP, the opposition leader thus reiterated his accusations against the HDZ.

He went on to say that during the four-year of the term of the current government Plenkovic "has hidden behind Brussels, his aides, various task forces, the virus, and crisis management teams."

Commenting on Plenkovic's statement that the ban on Sunday work will be lifted if it is established that it is no longer required epidemiologically, but that he is for Sunday to be a non-working day, the SDP chief said that Plenkovic could not decide whether to have working or non-working Sundays.

"He could not take a position on important decisions for Croatia. Therefore, he cannot be at the helm of Croatia, and he will not be after 5 July," Bernardic said at a news conference in Dubrovnik before an SDP meeting.

Bernardic accused the Plenkovic government of lack of care for the tourism sector and promised that as soon as the SDP won the election, that party would reduce Value Added Tax in tourism and hospitality to 10%. 

ZAGREB, May 23, 2020  - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandrokovic on Saturday extended greetings on the occasion of Ramadan Bayram to the head of the Islamic Community in Croatia, Mufti Aziz Hasanovic, and all Islamic believers.

Ramadan is a holy month for all Muslim believers during which you reinforce the values of Islam through fasting, abstinence, prayer, solidarity, and care for the fellow man, Jandrokovic said in a note sent on his and parliament's behalf.

Unfortunately, you lived this year's Ramadan time of spiritual well-being in different circumstances because of the pandemic. I am convinced that, despite the absence of traditional joint prayers and sharing of iftar, you managed to find sufficient interior spiritual strength, patience, peace, harmony, and joy, Jandrokovic said.

"May the holy day of Ramadan Bayram, therefore, reward you for all the abstinence and sacrifice and bring you blessings, serenity, family community, and love as well as joint hope for a better tomorrow. Bayram Serif Mubarek Olsun!"

ZAGREB, May 23, 2020 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic has said the ban on Sunday work will be lifted if it is established that it is no longer required epidemiologically, but that he is for Sunday to be a non-working day.

"The ban on Sunday work was an epidemiological measure introduced at a moment that was quite different from today's circumstances, when we have single-digit numbers of new (COVID-19) infections. The objective of the measure was to reduce the intensify of the population's mobility one day in the week. If it's now concluded epidemiologically that it's no longer necessary, the measure will be lifted," Plenkovic said in an interview in Jutarnji List's Saturday issue.

"As far as Sunday is concerned, I'm for it to be a non-working day. That's the political position of the government and the HDZ."

He said the effects of the economy's reactivation would be carefully analysed.

In the first 20 days of May, retail trade dropped only 5% on the year, he said. We will continue with the support measures for the real sector but target them, he added.

Speaking of opponents in the coming parliamentary election, Plenkovic said voters would elect those who they thought could cope with crises and run the country in the best way. "Those who create chaos and are irresponsible can't run the country in difficult, challenging circumstances."

He said he was prepared to participate in debates and that he still thought, as he did in the presidential election, that a vote for Miroslav Skoro was a vote for the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

"When (Mislav) Kolakusic, supported by Human Shield, gave up the campaign, enabling the consolidation of the left's votes, and when some people in our party were more engaged on some other side rather than for Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, Skoro wins 24%. And what was achieved by that? Not only was  (Zoran) Milanovic first in the first round, but 100,000 ballots were made invalid in the second round, which was obviously sabotage. I believe people see that now and that the same scenario won't happen twice. Such a scenario repeating would help (Davor) Bernardic and the SDP."

As Novac/Kresimir Zabec writes on the 22nd of May, 2020, Croatia can't miss out on taking advantage of the opportunity to increase its share of energy production from renewable sources. It should use what it has, namely the solar, wind and geothermal sources, to increase energy independence and contribute to the European Union Green Deal, according to the conclusion of the fourth HANZA HUB online panel, which was dedicated to energy this time.

Julije Domac, Special Adviser for Energy and Climate to Zoran Milanovic, Ivan Androcec, Head of the Investment Strategies and New Technologies Department of the Strategy and Development Sector of Hrvatska Elektroprivreda, Marijan Krpan, President of the Management Board of the Hydrocarbons Agency, Tomislav Čorak, partner and executive director of BCG in Central and Southeast Europe, and Dalibor Pudić, president of the Croatian Professional Gas Association, all took part in the debate.

Just a few months ago, there were many discussions at the level of the European Union on how the new Green Plan of the European Commission will be implemented in reality, how much money will need to be allocated for its implementation and how it will affect the member states of the EU. Today, such matters regarding the European Union Green Deal are no longer so much in focus.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic and its consequences on the global economy, the focus in the energy sector is currently on the historically low price of oil, the decline in energy consumption and the recovery of nature due to the reduction of economic and other daily activities.

''This, of course, isn't the way we want to reduce pollution. We want to reduce it with economic growth, which is the foundation of the European Green Deal. The good message to come out of this crisis is that we can change much faster than we thought we could. I'd like this recovery to be linked to green recovery, new technologies, technological progress, and green energy sources. Information from all over the world shows that investments in renewable energy sources are progressing faster than they are in fossil sources, and that's a good indicator in the coronavirus age,'' said the president's advisor, Julije Domac.

Recalling that the latest crisis has led to a large drop in demand for oil in Southeast Asia, which has led to the fact that currently the most attractive business in the world is owning oil depots, Marijan Krpan estimates that this is only a temporary situation and that with the departure of the coronavirus, it will alter and rise again.

''Our position on the relationship between hydrocarbons and the Green Deal is defined by the relationship between production and demand. Europe produces 23 percent of its oil needs and 46 percent of its gas needs, but that does not guarantee us a future. And that's why there is a transition and the inclusion of renewable energy sources and large investments in solar and wind power,'' claims Krpan.

According to Tomislav Čorak, the shock being experienced by the oil industry will last for several years, which at the same time opens up some excellent opportunities for renewable energy sources, which includes large European oil players who didn't stop investing in this segment. In contrast, American oil companies have drastically reduced all of their investments in green technologies due to the same oil shock.

''It's possible that this is a turning point in the history of mankind and the world will turn more towards new green technologies,'' Krpan pointed out.

Unlike the oil business, so far, electricity and gas have not suffered too much damage due to the coronavirus crisis.

''This crisis has so far only slightly affected the situation in the power industry and this shock hasn't been so huge. The drop in demand stands at about ten percent. It's been primarily in businesses, and in households, because people were staying at home much more, we've even recorded a small increase in consumption. Given that we're a country that imports, the fall in energy prices has had a positive impact on electricity imports, which we're forced to do because we're facing arid hydrology. So, there was a drop in demand, but there was also a drop in prices so all of that together had a slight impact on our business. It's difficult to say what will happen by the end of the year,'' pointed out Ivan Androcec from HEP. Dalibor Pudic claimed that the coronavirus crisis didn't affect gas consumption either and that the demand for gas was the same as it has been previous years during the same period.

Androcec also made sure to emphasise that HEP's investment plan for renewable energy sources hasn't changed or been reduced due to the coronavirus crisis.

''This year, twice as many investments have been planned in comparison to last year, and there have been no changes to that. We're working according to a set plan and I believe that we'll achieve what we've planned,'' he pointed out.

The topic of HEP's investments initiated a heated discussion between the panelists about the technologies in which it is necessary to invest. Dalibor Pudic believeed that world's gas consumption will increase because the trend is to replace coal-fired power plants with gas-fired ones.

''In the last decade, we've had an increase in electricity production with energy from coal by 1700 terawatt hours, and from wind and solar power by 1050 terawatt hours. That coal was replaced by gas. In Europe, the largest reduction in CO2 emissions took place in the United Kingdom, which replaced oil with gas. Croatia must continue to explore any possible gas fields. The future of gas is not in question in the next 50 years in Europe and the rest of the world,'' said Pudic, adding that if you develop a new technology for energy production, you have to sell it to foreign markets, and as it is expensive, whether or not you have customers is questionable.

Make sure to follow Total Eco Croatia for more on energy in Croatia and the European Union Green Deal.

May 23, 2020 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for flights to Croatia with updates from Zagreb, Split and Dubrovnik.

Croatian Aviation reports that German leisure company, Condor, announced they'd be resuming regular international lines from several German cities to well-known tourist destinations across Europe, including Split.

Before the outbreak of the pandemic, this German airline regularly flew on seasonal routes from German airports to Rijeka, Zadar, Split and Dubrovnik, but in the current summer flight schedule, the lines have not yet started operating.

In its last announcement, the company announced the resumption of operations, and the first line to Croatia will be introduced from the end of June.

From June 26, Condor will fly on two routes to Split:

Frankfurt - Split, from June 26, twice a week (Fridays and Sundays),

Dusseldorf - Split, from June 26, twice a week (Fridays and Sundays).

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In addition to these two direct routes, the company, in cooperation with Lufthansa, also offers flights to Hamburg and Munich with short transfers. The mentioned lines will be operated by A320 aircraft, with a capacity of 180 seats.

Tickets are already on sale on the airline's official website. Split will thus be connected to Dusseldorf 3 times a week, considering that Eurowings, as we announced earlier, will fly between these two cities from June 20.

The airline has not yet confirmed the start of traffic from German cities to Zadar, Rijeka and Dubrovnik.

Furthermore, Croatian Aviation reported that Aegean Airlines announced new start dates for operations to destinations in Croatia.

The Greek airline plans to fly to 3 destinations in Croatia: Dubrovnik, Split and Zagreb in the current summer flight schedule. The line to Zadar was canceled in 2019.

Athens-Dubrovnik will be in operation twice a week from June 25, wit A320 aircraft. Aircraft of this type at Aegean has a capacity of 174 seats. The increase to five-week flights is planned for July 3.

The Athens-Split line has been announced four times a week from July 6, with the A319 aircraft, with a capacity of 144 seats.

The Athens-Zagreb route will again operate from July 1, three times a week, on A319 and A320 aircraft (capacity 144 and 174 seats, respectively).

Finally, Croatian Aviation reports that Emirates, an airline from the United Arab Emirates, has additionally canceled the start of operations on the Zagreb-Dubai route.

Although this seasonal line was supposed to start operating on the first day of the summer flight schedule, this did not happen due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

After that, the company repeatedly delayed the start of operations on this line, and the latest information was that this well-known company would come to the Croatian capital again from July 1 this year.

Emirates usually flies on the Dubai-Zagreb route every day, but due to reduced demand, flights are now postponed until August 1, when the line should start operating with only four flights per week (Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays). B47-300ER aircraft with a capacity of 354 seats have been announced on the route.

Given that this is the only seasonal Emirates route in the entire destination network, there is a high probability that this airline will not return to Zagreb this season.

May 23, 2020 - What was Split like in 1999? Enjoy this blast from the past by local cameraman Jere Gruic. 

It was the year the Euro was introduced. The human population surpassed six billion. Napster was released. Bill Clinton was acquitted. Movie theaters screened The Matrix, and radio stations played Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys. 

Times were simpler then, it seemed, especially if you were in Dalmatia. 

This is confirmed by a video of Split, made back in November 1999, which was discovered on the YouTube channel of Split cameraman Jere Gruic. As you can imagine, it has quickly become a hit.

Various Dalmatian media, like Dalmacija Danas and Dalmatinski Portal, were quick to share the 90s nostalgia. Slavićeva, Vukovarska, Bosanska, Pjaca, Riva, Marmontova, Žnjan and many other famous locations are featured in almost 19 minutes of film of our beautiful city, some 21 years ago. 

“Some other time. The video was created as an idea to send the recordings to my father, because he has been working in Australia for three years now and he longs for Split," Gruić wrote in the description of the video, which you can watch below.

"What a flashback, that winter I turned 20, I have a different life now, how time flies," reads one comment. "The red bus at Sv. Frane - what a flashback!" reads another. "It's nice that someone put this out! Do you have more?" the others say. 

Join us in this walk down memory lane; let's pine for this simpler Split life together. 

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