Croatia Gets First Female Attorney-General
ZAGREB, May 18, 2020 - Croatia's parliament on Monday appointed Zlata Hrvoj Sipek as the new Attorney-General with 80 lawmakers voting for her appointment while 40 were against.
Hrvoj-Sipek has until now served as Deputy Attorney-General. The government nominated her after interviewing six candidates who had applied for the job. The position became vacant in February when Attorney-General Drazen Jelenic resigned following revelations of his membership of a Masonic lodge.
Hrvoj-Sipek has been employed in the country's prosecutorial authority (DORH) since 2000.
Before its expected dissolution, the 9th parliament appointed Ivana Jakir-Bajo, who to date served as assistant finance minister, as the central bank's new vice governor. She will assume this new office on 1 July.
Dubrovnik Mayor’s Plan for 2020 Season: Survive Until Next Year
May 18, 2020 — The Croatian government hopes travel-hungry Croats and foreigners within driving distance will salvage what’s left of its summer tourism. But where does that leave Dubrovnik, a destination dependent on flights and cruise ships?
Over 14,000 travelers entered Croatia since its borders opened on May 9. Locals flocked to destinations like Plitvice Lakes National Park, exploiting a lack of tourists to monopolize the bucolic waterfalls.
Dubrovnik, meanwhile, sat empty.
Not because of the coronavirus. It’s been 11 days since the city’s most recent infection.
One can’t blame a lack of investment either, which keeps rolling in. The Tourism Ministry announced about HRK 400 million investment in six hospitality training centers, including HRK 72 million injection for the Dubrovnik School of Tourism and Catering.
It’s not for a lack of irony either. The city’s Lazarettos, the mythical birthplace of the “quarantine”, reopened for tourists.
Dubrovnik now finds itself imperiled by the one trait which has kept it whole all these centuries: geographic isolation. Too far to reach by car, and perhaps too familiar to the locals within driving distance, it hasn’t benefited from the Tourism Ministry’s efforts. A cut in budget airlines and higher-priced international flights, and the virtual lockdown on cruises, leaves the coastal magnet unreachable to the millions of guests planning to visit.
The Pearl of the Adriatic won’t relive its halcyon days as the poster child for “overtourism” (unless you count a Marin Čilić sighting as recompense).
But a dearth of tourists is more than just a budgetary hiccup. Dubrovnik, much like the rest of Croatia, depends solely on the travel industry. It funds about 70 percent of the city’s budget directly, and the remaining 30 percent indirectly. There is no “rainy day” economic branch shoring up Dubrovnik’s finances or employing a segment of the population. The Pearl of the Adriatic produces nothing and exports even less.
Dubrovnik Mayor Mato Franković sees the season as a total loss. Early forecasts of a 70 percent drop now seem optimistic. So he has a plan: survive.
Survive just enough to come back next year.
Nobody said it was an upbeat plan.
He outlined the city’s current state, its lack of hope for this year, and plans for next year in an extensive interview in Jutarnji List.
You announced that there are three scenarios in the city for this year's season, is it already clear which of them is the most likely?
I think that the most likely, unfortunately, is the one in which the tourist season won’t take place until April 2021, because crumbs await us in the current year. Our goal this year is to achieve up to 30 percent of last year's season, so even those crumbs will still be enough for us to survive until next summer. Not only for the city administration but the entire tourism sector.
However, according to our projections, that 30 percent is an optimistic scenario, which is why we are already working intensively on contacting airlines, offering them the possibility of subsidizing their flights to Dubrovnik, because I am convinced that all other air destinations will do the same.
The messages coming from the world's airlines are that they themselves will not activate more than 30 to 40 percent of capacity, so it is crucial for each destination to have a direct flight, and then especially for Dubrovnik, where air guests make up 90 percent of the total.
This does not include cruise guests and one-day guests, who are unlikely to be here this year, especially after the news that TUI's ship has an entire home port. According to everything we see, cruisers do not expect to start operating before January 2021.
Well, the people of Dubrovnik were already complaining about the cruise guests, so it could be good for some.
No, that's not good at all because we finally managed to establish a scenario in which there are no crowds in the city or more than two cruisers at the same time. Just when we achieved that, the whole story turned upside down. Dubrovnik needs both, but with moderation.
Speaking of air connections, Croatia Airlines has re-established domestic traffic to reduce it after only three days due to a lack of passengers. That doesn’t really sound encouraging to your city?
No, it doesn't sound optimistic. I have to admit that I expected the national carrier to make a little sacrifice, regardless of the situation the company is in, because as a carrier it must be the backbone of connecting tourist destinations, especially Dubrovnik, with the rest of the world. I think that the company should have made such decisions in agreement with the city and the competent ministry. This move is not right, especially considering that we expected a partnership from it.
I think we will very soon see how important it is to have a domestic carrier, because we cannot depend on Lufthansa, British Airways and others. If we have our own operator, then we need to invest more money, maybe even consciously enter into a loss, especially in a situation where the state would benefit from it in the long run.
Namely, we currently have a line from Frankfurt and that is now the only way for foreigners to come to the country. I guess it was not profitable for Croatia, but I hope that at the moment when the EU opens, the national operator will introduce regular lines and that there will be interest in them. Namely, I know from conversations with hoteliers that no one has canceled our reservations for July and August yet.
This, of course, does not mean that they will not be canceled later, but for now it still gives us hope. Our key markets are the United Kingdom and the United States; these are guests who come to Dubrovnik. Both are severely affected by the coronavirus, so this is an additional problem in the organization of the season.
Last year, the first direct line between Croatia and the USA was introduced on the route Dubrovnik - Philadelphia, but I guess it should not be counted on in the near future?
Yes, it was also well-filled. For this year, 70 percent of the capacity was sold out in advance, which means that we should have recorded great results from that market. Unfortunately, all this has now been canceled and it is unclear what the future holds for us on this issue.
As a city, we will co-finance airlines to come to our city, and the plan is for the city to borrow for that purpose. We are in intensive negotiations with British Airways, Jet2com, and Croatia Airlines.
We have already offered this possibility and we are currently working out the financial parameters on how to sort it all out. We received information that the Croatian National Tourism Board is ready to help us because everyone is aware that no destination will be damaged like Dubrovnik. My thinking is that between 10 and 14 million kuna should be invested by the end of this year in order for the flights and guests to come. We are ready to take out a loan to achieve at least one season, but that will, of course, mean that we will have to ‘shorten’ the funds somewhere in order to sort it all out. Tourism funds 70 percent of our budget, the rest is also income from tourism, but indirect, and when that money suddenly stops coming, it is clear to everyone what is happening next.
Where you will have to cut the costs?
In the new drafting of the supplementary budget, we stopped everything that was possible. All projects except those current and those financed by the European Union.
We had more than 40 projects in the pipeline, but we will not be able to get into them. We must be aware that by the end of this, and perhaps 2021, there will hardly be any serious major project funded by the city.
We continue with infrastructure projects related to agglomeration, such as water supply and drainage. We are building as many as 30 kilometers of sewerage network, and the project of the Lapad coast, which is financed by the European Union, continues. The project of building a road from the Franjo Tuđman Bridge to Pobrežje, worth 30 million kuna, is also planned, and we are also building the first primary school since 1975.
The messages from the Ministry of Tourism are that this year's season will depend on domestic guests. Do you agree with that?
It is difficult for me to say that. We are too small a country to be able to rely on our own capacities. I think that this is an impossible mission and that nothing will happen there. These are empty wishes.
Nevertheless, I am convinced that, at the moment when international lines are re-established, there will be interest in Dubrovnik.
What is the City's plan for establishing tourism? Apart from subsidies to air operators, how else can it participate?
We have prepared a whole package of discounts. We will go with lower prices in museums and reservations, then with special free programs for guests. In addition, we are working on a cultural program in which we will organize free concerts and classical concerts of our symphony orchestra once a week. On our “Dubrovnik card”, we will offer guests a 50 percent discount on bus transportation.
So there will be events, there will be summer games, but we would like to organize international programs that could also be a reason to come to Dubrovnik. I can’t tell you specifically, but we’re arranging to host one of the world’s biggest music stars for this year, but we need to sort out the financial construction first. Of course, the plan is to lower the price of visits to the walls, as well as Lokrum.
So you, like Minister Cappelli, think that ticket prices for the walls must fall?
Of course. I clearly told the leadership of the Society of Friends of Dubrovnik Antiquities that they will not decide, but the City will decide on the price policy because the City is above the Society, and it must listen to what it commands instead of implementing its own policy.
Well, there are conflicting opinions. Some say that a lower ticket price for the walls won’t attract guests anyway, so then why lower it?
It is necessary to do it in terms of marketing. People all over the world have not given up on travel, so I think it is a good opportunity to tell guests that Dubrovnik will now be more beautiful, a city without crowds and with measure, and if the price correction is another reason to visit, why not?
In addition, the policy of raising ticket prices for the walls and Lokrum was conducted as an attempt to reduce the pressure of visitors to these locations. As there will be no such pressure now, the prices should be corrected as well. I believe that the association will do so.
Speaking of prices, Dubrovnik is already criticized for too high prices. Do you expect reductions from caterers and hoteliers?
It is clear that in entrepreneurship the price is generated by supply and demand. I believe that there will be corrections here as well, because everyone will try to grab at least something from this season, so they will also give discounts in order to attract guests. I repeat, no one expects a good season. We are working for crumbs and preparing for 2021.
What do hoteliers say, how much capacity will be open this year?
Valamar will probably open only two, Lukšić also two at most. The Hilton is currently open, but I estimate that a total of five to six facilities will be open this season, so it will be like in our classic winter mode.
In its guidelines, the European Commission recommends that destinations that plan tourism this year must have sufficient hospital capacity, rapid tests, etc ... Is the City preparing in this regard as well?
We are 100 percent ready. Two weeks ago, we bought a new serological device with which we can finally test people in the city. The hospital is ready. We will soon have five new respirators, and by the end of June five more, which will have the most respirators per capita nationwide.
When it comes to hospital beds, we are fully equipped, we also have an additional hospital in the Student Dormitory, which we dismantled, but, God forbid, we can re-establish it within a week. However, at last week's meeting, I suggested to the Prime Minister that it would be good to condition the entry of guests into Croatia with a negative test for COVID-19, which is in line with what Greece announced last week. This gives us a little more security and the ability to reduce the potential threat. The Prime Minister was positive about that idea, so we'll see.
You mentioned Greece. It is interesting because it is also an air destination, and considering that the whole country has as many patients as Croatia, we can say that the Greeks have managed to preserve the ‘corona-free’ image even more successfully. Will they be a threat to Dubrovnik?
I wouldn't say a threat, but the competition for sure. We will continue with the advertising measures. I think we have a hit advertising model, so we are preparing a short animated film that will be shown on CNN and the BBC, and which will tell the story of Dubrovnik as a city that was the first in the world to have quarantine and already in the time of the Dubrovnik Republic learned to deal with difficult situations.
Everyone will, of course, in this situation try to make the most of their advantages, although I must say that our competitors like Italy and Spain are still in much bigger trouble than us.
Should the state, if it wants to help tourism and domestic guests, lower toll prices?
That would certainly be good and I hope it will happen. Everyone expects a lot, but we need to follow some pace and solve problems one by one. Now it's finally time for reactivation. I believe that it is on the table and that it will certainly be discussed, although for Dubrovnik, which does not have a kilometer of highway in its county, it does not matter. However, that would be good for domestic tourism, and even for [the state road authority] “Hrvatske Ceste”, if necessary, to borrow.
You commented in an interview that you do not understand how Dubrovnik caterers, who have been boasting record seasons in recent years, managed to spend all the money and as soon as the crisis arrived, be in trouble?
I will say clearly: when you have successful seasons 2019, 2018, 2017 and so on and when after each you say it is a record, you buy boats, cars, planes and apartments, we are happy because a man is able to afford it. But when these same people, as soon as the crisis knocked lightly on the door, immediately ask for forgiveness of debts and dismiss me, it is extremely rude and hypocritical to me and it completely threw me off balance.
But well, the situation has calmed down, we have agreed to lower the rent by 50 percent for April, May and June, and we have forgiven 70 percent of the public space fees for those months.
In addition, for the following months, until October, we have agreed to see how the season develops and, depending on that, continue to charge. I didn’t want to sit on the backs of the caterers, but I felt that in times of health threats they had to bear part of the burden because they, unlike the City, could save, put aside and prepare for the dark days. I think that people should still be more socially sensitive, that they should think about health first, and then about money. It is easiest for us politicians to forgive everything, then everyone loves you and you are the best in the world. I'm not that kind of man.
Croatian Parliament Revises 2020 State Budget
ZAGREB, May 18, 2020 - Croatian Parliament on Monday revised the state budget for this year with 79 votes for and 41 against after all the amendments submitted by the opposition had been rejected.
The revised budget decreased revenue by HRK 23.2 billion to HRK 122 billion while overall expenditure will remain at HRK 147.3 billion.
The decreased revenue in the state budget is due to measures taken in the fight against the coronavirus with the deferment or absolute exemption of taxation and contributions as well as decreased economic activity.
The government has estimated that GDP this year will fall by 9.4%. The 2020 budget was prepared on the presumption that economic growth will be 2.5%.
The budget revision takes into consideration the last available information related to budget revenue.
The consequence of the coronavirus epidemic became evident mid-April, affecting finances like never before. For more than two weeks in April, revenue from Value Added Tax (VAT) not only recorded a decrease but was negative in absolute numbers, which means that VAT returns were greater than revenue, which is usually the most plentiful tax income for the state.
The situation improved toward the end of April. However, in that month alone tax revenue decreased by 43.2 percent compared to the same period last year while contributions were 20% lower.
The budget revision foresees tax revenue in the amount of HRK 66 billion which is HRK 18.1 billion less than the original budget had to forecast.
The government says the strongest message of the budget revision is that expenditure would remain at HRK 147.3 billion despite pressure to increase spending.
The biggest nominal decrease in budget funds due to the revision will be felt by the ministries of the sea, environment, science and economy.
The only ministries to benefit from the revision and will feel an increase are the Labor Ministry (+HRK 4.75 billion), the Health Ministry with an increase of HRK 93.7 million, and the Ministry of Agriculture with an increase of HRK 47.5 million.
Croatian Prime Minister Booed by Protesters
ZAGREB, May 18, 2020 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic did not enter parliament via the main entrance on Monday to attend a meeting of his HDZ's bench but did leave through it, booed by those who spent the night outside to protest against parliament dissolving without passing a law on Zagreb's post-earthquake reconstruction.
As he was leaving, Plenkovic was briefly stopped by Tomislav Tomasevic, leader of the We Can! platform, who asked him why Construction Minister Predrag Stromar had said that the bill would be ready in two weeks, yet two months had passed since the earthquake, and what the problem was.
Plenkovic said he gave a statement on that to the press in parliament and that there was no point in repeating it given that because of the noisy protest, he could not be heard.
As he was walking to the government, one protester asked him why he was "dissolving parliament if the people of Zagreb have no place to live," adding that they were hungry and faced enforcement procedures.
One of the protest leaders, Vili Matula, urged the prime minister over a megaphone to conduct the first public consultation in Croatia and asked him how he would justify the fact that tens of thousands of Zagreb's residents had lost their homes in the March quake.
Plenkovic walked from parliament to the government amid booing, asked "Why are you running away" and told "Bandic, HDZ, enough of trade-offs," a reference to Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandic.
Divjak: We Should Not Give Up On Education Even During Pandemic
ZAGREB, May 18, 2020 - Education is something we should not give up on even during a pandemic, Croatian Education Minister Blazenka Divjak said on Monday ahead of a videoconference with her European counterparts, with whom she will discuss reopening schools and final exams.
"It is hard, a lot of adjustments have been made, but we should not give up on education even in circumstances like these," Minister Divjak said.
The main points to be discussed at the third virtual meeting of the EU's education ministers are reopening schools and final exams.
Most EU member states have reopened their kindergartens and elementary schools for pupils in lower grades, and have enabled high school leavers and university students do carry out tasks they were not able to do online, Divjak reiterated.
In Croatia, kindergartens reopened last Monday, as did elementary schools for pupils in lower grades.
"The turnout was not high, but everything was conducted in line with the recommendations by the Croatian Institute of Public Health," the minister said.
New recommendations for next week are yet to be discussed.
At the video conference, school-leaving exams will also be discussed. Most EU member states have opted for "a reduction in the content or number of exams," Divjak said.
In Croatia, compulsory high school-leaving exams will take place from 8 to 29 June.
Ryanair Significantly Reduces Summer Routes to Croatia
May 18, 2020 - Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair has made additional changes to its summer flight schedule and significantly reduced the number of departures to destinations in Croatia.
Namely, Croatian Aviation reports that as of July 1, the airline will fly again with only 40% of planned flights.
The schedule is as follows:
Pula Airport
Pula - Brussels: from July 6, once a week, from August 3, twice a week (previously planned from May 8),
Pula - London: from July 2, twice a week (previously planned from May 10, three times a week),
Pula - Berlin: from July 4, once a week (previously planned from May 9).
Lines from Pula to Frankfurt and Stuttgart are no longer on sale.
Rijeka Airport
Rijeka - Hahn: from August 1, once a week (previously planned from May 9),
Rijeka - London: from July 6, once a week, from August 3, twice a week (previously planned from June 1).
The line from Rijeka to Brussels is no longer on sale.
Split Airport
Split - Stuttgart: from July 5, once a week (previously planned from May 10, three times a week),
Split - Dublin: from July 4, twice a week (previously planned from May 10, three times a week).
Dubrovnik Airport
Dubrovnik - Vienna: from July 2, four times a week (previously planned from May 10),
Dubrovnik - Dublin: from July 1, twice a week (previously planned from June 1, four times a week).
Zadar Airport
Zadar - Vienna: from July 1, three times a week (previously planned from May 8),
Zadar - Brussels: from July 2, once a week, from August 2, twice a week (previously planned from May 9),
Zadar - Prague: from July 4, once a week (previously planned from May 9, twice a week),
Zadar - Poznan: from July 5, once a week (previously planned from May 10, twice a week),
Zadar - Berlin: from July 2, once a week (previously planned from June 4),
Zadar - Cologne: from July 5, once a week (previously planned from May 10),
Zadar - Düsseldorf: from July 4, twice a week (previously planned from May 9),
Zadar - Karlsruhe: from July 4, twice a week (previously planned from June 3, three times a week),
Zadar - Stuttgart: from July 5, once a week (previously planned from June 3, three times a week),
Zadar - Bergamo: from July 3, twice a week (previously planned from June 1).
You can see the planned network of Ryanair destinations from Zadar for this year, before the outbreak of the pandemic.
Lines from Zadar to Aarhus, Marseille, Paris, Toulouse, Bremen, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Memmingen, Nuremberg, Budapest, Cork, Dublin, Riga, Kaunas, Eindhoven, Maastricht, Gdansk, Krakow, Wroclaw, Gothenburg, Stockholm, Liverpool, London and Manchester are not for sale.
To read more about travel in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.
Croatian Theatres and Cinemas Opening Today, Rules Published
As Croatia continues to loosen up its formerly stringent anti-epidemic measures to try to slow the spread of the new coronavirus, COVID-19, the question as Croatian theatres and cinemas re-open their doors is just when big concerts will actually start up again.
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 18th of May, 2020, Croatian theatres and cinemas up and down the country have had their doors closed, or better to say their curtains drawn, for a couple of months now. But as of today, those measures are also being loosened up. In theory, you can go to the theatre or to the cinema, but in practice, things will be a little harder.
There are still no announcements yet as to when gigs will take place. Croatian musician Ivica Gluncic is also waiting for the support of the music union, which he has not yet received as a minor musician. This is a difficult year for his band.
"We have contracts that we signed before the beginning of the music season, in February and March alone everything was being cancelled until further notice, we have no information as to whether anything will change," stated musician Ivica Gluncic.
Times are also challenging for big halls, writes Dnevnik.hr. Arena Zagreb is preparing for concerts and sports events in the ''new normal'' with a distance of one and a half metres implied, which means a much smaller capacity.
''We could accommodate somewhere around 6,500 people. We'll work with reduced capacity and even offer the opportunity to host the same concert for two days, if there's any interest in that,'' said Sretan Saric, the director of Arena Zagreb.
However, the question is when big concerts will actually start. More detailed instructions from National Civil Protection Headquarters are still being waited on by those in the field.
''The whole industry is suffering,'' watned Saric.
Unlike music gigs and concerts, cinemas have a slightly clearer situation in front of thm. This week, they'll start working once again with all of the prescribed measures in place. One person at a time will enter, and in the audience, you guessed it, there will be a mandatory distance of a metre and a half.
''This means that there's room for 52 spectators to fit in the hall. It's not very profitable, but we'll start working like that until the situation re-normalises,'' said Marko Rojnic, head of film programmes at the popular Kino Tuskanac.
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Sinj Tourist Board Joins Ecological Action Held to Clean Waste from Pit in Vrdovo Area
May 18, 2020 - The speleological section of the Mountaineering Society Sv. Jakov - Bitelić, with the support of the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service - Sinj Branch, Civic Initiative Clean Underground, Hrvace Municipality, Sinj Tourist Board and numerous mountaineering associations, cleaned the waste from a pit in the Vrdovo area.
Croatian karst is known in the world for its deep pits. In Croatia, 54 pits deeper than 250 m have been explored so far, of which three pits are deeper than 1000 m.
Every year, speleologists find a large number of hitherto unexplored caves and pits. Exploration in large caves and pits takes years. Unfortunately, speleologists often find an increasing number of ecologically endangered caves and pits. Apart from polluted waters and geotechnical interventions in the environment, caves and pits are mostly endangered by waste that is intentionally thrown into them. Numerous such cases are also in the Cetina region.
Therefore, on May 16, the Speleological Section of the Mountaineering Society Sv. Jakov - Bitelić decided to host an environmental action to clean a pit about 60 m deep in the area of Vrdovo in the locality at the foot of Kondžomanovog umca, which unscrupulous citizens have been filling with waste for years. The action had the support of the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service - Sinj Branch, Civic Initiative Clean Underground, Hrvace Municipality, numerous mountaineering associations: Velebit, Svilaja, Mosor, Kočari, Jelinak, Željezničar and the Sinj Tourist Board and the Cetina Region.
The purpose of the whole action was to develop environmental awareness, but also appeal to all tourists who visit the natural beauties of Inland Dalmatia to be environmentally responsible and not leave waste in nature.
The Sinj Tourist Board said they are pleased that the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Energy has sent the Croatian Parliament a Bill on the proclamation of the Dinara Nature Park. Namely, the new law will protect the Dinara massif (Dinara, Troglav and Kamešnica), the source part and the upper course of the river Cetina and karst fields (Hrvatačko, Paško and Vrličko) along the Cetina.
The protection of the Dinara massif in the category of a nature park is of special interest to the Republic of Croatia due to the preservation of original natural values, rich geodiversity, wild species and endemics and the overall diversity of natural habitats of the Krka and Cetina rivers with their tributaries, wetlands, rocks, forest and cave habitats. and other natural values derived from the centuries-old tradition of the use of space and the rich cultural and historical heritage preserved in numerous archaeological finds and cultural and historical heritage.
The organizers of the action thank everyone who selflessly helped in this demanding environmental action.
Modernisation: Koncar Making 12 New Trains for Croatian Railways
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 18th of May, 2020, Croatian Railways (HZ) has ordered twelve new trains for suburban and intercity traffic from Končar's company - Electric Vehicles.
The move marks an investment worth a massive 465 million kuna and it is part of the investment cycle of Croatia's much needed railway modernisation, which is being realised with foreign loans and money from European Union funds, writes HRT.
This is one of about twenty electric trains that Croatian Railways (HZ Putnički prijevoz) ordered from Končar, and the new twelve brand new modern trains should be in service in a couple of years.
''The trains are low-floor trains adapted for easier entry for people with reduced mobility, the vehicles are equipped with a passenger information system, video surveillance, wireless internet access, passengers have space for bicycles and also for additional luggage,'' said Josip Ninić, President of Končar-Electric Vehicles.
The high-tech product was developed by Končar's experts with domestic subcontractors.
''Trains like this are very expensive, the lowest price is around 40 million kuna. Such trains boast numerous pieces of sophisticated equipment, software solutions and all of this was purpose-developed in Končar. The trains were made according to all of the necessarily global standards and we've already sold one to Bosnia and Herzegovina,'' emphasised Ivan Bahun, a member of the Management Board of Končar.
Končar is also hoping for new jobs for Croatian Railways, which has announced a tender for the procurement of 21 more trains that would be financed with European Union money. Croatian Railways would contract 37 new trains by the end of the year.
''These trains will run next year on the newly renovated sections of the railway to Zabok to Križevci and the section to Vinkovci. We'll raise the quality and the frequency of this type of transport, we'll reduce operating costs and change the perception of the railways,'' stated Željko Ukić, President of the Management Board of Croatian Railways.
In addition to trains produced for Croatian Railways, Končar worked diligently on the overhaul of foreign locomotives throughout the coronavirus epidemic, as well as on the first tram for a foreign customer.
The first of six contracted trams made for Latvia should start working in the autumn.
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COVID-19 in Croatia: Two Croatia Airlines' Pilots Infected on Frankfurt-Zagreb Flight
May 18, 2020 - Croatia Airlines announced on Sunday afternoon that two pilots from the Frankfurt-Zagreb flight on May 2 tested positive for the coronavirus, while other crew members tested negative. There were 14 people on the flight who were confirmed to be infected.
Slobodna Dalmacija reports that at first, members of the National Headquarters claimed that there were 74 people on the flight, and now they say that an error occurred and that there were 115 people on the plane. As many as nine patients are workers of the company Đuro Đaković Montaža from Slavonski Brod who were returning from Sweden.
The Croatia Airlines press release transmitted in its entirety:
"Croatia Airlines has consistently complied with and implemented all decisions and recommendations of the European, German and Croatian public health and aviation authorities, and by flying on flight OU411 Frankfurt - Zagreb from April 1 to May 10, 2020, it enabled the return to Croatia of more than 3,500 Croatian citizens, who were caught in the global pandemic around the world.
For all those passengers, as potential carriers of the infection, and according to the decisions of the public health authorities, self-isolation of 14 days was prescribed upon arrival in Croatia. Given that these flights were performed in the context of the global coronavirus pandemic, risk assessments were continuously conducted, which were coordinated by the Croatia Airlines Crisis and Emergency Management Office. The estimated loss of the company related to the flights Zagreb - Frankfurt - Zagreb in the mentioned period amounted to 244,000 euro.
According to the results of the diagnostic processing, Croatia Airlines can confirm that two pilots from the flight Frankfurt - Zagreb on May 2 this year tested positive for the coronavirus, while all other cabin crew members who were in direct contact with passengers were negative.
The presence of the coronavirus in flight crew members cannot be associated with passengers who arrived on the same flight and who were found to be positive for COVID-19 by subsequent diagnostic processing. The pilots of the aircraft, namely, sit in a cabin that is physically separated from the passenger compartment of the aircraft and during, before or after the flight, are not and cannot be in close contact with the passengers.
Furthermore, all positive passengers from the said flight were workers returning from Sweden, and two passengers, a married couple who had arrived from Spain. According to the data available so far, none of the other passengers and cabin crew members are infected, so it is not possible to find a common link between the pilot and passengers, and it is unnecessary to state the seating schedule and occupancy of the aircraft as the reason for the spread.
It should be reminded that the crew of the aircraft from the said flight was notified of the event immediately after establishing the presence of a positive passenger on the flight and was preventively relieved of all flight duties for a period of 14 days in accordance with the internal protocol for dealing with such situations, with the obligation to report to the chosen family doctor and to act in accordance with public health recommendations.
Also, in accordance with the procedures and protocol, a self-isolation measure was established for the entire crew as a precautionary measure. Their health condition is monitored on a daily basis, while all the necessary tests are still carried out, taking care at all times of the safety of employees as well as passengers.
Also, in accordance with the protocol on dealing with a crisis situation and an emergency, all required data (seating schedule from the suspected passenger - the row in which he sat, and two front and rear rows) on passengers and crew members on the above were submitted on May 8, 2020, to the Service for Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases of the CNIPH.
The completed forms (Passenger Locator Form - PLF) on passengers are handed over by the airline to the representatives of the airport upon arrival, which in accordance with the request of the Croatian Civil Agency, has an obligation to keep and archive the forms for 30 days. If requested by the competent authorities, as was the case for the Frankfurt - Zagreb flight on 2 May, the air carrier is obliged to provide information on passengers and crew members, as well as the airport of arrival, which submits PLF forms to the competent authorities.
All protection measures implemented by Croatia Airlines against the outbreak of the COVID-19 infection are fully compliant with the recommendations and instructions of public health authorities, and during the flight, it is mandatory to use protective equipment and means for the entire crew (masks, gloves, disinfectants) and use of goggles and protective suits.
According to previous research conducted by international health and regulatory authorities, the possibility of infection in the aircraft is extremely small, given that air enters the cabin of the aircraft from the atmosphere and is purified by modern filters, and circulates vertically in the passenger cabin (bottom to top, and vice versa) rather than horizontally.
It should be reiterated and emphasized that the flight crew of the aircraft (captain and first officer of the aircraft) sit in the cockpit, which is physically separated from the passenger compartment and does not come into close contact with them during boarding and disembarking. Close contact of aircraft cabin crew is also minimal, given that since the beginning of the epidemic crisis, measures have been introduced in which the service of food and beverages onboard is abolished, and close contact with passengers is minimized, all in order to protect members crew and all passengers of Croatia Airlines.
Since the beginning of the epidemic, recommendations have been issued for passengers to wear masks in flight to protect themselves, crew members and other passengers, and as of May 4, the company implemented a decision on mandatory face covers and in-flight masks for all passengers. An electronic version of the PLF form has also been published on the company's website, and passengers are advised to fill it out before the flight and hand it over to the aircraft crew, and if they fail to do so, they must bring their own pen to complete the said form during the flight.
Also, passengers are required to check their health before arriving at the airport. It should be emphasized that by May 10, no recommendation of the public health authorities of the Republic of Croatia on air transport or on limiting the capacity of aircraft was issued. Until then, the planning of the seating arrangement of passengers in the aircraft was done by leaving space between them, if possible, while blocking 18 seats in the last three rows in the Airbus fleet and 14 seats in the Dash 8-Q400 fleet to accommodate passengers at which would be observed symptoms of COVID-19.
As of May 10, passenger seating planning is planned so that, if possible (depending on aircraft occupancy, aircraft configuration and aircraft balancing calculation procedure, etc.), the maximum possible distance between passengers is left and the rear row of seats is blocked throughout fleet, as well as one business class seat on the Q400 fleet.
It should be noted that the international regulatory bodies (IATA, EASA) also do not prescribe limiting the capacity of aircraft, but recommend everything as previously stated and what has been fully implemented so far," said Croatia Airlines in a statement.
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