ZAGREB, April 25, 2020 - Parliamentary elections are likely to be held on July 5, provided that the epidemiological situation is good, a source from the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) party has told Jutarnji List newspaper.

The date could be shifted for a week, depending on developments with the coronavirus epidemic, but the date of July 5 is currently most frequently mentioned within the party, the newspaper said on Saturday.

"There's nothing to wait for," a high-ranking member of the party's leadership told Jutarnji List, confirming that the elections were possible in early July.

The source said that the HDZ-led government is managing the coronavirus crisis well and the party's rating is increasing, while the epidemic might return in the autumn, so the ideal time for elections is July.

President Zoran Milanović has intentionally raised ideological issues, which is playing into the hands of former presidential candidate Miroslav Škoro and his Homeland Movement. The HDZ's rating is growing and Škoro's is falling, and each vote taken from the HDZ benefits the strongest opposition Social Democratic Party (SDP), the source said.

The government has now announced relaxation measures. This is an election year, and if the epidemiological situation remains good, there is nothing to wait for. Because if a new wave of the epidemic comes in the autumn, elections will not be possible and the question is when they will be held. There is also a possibility of a constitutional crisis, the unnamed HDZ official said, adding that it is only logical that elections should be held as soon as possible.

More HDZ news can be found in the Politics section.

As Darko Bicak/Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 23rd of April, 2020, owing to the coronavirus pandemic, the Croatian logistics and distribution sector is suffering a great deal of damage to its operations as a result of the overall business downturn and the difficulty in working in all segments that make up the total supply chain.

International transport within European Union (EU) countries has been very difficult in all segments since the second half of March 2020, when restrictions on border crossings came into force, with the introduction of mandatory quarantine for drivers, a move which virtually prevented any transport operation.

According to the Croatian Employers' Association (HUP) - Transport Association, the closure of almost all stores further halted all processes related to contract logistics, as well as warehousing and distribution. Ana Soldo, of the HUP-Transport Association, who is otherwise the director of Quehenberger Logistics Croatia, says that the companies that specialise in parcel delivery felt the least impact of all, as customers merely switched to online shopping.

''The logistics sector is largely oriented towards foreign markets, the reason being that Croatia is predominantly an import country with a small share of its own production. All logistics companies reported a large drop in turnover in excess of 40 percent in April, but it's still too early to come out with some final forecasts, as it all depends on what's done related to the relaxation of the anti-coronavirus measures. The entire sector can withstand a maximum of another month with the support of the state like this, and after that period, the damage would be enormous, with many job losses and with the existence of some companies on the market being called into question,'' explained Ana Soldo.

The problems are only just beginning...

She added that this situation is mostly affecting small and medium-sized Croatian companies, which will continue to find it very difficult to cope with the ongoing coronavirus crisis. Multinationals, she pointed out, that operate on the globalised market won't be particularly threatened in the next phase when we go from being in a health crisis to a major economic crisis because of coronavirus.

"The coronavirus crisis is just the prelude to a major economic crisis due to distorted market relationships leading to declining sales in almost every industry. The measures under consideration by the Croatian Government should not be solely related to the beginning and end of the pandemic, as these challenging times are only just beginning.

If the Croatian Government fails to realise that we're facing a very long and slow recovery, we're in danger of collapsing again, as we witnessed back in 2009. The current situation is an opportunity for the government to review the working conditions of the private sector primarily from the aspect of fiscal and para-fiscal levies that greatly hinder the development of companies and hamper new investments to the greatest extent possible.

The abolition of heavy para-fiscal levies would greatly facilitate further business and make the private sector less vulnerable to government support in times of crisis. Transparency in the procurement process would lead to more healthy market competition and open the door to the development of the highest quality companies on the market.

One-off assistance from the Government and the EU certainly contributes to stability but doesn't solve the accumulated problems that are now very visible in these times of crisis. Support to the private sector should last until the first visible signs of market recovery beign, otherwise, the whole process could turn into painful and slow death,'' explained the head of the HUP Transport Association. She noted that, on the other hand, every crisis brings with it a whole series of structural changes both in the labour market and in people's general habits.

“The coronavirus crisis has shown us that even our otherwise sluggish state can adapt procedures and make them easier by using technologies under the pressure of this situation. Certainly, digitalisation, online commerce and making working from home more commonplace can increase efficiency and raise the quality of life. Distanced learning (for kids) has also shown some benefits, but in the basic education process, the impact of children's interactions with their teachers and among themselves is immeasurable,'' Soldo estimated.

This industry isn't planning layoffs, yet...

Employers in this sector are currently not planning layoffs and redundancies because, despite temporary work from home and vacation time, they believe they will be able to survive this difficult period with state incentives.

Make sure to follow our business section for more on Croatian companies. Follow our dedicated section for all you need to know about coronavirus in relation to Croatia.

April 25, 2020 -  The public panel 'European Capital of Culture - what to do?' was held regarding the Rijeka 2020 program. The discussion took place on April 24 via online chat service Zoom.

T.portal reports that the discussion was organized by Sanja Bojanic, Natasa Antulov and Marin Lukanovic from the Academy of Applied Arts, University of Rijeka, with speakers including Emina Visnic, director of Rijeka 2020 and Rijeka Mayor Vojko Obersnel, who spoke about the coronavirus impact on the European Capital of Culture, but also on culture in general.

The panel started with a statement by moderator Natasa Anutnov that a temporary suspension of the program was announced on April 17, and that 59 employees of Rijeka 2020 were laid off, while it was announced that the program was being restructured. She also confirmed that they had contacted the Ministry of Culture about participating in the panel, but no one had replied.

She asked Rijeka 2020 director Emina Visnic about what has been happening in her organization over the past month.

“First of all, I want to send a clear message: the ECOC as a project has not stopped nor has any of us who run the project said anything otherwise. Why speculations saying the opposite came up and why obituaries were written is another question, and I am personally interested in finding that conclusion,” said Visnic, who presented a calendar of activities undertaken since the crisis began. The ECOC, she noted, is much broader than Rijeka 2020 and touches many program partners.

Following the announcement of the program postponement on March 12 because of the decision by the National Civil Protection Headquarters, a discussion was held with partners leading larger segments of the program. The ban was estimated to last longer than previously announced, but at the time, they still hoped that work could begin by June. At the time, everyone thought that the virus would pass, but only now its impact is fully seen, and Visnic believes that life would not just return to normal.

'We had been planning this program for two years, and then in just one month, we had to change the framework urgently. The final program cannot be discussed now. Everyone asks, 'How much to cut, how much money?' And today we do not have an answer to that question because the Ministry of Culture should answer our inquiries next week," said Visnic, adding that most programs are in principle a public gathering, which will not be possible until June - and maybe later.

She further outlined all the activities they had undertaken in Rijeka 2020, all the conversations they had, and the suggestions they made towards the founders of Rijeka 2020, like hibernating the company and terminating activities or reducing workload, which was accompanied by reducing the number of employees. In the second variant, because canceling the project was rejected, the procedure was offered in two phases: the first, which they passed and which meant the said cancellations, and the second, to resume at the latest in June and July, which offers two variants, one with more and one with fewer programs.

The document was sent to the Ministry of Culture and Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, and it is not a final but a starting document, said Višnić, who also commented on the criticism that Rijeka 2020 has been invisible in recent weeks. The truth is, she confessed, that they had not communicated for two weeks, which she said she would take responsibility for if necessary. She added that the final version of the program proposal was made without a partner, which was mentioned as one of the main issues.

Mayor Vojko Obersnel estimated that thirty million kuna would be needed for the "new" ECOC, but that no one knows how much will eventually be provided to continue the project.

Along with him were Snježana Prijić-Samaržija, Rector of the University of Rijeka, Davor Mišković, Head of the Drugo More Association, Program Operator Dopolavoro, and Damir Čargonja, representative of Novi turizam d.o.o. and organizer of the Privremene Autonomne Zone program.

The talk, broadcast by Radio Roza, was also attended by numerous cultural figures and other interlocutors, from Vitomira Loncar, Aljosa Puzar, Ksenija Zec, Goran Sergei Pristas, Marcello Mars, Zvonimir Peranic and Daniela Urem to Irena Kregar Šegota, and formally linked to by the ECOC project.

The rector of the University of Rijeka, Snjezana Prijic-Samarzija, said that at this moment we must 'be hyper-ambitious'.

“We must not show the slightest weakness here. We should use all our strength because this is symbolic, Rijeka must not give up! We will all be guilty and responsible if we fail to return the ECOC to the fullest extent possible now,” she said.

Davor Miskovic of Drugo More, in charge of implementing the Dopolavoro program direction, presented his view of the current situation with a concrete example, but also considered the situation from a broader perspective and artists in Croatia and abroad.

“We did some projects for two years, the artists worked on them, researched, produced... We just needed to finish them. In some ways, together with our partners, we have said that we will realize them anyway. In any format - they will happen. The problem is with big spectacles involving a lot of people, as this is still unknown, it depends on the mode of our future lifestyle. The problem is also with the artists who had to come from, say, America or Canada, as that fell through, and Dopolavoro narrowed down significantly,” Miskovic said, describing the current situation as a gigantic crisis in culture.

Marcell Mars, one of the researchers at the Center for Postdigital Cultures at Coventry University, who worked with his colleagues on the 'Piratska skrb' project for Rijeka 2020, agreed. Mars sees solidarity as the only path to a concrete solution.

“Solidarity is the key. It is a question of survival and we need to put it as a key focus. We need to build a story that will have its basis in solidarity,” he said.

The situation was also addressed by Sergei Pristas, playwright and full professor at the Academy of Dramatic Arts, University of Zagreb, and co-founder and member of BADco., a performing arts collective.

“Rijeka is currently at a crucial historical moment, at the moment of redefining what culture is in the context of this moment. The focus should be on culture, not repertoire,” he said.

Ksenija Zec, choreographer and author of dance and drama plays and a professor at the Academy of Dramatic Arts in Zagreb where she teaches Stage Movement, gave her opinion on the topic of digitizing culture, which is increasingly mentioned in public because of the new situation, and explained that it is not so simple for numerous reasons.

“Digital art is not just a recording of a theater play," she said, adding: “Everything we do at the moment is a pledge for the future. The criteria should not be reduced, but the formats should be reduced.”

The sharpest criticism of all that was said in the official part, before the discussion, was addressed by Vitomir Loncar, who warned that there could be no gathering still in September or October.

“There are no suggestions for online activities in all your plans, which means you are not seeing the times we are living in. The presentations show that you act as if you have a decades-worth of time, the future, and the situation is long gone,” Loncar said, while Puzar and Čargonja referred in particular to layoffs for employees in Rijeka 2020.

“I was shocked by the dismissal of the workers, and I signed the letter. But I am also shocked by the letter, it is written as it is written, not too much is being asked for, but it is a disappointment to those people who lost their jobs and rebelled,” said Čargonja, adding that some who were listed as the signatories did not actually sign the letter. To the mayor's remark that most of them responded, "I don't know, but the generation has rebelled and wants to exercise their rights. That always had to be ahead of the rest.”

You can listen to the full panel discussion here.

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

As Adriano Milovan/Novac writes on the 24th of April, 2020, although many Croatian companies didn't see their operations interrupted even during the coronavirus-induced lockdown, the heads of Croatian companies are eagerly awaiting the decision of the authorities on any normalisation of work and doing business. As some of their top executives say, many Croatian companies have experienced a large increase in costs during the quarantine period, in the harsh conditions in which business is minimised.

''We'd like a relaxation of the measures so that the economy can ''breathe'' again. The current situation isn't sustainable: there are many trucks, while the amount of goods being transported is small, which greatly increases the costs,'' complained Petar Simic, owner and director of Primaco, one of the most important Croatian freight forwarding companies.

''We've been in business until now, but in significantly more difficult circumstances, which has led to the loss of certain jobs and the accumulation of stock. However, during that period, we worked on the development of 15 new products, and we're planning to expand to new markets as well,'' said Zdravko Jelcic from the Pozega-based Spin Valis, one of the leading Croatian companies in the wood processing industry.

Because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, all Croatian companies had to invest significant amounts of money to properly protect their employees: they bought protective masks, gloves and disinfectants and other products. In the case of transporters, they also provided for self-isolation for drivers in their cabins. For the workers at the counters located in the customs offices, plexiglass compartments were provided. These measures have cost Primaco about 250,000 kuna in the past month and a half alone,'' stated Simic.

Despite this, company executives say that employee protection measures will continue to apply after lockdown is over. This, they point out, is in everyone's interest because no one wants a coronavirus epidemic within their company.

''We'll continue to keep up with the hygiene measures of everyone in the company. It would also mean a lot to us if the customs clearance of goods could be returned to the customs offices in the interior of the country, since customs clearance is now done at the border, which creates huge crowds,'' said Simic.

''Worker protection measures will remain as they are after lockdown. We'll continue to use protective masks, gloves and disinfectants and keep the required distance between workers. So far, we've not had any cases of coronavirus in the company,'' says Jelcic.

Croatian companies are therefore adjusting to the new coronavirus reality, which means continuing to apply safeguards even after quarantine measures are lifted. However, they warn that Croatia and Europe are sinking into recession due to the coronavirus pandemic and that the period ahead will not be easy for anyone at all. Therefore, the state is expected to at least facilitate business conditions for them, while companies, for their part, will do what they can to fight the spread of coronavirus.

Make sure to follow our dedicated section for all you need to know about coronavirus in relation to Croatia. Follow our business page for more on Croatian companies, products and services.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 24th of April, 2020, in addition to energy and financial savings, HEP ESCO's modernisation of public lighting will contribute to the protection of the environment by reducing CO2 emissions and light pollution in line with the appropriate EU directive.

The project of the reconstruction of the public lighting in the City of Osijek has started, which will see the replacement of 11,086 old lights with modern lamps with LED light sources. After the reconstruction, electricity consumption for public lighting will be reduced by 7.5 million kilowatt hours per year compared to before, which will enable the return on the investment of 30.8 million kuna within a period of eight years.

This project is being implemented on the basis of the agreement on the implementation of the energy efficiency project on the public lighting of the City of Osijek, concluded by the City of Osijek and HEP ESCO, a member of the HEP Group, back at the end of March 2020, and on the basis of a public procurement procedure, in which HEP ESCO and ELOS from Solin partook and were chosen.

As such, Osijek's public lighting will be reconstructed within a period of 300 days, and the overall project will include the design, financing, reconstruction and modernisation of the lighting, as well as the elimination of faults or failures, all continuing over a period of eight years. In addition to the replacement of the lights with modern LED lamps, a system for monitoring the management, regulation, measurement and verification of the savings incurred will be implemented, which enables both remote control and monitoring.

"With this project, HEP has also confirmed itself as the leader of Croatia's low-carbon energy transition, which is based on renewable energy sources and energy efficiency in its production and consumption, as well as with its customers. An important pillar of the implementation of our development strategy is cooperation with local self-government units,'' said HEP's CEO Frane Barbaric, recalling that Osijek is an example of the intensive implementation of HEP's renewable development, as there are also eight ELEN electric vehicle charging stations in the city, as well as five solar power plants on the rooftops of various office buildings.

In addition, the project of the replacement and modernisation of the hot water pipeline, worth a massive 78 million kuna, will be started, co-financed by European Union funds.

"I would like to emphasise the fact that in the current crisis circumstances, it's extremely important to continue the realisation of investments in the energy sector, with the aim of development and the stability of the Croatian economy," concluded Barbaric.

With the implementation of the directive on light pollution protection, which came into force back on April the 1st, 2019, all local government units are obliged to harmonise their existing public lighting with the provisions of the Act within a period of twelve years.

Based on extensive experience with public lighting modernisation projects implemented across ten cities from 2005 to 2011 according to the ESCO model, HEP ESCO has adapted to new regulatory and market circumstances.

Make sure to follow our lifestyle and Total Eco Croatia pages for more.

What can Croatian hotels do to ensure the safe functioning of their businesses as COVID-19 continues to lurk? Unfortunately, all the disinfectant in the world can't help the hole that has been blown into the domestic economy, but some patching up might be possible.

The coronavirus crisis is continuing to wreak havoc with the global economy, with tourism and travel among the hardest hit industries in the world. Croatia, which has been relying far too heavily and even more too exclusively on tourism for many years, enjoying a three-year boom and seeing tourism make up about 20 percent of the country's entire GDP, has had quite the economic shock.

Could Croatian hotels have thought up a way to function, make money and help to patch up at least a small part of the economy? As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes on the 24th of April, 2020, the Croatian Tourism Association has submitted a concrete proposal to the Croatian Government for the alteration of operational procedures in Croatian hotels and camps that ensure the maintenance of high health and hygiene standards.

The plan is to open Croatian hotels and camps on May the 11th, 2020, if this relatively decent epidemic situation within Croatia's borders persists.

"It's crucial that the operational framework of all tourism service providers creates quality conditions for the realisation of the season, in as much as is possible under these changed conditions," stated Veljko Ostojic, director of the aforementioned tourism association.

They thanked Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic for his personal engagement and contact with the prime ministers of the countries which are Croatia's main emitting markets for finding ways to travel as an essential precondition for the realisation of this year's tourist season, which would otherwise be lost, and for all members of the Croatian Government who are working hard to think of how they can to encourage tourism traffic in 2020.

They are convinced that despite all the restrictions, they are ready to make the best of this tourist season, or what might be left of it.

Make sure to follow our dedicated section for all you need to know about coronavirus in Croatia.

April 25, 2020 - German newspaper Bild reported on Friday that Croatia could be an ideal destination for anyone planning a holiday this summer.

In the title "WOHIN REISEN IM CORONA-SOMMER?" (Where to travel in the Corona Summer?), the German daily goes on to say why Croatia should be on your list, reports Novac.hr.

"This summer, Croatia wants to advertise itself as a coronavirus-free country," Bild wrote, citing Croatia as one of the countries that introduced pandemic measures early on. Only 12 deaths per million inhabitants are reported in Croatia, unlike Germany, which records 65 coronavirus deaths per million inhabitants.

The newspaper also quotes Romeo Draghicchio from the Croatian National Tourist Board in Frankfurt, who says that Croatia has many accommodation capacities where it is possible to keep a space between guests, and that by the end of May, the Croatian authorities will make new travel decisions.

Bild points out: “Croatia has put in place strict measures to combat the virus in a timely manner. It was a decision that paid off. The Ministry of Tourism with health experts is preparing a plan that will soon make it possible to open the country to tourists."

German online portal Holliday Check has released a poll showing that 40 percent of those surveyed are sticking to their plans for this year's holiday. As many as 60 percent of those polled are transparent about the question of whether they'd like a refund if a trip falls through because of the pandemic as a deciding factor when booking holidays. Last week, the Alliance of German Tour Operators announced that domestic tourism could benefit from the crisis this summer, as well as tourism from neighboring countries and those destinations, such as Croatia, which can be reached by private transport.

Also supporting the story is that German Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, Gerd Muller, has announced that travel outside Germany will be made possible. Bild writes that it is certain that the most popular destinations for Germans - Italy, Spain and France - will fall off as travel destinations this year, and that Croatia may be more attracted to them, as it has begun to position itself as a "corona-free" destination.

The president of the German Association of Travel Agencies, Norbert Fiebig, criticized statements about the complete cancellation of holidays outside Germany, saying that it is important to make decisions that will allow travel, emphasizing that trips shouldn't be canceled outright.

On Monday, April 27, EU tourism ministers will, at the initiative of Tourism Minister Gari Cappelli, discuss via a video conference the impacts of the pandemic on tourism and measures to recover the sector as quickly as possible, the Ministry of Tourism announced.

Due to the global pandemic and its extremely negative effects on tourism around the world, including in the EU and Croatia, the topics of discussion are mainly the consequences of the pandemic, but also the measures that can be taken to help the tourism sector recover as quickly as possible after loosening restrictions on travel and business.

"The coronavirus has stopped a lot of things in the world, including almost all business tourism processes and travels, and all EU Member States are in the same, uncertain situation. Therefore, it is important to talk and share experiences, because we are all troubled by the same issues, from how to ensure that the system works in these circumstances to the stability of the entire economy and thus the tourism sector," Cappelli said.

He also announced that he would exchange views with potential EU tourism counterparts on possible programs and plans to tackle similar threats in the future for the tourism sector, which he would also link to the 2018 Croatian initiative when he met tourism ministers in Sofia and presented an initiative for better positioning of tourism within the EU.

"This initiative was just about establishing a common financial fund for tourism at the EU level, with which it would be possible to quickly respond to potential threats and challenges in tourism such as this one," Cappelli said.

Croatia is now joining the campaigns of UNWTO and WTTC World Tourism Organizations and the European ETC to promote tourism and especially gastronomic offers to motivate tourists and travel partners when possible, the Croatian National Tourist Board (CNTB) reported.

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

April 25, 2020 - The Croatian Institute of Public Health has issued recommendations for the transportation of passengers by trams and buses in Croatia during the coronavirus pandemic.

Index.hr reports that the recommendations are in place to protect drivers and passengers, including driver's hygiene, driving with masks, physical distance and passenger space.

The hygiene of the driver's area and his work environment is maintained by cleaning the surfaces daily with surface disinfectant. In particular, areas that are often touched by hands such as door handles, the steering wheel, worktop, and shelf for ticketing should be cleaned.

The driver is advised to wear a mask while driving if it does not interfere with safe driving. The protective mask should be changed regularly, and always when it becomes moist and wet. If possible, passengers should wear protective masks if it does not affect their breathing.

Before and after removing the mask, hands should be washed with warm water and soap or disinfected. Used disposable masks are disposed of in garbage bags that are placed in buckets with a lid.

Regular hand hygiene is required and, whenever possible, you are to wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds. If this is not possible, disinfectants containing 70 percent alcohol are used.

Hands should be washed before entering and after leaving the vehicle, after cleaning the vehicle or when the hands are visibly dirty and in other recommended situations (after using the toilet, before eating, after wiping the nose).

The disinfectant must be available at the entrance to the vehicle, and at the entrance to the bus and tram, hand sanitation is required for the vehicle staff and passengers.

Hands, eyes, mouth and nose should not be touched because the virus can enter the body in this way, close contact with passengers and their luggage should be avoided when communicating with them, and a distance of one to two meters in daily social contact with passengers and others should be maintained. If drivers place luggage in the luggage compartment, then the hands should be disinfected afterward.

Passengers should be informed of the importance of maintaining a distance of at least one meter from each other. Precautions should be observed, especially if passengers with respiratory symptoms are observed.

The number and arrangement of passengers on the tram should be such as to allow the prescribed distance between them. It is advisable to limit the number of passengers in the tram to the number of seats.

On buses, the number and arrangement of passengers in the seats are such that they allow a prescribed distance between them. One person should be seated in a row so that they sit alternately in the left and right seats.

The recommendations also highlight the importance of being aware of the way the coronavirus is transmitted - when an infected person speaks, coughs or sneezes near a healthy person or by touching objects and surfaces contaminated with the respiratory secretions of an infected person, and then by touching the eyes, nose or mouth.

Therefore, it is also necessary to maintain hygiene - cover your mouth with the inside of your elbow or paper handkerchief when coughing or sneezing and then throw the handkerchief in the waste bin and wash your hands.

Regular cleaning and ventilation of the interior of the vehicle before and after driving is required. When cleaning the inside of buses and trams, special attention should be paid to window glass and handrails.

When stopping at stops, it is necessary to ventilate the passenger compartment regularly. While driving, the inside of the bus can be ventilated, but in trams and buses, it is necessary to avoid the use of air conditioning and heating.

It is recommended that windows be opened while driving, weather and temperature permitting.

Payment for tickets should be encouraged with contactless cards or bought online, and if a classic card payment or cash is used, disinfect hands after payment.

Controllers must wear a mouth and nose mask when in contact with passengers, and use disposable gloves, which must be disinfected or changed after each tram is visited, and the mask must be changed regularly as recommended.

Also, it is recommended that buses set up a physical barrier between the driver's seat and the passenger (Plexiglas or similar), and if this is not possible, the front row of seats behind the driver will not be used to transport passengers.

If driving staff or their family members develop symptoms suggestive of COVID-19, such as fever, sore throat, coughing, difficulty breathing, they should not go to work and notify their employer immediately.

The HZJZ points out that most of the recommendations of hygiene measures can be applied to other forms of organized road transport.

The latest recommendations can be found on the HZJZ website, and recommendations for the transportation of passengers on buses and trams provide instructions for using hand sanitizer.

As of Monday, when public and suburban public transport is reintroduced, ZET in Zagreb will launch 111 bus routes according to a custom timetable.

Thus, instead of trams in traffic, there will still be bus lines operating the routes of night tram lines (31 Crnomerec - Savski most, 32 Prečko - Borongaj, 33 Gracansko Dolje - Savišće and 34 Ljubljanica - Dubec). Tramlines will be gradually established, depending on safety assessments and the condition of the lanes they cross, ZET reported on Friday.

In order to comply with epidemiological measures, it is recommended to wear protective masks, hand disinfection, and keeping a social distance.

As of Monday, April 27, public transport of passengers on scheduled routes with the payment of tickets is restored in Split, and accordingly, the transport on special lines ceases, which was free of charge with the presentation of passes or civil protection cards.

"As of Monday, all Promet d.o.o. from Split it will operate at normal business hours, and tickets will also be available on buses from the driver. As regular public transport was abolished on March 22, all passengers who purchased the March stamps have the right to travel with this ticket until Sunday, May 10. All passengers who buy a ticket for May may be stamped with number 4 instead of 5. Namely, in order to reduce operating costs, the stamp will be used which was printed for April, but due to the interruption of bus operations, they were not put on sale," said Promet Split.

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