FinMin Says New Base Pay Meeting With Unions Next Week, Won't Speculate on Outcome
ZAGREB, 22 Feb 2022 - Finance Minister Zdravko Marić said on Tuesday, after a meeting on base pay with the unions of government and public service employees, that a new meeting had been arranged for next week, but would not speculate if a final agreement would be reached then.
Two meetings were held at the Labour Ministry today between negotiating teams of the government and the unions on the signing of a basic collective agreement for public service employees and a collective agreement for government employees.
Asked by the press about the possibility of progress in the negotiations, Marić said the government would extend the application of the existing collective agreements.
"We'll see if we can agree or maybe not," he added.
The head of the union of Interior Ministry employees, Zdravko Lončar, said the unions were asked at the meeting to revise their demands given the impact of government measures to buffer the impact of energy price hikes on the state budget.
"We are trying to be realistic... and besides base pay, we also expect an agreement on transport expenses," he added.
Members of the press asked Marić if he was looking for a new state secretary at his ministry to replace Stjepan Čuraj, who the media speculate is a candidate for the new construction minister.
Marić said more would be known after the ongoing meeting of the ruling coalition. Čuraj "has gained a good insight into the functioning of the government and certain ministries, including construction from the perspective of (post-earthquake) reconstruction," he added.
Marić said he did not expect the appointment of a new construction minister to slow down reconstruction, but added that the new minister and their team must immediately get to work as reconstruction is one of the more important priorities.
The press remarked that Labour Minister Josip Aladrović, who is allegedly under investigation, did not speak to the press after today's meeting with the unions as he had in the past, Marić said it was nothing unusual and that Aladrović actively participated in the meeting.
"It's necessary to respect the presumption of innocence and I can only say good things about him as a person and colleague. We are cooperating well and will continue to as long as we are ministers," Marić said, adding that the negotiations were not affected but were constructive.
Asked if he himself had been subjected to pressure, Marić said that came with the territory when one was a minister.
"Our job is to prevent such situations and act in line with the law, and when it comes to the state budget, everyone wants a little more," he added.
As for the incentives awarded in 2018 by the then economy minister Darko Horvat, who is now in custody on suspicion of abuse of office, and requests for more money, Marić said the state budget was executed in line with the law and that it could be revised during the year.
Marić said he was taken aback by Horvat's arrest on Saturday and that he did not like it, either personally or professionally, when such things happened.
Asked how the government would function given that the anti-corruption office "USKOK is after three ministers and another one who is the subject of serious accusations," Marić said the public would be informed after the ongoing ruling coalition meeting.
ZSE Indices Sink by Over 1%
ZAGREB, 22 Feb 2022 - The main Zagreb Stock Exchange (ZSE) indices fell sharply on Tuesday, by more than one percent, amid increased turnover, following the trends on European stock markets, which were deep in the red most of the day due to growing tensions between the West and Russia over Ukraine.
The Crobex dropped by 1.23% to 2,099 points, and the Crobex10 sank by 1.37% to 1,275 points.
All sectoral indices fell, with the industry index decreasing the most, by 3.65%.
Regular turnover amounted to HRK 9.5 million, about HRK 4.2 million more than on Monday. Another HRK 9.3 million was generated by a block transaction with HT telecom shares at HRK 186 per share.
In regular trading, the HT stock turned over HRK 955,000, closing at HRK 186 per share, down 0.53%.
The highest turnover, of HRK 1.25 million, was generated by the stock of the Span IT company, which closed at HRK 216 per share, up 0.47%.
Forty-eight stocks traded today, with 13 gaining and 31 losing in price, while four were stable.
(€1 = HRK 7.532838)
New Transavia Split Flights from France Announced for 2022 Summer
February 22, 2022 - The latest flight news to Croatia as new Transavia Split flights have been announced to France for the 2022 summer season.
Well-known low-cost airline Transavia has released tickets for two new routes to Croatia, reports Croatian Aviation.
Namely, the KLM - Air France member is introducing two new routes from Split Airport to Montpellier and Nantes. As expected, these are seasonal lines that will start operating in early July this year.
The Montpellier - Split - Montpellier line will operate from July 9, once a week, every Saturday, in the late evening. The line between Nantes and Split will start a day later, and two weekly flights have been announced on this line, every Thursday and Sunday.
Transavia has announced B737-800 aircraft with a capacity of 189 seats on these two new routes, and tickets are on sale on the company's official website.
In addition to these two new lines, Transavia will also operate to Split from Amsterdam, Paris, and Rotterdam, so the number of lines has now increased to a total of five.
In addition to Split, Transavia will operate in the summer flight schedule to Pula, Rijeka, Zadar, and Dubrovnik. It is certainly possible to expect additional operational changes to the mentioned airports.
In other Split Airport news, SAS recently announced it is planning the largest number of operations to Split Airport this season, with seven lines announced:
Copenhagen - Split, from 16.04., once a week, from the end of June to the end of August every day, two weekly flights available until the end of October,
Oslo - Split, from 14.05. once a week, from the end of June to the middle of August every day, one weekly flight available until the end of October,
Stockholm - Split, from 07.05., twice a week, from the end of June to the middle of August every day, one weekly flight available until the end of October,
Bergen - Split, from 27.06., twice a week until mid-August,
Gothenburg - Split, from 14.05., once a week, from the end of June to the middle of August every day, one weekly flight available until the end of October,
Kristiansand - Split, from 28.06., twice a week until mid-August,
Stavanger - Split, from 27.06., twice a week until mid-August.
Thus, Scandinavian Airlines is planning 34 flights a week on these seven routes to Split Airport in the peak season.
For more on flights to Croatia and other travel announcements, make sure to check out our dedicated travel section.
2nd Split Winter Tourism Roundtable on March 1: Presenting Quality Content
February 22, 2022 - For Split winter tourism to succeed, it needs quality content. The 2nd Split Winter Tourism Roundtable will present precisely that.
Developing winter tourism in Split will not happen overnight, but progress is being made. After the success of the first Split Winter Tourism Roundtable a few weeks ago (you can read all about it, as well as the minutes of the meeting in Reflections on the First TCN Split Winter Tourism Roundtable), the second roundtable will take place on March 1, with Mayor Ivica Puljak once again confirming his attendance - we are very grateful for his support, as well as all the other stakeholders, who are supporting this initiative.
Our thanks too to Natasa and Joze from the Split Croatian Chamber of Commerce, who are hosting the next roundtable - public/private partnership is key for this initiative to succeed. And a huge thanks to the fabulous female quartet of Jasmina Kruscic from Chops Grill (host of the first roundtable), Mare Mustapic of Zinfandel/Brasserie on 7, Jelena Tabak of Dujkin Dvor, and TCN's very own Daniela Rogulj, who have done a LOT of work behind the scenes, as well as star TCN intern Toni Petricic, who has done some outstanding data analysis on airport passenger numbers, and suggested areas to focus on extending the flight season by a little. An overview of his findings will be presented at the meeting.
The roundtable will be attended by representatives of University of Split, Faculty of Economisc who are working on Strategy of development of Split 2030, tourism included. The document is not yet finalised, but they will give an overview of the direction of the strategy and its key points.
The next roundtable will focus on content, content, content. There is no point having winter flights if there is no content. We will be focusing on four areas - gourmet, 3D mapping, winter sailing, and digital nomads. All presentations will be recorded and put on YouTube so people can see them, as well as being reported on by TCN.
Moderator par excellence Michael Freer is sadly not available, so I will attempt to fill his considerable shoes in the role.
For more detail on the content of the second Split Winter Tourism Roundtable, this is from the email sent by the Split Chamber of Commerce - thank you for your support:
We are formally inviting you to attend the follow-up Split Winter Tourism Roundtable meeting, to be held at HGK Split on March 1 at 10 am.
According to the conclusions of the first Round Table held, we will be presenting four possible programs that might enhance the post season target period which could make the season longer, i.e. November
The program of the round table is as follows:
Moderator: Paul Bradbury
Introduction: presentation of arrivals and statistic and why should we boost November
1) Split-Dalmatian Gastro capital: Ingrid Badurina Danielsson and Dubravka Tomeković Aralica (Taste the Mediterranean and Gault&Millau)
2) 3D mapping - osvjetljavanje Grada: Mislav Čizmić i Ivana Burazin (Promo plan)
3) Winter sailing: Nick Hathaway (45 Degrees Sailing)
4a) Realising Split's Fantastic Potential Through Community: Nikolina Kukoč (Split Tech City).
4b) Why Split Should be the Regional Capital for Digital Nomads, and How to Make it so: Tanja Polegubić (Saltwater Nomads)
Other participants will be representatives of Tourist board (City and County), Mayor of Split, Mr. Puljak and representatives of the initiative (Total Croatia News and HGK).
TCN will of course report on the event in detail and make all the presentation videos available on our YouTube channel as sson as resources allow.
You can follow the Split winter tourism initiative on the dedicated TCN section.
Agreements Signed for Domestic Violence Counselling Centres
ZAGREB, 22 Feb 2022 - Margareta Mađerić, State Secretary at the Ministry of Labour, Pension System, Family and Social Policy, on Tuesday presented 20 agreements, worth HRK 3 million, to associations providing counselling services to victims of domestic and sexual violence.
The agreements signed today are the continuation of good practice that began in 2019. In the preceding two years, 15 projects and 20 associations were financed with HRK 6 million, Mađerić said.
Today's agreements will enable counselling centres to continue their activities, which include psychosocial and legal assistance to victims of domestic and sexual violence, which is one of the first steps to continuing a normal life.
The programme will also provide training for employees at the counselling centres about the rights and needs of victims of violence, their children and victims of sexual violence, as well as training for county teams about gender-based violence.
The government has adopted a national strategy on protection against domestic violence from 2017 to 2022. The Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence has been ratified and has entered into force, and a new protocol on procedures in cases of domestic violence has been adopted.
Six new shelters have been opened in counties, and national and county interdepartmental teams have been established in the field to provide protection for victims.
The ministry says that Croatia is the fifth county in Europe to ensure a toll-free anonymous 24/7 hour hotline at the National Call Centre on 116 006.
Currently, a national plan to combat sexual violence and harassment from 2022 to 2027 and a national plan for gender equality for the same period are being prepared and will endeavour to remove any form of gender-based discrimination and establish real gender equality.
HGK: HRK 5.5m To Be Invested in Transport Sector Modernisation By 2027
ZAGREB, 22 Feb 2022 - HRK 5.5 billion is expected to be invested in the development of a competitive and energy efficient transport system in Croatia by 2027, and 40 per cent of it will go towards railways modernisation, a panel said on Tuesday.
An additional HRK 900 million has been secured for investment in broadband internet coverage for all sectors that are key for recovery and resilience, Dario Soldo, director of the Construction and Transport Division at the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK), said at the panel on the use of funding from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan and the EU in the transport and logistics sector.
The dean of the Zagreb Faculty of Transport and Traffic Sciences, Tomislav Josip Mlinarić, said it was important that the HRK 5.5 billion was duly spent, stressing that the faculty was willing to contribute to projects with its knowledge. He said that the modernisation of the transport sector would make the entire economy better and faster.
Professor Marko Šoštarić from the same faculty said that the focus would be on promoting sustainable forms of travel, including cycling, and modernising public transport infrastructure. He said that freight transport should use railways and internal waterways as much as possible.
(€1 = HRK 7.5)
Milanović Meets With New Leaders of Association of Retired Generals
ZAGREB, 22 Feb 2022 - President Zoran Milanović on Tuesday spoke with the new leadership of the Croatian Generals Corps (HGZ), an association of retired Croatian Army generals and brigadiers from the Homeland War, with the association's president announcing the establishment of the Council for Strategic Affairs.
Present at the meeting were Marinko Krešić, who was elected as the association's president on 22 January 2022, vice presidents Ljubo Ćesić, Mladen Kruljac and Frane Tomičić, the president's office said in a press release.
The new leadership of the association presented President Milanović with its work plan and activities, including the opening of a war museum in Zagreb, establishing branches in Osijek and Split, and preparing a lexicon of Croatian generals, which is expected to be published for this year's Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day.
The association said it would continue to work on protecting the reputation and dignity of Croatian Homeland War veterans and commemorating anniversaries.
HGZ president Marinko Krešić said that the association is not involved in daily politics but in preparing expert military and security analyses that can be of use to state institutions. In that context, he announced the establishment of the Council for Strategic Affairs and expert conferences and round tables, the press release said.
The President was accompanied by his defence and national security adviser Dragan Lozančić and special adviser on Homeland War veterans Marijan Mareković.
New Technology to Improve Road Safety Presented at Conference
ZAGREB, 22 Feb 2022 - A conference was held in Zagreb on Tuesday to discuss the use of contemporary technology to improve road safety, including the intelligent vehicle speed control system.
Minister of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure Oleg Butković said that traffic safety is a key imperative in project planning, particularly in road traffic, where there are still too many casualties.
Electronic road tolls, safety at black spots
"Through activities of the ministry we have put emphasis on the safety aspects of all our projects," Butković said at the conference.
Through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan the government has secured funds for a electronic road toll system so that drivers will no longer have to stop at toll stations, he said.
Butković announced a project worth HRK 69 million, which is being implemented by the Hrvatske Ceste road management company in cooperation with the Interior Ministry, to improve safety on the state roads, in particular at 32 black spots where accidents are frequent.
Also being implemented is a HRK 118 million project to develop an intelligent traffic system. Under the project, the entire IT equipment for traffic management will be upgraded, and a national access point has been established in Karlovac to providing traffic information in real time.
Police Chief Nikola Milina said that responsibility in road traffic no longer lies with road users but with the creators and managers of the traffic system.
The use of state-of-the-art technology is an important factor in road safety and one of the better examples is fixed speed meters, Milina said.
Croatia currently has 300 fixed speed meters and plans to install more.
Avenoso: Speed meter system to decrease road fatalities by 20%
The Executive Director of the European Transport Safety Council, Antonio Avenoso, presented the Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) system for vehicle speed control.
The system reads road signs and helps drivers control the speed of their vehicle. Drivers can turn it off, but the system will continue to warn them if they are over the speed limit.
ISA is expected to reduce road fatalities by 20 per cent, increase interest in walking and cycling, reduce noise pollution and result in ewer speeding fines.
Tramišak: There'll Be Wide Range of Business Opportunities in New Financing Period
ZAGREB, 22 Feb 2022 - Croatian businesses will have a wide range of opportunities in the new financing period, Minister for Regional Development and EU Funds Nataša Tramišak said on Tuesday while presenting the new Multiannual Financial Framework under which Croatia will have access to €14.4 billion.
Tramišak attended a business breakfast hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce in Croatia, which focused on the opportunities of the business community to use funds from the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2021-2027.
She said that of the €14.4 billion made available to Croatia under the MFF, about €9 billion concerns cohesion policy which is coordinated by her ministry.
"A large portion of funding will go towards targeted public calls for our businesses, for investment in tangible and non-tangible assets and the green and digital transition of the economy, which includes productive investment in research, development and innovation. We will also embark on a new direction regarding plans for the industrial transition of regions, because we want to strengthen the regional economies of Pannonian, Adriatic and Northern Croatia," Tramišak said.
She said that calls had already been issued last year as part of the Next Generation EU instrument and the Recovery Assistance for Cohesion and the Territories of Europe (REACT-EU) programme for investment in the manufacturing industry for the green and digital transition, and more than HRK 1 billion worth of projects had been agreed for Croatian enterprises.
New calls are expected before the end of this year, after the MFF is approved by the European Commission, she added.
Tramišak recalled that the value of the entire allocation for Croatia over the next nine years is €25 billion, while Croatian businesses will have direct access to about €5 billion from the entire package, which includes the MFF and the National Recovery and Resilience Plan.
She also noted the possibility for investment through the common agricultural policy, where the allocation for Croatia amounts to about €5 billion, and this process will be coordinated by the Ministry of Agriculture.
Glassblowing School Inaugurated in Istria
ZAGREB, 22 Feb 2022 - The Zlatni Vitraj Artistic Glassblowing School was inaugurated in Stranići near Poreč, Istria County on Tuesday as the first of 22 events planned in Croatia to mark the UN International Year Of Glass 2022.
These are moments when the strength of a community, as well as of an individual, is felt, Culture Minister Nina Obuljen Koržinek said at the ceremony, thanking the Association for the Promotion of Traditional Arts, which founded the school, for including this project in the UN International Year Of Glass and thus helping Croatia to find an important place on that world map.
"It's a privilege when we have such enthusiasm and when there are people who make their life project so valuable that it will eventually contribute to the community, and we are here to support it. Croatia is one of the states with a truly representative antique glass museum in Zadar, whereby we testify to the continuity of artisanship as well as art in glass through the centuries," the minister said.
She added that the process of protecting glassblowing crafts in the Zagreb area as an intangible cultural heritage was under way.
The Zlatni Vitraj Artistic Glassblowing School was founded to rescue artistic glassblowing from extinction, said Josip Deutsch of the Glass & Art Association for the Promotion of Traditional Arts.
"With this event we celebrate the past, present and future of glass as a very transformative material," he added.
