Zagreb Digital Nomad December Ambassadors Interviewed by Index.hr (VIDEO)
December 21, 2021 - Zagreb Digital Nomad December Ambassadors Anna Maria Kochanska from Poland and Steve Tsentserensky from USA interviewed in the Index.hr studio.
It has been quite a year for Zagreb and its digital nomad journey.
It is 18 months since Dutch entrepreneur Jan de Jong wrote an open letter to Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic asking him to implement a digital nomad visa.
Things moved very quickly after that. Plenkovic announced his intention to introduce the visa some 44 days later, and it came into effect on January 1 this year. A variety of high-profile events, including the Dubrovnik Digital Nomad in Residence Program, and Zagreb Digital Nomad Week & Ambassador project, have helped to raise Croatia's profile in the global digital nomad community. So much so in fact, that Croatia was named the second most-liked country in the world, and Zagreb in the top 5 cities in the recent Nomad List 2021 survey.
One of the big successes of the digital nomad movement has been how integrated and accepted the concept has become in the Croatian media in a relatively short space of time. The term 'digitalni nomadi' is now a widely understood term in the Croatian language.
Zagreb Tourist Board, together with Saltwater Nomads and TCN has been implementing the Zagreb Digital Nomad Ambassador project from July 1. Six different ambassadors - from New York, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Israel, Singapore and Poland - have been staying for a month each as guests of the city. Their insights and experiences have helped shape Zagreb's future nomad strategy.
Anna Maria Kochanska from Poland has been a very active ambassador in December, and she has been joined by Zagreb Special Guest Ambassador, Steve Tsentserensky. Both appeared last week in the studio of Index.hr to talk a little about the digital nomad lifestyle and their impressions of life in Zagreb.
For more news and features on digital nomads in Croatia, check out the dedicated TCN section.
PM: President Plays Part of Opposition Leader, MOST Petition Perfidious
ZAGREB, 21 Dec (Hina) - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Tuesday that President Zoran Milanović was playing the part of opposition leader and that the MOST party's referendum petition against COVID certificates was evil and perfidious, whose only goal was the self-promotion of several actors.
"This is the first time since... 2000 that someone elected to the office of president of the republic works solely for the opposition and not for a harmonious, uniform functioning of all branches of government," Plenković told the press in Bjelovar.
Milanović is playing the part of someone who should be the leader of the opposition and thereby apriori against everything, he said.
It's an unusual situation but we have become used to it, it's not a problem to us, he added.
MOST initiative is evil and perfidious
Commenting on the MOST party's collection of signatures for a referendum against COVID certificates, the prime minister said it had nothing to do with healthcare, calling it an evil initiative and sheer destruction.
He recalled that MOST MP Nikola Grmoja said in parliament that they had made a mistake and turned everyone against them, adding that "they didn't say that the question was irrelevant or the referendum, but that their game was irrelevant."
They are playing with people and the nature of the petition is "self-promotion, disregard for regulations adopted based on the law, and disregard for people's health," Plenković said.
"That's a very perfidious, essentially an evil initiative. That's the whole point. I don't mean the people who signed, but those who made people think that they will change something. They won't change anything."
The petition has no point, other than the self-promotion of several actors, Plenković said. "And they immediately accuse us of being thieves and that we will steal something in advance. This symbiosis of anti-maskers and anti-vaxxers, what is that? It's not serious."
He said the pandemic had unmasked everyone in Croatia. "Now we all know who is who. All masks are off."
In the long term, that is important for the Croatian political scene, he said, reiterating that people see the difference between those who are responsible, serious, calm and rational, who want to do good, and those who are only destructive and are doing everything for self-promotion, and then insult and accuse.
"A huge number of people are telling me, 'This is not normal anymore, what's happening has crossed every line.' That's how it usually is in crises, everything gets uncovered."
COVID Response Team Must Explain Every Decision, says Court President
ZAGREB, 21 December, 2021 - Constitutional Court president Miroslav Šeparović said on Tuesday that in future the national COVID-19 crisis management team would have to explain its every decision in detail, and that the court's decisions applied to everyone, including the head of state.
Speaking to the press after the court ruled that the pandemic protocols are legitimate, Šeparović said the court delivered several decisions, primarily regarding the law protecting the population from infectious diseases.
He said the national crisis management team would have to explain its next decision already so that those to whom it applied and the public knew why it was made.
According to Šeparović, that will make it easier for the court to decide in future if the protocols are appropriate. "We have the authority to request that and that's not contentious."
As for the constitutionality of COVID certificates, Šeparović said they were based on the law and aimed at protecting people's health, notably of those who are most vulnerable.
"The measure is reasonable, it's based on expert and scientific papers. Therefore there is no discrimination," said Šeparović.
The Constitutional Court found that mandatory vaccination can be introduced only by law in parliament, which the court would then assess.
Šeparović said that in making its latest decisions, the court referred to Council of Europe recommendations on banning vaccination-based discrimination. "We also relied on the decisions of the German Constitutional Court, the best constitutional court in the world, which decided that curfews are not good, nor are bans on attending school."
Responding to a question, he said the government had until 24 December to provide the court with its explanation on the testing mandate in the public sector.
As for President Zoran Milanović's accusations against the Constitutional Court and prejudging of its decision on a referendum against COVID certificates, Šeparović said he would rather not comment on statements from politicians and state officials.
"Such statements have no influence whatsoever on the decisions of the Constitutional Court, which is independent and whose decisions are mandatory for everyone, including President Milanović."
First Shipment of 1,800 Ronapreve Doses Delivered to Croatia
ZAGREB, 21 December, 2021 - The Croatian Medical Chamber (HLK) leader, Krešimir Luetić, said on Tuesday that Ronapreve, a medicine used for treating COVID-19 in adults, had arrived in Croatia on Monday, and that the drug would be used in acute cases.
It will certainly help some people diagnosed with this infectious disease, however, it will not heal everyone who is infected, the doctor warned.
"Medication against COVID is for acute patients and we have a relatively small amount of the medicine in Croatia," Luetić told reporters after the first 1,800 doses of Ronapreve were shipped to Croatia.
Speaking at the opening of a post-COVID clinic in east Zagreb, Luetić said that the medication is intended for patients who could develop severe symptoms of the COVID infection.
"The medicine will certainly help some patients but it won't heal everyone who is infected," said Luetić urging citizens to get vaccinated.
The European Medicines Agency approved Ronapreve in November. The medicine can only be obtained with a prescription and should be given in healthcare facilities where patients can be adequately monitored and managed in case they develop severe allergic reactions.
The lower vaccination rate, the higher mortality rate
Luetić commented on the high COVID-19 fatality rate in Croatia, which has one of the highest COVID-related mortality rates among European countries.
"One of the reasons is a relatively low level of vaccination and relatively mild measures over the past year in Croatia," he said, elaborating that a level of inoculation in a country has direct impact on a share of patients in serious conditions and on death outcome.
Pandemic Protocols are Legitimate, Constitutional Court Finds
ZAGREB, 21 December, 2021 - The Constitutional Court decided on Tuesday the pandemic protocols are legitimate, rejecting motions to assess the constitutionality of the powers of the national COVID-19 crisis management team, the COVID certificate mandate, and the testing mandate for healthcare and social welfare staff.
The decisions were made by a majority vote, with three dissenting opinions.
The court once again gave legitimacy to all COVID protocols and said that the crisis management team has the duty, based on available scientific information at the time it makes or amends regulations, to adopt a protocol which it assesses is the least restrictive one the one hand, while effectively protecting public health from COVID on the other.
The court said that in future it expects the team to explain the protocols so that those to whom they apply know the reasons for their adoption and that the protocols meet the constitutional principle of proportionality.
Regarding the supervision of the crisis management team, the court reiterated that the team acts under direct supervision of the government which, under the constitution, answers to parliament, and that it is up to parliament to decide to which extent it will use its authority to oversee the work of the government.
The court said it rejected a motion to assess if the government's decision to establish a national system for the issue of EU digital COVID certificates was in line with the constitution and the law because the appellant contested only the part of the decision which envisages that, at national level, they can be used also for other purposes in line with crisis management team decisions based on the law protecting the population from infectious diseases.
The court said this does not mean that the government overstepped its powers and obligations in applying the relevant EU regulation, and found that the crisis management team has envisaged the use of the certificates in a number of its decisions.
Testing mandate in healthcare and social welfare legitimate
Rejecting a motion concerning the mandatory testing of all healthcare and social welfare staff at least twice a week, the court said the goal is to protect the health and lives of patients and care home residents by minimising the risk of infecting them as well as the health and lives of the staff.
The Constitutional Court said scientific research and the experience gained during the epidemic show that the likelihood of infection and spread of coronavirus among people who have been vaccinated or have recovered is markedly lower than among the unvaccinated.
Therefore, the court said, the testing mandate for healthcare and social welfare staff is not arbitrary but based on scientific and expert papers.
Testing quick and painless
The court said the crisis management team adopted a protocol which is appropriate, necessary and proportionate to the goal and which is not an excessive burden on those to whom it applies.
It added that testing is suitable for early detection of the virus, that the procedure is quick and painless, while the results are known quickly, and that employees can choose between free vaccination and testing at the employer's expense.
The court evidently dismissed as unfounded complaints stating that the state has the duty to inform citizens that vaccination is voluntary and that no one can be exposed to political, social or other pressure to be vaccinated if they don't want to, as well as a complaint stating that the contested decisions actually make vaccination mandatory.
The court said the appellants did not show that individuals are treated differently based on their vaccination status or that those unvaccinated are in an unfavourable position in relation to those who have been. COVID certificates can be obtained also based on testing or recovery from the disease, the court added.
The court said vaccination could be made mandatory only by law, not by crisis management team decisions.
It found that the demand for the obligatory testing of people who have not been vaccinated or recovered from COVID is objective and reasonable, that it has a legitimate goal and is proportionate given that there is a just balance between the interests of the community and respect for individual rights and liberties.
As for complaints that banning employees from staying on their employer's premises restricts their right to work if they refuse testing or producing a COVID certificate, the court said this is regulated by labour law and regulations on public and government service.
Regarding complaints that healthcare and social welfare workers are in an unequal position in relation to other workers because the testing mandate applies to them only, the Constitutional Court found that, given the deterioration of the epidemiological situation, it was necessary to establish a protocol to reduce the risk of healthcare and social welfare workers infecting people whose lives and health are fragile.
It is therefore legitimate to require testing or proof of vaccination or recovery because that impacts the sustainability of the healthcare and social welfare systems, the court added.
Decision on testing in public sector to be made later
The court said it will decide on the constitutionality of mandatory testing in the public and government sectors later on after receiving the government's position on the matter.
Mayor Says Outdoor New Year's Eve Celebration in Zagreb Most Probably to be Held
ZAGREB, 21 December, 2021 - Zagreb Mayor Tomislav Tomašević said on Tuesday that an outdoor New Year's Eve celebration in Zagreb's Ban Josip Jelačić Square would most probably be held but that the national COVID-19 response team might make some last-minute decisions as the epidemiological situation is unpredictable.
Speaking to reporters after the opening of a post-COVID clinic as part of the city's hospital for lung diseases, Tomašević said that he talked to the head of the COVID-19 response team, Minister of the Interior Davor Božinović, regarding the New Year Eve's celebration in Zagreb.
"For the time being most towns in Croatia, including Zagreb, are planning outdoor celebrations so they will most probably be held but considering the unpredictable epidemiological developments, notably the Omicron variant, some last-minute recommendations are possible," said the mayor, noting that it if the New Year's Eve outdoor party in downtown Zagreb was held, it would be held in an enclosed section of the main square which citizens would be able to enter only with COVID certificates.
New decision on waste management by end of January
Commenting on a growing number of illegal landfills, notably on the outskirts of Zagreb, Tomašević said that legislative changes and stricter penalties were a part of the solution.
He said the City Assembly would adopt a new decision on waste management by the end of January, with different proposals as to how to charge citizens, in the transitional period, for waste collection depending on the quantity of waste.
Tomašević said that the model with outdoor waste containers was not appropriate for charging citizens for the amount of waste produced because anyone could throw in those containers whatever they wanted, so different proposals would be put forward as to charges for different quantities of the waste generated.
Police Report 27-Year-Old Man for Urinating on HDZ Party Office in Bjelovar
ZAGREB, 21 December, 2021 - The police in Bjelovar will press misdemeanor charges against a 27-year-old man for urinating on a building housing the offices of the HDZ party branch in Bjelovar and for posting on a social network, under a pseudonym, a video of his act that was later carried by web portals.
Without specifying the political party in question, Bjelovar police said on Tuesday the man would be reported for insulting citizens of different political views.
Over the past month the local HDZ branch reported several attacks on its offices in Bjelovar, including an act of urination on its offices in November, a break-in on 12 December during which the offices were vandalised, and an assault on 15 December during which a flammable object was thrown on the party offices, damaging the facade.
Croatia Logs 2,803 New Coronavirus Cases, 47 Deaths
ZAGREB, 21 Dec 2021 - Croatia has registered 2,803 new coronavirus cases and 47 COVID-related deaths in the last 24 hours, the national coronavirus response team reported on Tuesday.
Currently, there are 19,477 active cases in the country. Among them are 2,148 infected persons receiving hospital treatment and 263 of them are on ventilators.
A total of 18,665 people are self-isolating.
Since 25 February 2020, when the first infection with the SARS CoV-2 virus was confirmed in the country, 678,533 people have been registered as having contracted the new virus, of whom 12,090 have died.
A total of 646,966 people have recovered, including 2,849 in the last 24 hours.
A total of 3,657,533 persons have been tested to date, including 9,771 in the last 24 hours.
As of Monday, 4,570,488 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered, with 55.31 per cent of the total population, or 65.93 per cent of the adult population, having been vaccinated. A total of 2,244,758 people have received at least one dose and 2,097,112 of them have been fully vaccinated, which is 61.77 per cent of the adult population.
COVID Certificates Referendum Won't Pass, Says Mato Palić
December 21, 2021 - Constitutional expert Mato Palić believes that both issues that Most Party put to the COVID certificates referendum are unconstitutional, and as such will not pass.
Most party members said on Sunday that they had collected enough signatures for the referendum question, which touches on COVID certificates, and counting is now underway, reports Net.hr.
After all the signatures are counted, the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Croatia must decide whether the issue in the COVID certificates referendum is in accordance with the constitution, and constitutional expert Mato Palić told N1 television that there is nothing disputable in the COVID certificates.
"Judging by the previous practice of the Constitutional Court and the positions they have taken regarding the decisions of the Civil Protection Headquarters. There is very little chance, almost no chance, for them to make a Copernican turn, that is, to approach the restrictions of rights and freedoms in a different way. Especially taking into account the fact that we had stronger restrictions on rights and freedoms when we had a much better epidemiological picture'', Palic said.
"It is not realistic for them to completely change their position and make a decision that these existing restrictions are constitutionally disputable," he added.
So far, the Constitutional Court is acting correctly, claims Palić.
"The Constitutional Court interprets constitutional norms correctly. I don't think that the Constitutional Court has done anything so far, that is, it has made a decision that is disputable from the aspect of the correct interpretation of constitutional norms", he said and also touched on the Most initiative.
"Politicians always speak from the position of some kind of rhetoric in public space in a way that goes to their mill. What is undeniable is the fact that the Constitutional Court did not question the acts passed by the Headquarters, except for the part of the decision related to the ban on work on Sundays. As for the referendum itself, I think that both issues are unconstitutional, and the first one refers to the amendment of Article 17 and the second one refers to the amendments to the Law on Protection of the Population on Infectious Diseases ", he explained.
For more on COVID-19, follow TCN's dedicated page.
Camino Krk Recognized at International Sustainable Tourism Awards
December 21, 2021 - As part of this year's International Award for Sustainable Tourism (Skål International Sustainable Tourism Awards), the project Camino Krk was awarded the International Prize for Sustainable Tourism.
The Camino Krk project, in competition with ten other initiatives from different parts of the world, in the category of Rural / Rural Areas and Biodiversity (Countryside and Biodiversity), as one of the nine set categories, is positioned in third place, reports HrTurizam.hr.
This year, the evaluation of projects received in the public call was conducted by three independent judges, giving them grades that are then added up, so the initiative with the highest score wins in its category. Although Camino Krk did not win, it was highly rated, which is a great success, according to the Tourist Board of the City of Krk, adding that they will be reminded of the certificate received in recognition of commitment to sustainable practices and implementation of environmentally friendly business model.
"First of all, I must point out that all island tourist boards have made a significant contribution to the development of the Camino Krk project in terms of a new and innovative tourist product. In uncertain pandemic circumstances, after we defined the project in cooperation with the Brotherhood of St. Jacob, we decided to invest significantly in its further development. Therefore, this year Camino Krk was the focus of all tourist boards, which means that significant funds were invested in marking the entire route, involving stakeholders, creating promotional materials, and strong digital promotion," said Ivana Kovačić, director of the Tourist Board of Krk.
Photo: www.experiencekrk.com
The explanation of the evaluation states, among other things, that the activities related to Camino Krk have little impact on the environment and that the project itself encourages the dispersion of tourists to rural areas and the interior of the island, thus spreading economic benefits and moving away from established sun-sea concepts.
If the activities of tourists, as is the case with this project, do not adversely affect the environment, as a next step and a kind of upgrade, it is proposed that all its stakeholders, at all levels, accept the principles of sustainability in both environmental and economic terms.
"This year there was a significant interest of our guests for active holidays, staying in nature and getting to know the natural, cultural and historical heritage, and Camino Krk met their expectations by adding warmth and spiritual component to this potential-filled tourist story. In further efforts, we will certainly pay significant attention to the comments and suggestions of tourism experts received based on the application to the public call of Skål International and try to further strengthen the cooperation of all project partners," adds Kovačić.
Recall, the Camino de Santiago or the Way of St. Jacob's pilgrimage route is about 800 kilometers long and is walked by more than three hundred thousand pilgrims a year. In 1987, the Council of Europe awarded it the title of Main Street of Europe, and in 1993, UNESCO included the Spanish and French parts of the route to the Galician capital, Santiago de Compostela, on the World Heritage List. Road network of St. Jacob leading to one of the world's three leading pilgrimage centers that inherit the relics of St. James the Apostle is spread all over Europe and is most often marked with a stylized shell - James' cap, as the (primary) saint's attribute.
Photo: www.experiencekrk.com
The celebration of the Krk part of the Croatian Camino route took place between 2019 and 2021. Camino Krk is defined as an (all) island circular route, with a total length of more than 150 kilometers, which follows the infrastructure of existing hiking trails. Its starting point is in the island center - the town of Krk, ie the Krk Cathedral, and the final one in the village of Kornić, in the parish church dedicated to the Apostle St. James.
The tour of the Krk route is divided into seven pilgrimage chapters, more precisely seven days needed to truly experience the island's historical, cultural, and especially sacred heritage immersed in impressive natural environments and unique urban units. For easier navigation on the island of Camino, Krk is marked with recognizable, blue-yellow signs, and in addition to signalization, there is also an interactive digital map that allows tracking the route using a smartphone.
Photo: www.otok-krk.org
This project, since its launch, has attracted significant interest from both domestic and foreign pilgrims, walkers, and other recreationists, mostly Slovenes, Italians, and Austrians, which has intensified in periods affected by strict epidemiological measures.
The Skål International Sustainable Tourism Awards are presented each year to companies, institutions, agencies, and other private and public associations related to tourism.
It is a recognition that, evaluating the effects of sustainable and responsible tourism, contributes to the global visibility of applicants and registered initiatives. By entering the competition, the applicant presents its products and services to globally known experts in the tourism industry, while ensuring significant media visibility.
Skål International unites all branches of the tourism industry and operates through more than 340 clubs with almost 14,000 members in more than 100 countries, while its mission is to promote the development of responsible, sustainable, and universally accessible tourism.
For more, make sure to check out our dedicated travel section.
