ZAGREB, 17 Nov 2021 - Croatia has logged 6,670 new COVID cases in the past 24 hours and 64 new deaths bringing the total death toll since the outbreak of the pandemic to more than 10,000.

There are currently 37,144 active cases and 2,433 patients are in hospital treatment while 323 of them are on ventilators, the national COVID response team reported on Wednesday.

Since 25 February when the first case of the novel coronavirus was detected in Croatia, there have been 551,000 cases of the contagion and 10,500 people have died as a consequence while 503,806 have recovered, with 3,222 people recovering in the past 24 hours. Currently, there are 25,938 people self-isolating.

To date, a total of 3,303,653 tests have been conducted with 15,519 taken in the past 24 hours.

As of 16 November, a total of 3,899,376 doses of a vaccine had been administered with 51.18% of the total population or 61.15% of the adult population having been vaccinated with at least one dose. On Tuesday 29,489 doses of a vaccine were administered with 17,907 people receiving the first dose.

A total of 2,076,934 people have received at least one dose while 1,873,073 are fully vaccinated which accounts for 55.36% of the total population.

ZAGREB, 16 Nov 2021 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Tuesday that according to information he received at the inner cabinet's meeting, the introduction of COVID certificate mandate in state and public institutions practically proceeded smoothly.

I believe it is good to raise the level of health safety this way. We expect a vast majority of citizens to adapt to this situation, Plenković told the press after a session of the leadership of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ).

Asked to comment on the position of local and state official regarding COVID certificates, for example that of Sinj Mayor Miro Bulj, Primošten Mayor Stipe Petrina, but also that of President Zoran Milanović, who said that they would disregard this requirement, Plenković responded that this was a disaster.

It is easy for him (Milanović) to say that we are not going to harass people when he received all the three doses of the vaccine.

He is safe and protected and he keeps telling people that the decisions of the national coronavirus response team should not be respected, Plenković said.

As far as Bulj and Petrina are concerned, we have to find legal means to sanction this situation, the PM said.

Commenting on protest against epidemiological measures, Plenković said that Croatia is a democracy and people can have different opinions and express their dissatisfaction.

We will hear what they have to say and see if there is common ground. Our objective is to provide health protection, work, public transportation and education by securing enough dosses of the vaccine, Plenković said. He announced the government, at its session on Wednesday, would donate 300,000 doses of the vaccine that Croatia did not use, saying this will be Croatia's contribution to the global fight against the pandemic.

Plenković said that the HDZ membership of former minister Gabrijela Žalac and the SAFU director, Tomislav Petric, would be suspended.

Recently, Zagreb County Court set month-long detention for former minister Gabrijela Žalac, the head of Croatia’s Central Finance and Contracting Agency (SAFU), Tomislav Petric and two other suspects in a case dubbed Software in which they are suspected of embezzlement of €1.8 million from the EU and Croatian budgets.

November 17, 2021 - The first Glovo Express store in Croatia intended for Glovo suppliers will work 0-24h every day of the year, acting as a micro-logistics facility that speeds up delivery.

Glovo, the largest player in the delivery application market in Croatia, has opened its own store, reports Jutarnji List.

Namely, Glovo Express is a store that is not intended for end customers but Glovo suppliers and works 0-24h every day of the year. The concept of the new Glovo store is called the Micro Fulfilment Center, which means that it is a micro-logistics facility that speeds up delivery. If compared to hitherto known businesses, Glovo Express would be a cross between a post office, a local store, and a micro warehouse.

Victor Răcariu, Glovo's CEO for Southeast Europe, says he will open another store in Croatia by the end of the year.

"The launch of Glovo Express on the Croatian market and the transition to a new, higher level of delivery on demand is a key moment for us, but also a positive impact in the interest of our customers," says Răcariu.

He explains that they can strengthen the business with the delivery of goods sold by retail chains. Of course, this primarily applies to perishable consumer goods such as vegetables, fruits, frozen and dairy products. But it also opens up space for faster delivery of all other products that citizens buy in retail chains, such as beverages, sweets, and products for children and animals.

Bojan Barišić, head of Glovo Express stores for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, and Serbia, says that he will expand the delivery offer in Zagreb by 1,500 products.

"Further expansion of the Glovo Express store network is planned for next year," says Barišić.

Although the pandemic led to an explosion of delivery on demand (Quick commerce), this trend continued this year. Therefore, in 2021, companies from online commerce, postal delivery, and mobile delivery applications (Q-commerce) in Croatia have started to strengthen their logistics infrastructure to make their businesses more sustainable and prepare them for further online sales, which is supposed to have the potential to double in a short period.

Croatian Post, DPD, and the largest online retailer eKupi already have their parcel machines and expand their network.

"This year, Glovo signed a strategic agreement with the Swiss real estate company Stoneweg, in which it undertook to invest 100 million euros in the construction and renovation of real estate in the capitals of key markets in which it operates," says Barišić.

He explains that Glovo can connect a more significant number of sales partners to the application by strengthening its delivery infrastructure.

"Glovo Express is a response to changes in consumer behavior and demands for ultra-fast delivery. Micro Fulfilment Centers are the future of commerce, and we expect them to impact lasting changes in consumer habits. It is a step towards immediate or delivery on the same day," says Barišić.

A year ago, Glovo positioned itself as the largest player in the industry of mobile delivery applications. Last year, according to Fina, the company had a revenue of HRK 48.9 million. But it's also the fastest way to fry cash. As a result, it ended in 2020 with a loss of HRK 21.8 million. The other two competitors, Wolt and Bolt, lag significantly behind in revenue but are profitable, albeit with very low amounts.

By the end of the year, it plans to open more than a hundred Glovo Express stores in 50 cities in 16 states. In addition to Croatia, it is opening its Micro Fulfillment Centers in Slovenia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Spain, Italy, Ukraine, Kenya, and Morocco.

For more, check out our business section.

November 17, 2021 - The Trogir brand strategy 'Marked by Masters,' officially presented in November 2019, has been recognized by UNESCO as a positive cultural tourism example. 

At the end of 2019, the city of Trogir made a big step forward by presenting a new branding strategy, slogan, and visual identity, which was complemented by signage in the city, promotional materials, and a new website, jointly created by the city and the tourist board, reports HRTurizam.

Thus, Trogir became the first destination on the coast and the first city in Croatia, which began branding at such a serious and professional level. The project is called Marked by Masters, and you can read more about it on TCN HERE.

The Trogir brand strategy was recognized as a positive practice by UNESCO. Namely, on its official website, UNESCO writes about the Trogir branding project in the context of its importance for the sustainable development of the destination. "The new branding strategy of the city based on cultural values and community participation aims to increase the attractiveness of Trogir as a destination for cultural tourism," says UNESCO.

This is further confirmation of the value and importance of the project started two years ago, which will be intensively developed in the next five to ten years. It is necessary to fully implement it according to the experience of international cities, said the city of Trogir, adding that they are excited that UNESCO has confirmed their work by sharing the case study for the City of Trogir, authored by the Fabular agency.

"In the Middle Ages, world-class masters worked in Trogir, such as masters Radovan, Nikola Firentinski, Muscardel, Andrea Alessi, and Duknović, creating masterpieces, but also leaving smaller, detailed traces in the old town. The challenge was to unite the city's masters with "medieval graffiti" and games carved into the stone, like chess and merel, which we did by creating a story that called for discovering the traces of masters in every corner of this beautiful city."

According to UNESCO, if the project is fully implemented in accordance with the described plans, the initiative could contribute to sustainable development and the UNWTO (Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals) sustainable development goals. Trogir has been on the UNESCO list since 1997. 

Follow our dedicated travel page for more information on Trogir, Marked by Masters, and much more.

November 17, 2021 - The Croatian capital will be busy this holiday season with an increase in Ryanair Zagreb Christmas flights from Dublin, Eindhoven, and Stockholm! 

The Irish low-cost airline is offering a number of weekly flights around Christmas and New Year on several existing routes, as well as on routes running in early December, reports Croatian Aviation.

In addition to the new lines announced for next summer, Ryanair is also preparing for increased demand on European lines around Christmas and New Year and has thus made several operational changes to the lines from its Zagreb base.

Ryanair is showing great interest in the line between Dublin and Zagreb, which will run from December 2 this year, three times a week, on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. From December 20 to January 9, Ryanair will increase the number of weekly flights on this route to a total of four, operating between the two cities on Wednesdays, too!

On the new Ryanair line between Eindhoven and Zagreb, which runs from December 3 (twice a week, Monday and Friday), there will be an increase in the number of weekly rotations on this line from December 20 to January 9, totaling four-weekly flights with additional flights on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

There will also be an increase in operations on two lines to Sweden, to Gothenburg and Malmö. The Gothenburg-Zagreb line currently runs three times a week and will run four times a week around Christmas, additionally on Tuesdays. From January 3 to January 9, six weekly flights have been announced, every day except Saturday.

Finally, on the Malmö - Zagreb - Malmö line, there will also be an increase in operations at the very beginning of January, and four weekly flights have been announced on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. The line currently operates twice a week.

More good news: Ryanair introduced a line between Rome (Ciampino Airport) and Zagreb this summer, though the flights were transferred to Fiumicino at the end of October due to work at Ciampino. Now, Ryanair will stay at Fiumicino and will operate to Zagreb from there until the end of the winter flight schedule. This is great news for travelers given that Fiumicino is significantly better connected to the center of Rome than Ciampino.

For more on flights to Croatia and other travel announcements, make sure to check out our dedicated travel section.

November the 17th, 2021 - Ever seen an Istrian flying goat? Probably not. You've probably never seen a flying goat from any location if we're being honest, but you can now taste one if you should so desire.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marta Duic writes, in the Bokoon tavern, which is part of Valamar's Premium Camping resort in Funtana not far from Porec, the cooperation of two Istrian craft brands was presented - the Istarska kapljica distillery and Count’s drinks. The new Istrian flying goat gin is the result of the hard work of Istarska kapljica from Kastelir, which already produces fourteen brandies and liqueurs, for which it has won as many as 76 awards in just five years.

In order for the Istrian flying goat story to remain completely autochthonous, along with this gin, craft drinks and juices by Marko Bratovic, who also produces ginger beer and ginger ale and the tonic brand Count’s drinks, were presented in Kastelir.

“Our story started with my grandfather making wine and brandy, and when I decided to play around with ingredients like cherry maraschino and elderberry we slowly expanded the range. Marko Bratovic is responsible for the gin, and he suggested that we start the project together and present a new original Istrian story to the market,'' says Goran Spehar from the Istarska kapljica distillery.

The Istrian flying goat, named after the famed Istrian goat symbol, is a gin consisting of eleven ingredients that were presented to the market back in mid-August, and they plan to increase the quantities for the next tourist season in 2022. The distillery produces 20,000 bottles of liqueurs and brandies for which they use exclusively domestic raw materials - their own and those from subcontractors, and instead of sugar they sweeten them with honey. They cooperate with the hotel chains Valamar and Aminess, and their products are also on the shelves of six specialised stores.

“We're mostly present on the domestic market in Istria and in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, we export to Austria and Germany, and our web shop delivers to all EU countries. Our plan for next year is to expand to the Zagreb market, but in several locations because we want to remain a premium distillery, maintain quality and not drastically increase our quantities,'' reveals Michael Tasic from Istarska kapljica. Craft production and quality is also the foundation of the Count’s drinks philosophy.

“Our production coincided with the expansion of craft gins, and the last product of ginger ale, ginger beer, we made because the market was heading in thar direction. However, we still have limited quantities and production related to natural ingredients, so it's quite difficult for us to keep up with consumer demand,'' explains Marko Bratovic from Count’s drinks. On the blossoming Croatian craft scene and market, production and interest in gin are constantly growing, and in addition to the latest, Istrian flying goat, the Aura distillery from Buzet can also boast of a number of awards brought to Istria by its gin - Karbun.

An additional note of authenticity was given by the place of presentation, the Bokoon tavern, which offers exclusively Istrian products and gastronomic specialties. This is a new concept of the Valamar hotel chain, with which they wanted to bring local traditions closer to their guests who come from all over the world.

"We also wanted to attract small producers because we offer only local food, from paseratta and gineta to Istrian prosciutto and sausages, Malvasia and Teran, or homemade brandy. Our guests have recognised the concept, and in addition to tasting these dishes at our tavern, they also attend tastings and buy our products directly from the producers themselves. A good tourist season is now behind us, and we plan to open such taverns and restaurants in other locations where our chain operates,'' reveals Karlo Grebec, the director of Istra Premium Camping Resort in Funtana. 

For more, check out Made in Croatia.

November the 17th, 2021 - Croatian livestock farmers are struggling cost-wise as competitiveness in placing domestic beef on the market when cheaper, lower quality foreign meat is ever-present is proving difficult.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, back at the end of last week, the Croatian Baby Beef Association for Fattening and Breeding requested the state's help for breeders in achieving cost competitiveness as cheap foreign imports dominate the scene.

The goal of the Association is to place young Croatian beef, known as baby beef, on store shelves and in the kitchens of restaurants and hotels, said the new president of the Baby Beef Association Zvonko Sirjan, who was elected at the annual election assembly held on Friday at the Bjelovar Fair in Gudovac.

Fodder prices have risen, while the price of meat has remained stable and has not kept pace with this increase, explained Sirjan, adding that due to the high price of fodder, Croatian livestock farmers are losing four to five kuna per kilogram of meat, which quickly adds up. Therefore, in order to "survive the winter", the intervention of the relevant ministry is necessary, he believes.

"As one of the short-term measures, we expect state intervention. Through product labelling we want to get higher prices that will help our sector survive. We're also proposing the opening of markets such as the Turkish and Israeli ones, and we certainly expect Croatian producers to be promoted and Croatian products to be sold through retail, and not only from imports,'' said Sirjan.

"We managed to brand our young Croatian beef baby beef and we'll continue to work on that. Our Association needs to respond to all of the challenges of the times and global trends where meat that comes to Croatian stores from elsewhere has a far lower price and we must try to resist that. We want to present ourselves to our consumers as serious producers who can guarantee quality, safety and a healthy product from Croatian farms,'' said Sirjan of the plight of Croatian livestock farmers who are rightfully worried about a difficult winter.

The Croatian Baby Beef Association is otherwise the oldest and largest cattle fattening association, founded back in 2000. It currently has 330 members, Croatian livestock farmers, who raise 120,000 cattle across the country.

For more, check out our business section.

November the 17th, 2021 - The issue of Croatian covid certificates is continuing. New rules have been in place since yesterday and now a valid certificate is required not only to enter healthcare and social care institutions, but also to access state and public services. The rules for unvaccinated people who have recovered from the novel coronavirus, however, are still unclear for many.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, as of Tuesday the 16th of November, about 370,000 people employed in the public and state sector will not be able to go to their places of work without valid Croatian covid certificates, and the services these institutions offer will also not be able to be used by people who don't possess the same document. Those who aren't vaccinated will only be able to go to their places of work (if they work in one of the above sectors) if they have a certificate issued on the basis of having contracted and since recovered from the novel virus.

It all seems more or less clear enough (for Croatian standards), but there's still a lack of clarity - can people who have suffered from coronavirus in the last six months or in the last twelve months go to work if they work in public services? Can they enter a post office?

Croatian covid certificates with a QR code, either in digital or physical/paper form, can be obtained by those who have had the virus in the last six months and can prove it with a positive PCR test result from within that exact time frame. This is done exclusively with a PCR test result only, which is clearly written on the page where covid certificates are taken out in digital form.

Namely, according to the appropriate EU regulation, proof of having had and since overcome this illness is proven exclusively in this way and a certificate issued on that basis will be valid for six months. But Croatia has its own rules.

According to the Croatian rules, for all those who work in the healthcare and social care system, and as of today for all employees in state and public services, other ''appropriate evidence'' is valid, apart from simply presenting Croatian covid certificates.

Namely, if you overcame the coronavirus eight or maybe eleven months ago, you cannot get a covid certificate, but you can still go to work or to a parent-teacher meeting at your child's school. To be able to do this, you must have a certificate from your GP. In this case, the condition is not overcoming the illness in the last six months, but in the last twelve.

In addition, there is no condition that you must have tested positive with a PCR test only, as is the case with regular Croatian covid certificates. In this case, a positive rapid antigen test result is enough.

The Decision, which was put into force yesterday, states that it isn't actually necessary to have a covid-certificate, nor a certificate from your GP confirming the illness. Instead, your GP can put you down as a so-called ''probable case'' if someone in your household has tested positive and you had contact with that individual. It's easy to see where the confusion lies here as the situation is being overcomplicated and muddied in typical Croatian style.

So, in short, if you work in state or public services and you aren't vaccinated, you can still go to work with the confirmation from your GP that someone in your family has been positive for coronavirus in the last year, and you had contact with that person. Persons who had properly diagnosed coronavirus patients in their family and had contact with these patients can be declared so-called ''probable cases'' even if the presence of the virus was never confirmed with a test, the Decision states.

It is not stated whether this refers to a case in which you were officially reported as someone's contact and as such put into self-isolation, or if it's enough to give your doctor a positive test result from the aforementioned time period from a family member.

For all you need to know about coronavirus specific to Croatia, make sure to bookmark our dedicated section and select your preferred language if it isn't English.