Todorić: Indictment Withdrawn to Cover Up Prosecutors' Embarrassment
ZAGREB, 16 Nov 2021 - The former owner of the Agrokor agricultural and food conglomerate, Ivica Todorić, said on Tuesday that the indictment against him and his associates for siphoning money out of the company had been withdrawn to cover up the embarrassment of the Prosecutor's Office.
"As I have said in many of my public statements since 2017, this indictment against me, my family and my associates, which has been withdrawn today, has nothing to do with reality and the actual state of affairs. It's a piece of junk. The evidence in our possession confirms that it was made against the law and on the basis of criminal activity. The reason why it was withdrawn is the need to cover up the embarrassment, to put it mildly, of the County Prosecutor's Office in the Agrokor case, which was brought more than four years ago," Todorić said in a statement.
By withdrawing the indictment, the Prosecutor's Office is trying to avoid the exposure of criminal actions by the interim management of Agrokor, the so-called Borg group, KPMG Croatia d.o.o. and some persons from the Zagreb County Prosecutor's Office and the State Prosecutor's Office, which would lead to the immediate dismissal of Chief State Prosecutor Zlata Hrvoj-Šipek and several of her deputies, as well as the resignation of Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, the once most powerful Croatian businessman said.
Franchise Forum: Croatia Sees Rise in Number of Franchises During Pandemic
ZAGREB, 16 Nov 2021 - The number of franchises in Croatia has increased since last year by about 20 per cent to about 220, of which a fifth are domestic franchises, which shows that many see this business model as an opportunity, the 2nd Franchise Forum was told in Zagreb on Tuesday.
The forum was organised by the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK), the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) and the Croatian SMEs agency HAMAG-BICRO.
Those who opt for a franchise business, regardless of whether they buy or sell a franchise, often survive longer as a business in the first five years than other newly-started businesses, the forum said.
"The fact that we have about 220 franchises at about 1,100 locations in Croatia, with nearly 18,000 employees, shows that a success is possible and that there is still room for franchises. Many of our franchises have become successful globally," the head of the Commerce Department at the HGK, Tomislava Ravlić, said, citing the Museum of Illusions, Carwiz car rental, Surf'n'Fries, Direkt Booker, and Body Creator.
Attending were representatives of many other franchises, including Place2Go, TinkerLabs, Speed Reading and Wise Learning School, and White World launderette.
Krešimir Dobrilović, president of the Franchise Business Association, stressed the importance of cooperation they had established with the Croatian employment bureau (HZZ) several years ago, because the purchase of a franchise is recognised as a cost under the self-employment measure.
"That is a good measure for now. We get nothing from EU funds, and banks are not breaking their backs to finance franchises. ... However, there are indications from some banks and we are hoping for an improvement because there is a lot of work and opportunities for franchising," Dobrilović said.
This could increase the number of franchises in Croatia, both domestic and foreign ones. Foreign franchises currently account for about 80 per cent of such businesses, while in other European countries domestic franchises are predominant and in some countries they account for as much as 95 per cent, he said.
Franchising accounts for about 4.6 per cent of global GDP. There are about 28,000 franchises worldwide, and slightly over 15,000 of them are present at about 3 million locations in Europe, employing about 25 million people.
MOST Initiating Referendum against COVID Certificates
ZAGREB, 16 Nov 2021 - The opposition MOST party said on Tuesday it was starting to collect signatures for a referendum against the COVID certificate mandate to access the workplace and state and public institutions.
MOST president Božo Petrov said on Facebook the party had consulted legal experts and that it was formulating the referendum question.
MOST "is firmly standing up for the defence of constitutional values" and "will not allow our constitutional rights to be breached by arbitrary decisions" of the national COVID crisis management team "which acts as a para-political body," according to the post.
Vice president Nikola Grmoja said in parliament the certificates were pointless and could not be a means to prevent the infection from spreading, only an instrument to coerce vaccination.
He said decisions to that effect must be passed by parliament, not the national crisis management team. "We are against discrimination and dividing people. Why should some get tested and others not?"
Good Portion of Croatian Companies See Green Transition as a Threat
ZAGREB, 16 Nov 2021 - The majority of Croatian companies are not ready for the green transition, with many not having the money for it, and a good portion of them consider it to be a threat - there are some of the findings of a survey conducted by the Apsolon consultancy and the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK).
The results of the survey, covering 192 companies and conducted from 1 July to 30 September this year, were presented at the conference "Doing business in era of green transition."
Presenting the findings, Mirjana Samardžić Novoselec of Apsolon said that companies' readiness to invest in the green transition was rated poorest, meaning that companies are the most concerned about how they will finance that transition.
It is alarming that 51% of the surveyed companies see the green transition as a threat and as something that will increase the cost of doing business, require investment and increase complexity and administrative requirements for companies, she said.
Only about 38% of the surveyed companies see the green transition as a moderately positive factor while the remainder sees it as either a neutral or a negative factor.
Project financing is the biggest obstacle for companies, followed by problems concerning the legislative framework, administration and expertise of the current resources.
About 17% of companies already have a strategy for the green transition, 66% intend to prepare one while 17% do not have such a strategy and do not intend to create one.
Great expectations from EU funds
The companies surveyed consider EU funds to be crucial for the success of the green transition, as well as clearly defined plans at the national level and cooperation between the public and private sectors. Hence 95% of the companies have draft projects for the green transition or are preparing them and they intend to apply for EU funds, to be used mostly to invest in improving energy efficiency, the use of renewable energy sources, and digitisation.
Recommendations following the analysis include making the green transition a strategic topic, adjusting the strategic and legislative frameworks, using the synergy between the public and private sectors, and ensuring sources of co-financing for green projects.
HGK Vice President for Industry and Sustainable Development Tomislav Radoš estimates that the green transition of Croatia's energy sector by 2030 alone will require more than HRK 140 billion.
State Secretary at the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development Nataša Mikuš Žigman said that about 40% of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan is directed towards the green transition and that funds from the multiannual financial framework for the period until 2027 are available for that purpose as well. She added that some calls for applications had already been advertised to subsidise businesses in the transition to green technologies.
Antigen Tests Confirm Almost 900 Infections on Monday, Says Minister
ZAGREB, 16 Nov 2021 - On Monday, a day before the COVID certificate mandate in public and state services went into force, 892 rapid antigen tests came back positive, the Health Ministry said on Tuesday.
The high number of newly-detected positive persons once again proves the point and importance of COVID certificates," Minister Vili Beroš said, adding that without the mandatory testing those people would have spread the infection at work, at home and elsewhere.
"That says enough about the extent of the epidemiological damage we prevented in just one day," Beroš said, adding that according to expert estimates, those 892 tests directly prevented the infection of almost 2,000 persons and indirectly far more.
The minister said one person infected with the Delta plus variant could infect five persons who had not been vaccinated or recovered from COVID.
Croatian Institute of Public Health director Krunoslav Capak said over 60% of adults had been vaccinated to date and a part of the population had recovered, so one could conclude that those 892 positive tests prevented the infection of 1,784 persons.
Beroš said people who refused to get vaccinated were the reason why "we have to adjust the system, human and material resources, and set aside precious time which we could dedicate to the patients in need."
COVID certificates are a key tool in the protection of people's health and lives, notably the health system, Beroš said, adding that the goal was to reduce the burden on hospitals so that non-COVID patients could have access to healthcare.
Slovak Parliament Speaker Supports Croatia's Schengen, Euro Area Entry
ZAGREB, 16 Nov 2021 - Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Tuesday thanked Slovak National Council Speaker Boris Kollar for Slovakia's firm support for Croatia's membership of the euro and Schengen areas.
The two officials said Croatia and Slovakia were close allies and friends who had excellent cooperation within the EU and NATO, according to a government press release.
Kollar, a businessman himself, said Slovak business people stood ready to continue to invest in Croatia.
Plenković and Kollar exchanged views on the situation in Southeast Europe, notably Bosnia and Herzegovina, and on EU enlargement.
Croatia Reports 4,443 New Coronavirus Cases, 50 Deaths
ZAGREB, 16 Nov 2021 - In the last 24 hours 4,443 coronavirus cases and 50 deaths have been registered in Croatia, the national COVID-19 crisis management team said on Tuesday.
There are 33,760 active cases, including 2,378 hospitalised patients, 289 of whom are on ventilators, while 24,144 persons are self-isolating.
Croatia has registered 544,330 coronavirus cases to date as well as 9,986 fatalities and 500,584 recoveries, including 4,695 in the last 24 hours.
To date 3,288,144 persons have been tested for the virus, with 12,911 in the last 24 hours, and 50.76% of the total population and 60.66% of adults have been vaccinated. 55.13% of adults have completed vaccination.
Arctic Monkeys at Pula Arena Announced in August 2022!
November 16, 2021 - Arctic Monkeys at Pula Arena will be one of the biggest shows in Croatia next year! The famous English indie band will perform at the preserved Roman amphitheater on August 16, 2022.
Arctic Monkeys, one of the world's most influential indie rock bands, will perform on one of the world's most unique outdoor stages next summer - the Pula Arena! The golden four from Sheffield will take the stage on August 16, 2022, organized by Charm Music Croatia, Vigna PR, and AND Production.
The Arctic Monkeys started a musical revolution by becoming one of the first bands to gain fantastic popularity thanks to the internet. Their debut album is the fastest-selling debut album in UK music history, they have won seven Brit Awards, and their witty lyrics and raw energy make them one of the best contemporary rock bands in the world. Frontman Alex Turner is also well-known in the music world as a solo artist and for his side project and English supergroup The Last Shadow Puppets, where he acts as co-frontman alongside Miles Kane. Turner is a record producer as well.
The Arctic Monkeys are thus returning to the stage for the first time since the Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino tour, which ended in 2019. This will be their 7th world tour after releasing six studio albums, the first of which was released in 2005.
Arctic Monkeys are planning several selected concerts in the middle of summer next year, in Croatia, the Czech Republic, Turkey, and Bulgaria. Pula thus made the cut for the list of chosen destinations.
Tickets for the Arctic Monkeys at Pula Arena go on sale on November 24 at 10 am via Eventim.hr and at Eventim sales points. Ticket prices for the following categories are box 559 kn, ground floor 499 kn, grandstands 479 kn, lawn 299 kn.
For more, make sure to check out our dedicated lifestyle section.
Protests against COVID Certificates Outside Zagreb Prison, Split Court
ZAGREB, 16 Nov 2021 - Dozens of staff have been protesting outside Zagreb's Remetinec prison since 6.30 am on Tuesday due to the enforcement of the COVID certificate mandate in public and state services as of today, as have dozens of staff of the Commercial Court in Split.
One of the protesters outside Remetinec told the press they wanted equal treatment for staff, whether they have recovered from COVID or not, because everyone spread the virus, while another said they were not against vaccination but against forcible vaccination.
In Split, Commercial Court employee Višnja Rakić said they were under no obligation to show personal data to enter the building as it was "against the law and against the Constitution."
She said the protesting staff were more or fewer lawyers and that they would be spitting on themselves and the judiciary if they did something illegal and counter-constitutional under coercion or blackmail
As of today, COVID certificates are mandatory for employees and customers entering public and state institutions. With this mandate, the authorities want to protect people's health, encourage them to get vaccinated and ensure access to healthcare.
Zlatko Dalić on Future Croatia Captain and Modrić's Successor
November 16, 2021 - Zlatko Dalić hinted at who should replace Luka Modrić as the future Croatia captain - and he happens to be one of the biggest European stars this year.
A tearful Zlatko Dalić was seen at the final whistle after Croatia secured their spot at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Dalić admitted that this dramatic ending to the World Cup qualifications was moving and he was delighted to lead Croatia to defend the World Cup silver next year.
In an interview with Nova TV, Dalić was full of emotions.
"One of my biggest victories; it meant a lot to me. Especially because it was the final, played in front of a full stadium, and it took us to Qatar. I was just emotionally broken. This time I couldn't stand it with so much pressure and stress. We wanted Croatia to qualify; we prevailed, in those moments I couldn't control myself, everything was released."
He announced that Croatia could move to a system with three players in the back.
"We will try a formation with three defenders. We will need to prepare very well for the World Cup. There will not be many terms to play, we have to expect great things from Croatia, but we cannot get a result without these older players."
There has been a lot of talk about returning Ivan Rakitić to the national team.
"I am in contact with him. Ivan did not have the opportunity to be with us because of Covid-19; now was the chance to thank him, and we invited him to Split. He retired, so we will see. If the need arises, we will talk, but one should look at our youth. However, Ivan said that if the need arises, he is there."
Dalić then praised Mato Kovačić.
"I have to point out Mateo Kovačić. He is Modrić's successor; he should become the captain of the national team. He is the biggest winner in 2021; he is the European champion, he plays great for the national team, he goes to the top, he cannot be replaced when he is healthy."
Modrić does not want to rest.
"Modrić wanted to play against Malta, I even wanted to replace him at half-time, and he wanted to play more. Luckily these young players can learn from him. The younger ones will progress much faster with the older ones like Modrić, Lovren, and Brozović."
Ivo Grbić was in goal for Croatia's last two games.
"We changed the goalkeeper, we estimated that he is in better shape, but Livaković is still number one in the national team, and it is up to him to work and prove himself again. We have no problems with goalkeepers. Grbić deserved to defend, and Livaković must be even better to remain number one.
I have been leading the national team for five years. No money or contract can ruin this for me. Of course, there were difficult moments, but I forgot all that. What I experienced is irreplaceable. The fans are our strength," concluded Dalić.
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