November the 14th, 2021 - As the list of institutions and locations that will only be able to visited if the visitor possesses a Croatian covid pass gradually widens, the powers that be have released a full list of locations where people can be tested for the novel virus and where people can obtain a Croatian covid pass if they don't own one yet.

The vaccination rollout across the country has ramped up recently with record numbers of Croatia's residents turning up for either their first or second doses of the vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 at various vaccination points located nationwide. Perhaps this is owing to heightened concern at the climbing infection rate, or perhaps it is because the National Civil Protection Directorate intends to implement the much wider use of the controversial Croatian covid pass as of Monday the 15th of November. It's more likely the latter.

As the 15th of this month approaches, many have decided to make their lives easier as it seems that a negative test result will also not be enough to grant an individual a pass by the time the beginning of next year rolls around if things continue to go south in regard to infection rates.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, HZZO's Jelena Curac spoke about the situation at a recently held regular press conference of the National Civil Protection Directorate, in which she stated that over 6,500 new institutions which can offer people a Croatian covid pass. These are primarily GP's surgeries, pediatric and dental surgeries and more over 460 existing locations in which around 20,000 people are employed.

Even though the aforementioned change in January, in which a negative test result will no longer be enough to obtain a pass is still very much a possibility, at the moment, anyone who comes to be tested in one of the listed laboratories or institutions can get an EU digital covid certificate/Croatian covid pass, and all of the additional details on obtaining a certificate can be found by clicking here.

The list of test sites, which will be regularly updated and divided up into individual cities can be found here.

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.

November the 14th, 2021 - Former HDZ PM Ivo Sanader is known for having been accused of being involved in multiple scandals and affairs, and his long lasting legal procedures are just as well known to the Croatian public. The Supreme Court, however, has just acquitted him in one affair.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the Supreme Court has partially reversed and partially upheld the acquittal of the Zagreb County Court in the case of former HDZ PM Ivo Sanader in the well known HEP-Dioki case along with Ivan Mravko and Robert Jezic. Part of it has become statute-barred (no longer legally enforceable as a prescribed period of limitation has lapsed), and the acquittal of Sanader has been confirmed for the second part of the indictment, the media has reported.

"On the appeal of the State Attorney, ex officio, the Supreme Court of the Republic of Croatia has reversed the acquittal of the Zagreb County Court and dismissed the charge of one criminal offense of inciting abuse of office against two defendants, and upheld the first-instance acquittal for the second offense of incitement to the abuse of office and authority against the same two defendants. The first-instance verdict acquitted the two defendants of the charges of committing the two criminal offenses of inciting abuse of office and authority,'' the Supreme Court said in a statement recently.

Since back in 2012, the prosecution has charged former HDZ PM Ivo Sanader with inciting former HEP CEO Ivan Mravko to pay out a fifteen million kuna loan to Robert Jezic's company (Dioki) and sell electricity below market prices, damaging the state budget by nineteen million kuna.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated politics section.

November the 14th, 2021 - As the scope of the use of Croatian covid certificates gradually begins to widen, parents visiting their childrens' schools for parents' evenings will also need to be in possession of Croatian covid certificates.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, all public sector employees, as well as all people who need their services for whatever reason, will need to have proof of them having previously contrated and recovered from the illness caused by the novel coronavirus, vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 or a recently obtained negative test result as of next week.

The decision on the measure should be published, after which - in the case of the system of education and science - the competent ministry will send out a decision to all kindergartens, schools, faculties and scientific institutes with additional clarifications and information for those in charge. The responsibility for organising everything to be in line with these new epidemiological measures will have to be taken over by the heads of the institutions, directors, or deans.

As Jutarnji list has since unofficially found out, parents will not be exempted from the need to present Croatian covid certificates or a negative test result upon arrival at school. Although it was previously announced that parents of students will not be covered by the measure, the new plan - as advocated by school staff - is that in case of coming to school for information, parents' evenings or any other long stay inside the school, parents or guardians must present evidence of their recovery, full vaccination, or a negative test result.

In the case of a short stay at school, for example, due to the accompaniment of a child with disabilities, they will not need to present Croatian covid certificates.

The exception will be parents who are bringing and taking their children out of kindergarten. According to current announcements, they will not have to have Croatian covid certificates either.

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.

November the 14th, 2021 - Croatian Post (Hrvatska posta/HP) has been bringing out various new services and offers for its users over the last year or so, and there's yet another one now on offer. Croatian Post cryptocurrency buying and selling options have now been widened.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, Croatian Post has expanded its service to buying and selling cryptocurrencies in line with more modern, cashless times, which can now be bought or sold at more than 50 selected post offices covering all Croatian counties, the company reported on Friday.

Post offices can currently do business with as many as eleven different cryptocurrencies: Bitcoin, Ripple, Stellar, Ether, Eos, Bitcoin Cash, Dai, USDT, USD Coin, Polkadot and Kusama, Croatian Post said in a statement, adding that around two years ago they also introduced the cryptocurrency purchase service in selected post offices.

"With the introduction of the option to purchase cryptocurrencies, selected post offices have become central locations for doing business with cryptocurrencies in many places in Croatia. The exchange of cryptocurrencies is carried out in cooperation with the Croatian company Electrocoin, which successfully runs the bitcoin-mjenjacnica.hr service,'' it was pointed out.

Croatian Post noted that Crypto Centre, a special website that brings together all of the Croatian Post cryptocurrency services and offers, is also fully available to customers.

The website contains an exchange rate list, information on buying and selling the desired cryptocurrency and an interactive map with the addresses of post offices throughout the country where this service is available. In addition, crypto-stamps can be bought on it, and as they pointed out from the company, this is another novelty with which they connected Croatian Post with the latest technological trends, ie the NFT market.

All three issues of cryptocurrencies that were put into circulation had a total of 3,000 exclusive copies that could only be purchased in cryptocurrencies and which were sold out in the meantime, and cryptocurrencies can be purchased in larger post offices and on epostshop.hr.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated business section.

November 14, 2021 - According to Krunoslav Capak, director of HZJZ, 28,170 people were vaccinated, of whom 19,198 received the first dose, thus setting a new record of vaccination with the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine in autumn.

A new record of vaccination in autumn with the first doses was set in Croatia yesterday, the Croatian Institute of Public Health announced on its website, reports HRT News. 28,170 people were vaccinated, of whom 19,198 received the first dose. The second dose was received by 2,359 people and the third by 6,613 people. Thus, the total number of persons who received the first dose since the beginning of vaccination is 2,043,475, which is 50.35% of the total population. Of those vaccinated, 2,022,551 are adults, bringing the share of vaccinated adults to 60.18%, according to the HZJZ. 

''I thank all our fellow citizens who decided to get vaccinated and we invite everyone else to get vaccinated. We can now conclude that there are more of those who have been vaccinated than those who have not yet decided to take that step. We especially call for vaccination of all those with chronic diseases. Citizens often ask doctors at checkpoints if they can be vaccinated due to the diseases they have and due to previous allergic reactions. Chronic diseases are precisely the reason for priority vaccination: if you have chronic diseases, the more you need to be vaccinated immediately. If you are unsure, bring your medical records for vaccination. There is a doctor at each vaccination point who will study what it is about on the spot before the vaccination. Related to allergies, even a severe previous allergic reaction to medications in the vast majority of cases only requires that the person stays in the vaccination for a little longer after vaccination under the supervision of a doctor (30 minutes instead of 15 minutes). Food and pollen allergies are not important when getting vaccinated and everyone can be vaccinated. Health barriers (contraindications) for vaccination due to which a person cannot be vaccinated have a very small number of people, less than 2 percent of the population judging by the countries where more than 98% of the population is vaccinated'', said the director of the HZJZ Krunoslav Capak.

"The highest coverage of vaccinated with the first dose was achieved in the City of Zagreb (58.9% of the total population, or 70.6% of the adult population), and the completed vaccination was also achieved in the City of Zagreb (53.2% of the total population, ie 64, 1% of the adult population), helping to set a new record of vaccination during the autumn season in Croatia.

The share of vaccinated increases from lower to higher age groups up to the age of 70-74, and at the age of 70-74 the highest share of vaccinated is 87.65% for the first dose. 638,318 persons (74.8%) with one dose and 594,036 persons (69.6%) with two doses were vaccinated'', the statement said.

For all you need to know about coronavirus specific to Croatia, make sure to bookmark our dedicated COVID-19 section and select your preferred language.

November 14, 2021 - Air Canada Toronto-Zagreb flights will not operate next summer as planned, with ticket sales officially suspended on the line. 

After Air Transat announced it would be running between Toronto and Zagreb next year, Air Canada has suspended ticket sales for the same route next summer. The airline was meant to re-establish flights in June. Recall, Air Canada was meant to take over the Air Canada Rouge Zagreb service, after all wide-body aircraft was axed due to the pandemic, reports Ex Yu Aviation.

The Air Canada route was to run from June 2, 2022, three times a week, with 54 flights and 32,076 seats between the two cities. The route would have been serviced with the 297-seat Airbus A330-300 aircraft.

Air Canada will, however, run summer flights to many cities around Europe - Athens, Barcelona, Edinburgh, Lisbon, Manchester, Nice, Reykjavik, Rome, and Venice, with Amsterdam, Brussels, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, London, Lyon, Madrid, Milan, Munich, Paris, Vienna, and Zurich running year-round. 

Fortunately, Air Canada can still get passengers to Zagreb with a connection in Amsterdam  

“It is no secret the resumption of medium and long haul flights primarily depend on travel restriction imposed by different countries. Zagreb Airport had a notable number of passengers from the Far East, Australia, and North America. The return of these flights will depend on border restrictions. We expect the gradual resumption of these services between 2022 and 2025," said  Zagreb Airport’s General Manager, Huseyin Bahadir Bedir. 

Canadian leisure airline Air Transat announced earlier this week it would reintroduce the seasonal route between Toronto and Zagreb when announcing next summer's flight schedule. Zagreb is among the 44 international destinations in its network, reported Croatian Aviation.

The airline plans to operate to almost all destinations as before the global pandemic, adding new ones, mainly in the United States, with 13 international routes to Europe, including to Zagreb. 

The first flight from Toronto to Zagreb has been announced for Saturday, May 7, 2022. A month later, from June 7, the second weekly flight with departure from Toronto on Tuesday will be introduced. Two-weekly flights are currently announced until the end of the next summer season - October 29, 2022.

A330-200 aircraft have been announced for the Toronto-Zagreb route, with a capacity of 332 to 345 seats. Thus, Air Transat will offer more than 31 thousand seats between Toronto and Zagreb next summer. 

It is no surprise that the Canadian market is important for Croatia. In 2019, Air Transat and Air Canada Rouge handled 65,486 passengers, or a 14.6% increase on 2018.

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

November 14, 2021 - Less than a month until Digital Nomad Week, the virtual edition with 10,000 nomads expected to attend, and more than 100 speakers including TCN. Continuing our look at the keynote speakers, finding love on the road with Aline Dahmen of Nomad Soulmates.

Aline is the co-founder of Nomad Soulmates, the world's largest online community and dating platform for single Digital Nomads, remote workers, and location-independent professionals. She is clearly passionate about creating impact and change, helping nomads to find each other.

Many people have found meaningful connections, friendships and partners through their community, some are married and have little families traveling the world. She will be speaking about dating tips for digital nomads, their newest dating app and what you can do to attract, create and maintain meaningful connections that enrich your life.

1. You are a keynote speaker at Digital Nomad Week in December. Tell us a little about DNW, why you decided to get involved, and what you will be talking about?

Loneliness is the number one struggle most nomads encounter as they travel the globe, that’s why I  am excited and honored that my dear friend Olumide has asked me to speak at DNW to share our mission to bring traveling remote workers across the globe together for deeper, more meaningful connections. It is important to me that nomads everywhere know they are not alone on the road, they have a huge community that awaits them filled with like minds and spirits.  

2. How does DNW rate on the nomad conference/festival calendar in your opinion in terms of size/importance?

I have been looking forward to this conference ever since Olu shared with me his vision of connecting remote work thought leaders and advocates and their communities all over the world. It’s quite a buzz globally and one of the largest conferences yet this year of its kind. It’s very exciting. 

(Nomad Soulmates success story - Elena and her partner)

3. You run Nomad Soulmates, a growing community of more than 23,000 single nomads, remote workers and global citizens. Long-term relationships and the DN lifestyle must be quite a challenge, I would have thought. Or am I mistaken? 

You’ll find plenty of nomads that would agree with you. Sure, dating as a nomad comes with additional challenges that come from your choice of living a location-independent lifestyle. It’s not for everyone. But, there is another side of these ‘challenges’ that most people are quick to look past. I’m excited to dive deeper into this at DNW. 

What’s important is learning how to turn these ‘challenges’ into connections. You’re not going to be a match for everyone, but that’s going to be the same regardless if you're traveling the world or not. Long-term relationships are 100% possible, and we celebrate with members in our community all the time when they share that they've met their special someone. 

(Nomad Soulmates success story - Sara and partner)

4. How does Nomad Soulmates differ from other dating services, and what kind of success have you had? 

We believe that our core strength lies in bringing people together for deep meaningful long-term connections whether they are romantic relationships or friendships. We do this by focusing on the quality of the relationships built vs quantity.

Nomad Soulmates was born out of my conversations with nomadic friends, who were frustrated with short-term flings and nothing really serious. So I set out to build a community for people who have the desire for real, meaningful relationships. Years later, with the help of my co-founders Sebastien, Kimberly and our community, Nomad Soulmates is going strong with a community of over 23,000 members, a thriving Facebook group, an online dating site, and we can’t wait to launch our dating and community app. 

Through our community and the online and offline events we host, members have met their close friends they now travel with, their spouse, and even have started families. 

5. The pandemic put an increased focus on the potential of remote work, but the trend has been building for some time. Where do you think all this will be in 5 years?

I believe that the trend will continue to grow. I have always believed in remote work and how it empowers individuals to live a life on their own terms. We can already see the majority of people valuing the time and freedom of choice they’ve gained through the past year. As the world starts to open up and 5 years from now as we look back I think we will see more and more of these remote workers who’ve found freedom, choosing to live a lifestyle that includes a lot more global exploring while working remotely. With that, we will see more remote families and those looking for love. 

(Nomad Soulmates success story - Sebastien and Claudia)

6. What would make Croatia an attractive destination for you to visit one day?

I haven't been to Croatia yet, but I'm keen to go! An absolute must that I look for when I travel is a strong, stable Wifi signal, may it be in cute coffee shops, at coworking spaces, or at home so I can work. Also, a warm, welcoming local and nomadic community is important to me. I'm all about exploring new cultures, food, building friendships, outdoor activities and enjoying sports. I know Croatia has a lot to offer, so I'm looking forward to visiting.  

Looking to find your nomad soulmate. Check out the website.

To get your ticket for Digital Nomad Week, check out the event website.

For more news and features about digital nomads in Croatia, follow the dedicated TCN section.

November 14, 2021 - Croatia-Russia match shirts will be donated to the Vatreno Srce Foundation and auctioned to raise money for the Split Hospital! 

The Croatia national team will donate their match-worn jersey against Russia. This is the seventh time Croatia will donate their jerseys in a humanitarian auction for the Vatreno Srce Foundation (Fire Heart Foundation). At the six previous auctions, they collected 156,684 euros or 1,175,130 kuna, reports HNS.

The press conference before the big match at Poljud Stadium was another opportunity to highlight the work of the Vatreno Srce Foundation, founded and led by Croatia national team members and coaches, through which they have been helping children and youth for years, such as donations to children's clinics in life.

In addition to coach Zlatko Dalić and captain Luka Modrić, the conference was also attended by the President of the Croatian Football Federation, Marijan Kustić, on behalf of the Foundation Dr. Zoran Bahtijarević and Ivan Zelić, on behalf of KBC Split director Julije Meštrović, and manager of the Step into Life campaign, Zvonko Biljecki.

"It is a great honor for me to be a part of the Vatreno Srco Foundation, and I am glad that the national team members have shown countless times how big their hearts are and how human they are. The Foundation does everything to help those who need help the most, and the auctions where players donated their match-worn jerseys were especially successful. We raised funds in many cities; now it's Split's turn. The Croatia national team is welcome wherever it comes, and wherever it comes, it does everything to help," said Zlatko Dalic.

The doctor of the national team, Dr. Zoran Bahtijarević, has been involved in the work of the Foundation from the beginning.

"The Vatreno Srce Foundation was founded on the initiative of the professional staff of the then coach Slaven Bilić and members of the national team. We concluded that the players are individually investing a large amount of money in humanitarian purposes, so we agreed that this would be organized in the future through the Foundation. We initially helped individuals and received more than a thousand individual requests a year, but over time we realized that in that case, there would never be enough money for everyone, no matter how hard we tried. So afterward, we functioned through donor dinners, and just before the pandemic, a fantastic idea was devised to raise money by auctioning worn jerseys from matches. Finally, four years ago, the Foundation's Board of Directors decided to help one institution for children's health care and one institution for the education of orphans every year through the Step into Life Association. As far as health institutions are concerned, we helped in Rijeka and Zagreb, this year, it is Split, and next year it will be Osijek's turn," said Bahtijarević.

In the middle of the greatest health crisis of the 21st century, any help is welcome.

"I thank the Croatian Football Federation, my colleague Bahtijarevic, Professor Paladin, who is my teacher, coach Zlatko Dalić, captain Luka Modrić, and all other national team members. This is a great action and should be supported in every way. When it comes to KBC Split, we are facing something unimaginable at the moment. Still, at the same time, we are dealing with a great pandemic because we are well organized. To see how dedicated, motivated, and knowledgeable people work, we can be proud of all those people at KBC Split but also of our footballers. We will use this donation to build a pediatric pavilion for children with mental disabilities and neurological diseases. Unfortunately, there are more and more, which are chronic and must be treated multidisciplinary. If it weren't for this action, I don't know how we would have achieved it," said Dr. Julija Meštrović.

Zvonko Biljecki approached the work of the Step into Life Association.

“The Rotary Club Zagreb Kaptol founded the Step into Life campaign in 2008, led by Professor Paladin, and we launched one of the strongest humanitarian associations in Croatia. So far, we have managed to award 250 five-year scholarships to children without parental care, i.e., to those children who wanted to study after high school, allocating more than 25 million kuna. The Vatreno Srce Foundation has been following the Step into Life campaign from the beginning, although we financed the first scholarships with HNS funds when the Foundation did not even exist. After only two years, we became accepted by most, not only Croatian but also foreign companies. In the last year, we have been trying to finance Croats in Vojvodina, Montenegro, Hungary, who have also been left without parental care. I want to thank the Vatreno Srce Foundation, HNS, and the national team members, who have proven themselves, not only on the sports field but also in our normal, often not so beautiful life," concluded Zvonko Biljecki.

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