October 25, 2021 - SpeakCro Croatian Online Language Center offers two scholarships for learning Croatian as a foreign language to female asylum seekers in Croatia. 

Through these scholarships, we want to support women who have found security in Croatia to find work and to expand their circles of friendship more easily as a result of improved knowledge of the Croatian language. 

More information about the SpeakCro scholarship and tuition program: 

• Program duration: 37 weeks (9 months) 
• Dynamics of teaching: 60 minutes per week of direct communication with the teacher and extracurricular activities 
• Number of participants: 2
• Method of communication: via the internet - audiovisual communication with the teacher in real time.

SpeakCro has been operating since 2011, has 5 teachers and so far has brought the Croatian language and culture closer to hundreds of satisfied students from all over the world. 

The lessons at SpeakCro are typically individual or in pairs and are customized to the students’ objectives and abilities.  

Interested asylum seekers can apply via the application form here no later than 20 November 2021. 

October 25, 2021 - Ten fully recovered griffon vultures were released back to nature on Monday from the sanctuary in Beli on the island of Cres.

All of the birds are the chicks hatched this year in the nests built on the east-facing steep cliffs near Beli on Cres. Their first flights didn't really end well, so they landed in the sea and were rescued thanks to the dedication of the local community and nautical and other tourists, who reported their falls to the employees of the Visitors centre and sanctuary for griffon vultures. The gang of ten released today have interesting names: Tarej, Ledenko, Špilja, Poskok, Alpioniscus, Harpactia, Kristal, Duga, Zlatan and Stalaktit.

The sanctuary is managed by the Public Institution "Priroda", owned by the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County. In the five years since they've been in charge 51 recovered vultures were given another lease on life.

Four of the griffon vultures were provided with special instruments which will record their movements after the release. The cooperation between the Priroda Institution and the BIOM Association has lasted for years, and they've been supplying the GPS trackers for the Cres Vultures through their various projects.

The director of the Priroda Institution Irena Jurić told the Croatian Radiotelevision that the GPS tracking, in addition to providing valuable info on the vultures' movements, repeatedly allowed the scientists to rescue the vultures who have found themselves in dire straits - again. For instance, the vulture named Kvarner was released in 2018, after being saved on Cres, only to be saved again in Italy when it was noticed that he wasn't moving. After a long recovery, he was once more released and is currently living a happy life in France.

The Zagreb Zoo has been supporting the Beli Sanctuary since its inception, with its expertise and veterinary care. Damir Skok, the Zagreb Zoo director said that modern zoos have a large role in the education of the public, especially when it comes to the preservation of the protected species.

Thanks to the combining the methods of putting rings on the birds and the GPS following, the scientists know that one of the vultures from Cres named Vranac was noticed near Vienna in June, Marin V. was seen near Udine ten days after being released, Barbara was registered in the Austrian Alps and Taras made a round from the north of Poland to the Sisak-Moslavina County.
 

These days, the griffon vultures only make their nests in Croatia on the islands of Cres, Krk, Prvić and Plavnik. That's why a lot of effort is put into preserving the endangered majestic species of birds.

October 25, 2021 - The Central Bureau of Statistics has published an estimate of the number of inhabitants by cities, municipalities and counties at the end of 2020. An estimate which says that Croatia has 237,000 fewer inhabitants than 2011, reports Index.hr.

According to the CBS, at the end of 2020 Croatia had about four million and 48 thousand inhabitants, which is about 237 thousand less than in the last census in 2011.

Only three counties have an increase

In ten years, Croatia has lost about five percent of its population. In other words, it lost every twentieth inhabitant.

Only three counties have seen population growth since the last 2011 census. This is the City of Zagreb, where a little more than 19,000 more people live compared to ten years ago, while Istria and Dubrovnik-Neretva also recorded an increase, but almost insignificant. In Istria, the population increased by slightly more than two thousand, while in Dubrovnik-Neretva it increased by about three people.

Eastern Croatia hardest hit

Eastern Croatia suffered the greatest losses. Overall, Osijek-Baranja County lost the most, with 35,521 fewer people now than in the previous census, while Vukovar-Srijem County experienced the biggest drop in population, losing more than 17 percent of its population.

Among the counties with higher losses are Sisak-Moslavina (-16.7 percent) and Požega-Slavonia (-16.5).

Rijeka lost the most people, looking around the cities

Depopulation has affected cities on the Adriatic coast.

Rijeka lost the most because it lost more than 14,500 inhabitants in the period under review. It is followed by Split with a deficit of about 10 thousand inhabitants and Osijek, which has 7650 people less than 10 years ago.

Looking at the relative picture, the biggest losers are cities from eastern Croatia. Vukovar leads with a lost fifth of the population. Among the biggest losers are three other Slavonian cities - Požega, Slavonski Brod and Đakovo.

The largest cities in Sisak-Moslavina County were also affected. Petrinja lost just over 18 percent of its population, while Sisak and Kutina lost more than 10 percent.

Solin, Kaštela, Dubrovnik and Sveta Nedelja have the highest relative growth

The largest relative increase in the number of inhabitants among the 30 largest cities was recorded in Solin (+11.6 percent), and a significant jump was achieved by Kaštela (+5.95), Dubrovnik (+4.88) and Sveta Nedelja (+4.08 percent).

We will see the true demographic picture of Croatia at the end of this year, when the results of the current 2021 census are expected.

How does the CBS calculate the population estimate?

The CBS has published on its official website the methodology for calculating the population estimate.

"Sources of data for estimating the population of the Republic of Croatia are the following surveys: Census of population, households and dwellings 2011, statistics of births, statistics of deaths, statistics of internal migration of the population, statistics of external migration of the population.

Population estimates include all persons included in the total population of the Republic of Croatia by the 2011 Census of Population, Households and Dwellings, all persons born and registered in the State Register of Births in the period from 1 April 2011 to the date of the estimate, all persons who died and were registered in the State Register of Deaths in the period from 1 April 2011 to the date of assessment and all persons who moved from abroad or emigrated abroad as well as persons who moved within the Republic of Croatia in the period from 1 April 2011 until the date of the assessment, " the explanation reads.

October 25, 2021 - The latest news on the Croatian national football team, as Zlatko Dalić announces a list of 24 players called up and another 6 players on stand-by for the matches against Malta and Russia in November, the last two to define the qualification for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

The Croatian national football team will face their Maltese counterparts in Ta 'Qali on November 11 at 8:45 p.m. And on November 14, at 3:00 p.m., Croatia will host the Russian national team at the Poljud to define the winner of Group H. Dalić and his players beat Cyprus 3-0 and drew 2-2 against Slovakia in Osijek in the previous round of matches. Now, in their last two group matches, they hope to take all six points to seal their direct qualification to the Qatar World Cup in 2022 and avoid the playoffs. It will not be easy since, in addition to visiting Malta, they will face their direct rival for qualification, Russia.

(Croatian Football Federation on Facebook)

For the matches against Malta and Russia, Dalić has presented a roster of 24 players and another six on stand-by. Compared to their last list to face Cyprus and Slovakia, it is worth highlighting that Dalić announces the return of Simon Sluga (Luton Town) in goal, and Duje Ćaleta-Car (Marseille) and Marin Pongračić (Dortmund) in defense, thus leaving Filip Uremović (Rubin Kazan) and Mile Škorić (Osijek) on the stand-by list, and Ivica Ivušić of Osijek is no longer among the 30 named by Dalić. Those would be the only changes to the 24-player roster, while goalkeeper Lovre Kalinić (Hajduk) is new to the stand-by roster. Nikola Moro (Dinamo Moscow), Antonio-Mirko Čolak (Malmo), and Kristijan Lovrić (Gorica) reappear on the provisional list.

The tickets for the match against Russia at Poljud are already on sale, and according to the Federation, more than 10,000 have already been sold.

To follow the latest sports news in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

To learn more about sport in Croatia, CLICK HERE.

October 25, 2021 - It has been a busy 12 months for the Croatian digital nomad story, but there is plenty happening elsewhere in the world. Having been invited to speak at the inaugural Digital Nomad World conference from December 6-8, TCN caught up with owner and organiser ,Olumide Gbenro in Bali. 

The global digital nomad story is gathering pace, and all (some 10,000 pairs) will be on Digital Nomad Week 2021 in early December, when 100 speakers will be addressing some 10,000 virtual attendees from over 120 countries. 

Croatia will have a strong presence from the private sector, with several key figures from the incredible progress over the last 18 months all among the 100 conference speakers. Confirmed so far with a Croatian angle are Jan de Jong, the President of the Digital Nomad Association Croatia and the catalyst for the Croatian digital nomad permit. American Steve Tsentserensky, only the 7th recipient of the permit and a regular conference speaker and viral video maker. Israeli Nimrod Dean Kuchel was a keynote speaker at Zagreb Digital Nomad Week who seemed to have left his heart in the Croatian capital when he took up his post as the Zagreb Digital Nomad Ambassador for September. German Andreas Wil Gerdes who has been advocating remote work strategies for Croatia for some time. And on a personal level, I was delighted to be given the chance to present Croatia's story from the TCN perspective, having covered the subject for more than two years. 

Time to get out of our Croatian bubble and meet the man behind this global event and find out more about it. 

Olumide Gbenro is a digital nomad pioneer based in Bali, Indonesia who has hosted community events serving 10,000+ digital nomads from around the world over the last 5 years. He is Founder of Digital Nomad Week, Digital Nomad Summit, Digital Nomad Islands, and Digital Nomad Festival.

His work has been covered in prominent publications like Forbes, Entrepreneur, and Business Insider for advocating for digital nomad visas and his continuing work to create sustainable global citizens that give back to the local communities.

Today he is helping governments, cities and organizations attract digital nomads and become better prepared for the future of remote work, today.

1. Digital Nomad Week. Run from Bali but fully remote. 10,000 attendees, 100 speakers, 120 countries. It sounds amazing. Tell us a little bit about the event first, and how you got started.

In 2020 we were supposed to have our first summit in-person in Bali, Indonesia, but due to Covid we had to postpone it. Instead we pivoted into a virtual summit and it was a blessing in disguise because we saw about 1,000 attendees from around the world. This showed me the strong signal I needed to continue creating virtual events for high level networking, learning and socializing for the digital nomad community around the world. 

2. Who is the event aimed at?

We are aiming at both newbies to the remote work world and also experienced leaders who have already achieved complete freedom. There is something for everyone, from our panels with famous digital nomads like Matt Kepnes “Nomadic Matt” and the legendary Rolf Potts, Kristen Wilson, and Gonçalo Hall, founder of the world’s first digital nomad village, the best of the best will be in the (virtual) rooms discussing the future of our population. We also have a mastermind with 6, and 7 figure nomads sharing their latest knowledge on how to achieve complete financial freedom. 

3. Where does Digital Nomad Week rank in terms of global DN conferences?

I really think we’re the best, and I’m not just saying that. No one has ever put together such a formidable lineup of remote work leaders and this is just the start. Next year I will present both a physical Digital Nomad Summit and a massive Digital Nomad Festival later in 2022. 

4. What are your hopes and expectations from this year's conference?

My real hope is that people find a new home, a place where they can not just get high level learning but also meet new business partners, learn about up and coming digital nomad hubs and also perhaps develop a skill that helps them generate their first or next six figure online business. 

5. You have been a top remote work influencer for some time. How do you see the pattern of change, particularly due to the pandemic? 

I think the pandemic has helped even the savvy remote work leaders decide on lifestyle design they desire to live and to adjust fast. Meaning I choose where I live depending on the rules set forward by the governments in the region that I live. I know so many that left Bali when things became more unstable to go to Mexico. I think in the coming years we will all stay longer in destinations depending on the benefits offered by local governments but we’ll also be much more active with local people and communities to give them more of our time, money and attention. Long gone are the days where you hop from country to country every 2 weeks, it’s just not practical anymore. 

6. Bali has been a remote work capital for a number of years. What is the situation now - are things returning back to normal? 

Things are finally starting to return very slowly but I believe it will return sooner than predicted. Although many have been critical of the response of the Indonesian government I believe they are doing the best they can and with the new law allowing vaccinated people to enter I can see a big bounce back of tourism once the 5-day quarantine is removed. I have already noticed so much more traffic in the popular area of Canggu, Bali.

7. Can we talk a little about Croatia, as that is my primary focus? Your observations on the DN story in Croatia, looking from distance and with your experience on how Croatia is doing on its DN path?

I think from a distance I see the massive efforts Croatia is making. You’ve brought on passionate ambassadors and it’s clear you are putting in a major effort for the community. I know you have critics so my advice is to prove them wrong. Show the community at large you care and all will be well. 

8. What should be the key areas of focus for Croatia as part of next steps?

I think you need people dedicated to staying long term. Find 3-5 new and excited faces who wear “digital nomad” on their sleeve and let them have the remote control. Host events that allow people to socialize and have fun, it’s not all about being serious all the time and I’ve found my best business deals have come from informal relationships. 

9. And finally, what's next for Olumide Gbenro after Digital Nomad Week?

I now own the domains for Digital Nomad Summit, Digital Nomad Week, Digital Nomad Festival as well as their trademarks. I plan to expand from Bali to other hubs to host the worlds top events. I want to partner with other leaders, this isn’t a competition I don’t believe in that and I welcome the partnership of leaders and local governments who have a genuine heart for our population.

For more information about Digital Nomad Week, and to register, visit the official website.

For the latest news and features about digital nomads in Croatia, visit the dedicated TCN section.

ZAGREB, 25 Oct 2021 - The final conference of the project "Enhancing the role and support to women in Armed Forces and in peacekeeping missions", which was held on Monday, called for better detection of discrimination against women in the military.

The aim of the project, co-funded by the U.S. administration, is to raise awareness of the status of women in the Croatian army and peace missions and about the importance of women's participation in decision-making.

Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Davor Božinović said that the government was committed to including a higher number of women in policymaking and to gender equality.

In 2019 and 2020, there were specific training courses at the Police Academy for 504 male and female police officers about topics concerning gender equality, he said.

Nearly 54% of higher-level office-holders in Croatia's interior ministry system are women

In the entire system of the Interior Ministry, women account for 30.96% of employees, and women make up 20% of police officers.

When it comes to higher-level office-holders in this system, women prevail at 54%.

A survey conducted among 366 respondents, of whom 67% were men, has shown that 21.59% said they had experienced some kind of discrimination. In those cases of discrimination, two-thirds of perpetrators were men.

When it comes to the armed forces, a mere 13% of the 14,836 active-duty officers are women, and this share is higher than in other NATO and EU member states.

The share of women employees in the ministry's offices and departments is 50.2%.

The share of female participants in Croatia's peace missions has been 5.83%

A survey conducted among 150 female staffers in the ministry shows that 60% of them have experienced some form of discrimination, and 30% say they have been discriminated against based on their sex.

For more, follow our politics section.

ZAGREB, 25 Oct 2021 - Supreme Court president Radovan Dobronić told the Homeland Movement on Monday that no parliamentary party should have a problem with condemning symbols associated with the Nazi-allied Independent State of Croatia (NDH).

"All parties, on the left and on the right, which participate in parliamentary life, must not have any problem with condemning symbols associated with the system that was in place during the NDH. That had nothing to do with Croatia," Dobronić told the press.

Ustasha salute

He was asked to comment on the opposition Homeland Movement's response to his stand that the "For the homeland ready" salute is unacceptable, which the party condemned and asked him who was he to judge "the insignia of fallen HOS knights."

Dobronić said he was the president of the Supreme Court and reiterated that the question of banning the Ustasha salute and insignia was a civilizational and value question, while whether someone could accept that or not was another.

He said the ban on the salute and insignia should not be additionally regulated by law because "everything is clear" and that there was no dilemma as to what the constitution and the decisions of the Constitutional Court stipulate.

Enforcement

As for an upcoming Supreme Court General Convention meeting on enforcement, Dobronić said he would propose that Enforcement Act provisions on the issuance of enforcement decisions based on verified documents should not apply to consumer agreements.

"The Supreme Court can deliver at the General Convention two, three positions proposing another procedure instead of that one and the matter will be solved," he said, reiterating that the current practice is in contravention of EU rights.

Dobronić said his proposal would be that when big systems such as telecoms or utility companies decide to sue citizens for failure to pay their debts, a judge would have to see the original bill and agreement so that they can check the terms of the agreement in the context of consumer law.

Public verdicts

Dobronić went on to say that he would see that all court verdicts be made public.

"So far about 60 to% of verdicts have been available and the explanation why 100% have not been available is that they've had problems with anonymization, which takes time," he said, adding that this is only a technical problem.

As for restoring people's trust in the judiciary, Dobronić said there was no quick fix and that it would occur gradually and be achieved when the public had the justified impression that the same criteria applied to all.

The availability of verdicts and a uniform court practice will certainly contribute to that, he added.

For more on politics, follow TCN's dedicated page.