ZAGREB, 25 Oct 2021 - Croatia has registered 680 new coronavirus cases and 22 COVID-19-related deaths in the last 24 hours, the national coronavirus response team said on Monday.

The number of active cases currently stands at 16,645. Among them are 1,159 infected persons who are receiving hospital treatment, of whom 143 are on ventilators.

Since 25 February 2020, when the first case was confirmed in Croatia, 446,005 people have been registered as having contracted the novel virus, of whom 9,060 have died and 420,300 have recovered, including 1,854 in the last 24 hours. 29,237 people are currently self-isolating.

To date, 3,037,474 people have been tested for COVID-19, of whom 2,789 in the last 24 hours.

As of 24 October, 3,558,842 doses of vaccine have been administered, with 46.51 percent of the total population, or 55.73 percent of the adults, having been vaccinated. 1,887,251 people have received at least one dose and 1,774,513 have been fully vaccinated, which makes up 52.50 percent of the adult population.

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.

October 25, 2021 - In less than three weeks we will know if Vatreni will qualify directly for the next World Cup in Qatar. For the decisive matches against Malta and Russia, Zlatko Dalic counts on his players to arrive in good form. We review the activity of Croatian footballers in their respective clubs.

The coach of the Croatian national team, Zlatko Dalić, released today the list of Croatian footballers who will face Malta and Russia in the last two group matches, to define the qualification for the Qatar World Cup in 2022. With less than three weeks to go, we review the performance of Croatian footballers in their respective clubs this week which, overall, has been very good. The vast majority played matches in European tournaments and, over the weekend, in their respective domestic leagues. So, how did Croatian footballers perform this week with their clubs?

IN CROATIA

Dinamo Zagreb - Three Croatian footballers called up by Dalić played in Sunday's draw between Dinamo Zagreb and NK Istra. Dominik Livaković, the national team's starting goalkeeper, and Mislav Oršić were part of the starting line-up, while Luka Ivanušec entered for Marko Bulat in the 60th minute. Istra found the first goal of the match in the 79th minute, after a great team effort that was well defined by Croatian striker Dion Drena Beljo in a 1v1 game against Livaković. Soon after, however, Dinamo tied the game in the 84th minute. Luka Ivanušec's free-kick found Dino Perić's head and the defender beat the Istra goalkeeper to equalize. The final result was 1-1. Dinamo are in third place in the table in the Croatian First League, three points behind Rijeka and Osijek, but the team from the capital have two games less. On Thursday, Dinamo Zagreb faced Rapid Wien in Austria. The three players called up by Dalić were part of the starting eleven. The hosts took the lead with a goal from Gruell in the 9th minute, but Oršić scored the equalizer in the 24th minute with an assist from Ivanušec. Ten minutes later, Livaković would concede a goal again, for Rapid Wien's 1-2. In the second half the score did not move, and the final result was 1-2 for the home team. Dinamo Zagreb are second in Group H of the Europa League, six behind the leader, Nikola Vlašić's West Ham, and tied with 3 points with Rapid Wien and Genk.

24' GOOOOOOOOOOOOL! Rapid - Dinamo 1:1. Oršić ?⚽️???? #dinamozagreb #UEL pic.twitter.com/NORViBXEEN

— GNK Dinamo (@gnkdinamo) October 21, 2021

NK Osijek - On Saturday, Osijek faced NK Hrvatski Dragovoljac at home, and a Croatian player called up by Zlatko Dalić, Mile Škorić, played the match. The 30-year-old defender born in Vinkovci played the entire 90 minutes, and his team prevailed thanks to a goal scored by Croatian midfielder Žaper in the 71st minute, following a corner play. The final result was 1-0 for the home team, and Osijek are in second place in the table, tied on points with the leader, Rijeka.

Hajduk Split & Gorica - In the goalless draw between Hajduk Split and Gorica, played at Poljud, three Croatian footballers called up to be part of the national team played the entire match. For Hajduk, goalkeeper Lovre Kalinić and forward Marko Livaja, and for Gorica, left-winger Kristijan Lovrić. Neither could take all three points, and they had to settle for a draw. In this way, Hajduk is in fourth place in the table with 21 points in 12 games played, and Gorica with 18.

IN GERMANY

Josip Stanišić - On Wednesday, Stanišić entered in the 77th minute for Thomas Müller and then provided an assist for Sane's goal that sealed Bayern München's 4-0 win over Benfica in Group E in the Champions League. He was left on the bench on Saturday in the 4-0 win against Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga. Bayern München are first in their Champions League group and in the Bundesliga table.

70' ⚽ 0-1
80' ⚽ 0-2
82' ⚽ 0-3
84' ⚽ 0-4

Goal cramming again ? pic.twitter.com/O6VpO4rQCr

— FC Bayern English (@FCBayernEN) October 20, 2021

Borna Sosa - In Stuttgart's second consecutive draw in the Bundesliga, this time at home, Borna Sosa played the 90 minutes against Union Berlin on Sunday. The left-back could not reverse the 1-1 result, where Borna's team managed to save a valuable point in the 93rd minute, with an agonizing goal from Faghir. Stuttgart are 13th in the Bundesliga with 10 points in 9 games played. 

Andrej Kramarić - The Croatian striker and historical top scorer for Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga, who also scored in Croatia's last draw against Slovakia in Osijek, played the entire game against Bundesliga leaders Bayern München, but could do little to prevent the defeat by 0-4 of his team. Hoffenheim are in the eleventh position on the table.

Joško Gvardiol - The 19-year-old defender started the game on the bench, where RB Leipzig visited Paris Saint-Germain for the third round of Group A of the Champions League on Tuesday. The German team managed to turn the result around, after an early goal from Kylian Mbappé. However, in the second half, two goals from Lionel Messi would put PSG ahead on the scoreboard again. In the 70th minute, after Messi's first goal and PSG's second to equalize, Gvardiol came in for Lukas Klostermann. In injury time, with the result favorable for the hosts, the Croatian defender fouled Achraf Hakimi in the Leipzig area, and the referee signaled a penalty. Kylian Mbappé missed it, but even so, the French team took all three points. In the Bundesliga, Gvardiol played the entire match in Leipzig's home win against Greuther Fuerth, 4-1. Leipzig are last in their Champions League group with zero points, and in the Bundesliga, they are in the sixth position in the table, three points from the Champions League zone.

Kristijan Jakić - The midfielder who plays for Frankfurt played the entire game against Greek team Olympiacos on Thursday, for the third round of Group D of the UEFA Europa League, where his team took a 3-1 victory at home. On Sunday, however, he couldn't do much to prevent his team's defeat against Bochum 0-2. The Croatian was part of the starting eleven but was changed at halftime when his team was losing 0-1. Eintracht Frankfurt are first in their group in the Europa League after a valuable victory over Olympiacos, who are behind by one point. In the Bundesliga, things are not going very well, since they are fifteenth in the table and only three points from relegation. Interestingly, the only game they have won this season was against Bayern München at the Allianz Arena, on October 3.

Marin Pongračić - The Croatian defender was part of Borussia Dortmund's starting eleven that played away against Arminia Bielefeld. The 24-year-old German-born defender played the entire match, as Dortmund prevailed 3 goals to 1. A mistake by Pongračić almost gave the hosts the lead, but his team reacted quickly on defense. The goals were scored by Emre Can in the 31st minute from the penalty spot, Mats Hummels made it 0-2 in the 45th minute with a spectacular volley, and England's Jude Bellingham scored an unforgettable goal to seal it 0-3 in the 72nd minute. At the end of the game, in the 87th minute, the home team would find the discount through a penalty converted by Klos, after a foul by Hummels. Borussia Dortmund, with this result, is in second place in the Bundesliga, just one point behind the powerful Bayern München.

IN FRANCE

Ivo Grbić - The 25-year-old Split-born goalkeeper played both games for his team, Lille, this week. On Wednesday, for the UEFA Champions League, his team hosted Sevilla of Spain. The Croatian goalkeeper did not concede goals, but his team was unable to score against Sevilla. The final result was 0-0. Croatian left-back Domagoj Bradarić was not on the list to face the Spanish. On Saturday, Grbić's team again drew back, but this time against Brest for France's Ligue 1, and with a 1-1 result. The Croatian defended his goal for 90 minutes, and despite the fact that Lille gained the advantage in the 19th minute thanks to a goal from David, Brest managed to get the equalizer in the 32nd minute, where Faivre beat the Croatian goalkeeper. Bradarić did not play the match and stayed on the bench. Lille are third in Group G of the Champions League, five points behind leaders FC Salzburg and one point behind second, Sevilla. In Ligue 1, they are in tenth place, four points behind the zone to qualify for the Champions League.

Duje Ćaleta-Car - The Croatian center-back was another of the Croatian footballers who played both games for his club this week, both in European competition and in his respective league. On Thursday, for the third round of Group E of the UEFA Europa League, his team, Olympique Marseille, faced Lazio in Rome. And on Sunday, Marseille hosted Paris Saint-Germain at the Stade Vélodrome. Ćaleta-Car helped his team in both games to keep a clean sheet, but the Marseille forwards were unable to score against both Lazio and PSG. Thus, the Croatian central defender had to settle for two goalless draws this week. In the UEFA Europa League, Marseille are third in their group, one point behind Lazio and four behind the leaders, Galatasaray. In France's Ligue 1, the Ćaleta-Car team are fourth in the table with 18 points, one point behind Nice and three behind Lens. PSG leads the French tournament with 28 points.

Le retour du roc ??? ?? pic.twitter.com/b5cfTu2bz0

— Olympique de Marseille (@OM_Officiel) October 25, 2021

Lovro Majer - Despite not being called by Dalić for the upcoming games against Malta and Russia, the Croatian footballer is making sure to be noticed for the World Cup. The former Dinamo Zagreb midfielder did not start in either of his team's two games this week. However, he knew how to take advantage of the minutes they gave him in both games. On Thursday, Rennes faced NŠ Mura in Slovenia for the third round of Group G of the UEFA Conference League. The French team took all three points after winning 1-2. Lovro Majer came in in the 63rd minute to replace Flavien Tait. The French team leads their group with 7 points, followed by Vitesse from the Netherlands with 6 points, and Tottenham from England with 4 points. His rivals this week are last with zero points. For France's Ligue 1, Rennes hosted Strasbourg on Sunday. In a match that seemed to find no winner, it was Rennes defender Aguerd who broke the tie in the 82nd minute with a great assist from Croatian footballer Lovro Majer, who had entered just four minutes earlier. Now his team is in fifth place in the table, tied on points with Marseille, but with one more game.

[#SRFCRCSA]

????? ?

??????̀?? ?? ??????? ???? ✅
??????̀?? ????? ??́' ✅ pic.twitter.com/Yt1RurkJZy

— Stade Rennais F.C. (@staderennais) October 25, 2021

IN ITALY

Marcelo Brozović & Ivan Perišić - On Tuesday, for the Champions League, the two Croatian footballers from Internazionale were chosen in the starting eleven, where they played the third match of Group D against the leaders, Sheriff FC. The team from Milan took all three points, after winning 3-1. In the 85th minute, with the result already sentenced, Simone Inzaghi gave rest to the two Croats. Brozović came out for Sensi, and Perišić for Kolarov. On Sunday, the "neroazurri" would face one of their greatest rivals, Juventus. Once again, Brozović and Perišić would be part of the starting eleven to face the "bianconeri" at the Giuseppe Meazza stadium. Inter took the lead in '17 with a goal from Edin Džeko. In the 72nd minute, shortly after receiving a yellow card, Perišić was replaced by Denzel Dumfries, who in the 86th minute caused a penalty after a foul on Alex Sandro. Paulo Dybala scored from twelve steps in '89 and saved a point for Juventus. Brozović played the entire match. Inter are third in their group in the Champions League with 4 points, and third in the Italian Serie A, with 18 points.

Mario Pašalić - Despite not winning his matches, both for the Champions League and Serie A, the Croatian midfielder did not have a bad week with Atalanta. In the third match of Group F in the Champions League, the Italian team faced Manchester United at Old Trafford. Surprisingly, the Bergamo team took the lead in the first half with a goal from Pašalić in the 15th minute. Demiral added another in the 29th minute to put Atalanta 0-2. Rashford put the discount on for the Red Devils shortly after starting the second half. In 57 ', Pašalić received a yellow card and was replaced in 68'. Shortly after, Maguire would score the equalizer and in the final minutes, Cristiano Ronaldo sealed the comeback. For Serie A, on Sunday, Atalanta hosted Udinese at the Gewiss Stadium. The end result was a 1-1 draw. The local team began winning in the 56th minute, with a goal from Malinovsky after an assist from Croatian Mario Pašalić, who was replaced again, this time in the 74th minute. Interestingly, Udinese's goal to tie the game would come almost to the end of the match, with the Croatian on the bench.

#ManUtdAtalanta | 0-1 | 15'

⚽ GOOOOOOOOOOL MARIOOOOOO PAŠALIIIIIIĆ!!!

Siamo in vantaggio!!!! We lead in Manchester!!!!

Powered by @play_eFootball#UCL #GoAtalantaGo ⚫? pic.twitter.com/rdmTUAEvIn

— Atalanta B.C. (@Atalanta_BC) October 20, 2021

Josip Brekalo - Torino FC, coached by Croatian Ivan Jurić, faced Genoa on Sunday at the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino. Croatian midfielder Josip Brekalo played the entire match and performed well. His team led comfortably 2-0 after halftime, but a Mattia Destro goal put Genoa in search of an equalizer in the 70th minute. Seven minutes later, Brekalo scored the third for Torino to give the home side some tranquility. Despite Genoa scoring another goal in the 81st minute through Caicedo, it was not enough to equalize. Brekalo's team took all three points and is in 12th place in the table with 11 points.

JOSIP ???#TorinoGenoa#SFT pic.twitter.com/L6QQfxAJYB

— Torino Football Club (@TorinoFC_1906) October 22, 2021

IN ENGLAND

Mateo Kovačić - On Wednesday, the reigning Champions League winners faced Sweden's Malmo in their third Group H match. In the London side's landslide 4-0 win, the Croatian midfielder had to watch the match from the bench. However, in Chelsea's game against Norwich City on Saturday, German coach Thomas Tuchel let Mateo play all 90 minutes of the game, and the Croatian did not disappoint. Chelsea swept Norwich in a bulky 7-0 victory. Kovačić was the owner of the midfield, in a great display of his level, assisting two of the seven goals. The Croatian has five assists and one goal in nine games played so far. Despite having a lot of competition in the midfield with players like Jorginho, Kanté or Saúl, the Croatian magician has all the confidence of his coach. Chelsea are second in their Champions League group, with 6 points, 3 behind Juventus. In the Premier League, they are the leaders with 22 points, followed by Liverpool and Manchester City, with 21 and 20 points respectively.

Kova appreciation post! ? pic.twitter.com/8cpA8SCFRu

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) October 23, 2021

Nikola Vlašić - Vlašić played 83 minutes in West Ham's 3-0 win over Genk for the third round of Group H in the Europa League, played in London. However, the Croatian midfielder did not play a minute in the ''Hammers'' win against Tottenham on Sunday. Moyes's team took all three points after beating their rivals in the city 1-0, with a goal from Michail Antonio in the 72nd minute. It has not been a good start for Nikola after joining the English team in the summer from CSKA Moscow, playing just 3 Premier League games, and so far he has been unable to score a goal or provide an assist. His team has won all their matches so far and ranks first in their group in the Europa League, and in the Premier League they are in the Champions League zone, in fourth place.

Simon Sluga - The 28-year-old Poreč-born goalkeeper played the entire game in the victory of his team, Luton Town, against Hull City for the Championship, the second division of English football. The goalkeeper did not concede a goal, and Luton Town won 1-0 at his stadium, Kenilworth Road. Sluga's team is in 5th place in the table, in the play-off zone, and 8 points away from the direct classification to the Premier League.

IN SPAIN

Luka Modrić - The captain of the Croatian team played both games this week for Real Madrid, both in the Champions League against Shakhtar, and in the long-awaited El Clásico on Sunday against his eternal rivals, Barcelona. By the third round of Group D, the ''whites'' crushed the Ukrainians in Kyiv, with a score of 0-5. Modrić was part of the starting eleven, and in the 51st minute, he assisted Vinicius Jr. for Real Madrid's 0-2. In the 78th minute, he was replaced by Eduardo Camavinga. On Sunday at the Camp Nou in Barcelona, the undisputed starter at Real Madrid for several seasons started in midfield alongside Toni Kroos and Casemiro. Real Madrid took the lead in the 32nd minute with a great shot from David Alaba at Ter Stegen's far post. In a match where both teams had their chances, both Real Madrid to extend their advantage and Barcelona to tie, it was the visitors who found the 0-2 thanks to a counterattack in which Lucas Vásquez calmly defined. Later, Sergio Agüero would find the discount for the Blaugranas, but there was no more time to save a point for the home team. Luka played the entire game and now his team is second in their Champions League group, tied with six points with the leaders, and second in La Liga, just one point behind the leaders, Real Sociedad, and with one less match.

?? @lukamodric10: 4⃣0⃣0⃣ matches for @realmadrid and counting!#ElClásico | #RealFootball pic.twitter.com/ACSp80d2dg

— Real Madrid C.F. ???? (@realmadriden) October 24, 2021

IN SCOTLAND

Borna Barišić - The Glasgow Rangers left-back played both games for his team this week in the Europa League on Thursday, and for the Scottish Premiership on Sunday. Both matches resulted in victory for the Scottish team led by the legendary Steven Gerrard. Barišić played all 90 minutes in Rangers' 2-0 win against Danish team Brøndby. On Sunday they faced St. Mirren, and Barišić again played the entire match. Despite the fact that Rangers began losing very early with a goal 4 minutes into the game, the Croatian team needed only two minutes to turn the scoreboard. At the end of the first half, Roofe scored a penalty in 42 'and Morelos scored in 43'. There were no more goals, but it was enough to take all three points at the end of the match. In the Europa League, Rangers are in third place in Group A with 3 points, six points behind Lyon and one point behind Sparta Prague. In the Scottish Premiership, they are the leaders with 23 points.

Josip Juranović - Like Barišić, the former Dinamo Zagreb defender also enjoyed victories for his team in the Europa League and the Scottish Premiership, but with Borna's rival team Celtic. On Tuesday 19 they faced Ferencvaros, and despite the fact that Josip Juranović was not on the squad list, Celtic managed to take all three points with a comfortable 2-0 victory. On Saturday, however, Juranović played the entire game as a left-back, scoring his team's second and last goal from the penalty spot, against St. Johnstone. Celtic have 3 points in Group G of the Europa League, 4 points behind Leverkusen and Betis. In the Scottish Premiership, they are in fourth place but behind their eternal rivals, Rangers, 4 points apart.

JURANOVIC! ??#cinchPrem | #CELSTJ | #COYBIG ?

— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) October 23, 2021

IN SWEDEN

Antonio-Mirko Čolak - Croatian forward Antonio-Mirko Čolak did play all 90 minutes for Malmö FF on this week's UEFA Champions League match but was unable to change the outcome of the match, in which his team was crushed 0-4 by Chelsea of England. On Sunday, for the Allsvenskan, his team visited Varbergs and managed to salvage a point in a 1-1 draw. Čolak played from the start until the 82nd minute, but couldn't put his name on the scoreboard. His team is last in their group in the Champions League, with zero points. In the Swedish league, Malmö is third, just one point behind the leader, Djurgaarden.

IN RUSSIA

Dejan Lovren - The Croatian defender played all 90 minutes for his team, Zenit St. Petersburg, both in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday against Juventus and against Spartak Moscow in the Russian Premier League on Sunday. Against the Italian giants, Lovren's team could not avoid a goal in the 86th minute scored by Dejan Kulusevski, and they were defeated 0-1 in Russia. That leaves them in third place in Group H, with 3 points, 6 behind Juventus and 3 behind Kovačić's Chelsea. But Lovren and his teammates turned the page of the Champions League, seeking revenge against Spartak Moscow, and crushed their rivals with a resounding 7-1 result. Lovren played the entire match, but could not contain the Quincy Promes discount for the visitors in the 53rd minute. The result places Zenit at the top of the Russian Premier League, with 26 points from 12 games played. They are followed by the other two teams from the Russian capital: Dinamo Moscow and CSKA Moscow, both with 3 points less.

7:1
0:5

Not bad today!

— Dejan Lovren (@Dejan06Lovren) October 24, 2021

Filip Uremović - The defender and captain of Rubin Kazan played the entire match between his team and FC Ufa, the hosts. The end result was a 1-1 draw. In the first half, defender Abildgaard fouled Golubev inside Rubin Kazan's box, and the referee signaled a penalty later scored by Ufa striker Golubev. But Uremović's team would find the equalizer in the second half, through an own goal scored by Zhuravlev, after a dangerous cross from Rubin Kazan midfielder Kvaratskhelia. With this tie, the Croatian defender's team is in ninth place in the table with 16 points from 12 games and 10 behind the leader, Dejan Lovren's Zenit.

Nikola Moro - The Dinamo Moscow midfielder scored in his team's 4-1 win over Khimki. Croatian footballer Nikola Moro opened the scoring in the 12th minute with a header, after a corner play in which he beat two defenders in the jump. His teammate Grulev scored twice (26 'and 60'), and Tyukavin scored the other in the 52nd minute. The game was played in the capital, and the locals were close to taking the three points with a great result and a clean sheet, but in the last minutes, the visitors scored the discount goal through their striker, Ademi. With this result, Dinamo Moscow stalks the leader, Zenit, with 23 points in 12 games played. They are separated by 3 points.

27’ ⚽️ ГОООООООООООООЛ! Груля удваивает счёт, снова с углового ?#ДинамоХимки 2:0 pic.twitter.com/bLdYnmHM56

— ФК «Динамо» Москва (@fcdynamo) October 22, 2021

IN TURKEY

Domagoj Vida - The Croatian defender and Besiktas captain played the entire match against Sporting Lisbon at Vodafone Park in Turkey for the third round of Group C of the UEFA Champions League. Vida couldn't avoid a painful 1-4 loss. The visiting team's center-back, Coates, scored the first goal of the game in the 15th minute on a corner play. Larin leveled things for Besiktas in the 24th minute also on a corner play, and it looked like the home side could regain hope of scoring their first Champions League points. However, the weight of the Portuguese team was felt and they scored two more goals in the first half, once again with a goal from their captain Coates in the 27th minute, very similar to the first, and after a hand from the Croatian in the area of ​​the Besiktas defending a corner, Sarabia converted the 1-3 from the penalty spot. For that play, the Croatian defender received a yellow card. Shortly after, Besiktas found the 2-3 through Teixeira with a magnificent volley at the end of the first half, but it would be annulled by VAR, who found it offside. Besiktas could not find a way to get closer on the scoreboard and even with Sporting, and in the 89th minute, the Portuguese scored the fourth and final goal. The Turkish team is last in their group with zero points in 3 games, losing all against Ajax, Borussia Dortmund, and on Tuesday against Sporting. Today he will play against Galatasaray in an intense duel for the Turkish SüperLig, where they are sixth with 17 points, 7 behind the leader Trabzonspor but with one game less (which they will play today).

The Croatian national 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.

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

To learn more about sport in Croatia, CLICK HERE.

October the 25th, 2021 - A well known foreign company, the Belgian Gourmet company, has chosen Croatia and more precisely the Dalmatian hinterland in which to do business. The country and the area of Vrlika were chosen as the best among an array of other locations.

As Novac/Jutarnji/Slobodna Dalmacija/Toni Pastar writes, the Belgian Gourmet company is heating up its project involving a chocolate factory in the work zone of Kosora near Vrlika, and one journalist from Slobodna Dalmacija was among the first ''tasters'' of the chocolate made by "The Belgian Chocolate Group".

Products from their plant over in Belgium were offered to the public because the start of production under Dinara will start in just a month or two, when the shipment of products from Vrlika to the rest of Europe and the world will begin.

Vrlika has built a Business Centre covering about 2,000 square metres in the Kosore zone, which has six incubator production spaces and the same number of offices. The aforementioned foreign company has leased four spaces, which it is hastily merging into one single entity and is installing a new plant in which production will start, and this will primarily be vegan chocolates.

The Belgians have registered the Belgian Gourmet company for their entrepreneurial venture here in Croatia, based in Kosore. Starting up the future factory is the main task of Luc Laureys, one of the co-owners of the Belgian Gourmet company and its chief technologist.

Croatia was chosen among several countries

''We picked Croatia out of a group of several countries, and of the micro-locations we considered, Vrlika was the most suitable one of all for us. Our plan is to build a large factory, so for this project, in the immediate vicinity of these incubators, we purchased a plot covering 27,500 square metres from Vrlika itself. Until the construction of that factory, we decided to start production on a smaller scale in order to receive the planned work in all segments, from the supply of raw materials to the training of new employees,'' they claimed from the Belgian Gourmet company.

When can the start of production in the leased incubators be expected?

''The installation of plants and production lines is in progress. When it comes to the technical part, we'll be finished in about a month, and by then we will, I believe, remove the all of the administrative obstacles and prepare the necessary workforce.

Is the plant new?

''Yes, we ordered these new machines from the manufacturer solely for the factory in Vrlika. We've invested around three million euros in their purchase, and when we build a larger production facility in the neighbourhood, we will only relocate them and supplement them if necessary.

How many workers do you plan to start with?

''We will start production with twenty employees and we'll then gradually increase that number.

When do you plan to build a factory on the purchased plot in Vrlika and how much do you plan to invest in that?

''Our goal is to build a new factory within two years. I can't state the amount of investment because we don't know the construction prices in Croatia. In Belgium, such a factory would cost us about eleven million euros. We plan to have 120 employees in the newly built factory, meaning in about two years.

When the construction of the chocolate factory in Vrlika was first announced, it was expected that it would encourage the development of dairy farming and milk production. According to you, there will be none of that because milk won't be being used in the Belgian Gourmet company's production of chocolate in Vrlika...

"The Belgian Chocolate Group" is the third largest chocolate producer in Belgium. In our range we have a number of products, many of which, in addition to cocoa, the main ingredient is milk. In the global market, the trends are seeing an increase in the consumption of vegan chocolate and other sweets.

When we founded the Belgian Gourmet company, we registered for the production of cocoa, chocolate and candy products. In Vrlika, we decided on vegan products. Many who eat our products at first will find it difficult to distinguish them from the classic, non-vegan ones. We estimate that the market for sweets as we produce will have the highest growth among people who don't want to eat food of animal origin.

You've announced that you will make maximum use of the raw materials produced in the area. What will you be able to use from local producers in Vrlika?

''These are primarily nuts, whose production we'll certainly encourage. Basically, we'll be able to get everything we need for production from Vrlika, Dalmatia and Croatia, and none of it will be being delivered from distant destinations.

Jure Plazonic, the mayor of Vrlika, also joined the conversation.

It turned out that our Business Centre and its six incubator premises, which we mostly financed from European Union (EU) funds, were a total success. We believe that this could really bring about a turnaround in the life of Vrlika, that it could bring it all back to life. This project with the Belgian chocolate producers is our mainstay.

They started in a similar way nine years ago in Vietnam. Today, the factory there has 300 workers. With my associates, I was maximally engaged in helping these Belgian investors. As soon as a problem arises, we work to solve it immediately, we open the door to them and I must say that we're doing it all very successfully.

What does Vrlika expect from everything?

''I already said, we expect a return to life for Vrlika. The factory needs workers. These will be the currently unemployed young people from Vrlika who, in addition to a secure job, as a source of livelihood, will feel good enough to start a family here. We expect that some of the displaced Vrlika citizens will return because they have family houses and then they'll also have the proper preconditions for organising life here, and we already have cases where several people from distant cities have applied for the selection of the first 20 employees.

We'll be happy to see such people in Vrlika because they won't be daily migrants, such as workers from Sinj, Knin or Drnis, but will instead settle in our area, and we will encourage them to do so.

Mr. Laureys says that without the support of you and your associates, everything would have gone much more slowly...

'''Our goal is for our partners from Belgium to pass on their good experiences to their own business acquaintances, in order to arouse interest among them so that after they move to a new factory, those who are interested, on their recommendation, can arrive at the emptied incubator premises here in Vrlika.

For more, check out our business section.

October the 25th, 2021 - There is a lot of talk circulating about the long awaited opening of Peljesac bridge which is, along with its access roads, finally nearing total completion. In order to put it into function, however, one very important factor needs to be satisfied.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, although Peljesac bridge already looks like it is ready for the first cars to drive across it, the final part of the work is still in full swing, and asphalting is what began first.

''Then comes the installation of all of the fences, the installation of internal drainage, the inspection of it all, so, all of that is part of the finalisation stage of the bridge,'' explained Jaroslav Segedin from Hrvatske ceste (Croatian roads) for HRT.

Day by day, Peljesac bridge, Croatia's most important strategic project which unites its territory, is getting closer to completion. The Chinese contractor is slowly finishing its work, and now the emphasis is being placed on the access roads for the bridge. The works should be completed by the beginning of summer 2022.

Representatives of the Austrian company Strabag are working on both sides of Peljesac bridge, on a section 10.5 which is kilometres long. Two bridges, two tunnels, and the terrain is very demanding, but the deadlines have all been met so far.

''We're within [the timeline of] our plans, so it's all going well, as we planned with smaller or larger deviations that don't affect so much of the structure. We've been contracted until mid-July next year,'' said Mladen Marjanovic, the project manager for Strabag.

The total section across Peljesac bridge is thirty kilometres long.

''The current dynamics predict that the works on the Prapratno junction would be completed by June 2022. In that way, the proper conditions would be created for traffic to be allowed to run along the 24-kilometre-long section,'' Segedin said.

The last section, the Ston bypass, should be completed by the end of next year.

For more, make sure to check out our lifestyle section.

October the 25th, 2021 - The much loved and very popular Zagreb Brewery and K Pivovara (Brewery) which is under its auspices, has created even more variation in what was declared the world's best beer in its category back in 2020.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, last year, the beer that was declared the best in the world in its category - Grif Pale Ale, produced by K Pivovara from Zagreb, has been recently being producted in a brand new form - a 0.33 litre can. Along with the Pale Ale style in the new packaging, Oatmeal Stout is also now available in that form in stores. From the very beginning, these beers have been being produced in solely half-litre glass bottles.

From this microbrewery, otherwise under the auspices of the Zagreb Brewery, which is the Croatian market leader, they explained why they decided on heading in the direction of cans as opposed to more bottles.

“A small 0.33 litre can is practical and light and holds the ideal amount of beer for many consumers. At Grif, we approach the production of master beer uncompromisingly, and every drop of our skill poured into these new cans will confirm that fact once again,'' noted the manager for excellence of customers and consumers at K Pivovara, Dominik Palcic.

Cans of Griff's very own trump cards are on sale across numerous retail chains within Croatia, including Konzum, Interspar, Djelo and Vrutak, and the company is announcing its entry into a number of others soon.

These beers have been present here on the Croatian, otherwise very much thriving craft brewing scene since back in 2017, and Grif proved its mastery and quality not only here but also abroad.

Just last year, at the World Beer Awards held in the British capital of London, among 2,200 beers from 50 countries around the world, their Pale Ale won the title of World's Best Pale Golden Ale based on blind tasting.

For more, check out Made in Croatia.

October the 25th, 2021 - One Zagreb youth has taken entrepreneurship to quite the next level in the form of selling apartments which don't even exist to end customers and then pocketing their payments for them, which amount to millions.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, police officers from the Zagreb Police Administration have further confirmed the suspicion that the currently unnamed Zagreb youth, who we can reveal is 20 years old, has financially three people for more than 600,000 kuna in total by further intensive and persistent criminal investigation.

During the above-mentioned police investigation, it has been found that the 20-year-old has already committed several criminal offenses (fraud) and the criminal offense of forgery of a document to the detriment of four men aged 41, 57, 41 and 79 and two women aged 58 and 59.

Namely, it is suspected that the Zagreb youth in question purposely misled the injured party by claiming that he was seriously planning to build a residential building in the western part of the City of Zagreb by showing them forged architectural designs of the future residential building, a forged partnership agreement, a forged contract with a contractor and even forged payments, not to mention ''proof'' of having purchasing equipment.

Furthermore, the aggrieved persons also signed contracts for the purchase of these fictitious apartments in the still unbuilt residential building and paid advances for those purchases to the account of the company owned by the suspect, of which he is also the director.

The material damage caused by these criminal offenses amounts to around 2.3 million kuna in total.

After the criminal investigation into this Zagreb youth was completed, and after the criminal report was previously submitted to the Municipal State Attorney's Office, the police officers informed the Municipal State Attorney's Office in Zagreb about everything determined so far in a special report.

For more, make sure to check our lifestyle section.

October 24, 2021 - The Vladivostok Search and Rescue Centre reported on Sunday that they've cancelled the operation in which they were looking for a Croatian sailor who fell overboard in the Japanese territorial waters yesterday.

The sailor was part of the crew on the Dubrovnik's company Atlantska plovidba ship "Miho Pracat". The company reported yesterday that early on Saturday morning they noticed a member of the crew was missing. The ship was in the Japanese territorial waters at the moment of the disappearance, while going from a Russian port Shakhtyorsk on the Sahalin island to China. As soon as the disappearance was noticed, the ship was turned around and the search of the entire area of the ship was started, with hopes that the crew member would be found onboard. Unfortunately, that search was unsuccessful. So was the search, started according to the set international procedures, in the sea, managed by the Search and Rescue Centre (MRCC) from Vladivostok. The search and rescue operation on the sea included the crew of the Atlantska plovidba ship, one airplane, one specialized search and rescue vessel and one fishing boat which happened to be near the location where the event took place.

Večernji list reports that Sanja Putica, manager of the investor and public relations for Atlantska plovidba reported on Sunday that the Search and Rescue Centre from Vladivostok decided to abandon the operation which hoped to find the missing Croatian sailor. The sea temperature in the area was around 15°C, and the international guidelines direct the search-and-rescue missions in such circumstances to be stopped after 25 hours. The company expressed their condolences to their employee's family and those close to him. The ship continued along its planned route towards the destination port.

ZAGREB, 24 Oct, 2021 - Croatian citizens set aside HRK 549 in savings a month on average, 15% more than last year, according to the findings of a survey done by the IMAS agency this past July and August.

The survey covered a little over 500 respondents and was commissioned by the Erste Group.

The findings show that men save HRK 593 a month on average and women HRK 507.

Eighty-two percent of men as well as women consider saving important or very important.

One of the aims of the survey was to find out how the long period of low interest impacted people's saving habits. According to the findings, 25% of respondents keep the money saved in their current account, 15% invested by buying real estate, and 37% did not change anything.

As for the reasons for saving, 67% respondents save for unexpected situations, 43% to have financial resources for themselves and their families, 18% for retirement, 16% for major purchases such as a home, car or mobile, 15% for travel, and 10% for education.

Forty percent of respondents save using savings accounts, while 3% invest in real estate.

In central and east Europe, Austrians save the most per month with €344 on average, €72 more than last year, followed by Slovaks with €123 and the Czech with €119, both €10 more than in 2020.

Besides Austrians, Hungarians had the highest annual increase in monthly savings, by €19 to €82.

Croats save €72 on average, Romanians €58 and Serbs €47. In all countries most respondents save for a rainy day, including 94% of Slovaks.

The findings show that the pandemic has not significantly impacted saving habits, with 77% of respondents saying they save about as much as before COVID-19, including 87% of those aged 15-34.

As to the impact of the pandemic on their general financial situation, 50% of respondents said it was mildly negative, 35% said it had no impact, and 10% said the impact was strong.

Seventy-one percent of Austrians and 67% of Czechs believe the pandemic had no impact on them, while 18% of Hungarians and Serbians as well as 13% of Romanians said it had a strong negative impact.

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