ZAGREB, 9 Oct, 2021 - The Bridge opposition party's MPs and Zagreb City Assembly deputies on Saturday voiced concern over the situation in the Zagreb Holding utility conglomerate, saying that instead of dealing with citizens' problems, the city administration was dealing with personnel.

Speaking at a press conference, MP Zvonimir Troskot said the management and supervisory boards in city companies "are changing faster than trams drive" and that the city administration should start dealing with road construction, public transport, and waste.

He said the ZET public transport company was HRK 500 million in debt.

MP Marija Selak Raspudić said Bridge could not see why everyone appointed to a key position in the city was leaving the mayor and that she expected answers.

She also wondered why everyone working for the city was not allowed to speak in public without the administration's consent.

The party's City Assembly deputy Trpimir Goluža said the situation at the Srebrnjak children's hospital was an example of non-transparent management and of complying with political decisions "made within the close circle around Mayor (Tomislav) Tomašević."

He said the work of the hospital's governing council was secret and that it made decisions under Tomašević's influence, not based on expertise.

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

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October 9, 2021 - The Association of Night Clubs and Bars addressed the public with a statement in which, as they say, they ''want to warn of the work of the Croatian Headquarters, which without real and scientific arguments, persistently maintain the decision to limit Croatian nightclubs and bars until midnight''.

“However, some cafes and restaurants are turning into nightclubs despite epidemiological measures and the law on noise protection, as they work illegally, so we can't help but wonder who is crazy in this situation! We are witnessing that the media often report on illegal parties in the capital, but many nightclubs and indoor bars are closed until further notice'', they addressed.

Precisely because of the bans on nightclubs and bars, the statement said, thousands of young people are finding night entertainment in neighboring Bosnia and Serbia because there are no restrictions in their countries, reports HrTurizam.hr. Catering facilities that are 30 to 40 minutes drive away in neighboring countries offer their services after midnight, their prices are cheaper and VAT in catering is lower and there is no consumption tax. Absolutely everything is available and allowed to them, both in the clubs themselves without any restrictions on working hours, COVID certificates and tests, and on their return to Croatia.

The Association of Voices of Entrepreneurs and the Association of Nightclubs and Bars believe that the Croatian Headquarters should take these facts into account, and act like EU countries and our neighboring countries, removing the restriction on working hours of Croatian nightclubs and bars and allow work in compliance with epidemiological measures. ''This approach and bans only encourage illegal work, and young people are still not vaccinated to the extent they anticipated. In addition, constant pressure and almost no measures to help nightclubs and bars harm the business, many cannot achieve fixed costs if the company is engaged in some other business in addition to the nightclub business, although it is very clear that they are banned from working!'', they added.

''We believe that this kind of abuse of the Headquarters over Croatian nightclubs and bars must end. We hereby tell them that they prefer to worry about how to increase the number of vaccinated among vulnerable groups and allow night catering establishments to work after more than 18 months and compensation for all the time they spent in lockdown!”, reads the statement.

"Even after more than 18 months without work, the Croatian Headquarters does not want to allow nightclubs in Croatia, so under the disguise of caring for the health of people who do not want to take responsibility for their own health and get vaccinated for two years destroys youth in Croatia, and we got the impression that the Government of the Republic of Croatia wants to destroy the event and the entertainment industry in the Republic of Croatia. These measures themselves encourage mass illegal parties, where there is no implementation of epidemiological measures, and fiscalization is a foreign word. Also, young people from Croatia are still looking for their desire to have fun in neighboring countries, especially Bosnia, where in addition to lower VAT, and therefore lower drink prices, they can now refuel much cheaper fuel, so it turns out that this trip is 30 minutes to clubs in our neighboring countries free. All this is available to them without any restrictions on working hours, covid certificates, or tests. It is obvious that the headquarters is showing hypocrisy where it does not allow us to work, and encourages going to neighboring countries where no one controls you. We want to emphasize once again that we are not guilty of poor vaccination of Croatia, but that the Headquarters seeks the culprits in its contradictory decisions, such as this scientifically and logically unfounded claim that coronavirus attacks after midnight", said Domagoj Petričević from the Association of Nightclubs and Bars.

For more about politics in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

October 9, 2021 - On Friday, the Chief of Police Nikola Milina held a press conference at the Police Directorate, where he spoke about the published recordings of the treatment and abuse of migrants and the findings of the Expert Team so far.

"According to the first information after the publication of the recording, we immediately formed an expert team, and colleagues from the Police Directorate were sent to the field in order to shed light on what it is about. Immediately during the first actions, we came to know that the persons were police officers of the intervention police. "Since at this moment there is a basic suspicion of a serious violation of official duty, which is very damaging to the reputation of the police, the procedure of handing over the decision to the officers on the removal of duty is underway and further disciplinary proceedings are underway," Milina said.

As reported by Net.hr, the chief of the police said that they were in cooperation with the DORH, with which they would conduct further investigations. He also pointed out that they want to shed light on the event to the end. “Our interest is certainly to shed light on this event to the end, in no way do we want the individual event to affect the praise the police receive for their daily dedicated work,” he said.

Footage of masked police beating migrants at the border. (Telegram.hr)

''Corridor is not some secret operation''

He then denied certain information that emerged from the publication of the video.

"We have to deny that the Corridor is a secret operation aimed at intimidating or promotes abuse of migrants. It is a long-term action to prevent human trafficking, we have arrested 4,000 smugglers in the last two years. Members of the Croatian police have rescued migrants from streams, rivers, indoors where they have been placed by smuggling groups in often dangerous situations. In these few years, the Croatian police have been at the forefront of preventing the smuggling of migrants. 

Another misinformation is that there are police cover-ups, and that police officers in turn carry out some illegal orders. ''It doesn't stand out at all. I constantly send instructions to behave cautiously, especially towards vulnerable groups, such as women, children, but also in other situations", he said.

He said state prosecutors have initiated a total of 22 proceedings since 2018 regarding police treatment of migrants; in 13 cases the proceedings were suspended, the rest are ongoing.

"For those who break the law, the Croatian system is the most rigorous in treating its members and they must be aware that they will be held accountable. Also, regarding situations concerning alleged police officers who say they have been ordered to work illegally. There is a very clear situation, a police officer is obliged to report illegal actions ex officio. We also conducted 8 disciplinary proceedings against officials who violated the rules of treatment and abuse of migrants. I can say that in at least 13 cases the proceedings were suspended, and we always check everything we have to and wherever there are grounds for suspecting that there are disciplinary errors'', said Milina.

Chief of Police, Nikola Milina, at a press conference on Friday. (Photo: Goran Stanzl/PIXSELL)

Milina confirmed that there were three intervention police officers in this case and many have been identified so far. "Surveys will continue to be conducted in cooperation with the competent state attorney's office. These are facts that I can communicate. I am responsible for the first day of work in the police," said Milina, emphasizing that there are no special orders for abuse of migrants.

"It is especially warned that no use of force is allowed, especially against vulnerable groups, women, and children. It is about acting during working hours. This is certainly not a procedure that is appropriate and dignified, regardless of whether it is done at the border or any kind of treatment", he said.

The director general of police also said that "it will be seen for what reason (police officers) did not wear the prescribed uniform". "This is not about any treatment outside working hours. As far as uniforms are concerned, police officers are obliged to wear the prescribed uniforms, and it will be determined why they had certain parts differently and did not wear the prescribed uniform. This is about treatment, suppression of illegal migration, but this is certainly not a procedure that is appropriate and dignified. It is an intervention unit of the police that was on the rescue, it seems to me from the Istrian Police", he said.

Milina did not want to specify what the officers removed from duty are charged with, saying only that it was a serious violation of official duty and damage to the reputation of the Croatian police due to what was on the recording. "We will strengthen the control mechanisms. They have written instructions, they will also receive oral instructions. The focus is not only on the intervention police but on all branches of the police, we will strengthen education," he said.

He also said that, according to available data, there have been no disciplinary proceedings against police officers removed from duty so far.

For more on politics, CLICK HERE.

October 9, 2021 - In order to make the treasures of Međimurje known to locals and tourists alike, a creative transportation initiative called Bus on the move allows them to explore the county in a unique way.

The hop-on, hop-off bus is a real hit in Međimurje, reports Turističke Priče. Positive attitude, creativity, and desire to raise the quality of the destination offer to a higher level were the common visions of the three partners of the project Bus on the move or Međimurje on the move. Međimurje is the only destination driven by such a bus, which until now was characteristic exclusively for large urban cities.

The Bus on the move project started taking off through Međimurje back in July, and now they have presented a new autumn timetable. Autumn in Međimurje smells of wine, meat from Tiblica, and fragrant strudels with apples, as well as the traditional all-season Međimurje gibanica.

Međimurje - Bus on the move Official Facebook Page

Transport can be used by tourists and all residents of the region, who want to visit one of these attractions, as well as all other tourist stakeholders who have accommodation facilities and want to provide additional content to their guests.

A new autumn timetable has been announced this week: Longer route: Departure at 10:00 am at Terme Sveti Martin towards Čakovec, stop at the bus station and in Lopatinec near Međimurski dvori, and return to Terme Sveti Martin at 2:00 pm.

Shorter route: Departure at 11:30 am at Terme Sveti Martin, departure to Cmrečnjak winery, Štrigova center, Kocijan winery, deer and mouflon farm, Hažić wine camp, Sveti Martin na Muri, Med dvemi vodami center in Križovac and return to Terme at 12:45h.

Any tour you choose to discover Međimurje is guaranteed. Get on the Bus and discover the north of Croatia on the move.

Located in the fertile lowlands between the rivers Mura and Drava, Međimurje justifies its nickname – the Garden of Croatia. The neat little villages and towns intertwine with an enchanting landscape. The region might be small, but it offers a bounty of attractions to impress any visitor. Whether you are into food and wine, relaxation and outdoor activities, or exploring local history, Međimurje is a garden full of possibilities. If you want to learn more about the ''Garden of Croatia'', be sure to read Total Croatia's Međimurje in a Page HERE.

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

October 9, 2021 - When it comes to the inflation rate in Croatia, it will accelerate to 2.3 percent this year, and slow slightly to 2.1 percent in 2022, according to the Governor of the Croatian National Bank (CNB), Boris Vujčić.

The Governor of the Croatian National Bank (CNB), Boris Vujčić, said in the Croatian Parliament on Thursday that, unlike the forecasts of economic growth, the projections of inflation are dominated by negative risks, such as those that could lead to higher rates, reports Poslovni Dnevnik. In Parliament, where he presented the CNB's semi-annual information on the financial situation, price stability, and implementation of monetary policy in the second half of last year, Vujčić reminded of the CNB's projections for economic growth of 8.5 percent this year, and 1 percent in 2022, which he estimated, will have a positive impact on employment and wages.

"Due to the still great uncertainties, it is possible that these projections will not be realized, but unlike the previous ones, the positive and negative risks are balanced," said Vujčić. He explained that the negative risks to the economy relate to the possibility that the epidemiological situation in the euro area will worsen in the fourth quarter and the restrictive measures will be tightened, which would result in weaker foreign demand and negatively affect Croatian exports.

When it comes to inflation, it will accelerate to 2.3 percent this year, and slow slightly to 2.1 percent in 2022. In the previous part of the year, the acceleration of inflation occurred mainly under the influence of rising energy and food prices, said Vujčić, emphasizing that the projections of inflation are dominated by negative risks, ie those that could lead to higher rates.

Previously, in mid-September, Vujčić himself commented on the expectations about the inflation rate in Croatia regarding the next insertion of the euro as the official currency in the country, commenting about the situation in the United States, that ''it has a higher inflation rate, but the economy is overheated there, they also have strong fiscal stimuli that are stronger than European ones and I do not see that at this time such an inflation rate could happen in Croatia, we expect that year-round inflation rate to be 2.2 percent. This is, in principle, the goal of the European Central Bank, so we should not be concerned about that. The problem is if there is a change in expectations, wage growth, but we do not see that at the moment''.

For more on politics, CLICK HERE.

October 9, 2021 - A decade has flown by, as the Total Croatia Project, which started life in a Jelsa cafe as Total Hvar before turning into Total Croatia News, turns 10 years old today. 

It has been quite a decade, one of constant change. 

Ten years ago today, at about this time, I ordered a cold one from Captain Nijaz at Cafe Splendid on the main square in Jelsa on Hvar, opened my laptop, and got to work. 

My first article on my new project called Total Hvar, an attempt to bring tourist information about Croatia's premier island into one place. This, a tourist island with five official tourist boards who back then did not talk to each other. 

I had no idea what I was doing. If I had, I would perhaps not have decided to launch in mid-October, just as the island was shutting down for six months, a period when seemingly nothing would happen. 

How wrong I was in that assumption. 

I started with a question I used to get asked a lot:

What's in a Name? How to Pronounce Hvar? 

So just how do you pronounce this beautiful island? And what are the origins of its linguistically-challenging name? For Westerners used to a good coating of vowels in their words, Croatian can be a handful to pronounce (For Trieste, read Trst for example), and words in English beginning with H+V are in short supply.

There seem to be two approaches which seem to work. The first is to ignore the ‘H’ completely and ask the ticket seller at the ferry terminal for a ticket to Var. The other is to insert an ‘A’ and come up with Ha-var. You will sound like a tourist, but at least you should get a ticket to the right island. The correct pronunciation is somewhere between the two, a very shortened ‘A.’ If in doubt, just ask for Croatia’s premier island.

The origins of the name seem to descend from the Ancient Greeks, who named their settlement Pharos (lighthouse). The Romans derived the name Pharia, which then became Fara. This changed in the Middle Ages to Hvar, as the Slavonic consonant ‘F’ was superceded by ‘HV’. This was sometimes spelled Quara or Quarra. To further confuse the issue, the Italians renamed the island Lesina in the 11th Century (or Liesena or Liesna in Venetian dialect), which was derived from an old Croatian word for ‘forest’.

It wasn't the best blog I have ever written, or the longest, but I was away. With the help of a couple more cold ones, I wrote 5 more stories that day. And the next day. And the day after that.

What I discovered early on was that there was in fact LOTS to write about, even through winter. Hvar was internationally famous due to its sun, beaches, Pakleni Islands and Hvar Town, but there was very little known about the rest of the island internationally. After more than 9,000 articles I have written just about this lovely island, I feel that some of its less discovered parts are a bit more accessible to potential visitors.  It has been a real pleasure.

I had never been a blogger before, so didn't really know the rules, so I just went with the flow. As it was my blog, I could decide what went on the site, a freedom which continues today with TCN (despite the many conspiracy theories that I am controlled by Greater Serbia, Soros, the Russians, ISIS or MI6 - or perhaps all of the above). There were unlikely hits, ideas over a cold one which went around the world. There was no better example of this than the Hvar dialect series with Professor Frank John Dubokovich, Guardian of the Hvar Dialects. His iconic Dalmatian Grunt was viewed over 50,000 times before being removed from YouTube (it has recently been uploaded once more, above).

The Professor became a celebrity, with people (mostly attractive young women) stopping him in the streets of Zagreb when he visited, and it was only a matter of time before the Big Boys came calling. Nothing in my dubious list of life achievements can match the joy of watching The Professor on a UK reality TV show instructing a group of unsuspecting British contestants on a beach in Zaostrog on the finer arts of the Dalmatian Grunt. If you have 4 minutes, I guarantee the video above is worth it. 

(Photo credit Vivian Grisogono)

The Professor and his endless collection of ridiculous hats, provided endless blogging material at Total Hvar HQ, as Cafe Splendid became known in certain quarters. I suppose if I had used other cafes, I could have described myself as an early digital nomad. 

Apart from huge thanks to Captain Nijaz for keeping the cold ones flowing, and to the Professor for his trove of blogging material, a major thanks to Vivian Grisogono, who not only contributed some outstanding articles (and ones which were actually researched), but also for guidance, content ideas, and the most pedantic of editing over my typo-strewn drivel. After I moved from the island, Vivian usurped Splendid for the Eco Hvar HQ. And a jolly good job they do too. 

It was a wonderful period, as well as a pleasure to get so acquainted with this magical island, as well as meeting some rather unusual and unique characters. And while the financial rewards were not huge, it was a pleasant surprise to win the FIJET Marco Polo Grad Prix award at the Croatian Society of Journalists for the best international promotion of Croatia in 2014. 

There were offline promotions as well, including an updated 2016 version of my Hvar guide book (never again), and a loving reflection on an Englishman's decade on Hvar - Lavender, Dormice and a Donkey Named Mercedes is still available on Amazon. I get a couple of emails each year from people who tell me that they decided to buy property on the island after reading it. Such emails are pleasant incursions into my inbox, which is more peppered with abuse these days, particularly after I escalated Total Hvar beyond the island's idyllic shores. 

The route to starting TCN back in July 2015 was circuitous. Experiments with Total Split, Total Inland Dalmatia, Total Zagreb, Total Croatia Cycling, Total Croatia Wine, Total Medjugorje, Total Croatia Sailing.

Some worked better than others.

Some didn't work at all. 

From the moment we started Total Croatia News, however, something clicked. With only a superficial knowledge of Croatia excluding Hvar, and with zero knowledge about Croatian politics, I was clearly out of my depth, but determined to push on. I often wonder what might have been if I had followed the advice of a contact in Zagreb shortly before we launched TCN:

"I love the idea, but I will give you one piece of advice. Avoid all mention of politics, Tito, the war, the past, Serbs... and you will succeed. Your call, but if you don't follow this advice..."

I would certainly have slept a lot better and had a smaller and more pleasant inbox. 

But then I would not have gems like this to tell my grandchildren about:

Hey Grandpa, what did people call you when you were younger?

A number of things, kids, but I think my favourite was this one - see it there, framed over the fireplace?

'Tito cock sucking British Jew writing fluff to humanise mass murderers in the Jewish style when socially engineering a people for ruin'

Thank you, Sydney, Australia.

It required some special talent to keep the TCN ship steady in these murky Balkan waters with such an ignoramus at the helm. We have had almost 200 contributors since launching, mostly the occasional article, but a number of talented writers who have contributed more. As we discovered TCN was not for everyone, but one of my proudest achievements in the last decade with the Total Croatia Project is keeping these three amazing humans happy enough to keep working with me for more than 5 years now. From left to right, Daniela Rogulj (TCN COO), Iva Tatic (TC COO) and Lauren Simmonds (TCN Editor-in-Chief). 

Without them, I would be back in the cafe in Jelsa. Fantastic contributions from you all, as well as the rest of the TCN crew. Thank you all. 

I vividly remember my first meeting with all three of them. All in the pub, a sign of things to come.

Running a news portal which is read by international media, ambassadors and EU institutions is a different kettle of fish than blogging about a tourist island with a pint in one hand, as I quickly came to realise. 

Given the lack of Croatian news in English and the demand - expats, business, tourists and diaspora - the need to get everything 100% correct was soon very evident. I don't pretend that we have got it right every time (I certainly haven't), but we generally don't do too badly, and our hearts are in the right place. 

TCN has certainly taken me into new and unusual directions. Among the many highlights have been some of the international recognition we have received. I was a little shocked to win the International Medical Travel Journalist of the Year at MTMA 2020 in Malaysia, for example. And less shocked, but equally proud, as projects we worked on in the last 12 months have been recognised by industry experts. These include 3 Polaris Awards in London for our Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community, delivered with Manjgura and Mediacor, and 4 awards at Conventa 2021 in Slovenia for Saltwater Nomads, the City of Dubrovnik, and Zagreb and Dubrovnik Tourist Boards for Zagreb Digital Nomad Week, and Dubrovnik Digital Nomads-in-Residence.  And, even though I was only a bystander, being in Berlin to watch Ognjen Bagatin win the IMTJ International Cosmetic Surgery Clinic of the Year in 2019. 

A decade later and the enthusiasm is still there, as is the endless material to write about in this fabulous country. Croatia has its problems, and constructive criticism is not often welcome here, but the TCN mission continues - to Give People What They Want, and to Celebrate the Little Guy. 

The digital nomad revolution is about to start, an exciting opportunity that TCN has been advocating now for over two years. The arrival of Ryanair in Zagreb has given a new impetus to Croatia's excellent medical tourism industry, a potential we have been promoting for several years now. After a brutal 2020 due to the pandemic, it is time to really push the Croatian medical tourism story. 

And entrepreneurs. There are SO many incredible stories here - Rimac and Infobip are just the tip of the iceberg - and a nice entrepreneurial eco-system developing in the private sector. The Mighty State of Uhljebistan might still exist, but the twin viruses of transparency and technology are chipping away at its outer walls. It is only a matter of time, and what is happening in the entrepreneurial and startup world in Croatia is REALLY exciting. 

And a pleasure to write about. 

A huge thanks to my wife Miranda and two daughters for their patience, understanding and total support these last ten years. Legends all. 

To all the many contributors who have put their stamp, however small, on the TCN story, thank you - the diversity of content has been incredible and way beyond my wildest dreams when we started. 

And to all our loyal readers, some of whom have been here from the very start. Many thanks for your interest and support. 

Ten years are behind us on the Total Croatia Project. The next 10 years will be exciting and challenging for Croatia, and we are looking forward to telling you all about it. 

Cheers Paul 

ZAGREB, 9 October, 2021 - The first Mammothfest is taking place in Mohovo, easternmost Croatia on Friday and Saturday, an event launched by the Valley of the Mammoths association to promote the village as a new tourist destination in Croatia with prehistoric paleontological sites.

Association president Goran Popović said on Friday Mammothfest was conceived in the autumn of 2012 when the first mammoth and woolly rhinoceros fossil remains were discovered while digging a septic hole in the orchard of a family house in Mohovo.

A similar discovery was made in 2016. Archaeological research conducted in the meantime resulted in the discovery of hyena, wild horse and buffalo fossil remains.

"Our small Mohovo has less than 200 inhabitants and we have a big desire to encourage tourism development... based primarily on paleontological sites," Popović said.

The 1st Mammothfest includes a workshop for elementary school children and building a natural size mammoth sculpture in the centre of the village in cooperation with Osijek artist Nikola Faller, he added.

To date Valley of the Mammoths has organised straw workshops, set up straw sculptures of the wooly mammoth, the wooly rhinoceros and the hyena in the village, and started the Advent in Mohovo event, all with the goal of creating the Valley of the Mammoths brand.

"Our vision... is to revive the village, where we wish to build a Valley of the Mammoths megapark with replicas of fossil animals from the Ice Age and accompanying facilities for workshops and courses," Popović said.

ZAGREB, 9 October, 2021 - In the past 24 hours 1,594 coronavirus cases and 11 related deaths have been registered in Croatia, the national COVID-19 crisis management team said on Saturday.

There are 9,774 active cases, including 814 hospitalised patients, of whom 125 are on ventilators, while 19,159 persons are self-isolating.

To date Croatia has registered 416,950 coronavirus cases, including 8,763 deaths, while 398,413 persons have recovered, including 1,324 in the past 24 hours.

Also, 2,904,282 persons have been tested for the virus, of whom 9,395 in the past 24 hours.

To date 45.6% of the population has been vaccinated against COVID-19, including 54.69% of adults, 51.2% of whom have completed vaccination.