September 17, 2021 - MUP confirms that visa-free travel for Croatians to the USA should be possible by the end of the year.

A decision on Croatia's entry into the US Visa Waiver Program should be made by the end of the US fiscal year, while Croatian citizens could travel to the US without visas by the end of this year, the Ministry of the Interior reported on Index.hr.

Interior Minister Davor Božinović met with US representatives on an evaluation visit to Croatia from September 12 to 18 to enter the US Visa Waiver Program.

Božinović pointed out that this evaluation visit, despite the coronavirus pandemic, is a critical moment in Croatia's accession to the Visa Waiver Program and expressed satisfaction with the intensive cooperation over the past years, which significantly helped Croatia reach this advanced stage of the accession process.

The Croatian government is committed to meeting all political, legal, and security preconditions for accession. These preconditions, among other things, included reducing the rate of rejected visa applications to a minimum and creating conditions for better cooperation in law enforcement between the two countries, according to the Ministry of the Interior.

They add that the intensification of interstate and interdepartmental cooperation has led to the fact that in May 2019, Croatia submitted answers on 176 pages. After verifying the submitted answers, which indisputably show significant progress of Croatia in meeting the security requirements, significant efforts have been made to lower the level of rejected visa applications.

The rate of rejected visa applications was lowered below three percent in 2020, which the State Department officially confirmed on February 16, 2021. Meeting that condition has been a major challenge for years.

In the process of joining the Visa Waiver Program, several security requirements also had to be met, with the Department of the Interior working intensively with the US Department of Homeland Security for the past four years.

Most of the security conditions were related to strengthening the capacity and providing technical conditions for collecting and analyzing biometric data of passengers entering Croatia, security of travel documents, strengthening the capacity to fight terrorism, exchanging information on foreign terrorist fighters, and a range of other relevant security information with the relevant U.S. services, primarily those in the Department of Homeland Security, and then the FBI, the Terrorist Surveillance Center, and the DEA.

Minister Božinović reminded that during this process, Croatia and the USA concluded important international agreements and arrangements aimed at improving security and data exchange between the two countries while at the same time working on building the highest security standards.

A pre-evaluation visit by a delegation from the Ministry of Homeland Security to Croatia was held earlier this year, from June 14 to 18. A draft report submitted to the State Department by the US Department of Homeland Security following a visit was followed by a formal invitation from US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to include Croatia in the program, one of the last steps before a formal visa waiver decision.

Minister Božinović emphasized that the Government of the Republic of Croatia was also working on Croatia's accession to Schengen and that all preconditions had been met in that field.

"Croatia is determined not only to meet all the requirements for access to the visa waiver program but also to maintain compliance with these requirements. This determination stems from our deep conviction that this compliance will further improve cooperation between Croatian and US authorities and increase the security of our citizens," said Božinović.

As part of the evaluation, from September 12 to 18, the US delegation visited, among others, the Port of Dubrovnik, Dubrovnik Airport, the Karasovići and Bregana border crossings, and the Ježevo Reception Center for Foreigners.

Following this week's evaluation visit, the US Department of Homeland Security will submit to the State Department a final report on meeting all the necessary conditions and a proposal for a final decision on Croatia's accession to the US Visa Waiver Program.

The members of the American delegation clearly underlined that due to the seen readiness and equipment of the Croatian police, their earlier optimism for fulfilling the conditions turned into satisfaction, according to the Ministry of the Interior.

Accordingly, the US expects that the decision on Croatia's entry into the US Visa Waiver Program should be made by the end of the US fiscal year, more precisely by September 30, 2021, while Croatian citizens could travel visa-free to the US by the end of this year. 

For more, check out our dedicated travel section.

September 17, 2021 - Charamanga hot sauce is a 100% Neretva Valley product created by Mijo Micheta Ćelić.

The Croatian hot sauce scene is getting richer and more diverse. Mijo Micheta Ćelić, a professor of cooking at Metković High School and the creative mind behind the line of hot sauces called Charamanga, has also joined this chili-loving crowd, reports Like Metković.

On his family estate in Duvrat, Ćelić grows Cayenne pepper, Jamaican hot yellow, Habanero, Fed mushroom, and the hottest among them Carolina red reaper and tabasco pepper, which are added to hot sauces.

It all started exactly three years ago when, as part of his family farm, he planted various types of hot peppers on agricultural land behind the family kitchen. However, he was only attempting to standardize his sauce for Neretva brudet, which failed and still remains a challenge. He worked at the Hotel Saudade Gradac 5-6 years ago, where the name, Charamanga, came to life. 

"One day, chef Barba came and said ‘Give me Mijo’s charamanga!’, When asked what it was, he just replied ‘Oh, that’s the spicy stuff Mijo is mixing,’ he recalls of its beginnings.

A six-year culinary experience on cruise ships also had a significant influence on Mijo's creativity:

"I've seen the world, got to know different cuisines, and when it comes to spices, Thai is somehow the closest thing to me. Still, I want to give each of my sauces something homemade, guided by the flavors that are familiar to the palates of our people, but in a new format," he said. 

"My angel, right hand, and great support is Marija Cindrić, who is responsible for the visual identity and branding of products and for social media marketing. At the very beginning, the world of hot sauces in our area was opened by 'Juta Spiza' from Split. Today I work closely with 'Slavonsko Zlo'," says Mijo and lists the places where his hot sauces are served: Mama Mia and Industry Pub in Metković, Beach House in Blace, Oliva, Piazza Bistro & Cafe, and Žminac in Ploče, Morenia in Brist, Papar Grill in Makarska, Štikovica, Saint Blaise in Dubrovnik, Demežana in Cavtat, Kai in Zagreb.

Interestingly, Charamanga hot sauces have also reached distant destinations in Japan and the Philippines, thanks to the chefs Mijo has collaborated with.

Each Charamanga sauce is named after a chef Mijo has worked with. So far, he has launched eight types, is preparing two more sauces (Divlji and John) and two dry spices. 

Bajto - habanero hot pepper / liquid smoke/fennel seeds/carrots / homemade wine vinegar/sugar; herbs: heather, lemon balm, sage, mint, rosemary, basil
Barba - hot cayenne pepper/honey/tomato; herbs: basil and oregano. It is recommended with all types of pizza, bolognese pasta, and other Italian dishes.
Dotur - habanero hot pepper/fig/cherry / homemade wine vinegar; herbs: heather, lemon balm, sage, mint rosemary. A universal spice that is most domesticated in grilled dishes
Gigec - Jamaican hot yellow pepper/mandarin/cinnamon/star anise. Indigenous representative of Neretva gastronomy

Ku-ma - Habanero / cayenne pepper / mushroom pepper / roasted horn pepper / plum / mint. The hottest Charamanga sauce
Lipa Kate (Aceto balsamico) - vinegar / fig / sugar / cherry. It is recommended as an addition to salads and stews, dedicated
Micheta - habanero chili pepper/salt/honey / homemade wine vinegar; herbs: rosemary, sage, heather, lemon balm, mint, thyme, basil. The first Charamanga sauce and the only one that is not fermented
Pa-jo - kumquat / wine / vinegar / mallow / mint / sugar / salt. The fermentation of kumquat achieved a special sour-spicy note. Pairing with blue fish is recommended. Ideal for marinated fish and sardine carpaccio
Giovanni dry spice - an addition to dishes and cooking. It contains mountain herbs such as sage, calluna, and thyme, as well as home-grown herbs such as lemon balm, mint, rosemary 
Rodijak dry spice - an addition to dishes and cooking. A mixture of paprika and salt, a great addition to broths.

Mijo has suggested one recipe for each which you can find on the official website.

For more on travel in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

September 17, 2021 - Trokut Šibenik incubator reflects on the success of its new digital nomads' office and winning at the European Enterprise Promotion Awards 2021.

The Trokut Digital Nomads office officially opened back in May 2021, following the announcement of digital nomad visas in Croatia as of January 1, 2021, allowing a temporary stay in Croatia for up to one year. Digital nomads can also apply for a second, subsequent digital nomad visa, but only 6 months after the first visa expires.

"We follow the story that is developing at Trokut with joy and optimism. We are glad that Trokut has already become recognized as a place that brings together young entrepreneurs from Croatia and the world. Entrepreneurs of the new generation who lead us into the future can find their opportunity here. We believe that all digital nomads who visit Šibenik once will fall in love with this city and all the advantages it provides," said Šibenik Mayor Željko Burić back in May. 

Digital nomads do not have fixed working hours or jobs because they work as needed depending on what is currently on their plate. Some nomads work more than 12 hours a day, but their place of work often changes. In addition, the coronavirus pandemic has increased the number of remote workers, making the term "digital nomads" more popular than ever before.

“Based on thinking about digital nomads who most often like to work in coworking spaces, we developed the concept of the Trokut Center, which is adapted to them because they fill a large part of that space. We have predicted well, evidenced by the need for new office desks in the first year of operation. I believe that the occupancy of digital nomads at Trokut will be more than satisfactory," added Petar Mišura. 

And this summer confirmed just that. 

Namely, this summer, Trokut was visited by over 40 digital nomads, mostly foreigners, while their average stay in Trokut and in Šibenik was 18 days. While some were passing through, others chose Šibenik as their destination for longer holidays. Digital nomads have highlighted the beauties of Šibenik-Knin County, beaches, fortresses, and Krka National Park, in combination with Trokut, as a perfect combination for business. 

Children's STEM camps have also been completed. Trokut reported that they are very proud of "their Trokutići" because, under the watchful eye of teacher Ivan, they programmed everything themselves, designed it in 3D, and held a robotics competition. They would also like to thank the US Embassy in Zagreb for providing them with the necessary equipment to hold these workshops and go through all the important elements of STEM. Ivan Šoda confirms and adds:

"The children have mastered a diverse program, and I am sure that this camp has aroused their curiosity in the field of IT."

More great news from a successful season is that Trokut won first in the “Investing in Entrepreneurial Skills” category at the European Enterprise Promotion Awards 2021. The award was won for holding Incubator 2021, the first of its kind in the Šibenik-Knin County area, whose target group was small and medium-sized enterprises focused on being successful and competitive in the domestic and foreign markets.

“Winning this award is a confirmation of our work and a confirmation of the long-term strategy of the City of Šibenik. We are glad to see that entrepreneurs primarily accepted us and have really become a recognized Center for Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Education. This award is an additional motivation to continue our work and contribute as much as possible to the entrepreneurial community," concluded director Diana Mudrinić. 

You can learn more about Trokut HERE.

For more on digital nomads in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

September the 17th, 2021 - The Croatian 2021 e-Census, the very first of its kind, is going well so far. The powers that be have stated that there has been a fantastic response and that the system has been functioning very well.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the very first Croatian 2021 e-Census started being filled in and completed by Croatia's residents on Monday, it will continue that way until September the 26th. Most of those to have filled it in online reside in the City of Zagreb, and the least so far live in in Lika-Senj County. Slightly more than 320,000 residents of the country had self-registered through e-citizens by yesterday morning.

''We're more than satisfied, approximately 100,000 new people are being registered online daily. Zagreb boasts the largest pool of those people and most people there have registered themselves, but other counties are also present to a satisfactory extent,'' said Lidija Brković, CBS Director General, as a guest on the HRT show "Good Morning, Croatia/Dobro jutro, Hrvatska''.

Brkovic said that there was no system failure to speak of so far, but there were problems on Monday at around 13:00.

''New people could register themselves, but those who had already started filling it in online had problems for about 15 minutes in completing the questionnaire. We're more than satisfied with things so far, we've had a lot of positive comments and it's all very simple,'' said Brkovic, adding that it takes 15 to 20 minutes to list a family of four.

It is enough that only one family member in the household has an e-Citizens credential and that they'rethe reference person. People can also list grandparents, but if they live in another household they must also have an e-Citizens credential.

The questionnaire has about 60 questions. If you don’t answer a question that is mandatory, you can’t go any further. When you've finished the Croatian 2021 e-Census, you will receive a verification code that you need to keep hold of until the second stage of the census when you hand it over to the enumerator to show that you have completed the census.

In the last three days, there have been about 8500 more people using the e-Citizens platform, which is also excellent.

''People shouldn't worry about this data being connected to some other databases or registers, this is merely statistical data and it is all kept separate,'' explained Bernard Grsic, State Secretary of the Central State Office for the Digital Development of Society.

Enumerators are set to go out into the field on September the 26th. The second phase of the census lasts until October the 27th with the possibility of an extension.

''If you aren't home, they'll leave a message for you to contact them and arrange a time when they can come. They'll probably be able to come at any time during day. Everyone will get their census circles. The assumption is that people who work in the morning won't be at home. Not all family members have to be at home, but a person who is in must have their OIBs because they can't list them without it,'' said Brkovic.

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

September the 17th, 2021 - We recently reported on yet another hotel coming to the Dalmatian port city of Split, the Movenpick Split hotel, but that isn't the only thing the company responsible for that has up its sleeve for the Adriatic and the rest of the Mediterranean.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes, recent news that the first Movenpick Hotel in Croatia is opening in the second largest city of Split, which is one of the premium brands of the global hotel house Accor, presented a relatively new investor, the development company MPPD, which has great ambitions to develop projects throughout the entire Mediterranean.

Their company, Split Peninsula Properties ,will be in charge of the Movenpick Split hotel project, which is worth 25 million euros and which should be completed by 2023.

After the opening of the MGallery hotel a few weeks ago in the same city, this is Accor's second project in Split. As Andrija Antic, a partner in MPPD and the founder of Split Peninsula Properties explained, the works on the location have only just started.

Business partners

"After we've dealt with obtaining all of the permits and paperwork, we'll be ready to start the work that should get going in a month or two. This partnership with Accor fits perfectly into our vision and philosophy of creating comfortable, exclusive places for guests and the local community. We're proud to be able to bring such a top quality brand to Split and the whole of Dalmatia,'' Andrija Antic said.

On MPPD's website, among current and future projects, only this hotel in Split is mentioned so far, although the company presents itself as a developer in the Mediterranean. Antic's partners in the project are Janko Vrgoc, the former director of GPD Zagreb and the company Arena centar upravljanje (management), and Tomislav Mustapic.

“MPPD is a development company with a number of projects going on throughout the Mediterranean, Greece and Montenegro. These are commercial real estate projects (not residential ones), including logistics and mixed-use projects, but at this moment in time, we aren't ready to reveal any details.

Along with us, several partners from various sectors, from construction, finance and development, the project is accompanied by "High Net Worth" individual investors from outside the Republic of Croatia, who also participated in the Movenpick Split hotel project,'' explained Antic.

Located on Split's very popular Znjan neach, Mövenpick Split will have 156 rooms with stunning sea views, two restaurants and a spa, as well as an innovative workspace and conference facility. It will also have 110 underground and above-ground parking spaces with a large number of e-vehicle charging stations, a rooftop restaurant, a lounge and a terrace with an infinity pool.

The project is signed by local architect Alan Plestina from the Pulsar Architecture studio in collaboration with Accor's design and technical services team. Plestina is, among other things, the author of the projects of the Arena shopping centre complex and the Arena Zagreb sports hall.

Twelve active projects

The Movenpick brand itself is part of the more luxurious part of Accor's portfolio, which was founded back in 1973 and currently manages more than 90 hotels across 25 countries. In Northern Europe, Movenpick is currently implementing a total of twelve projects, and Eastern Europe is considered very attractive for further investment. Accor took over the brand back in 2018 from Arab investors for a price tag of 482 million euros.

"We're happy to be able to present another hotel in one of the most prestigious locations in Dalmatia and thus strengthen our portfolio in the segment of leisure facilities in the region. Movenpick is continuing to grow strongly in Eastern Europe thanks to the continuous expansion of the resort's offer and top facilities,'' said Dilek Sezer, the Accor Group's development director for Southeastern Europe, in a statement.

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

September the 17th, 2021 - One concern for many that comes with Croatian Eurozone accession is price hikes. Just how much will prices rise, and will it be overall or only in regard to certain items?

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the controversy over Croatian Eurozone accession, aside from solely political views, boils down to a debate on whether prices will rise, and if so, by how much. According to data obtained by Jutarnji list from the Croarian National Bank (CNB), it can be expected that after the conversion from the kuna to the euro, people will very likely have to slightly higher amounts for some items than they were used to.

This has been shown by the statistics based on the experience of other Eurozone member states that went through the process of introducing the euro at some point in the past, and in which it was shown that the biggest price increases should be expected in the catering sector, more precisely in restaurants and cafes. That said, other service sectors will not be spared a rise in prices either...

As Andrea Pufnik from the CNB explains in her paper “Effects of the introduction of the euro on consumer price movements and the perception of inflation”, the experience of the Netherlands shows that restaurant prices increased by 3.5 percent after the introduction of the euro. In Finland they increased by two percent, while Austria and Greece, slightly smaller increases in the hospitality segment were recorded, from 0.2 to 0.5 percent, as reported by Jutarnji list.

According to experts looking into this, the reason for these price increases has a lot to do with the so-called ''menu-cost model'', more precisely, most restaurants will be forced to print new menus and this cost will spill over to consumers in the shape of price hikes.

Statistics also show how price increases could occur in the segment of cleaning, repairing and renting clothes, as witnessed, for example, by citizens of France, Germany and Estonia. Hair and beauty services in general could also become more expensive following Croatian Eurozone accession, and prices are also expected to rise in the services of IT, audiovisual and photographic equipment.

However, certain products will also become more expensive as a result of the ''rounding up'' of prices, which could be most noticeable in bakery products and newspapers, according to the Pufnik research.

Namely, prices being round up is one of the most common reasons for price increases, which is most pronounced for products that initially had slightly lower prices, which include newspapers and bakery products.

According to CNB projections, it is expected that newspapers and books could become 2.06 percent more expensive in Croatia from 2023, financial services 1.9 percent, accommodation services 1.7 percent, footwear 1.6 percent, sports services 1.5 percent, and catering services 1.2 percent.

Some Eurozone member states, such as Finland, also recorded an increase in fruit prices after the introduction of the euro as its national currency, although it is possible that this also happened due to climatological reasons. In Ireland, the biggest jump in prices was in sports and recreational services, in Slovakia the prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages rose the most, while neighbouring Slovenia recorded higher prices in restaurants and cafes, then in footwear and household appliances, and then in transport services.

In principle, various surveys provide different estimates of the effects of the conversion of national currencies into the euro, and Eurostat finds that growth averaged between 0.1 and 0.3 percent for the Eurozone back in 2000 and 2001, while some other surveys suggest price rises of 0.34 percent.

What is certain is that the effects vary from country to country. For example, the risk of price increases is reduced in countries with subdued consumption growth as well as in those member states that introduce mandatory pricing in both currencies in stores before the introduction of the euro, and then price growth is usually subdued in those markets where competition is higher.

"We don't really expect price increases, but we do expect smaller price increases in accordance with the statistics that were recorded in other then new members of the European Union," said Governor Boris Vujcic in attempt to calm people's worries.

For more on Croatian Eurozone accession, check out our dedicated politics section.

September the 17th, 2021 - The situation with the pandemic in Croatia has been much more favourable, but a recent rise in infections has prompted some new measures, six to be exact, which Minister Bozinovic explained in further detail.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic said during a recently held Government session that the National Civil Protection Directorate had made six new decisions at the national level which will last until September the 30th, 24sata reports.

''In addition to three decisions extending the measures related to the mandatory use of face masks, the working hours of shops and the organisation of public transport, the Civil Protection Directorate also decided on the mandatory possession of EU digital covid certificates for enumerators and controllers due to the recent implementation of the second phase of the 2021 census,'' said Minister Bozinovic at the aforementioned Government session.

''Following on from that, the amendment of the Decision on restricting gatherings which prescribes a new measure allowing the holding of fairs and other economic and tourist events, and events where products are sold, exhibited or displayed indoors, provided that the organiser ensures that only persons holding an EU digital covid certificate, meaning both exhibitors and visitors, can attend.

And thirdly, we've made an amendment to the Decision on temporary prohibition and temporary restriction of crossing the Croatian border. What we've introduced means third country nationals who are coming into the Republic of Croatia for tourist reasons and who have a confirmation of payment of accommodation can now present that confirmation of accommodation reservation and their entry into the Republic of Croatia will be granted. The negative result of their PCR tests must still not be older than 72 hours,'' said Minister Bozinovic about the new decisions.

Please note, that while Minister Bozinovic didn't specifically mention other tests accepted for entry, rapid antigen tests (RAT) are still accepted for entry into Croatia as long as their negative results more than 48 hours old at the time of crossing the border. You can find more about who needs one here.

For now, people coming in from the United Kingdom, Cyprus and the Russian Federation (regardless of their citizenship or residence status in Croatia) still need to have a negative PCR test or a negative RAT to enter, regardless of their vaccination status.

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.

September 16, 2021 -  In the first round of the Europa League group stage, West Ham beats Dinamo 2:0 at Maksimir Stadium in Zagreb. 

Dinamo and West Ham met in the first round of the Europa League group stage on Thursday at Maksimir Stadium in Zagreb. Although the Croatian champion has much more experience in European competitions, West Ham's status as a solid Premier League club made them the favorite going into this match. 

Croatia national team player (and former Hajduk star) Nikola Vlašić was in West Ham's starting 11, while Bruno Petković and Mislav Oršić led Dinamo's attack. There were 12,344 spectators at the stadium, of which 859 were West Ham supporters. 

Lineups: 

Dinamo: Livaković - Šutalo, Lauritsen, Theophile-Catherine - Ristovski, Ademi, Mišić, Franjić - Ivanušec - Petković, Oršić

West Ham: Fabianski - Fredericks, Zouma, Diop, Cresswell - Rice, Souček - Vlašić, Lanzini, Fornals - Antonio

The first half was one to forget for the Croatian club and perhaps one of the worst halves they've played in Europe in the last few years. An unrecognizable Dinamo succumbed to West Ham's pressure and gave up two corners in the first 3 minutes of play. 

Dinamo's first attack didn't come until the 11th minute, and Petković and Ademi could not get past Fabianski. An Oršić shot from 30 meters out in the 20th minute almost gave Dinamo the lead, though a catastrophic mistake by Theophile-Catherine put West Ham in the lead instead. Theophile-Catherine weakly passed back to Livaković without realizing Antonio was there to score for 0:1. Livaković had to save Dinamo from another close encounter 3 minutes later. 

Dinamo struggled to find their game, and Vlašić nearly had a few chances for West Ham in the remainder of the half, but the match luckily ended 0:1 for West Ham at halftime. 

Dinamo picked up their pace at the start of the second half with an attacking play immediately in the first minute. But West Ham was quicker to increase their lead, and Declan Rice scored for 0:2 in the 51st minute.

Dinamo had a good chance 3 minutes later when Ivanušec's shot went out for a corner, and another chance again in the 60th, which just missed the goal. 

West Ham subbed out Vlašić for Bowen in the 69th minute.

Dinamo was lucky not to concede another goal in the 79th minute. Tolić pulled a counter-attack with Jurić in the 87th minute, though it was no tough task for Fabianski. 

Three minutes of injury time were added to the end of the match, which was not enough for Dinamo to get back a goal. The match ended 0:2 for West Ham. 

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

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