September the 4th, 2021 - One thing which has always fascinated and baffled me, despite many years in Croatia, is the need for tax stamps. You needed to buy them to do just about anything administrative and let's be honest, it's archaic and amusing. Don't tell that to the clerk who is very seriously asking for one, though. Croatian tax stamps are now finally binned and resigned to the history books as the country finally steps out into the 21st century.

Seing your documents get stamped by hand by someone who really couldn't look less interested and then handing over some tax stamps really makes a person feel like they've stepped back in time, and it will come as a pleasant surprise to many when issuing documents that they're no longer needed.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, in the Republic of Croatia, for the issuance of as many as 177 documents, Croatian tax stamps had to be purchased all the way from the dark ages (kidding, but maybe not) until September the 1st, 2021, along with all of the other bizarre paperwork that clerk wanted. They're thankfully no longer required.

As of the 1st of September, Croatian tax stamps have no longer needed to be purchased for the issuance of driving licenses, passports, birth certificates and a whole range of other documents.

Namely, the new Regulation on the Tariff of Administrative Fees entered into force on the 1st of September. The Tax Administration confirmed for RTL that it is expected that 80 million kuna less per year will be paid into the state budget owing to the removal of the need for Croatian tax stamps.

The assistant head of the Zagreb City Administration office, in the civil status sector, said that everything would now be easier for everyone.

"It simply means that it's all going to be easier for people, and for us in some way. So, all documents and certificates from the state registers and the book of citizens such as from the voter list, when we talk about the area of ​​our city office for general administration, are exempt from the payment of administrative fees,'' said Asja Ettinger.

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

September the 4th, 2021 - While it's true that many individual Croatian hospitality and catering establishments such as coffee bars and other cafes finally did well and managed to make some decent money this season, as many as 1100 of them were forced to stop working.

As Novac/Jozo Vrdoljak writes, after many Croatian hospitality and catering establishments were forced to shut their doors on November the 30th last year, a breath of fresh air came in the form of the news that as of September the 1st, with special epidemiological measures, they were able to receive guests again in the closed-off parts of their facilities.

The opening hours of bars and discos remained until midnight, and the direct consequence of the closure of Croatian hospitality and catering establishments with great difficulties and a drop in traffic, is most evident through the number of 1100 permanently closed establishments. It is assumed that these are mainly trade owners who closed their facilities for fear of foreclosure on their properties.

The decision to open up Croatian hospitality and catering establishments surprised many people, but it was certainly welcomed by their owners. However, measures and grants have been being negotiated and looked at again over recent days, with many people needing to wave goodbye to government help.

Bars on the Adriatic coast worked the season with a drop in traffic of 10 percent, and those on the continent with a drop of 23 percent. The realised amounts during the season in restaurants in the amount of two thirds fall on those down on the Adriatic, while in bars this ratio is three quarters in favour of those on the Adriatic.

When you look at the drop in traffic from February to May - it was 38 percent for restaurants and 62 percent for bars. According to the currently available data, there are about 35,000 Croatian hospitality and catering establishments across the country, of which about 55 percent are just bars. It has been estimated that about 7,000 such establishments don't have a terrace at all, so they couldn't operate.

Support in the amount of 4,000 kuna per employee is given to Croatian hospitality and catering establishment owners who had experienced a drop in turnover of over 60 percent, those who had a drop in the amount of 50 percent who received support in the amount of 3,000 kuna, while those with a drop in turnover of 40 percent received 2,000 kuna. Having 70 percent of their employees vaccinated against COVID-19 was also a condition.

Jelena Tabak, president of the National Association of Caterers, noted that the season will mean little to nothing if Croatian hospitality and catering establishment owners aren't allowed to work until the very end and without any restrictions.

''Even though they can work now, not all establishments will just open and start working normally straight away. It's impossible to just start to work at full capacity after not working for nine months. On that note, it would be proper for the state subsidies to remain in place in the hospitality sector as well, because our sector has been seriously affected by the coronavirus crisis. In addition, people's habits have changed and now a large number of people are actively avoiding being in enclosed spaces.

As such, there are still serious limitations to the operation of Croatian hospitality and catering establishments. For example, four square metres per guest limits the work of these places quite a lot. Some of them, however, still managed to do great job this season, but there are a large number who didn't,'' explained Jelena Tabak, who admitted that the general situation is still much better in Croatia than in some other countries.

Tabak explained that the financial growth of the income of Croatian hospitality and catering establishments is partly due to a significant rise in prices.

"It's true that some establishments have done very well this season, but cumulatively the hospitality sector is recording a serious drop in turnover. The fact is that our colleagues on the continent are in a very difficult situation, and now comes the period when even those on the Adriatic will have reduced income. What follows now is a period in which we won't have a significant number of tourists, but we'll still generate some income thanks to Croatian guests.

The problem is also that Croatian hospitality and catering establishments can’t organise parties, so they can’t create an atmosphere that will attract guests. Hospitality rests on social interaction. A restaurant does well if it creates an atmosphere and attracts guests, and owners have been deprived of that due to the measures,'' explained Tabak.

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

September the 4th, 2021 - Former Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandic, a deeply controversial figure even for Croatian politics, has been dead for six months now. The longtime mayor died suddenly and prematurely from a massive heart attack in the spring, and despite jokes that he'd still somehow run for mayor from beyond the grave, the capital has a new government headed by Mozemo! (We Can!) leader Tomislav Tomasevic. Six months after his death, where are Bandic's former associates?

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the people who once decided on the fate of the City of Zagreb for years, apparently untouchable, are now mostly retired from politics, some are engaged in kinesiology, some in security, and some in consulting, RTL reported.

Mirka Jozic is no longer in a leading position within the city administration, she's now a business advisor. If you need help with finances, the environment, and utilities, this former close associate of Milan Bandic can give you advice. She left and founded her company a month ago and paid herself her very first salary.

"Well, it's not a bad feeling to pay yourself your own salary, I mean, I used to work in the private sector, then in the public sector and now again in the private sector as an independent person. It's all fun in its own way,'' said Mirka Jozic.

She once had three thousand colleagues, and now she has none.

"My old colleagues and friends are still my friends, I don't miss my old job and I think it's time for a change and it will come in handy," added Jozic.

He once commanded the situation during earthquakes, floods, fires, and he was known for his colourful use of language. He was the head of the Emergency Management Office for 13 years, an office he himself set up, but Pavle Kalinic now has a new job. He works in a security company where he is the director of corporate security and development.

In perhaps the saddest alteration, Zagreb's much loved ''first dog'' also unfortunately died after having had a tumour.

With the arrival of the new Zagreb government, eleven people left the chairs they had grown so comfortable sitting in, some too comfortable. Nine of them resigned at the request of the new mayor, Tomislav Tomasevic, and some of them, including Milana Vuković Runjic and Sanja Jerkovic, are now assistant heads.

Andrea Sulentic, the former head of the Mayor's Professional Service, is suspected of rigging the competition for the director of the Srebrnjak Hospital. When she isn't in the company of prison officers, she works in the regional office of the local self-government.

Miro Laco, who is accused of wrongdoing alongside Milan Bandic in the now somewhat infamous Agram affair, and Ivica Lovric, the former head of education, are now special advisers to the new mayor.

Apart from the head, many other people who once gathered around the late Milan Bandic will not welcome the autumn at their old jobs. The former head of Zagreb Holding, Ana Stojic Deban, got tired because the pace of the late mayor was difficult to follow.

"His day lasted over 20 hours, he had over 20 commitments a day."

In a telephone conversation, she said that she is taking a break entirely until end of October, and then she'll go into the private sector and withdraw entirely from public life. Slavko Kojic - Milan Bandic's former head of finance and a friend with whom he worked for 35 years, doesn't have those same plans.

"It's dynamic for me because I'm versatile, I played sports and music. I'm active in Bandic's party, I'm a business director and I'm there almost every day and I know everything that is happening,'' said Kojic.

After the election, Jelena Pavicic Vukicevic also withdrew from the political scene and announced that she would continue her career as an assistant professor at the Faculty of Kinesiology in Zagreb.

As Milan Bandic's time at the helm of Zagreb drew to a sudden close with the ending of his life, he took the many controversies and undoubtedly many secrets with him. As ''his people'' gradually disperse, a new era for the Croatian capital is upon us - for better or for worse.

For more, follow our dedicated politics section.

September the 4th, 2021 - The coronavirus pandemic hit the Croatian economy, which relies very heavily on tourism, like a tonne of bricks. While things have been far from easy over the last eighteen or so months, the OVI Index (Online Vacancy Index) provides strong hope for Croatian economic revival.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes, demand for labour in the Republic of Croatia exceeded the levels of 2020 and 2019 according to the OVI index, which, for the month of August 2021, shows that the demand for labour in the country is 60 percent higher than it was back in August 2020, and about 20 percent higher than in pre-pandemic August 2019.

The Institute of Economics announced the above, noting that the latest values ​​of the OVI Index are in line with other positive economic indicators that have come to the attention of the general public over recent weeks. Croatian economic revival has undoubtedly been helped enormously by a remarkably good summer tourist season, which just keeps on going.

The Online Vacancy Index (OVI) is a monthly index of online job vacancies developed at the Institute of Economics in cooperation with the popular Croatian MojPosao (MyJob) portal, and is created by simply counting the number of unique new ads whose application deadlines end within the month for which the index is calculated.

"When comparing the level of demand for labour this year and that of 2019, this is the fourth consecutive month in which the demand for labour has exceeded the pre-pandemic months, which is a strong signal of Croatian economic revival and the recovery of the labour market. Demand for work in the three traditionally most sought-after occupations - salesman, waiter and chef - is also growing compared to August 2019 and 2020, and driver and construction workers stand out from the more sought-after occupations.

It is also interesting to note that since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, the share of job advertisements that mention work from home ranges to approximately 1.5 to 2 percent of all advertisements, which is an increase when compared to the period before the pandemic when work from home was mentioned in less than 0.25 percent of job advertisements,'' stated EIZ analysts.

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

 September 4, 2021 - The Croatian School Museum, despite marking 120 years of existence, isn't really in a celebratory mood as it remains closed to the public and awaiting earthquake reconstruction.

With this weekend being the final one for the summer break before the 2021/22 school year begins in Croatia, families in Zagreb could've ideally used the weekend to introduce the kids to the importance of education by taking them to the Croatian School Museum. However, with the building still undergoing reconstruction after 2020's earthquakes, it would be wise to wait a bit longer before going to see the collection of items and historical evidence that tell the story about the development of education in Croatia.

What is interesting to note, however, is that with 2021 marking 150 years since the first Croatian teacher congress that shaped the course of the education system in the country, it is also the year that marks 120 years of the Croatian School Museum.

The museum first opened its doors on August 19, 1901, marking the 30th anniversary of the Croatian Education and Literary Assembly (the oldest association of Croatian teachers, which is still active today). The museum is located at Trg Republike Hrvatske 4 (Republic of Croatian Square), near Zagreb's Croatian National Theatre (HNK).

''The basis of the museum material was made up of objects from the teaching exhibition that was held in Zagreb back in 1871 and 1892, and materials were also donated by various teachers, schools, publishers, and education material manufacturers,'' explains the museum's website.

The new and current permanent exhibition was refreshed back in the year 2000 and many visitors have become interested in visiting the museum since then. With occasional exhibitions, we deal with topics from the history of school and education, and we represent the materials from the museum's collection,'' the site adds. 

© Hrvatski Školski Muzej

The museum has gone through two world wars, one regional war and four different political systems. Štefka Batinić, the museum's headmaster, wrote for the Croatian School Museum blog site about the history of the museum and teaching in Croatia using historical sources from these periods. She noted that during that past, which, in Croatia, much like today, saw society divided owing to various ideological conflicts, teachers were also not spared discussions and different views on how society might move forward.

Still, one can assume that despite reading up on these conflicts which were of paramount significance, teachers were still united in putting their students first despite disagreeing with each other on what the best way to provide them with the most quality education and future was.

It is also interesting to note from Batinić's writing how teachers in charge of teaching new generations of pupils were perceived during the times of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, when events and reforms which were the cornerstone of the current Croatian education system started to unfold.

''Croatian teachers (class teachers, working with the youngest among us) were denied the epithet of Croatian intelligence (in the education community, the term was reserved for the academically educated high-school and university professors), but their tendencies and goals were directed towards the finest practice examples of the teachers' community in Austrian and German lands,'' wrote Batinić.

Batinić's blog also cynically wrote in the caption underneath the photo of a damaged chimney on the museum that ''hopefully, it won't collapse before reconstruction begins.''

''We don't feel like celebrating. We'll celebrate when the reconstruction begins. Some important people from the city visited us recently. We're thankful for that,'' concluded Batinić in her blog post.

With faculties and higher educational institutions seeing progress in the reconstruction process following 2020's earthquakes, other educational institutions and, as we can see, museums, still await their turn for reconstruction as the bitter taste in their mouths grows. It isn't surprising, given that in the eyes of many, this government prioritises neither reconstruction nor education in general.

Read about Croatian politics and history since 1990 on our TC guide.

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

ZAGREB, 3 Sept 2021 - Croatia is an ideal destination for digital nomads who are provided with a quality internet network in our country and can enjoy its fascinating scenery, pleasant climate, and overall safety, and this is a new development opportunity for Croatia's tourism, Minister Nikolina Brnjac said on Friday.

The tourism minister Brnjac underscored that digital nomads contribute to year-round tourism.

An estimated one billion people will be teleworking in 2035 and a significantly higher number of digital nomads are expected in the next period, she underscored at a conference organised by the Novi List daily in the seaside resort of Opatija .

Director of the Croatian National Tourist Board (HTZ) Kristjan Staničić underlined that an estimated 17 million people are digital nomads.

A joint campaign by the ministry and tourism board was launched this spring in an effort to promote Croatia's comparative advantages for digital nomads, primarily on the British market, followed and later on the markets of the USA, Canada and Russia.

200 applications for digital nomad status in Croatia

That has resulted in about 200 applications for digital nomad status in our country, said Staničić.

Croatia is one of the first EU countries to regulate a one-year temporary residence status for nomads. Cooperation between the ministries of tourism and of the interior has resulted in a series of laws being adapted related to digital nomads.

Interior Ministry State Secretary Terezija Gras recalled that the Law on Aliens had been amended to introduce digital nomads as a new category eligible for temporary residence. Conditions of eligibility have been entirely simplified and have cut unnecessary red tape, she said.

They have also been exempted from dual taxation payments and health insurance issues have also been regulated.

Digital nomads from Croatia and elsewhere presented their views and experiences at the conference.

For more news, CLICK HERE.

ZAGREB, 3 Sept 2021 - The process of amending the Labour Act to regulate teleworking will be initiated before the end of this year, and the amended legislation should be passed no later than August 2022, a conference on remote work was told in Split on Friday.

The conference was held within the Devote programme, which is being implemented by the Croatian Employers' Association (HUP) in cooperation with the Oil Industry Union (SING) and the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise (NHO).

"It is our duty to adjust our legislation, including the Labour Act, to the European Union's 2019 directives, and deadlines expire in August 2022," said Josipa Klišanin of the Croatian Labour Ministry.

The EU directives will have the greatest impact on contracts on teleworking enabling employees to choose their place of work in agreement with their employer, according to Klišanin.

It is a worker's workload and performance that matters and not the place where they perform their duties, she underscored.

The future amendments will introduce the protection of teleworkers, and labour inspectors will be able to visit them only if they announce their visit and have the substantive reason  for such a visit, she said.

The HUP director-general, Damir Zorić, said that the amendments should produce better regulation of remote work.

HUP's chief economist Iva Tomić said that on average, 3% of employed Croatians were teleworkers, however, during the COVID-19 pandemic this percentage had risen by 30%.

 Surveys show that an estimated 100 million people will soon be teleworking worldwide.

For more on politics, CLICK HERE.

September 3, 2021 - Mario Mandžukić retires from football after 17 years on the pitch. The Croatian footballer announced the news with an emotional post on his Instagram profile today. 

Mario Mandžukić announced the end of his playing career on Friday. One of the greatest Croatian footballers of all time said goodbye to his beloved sport after seventeen years on the pitch. 

Mario announced the news in an emotional Instagram post on Friday. 

"Dear little Mario,

While you put on these boots for the first time, you can't even imagine what you will get to experience in football. You'll score goals at the biggest stages and you'll win the biggest trophies with the biggest clubs. Proudly representing your nation, you will help write the history of Croatian sports.

You'll succeed because you'll have good people around you – teammates, coaches, fans, and family, agent and friends who will always be there for you. You'll be forever grateful to all of them!

Above all, you'll succeed because you'll always give your best. At the end, that's what you'll be most proud of. You'll sacrifice a lot, but you'll know it was worth it because of all the amazing moments.

You'll recognize the moment to retire, to put these boots in a cabinet and you'll have no regrets. Football will always be a part of your life, but you'll look forward to a new chapter.

Enjoy!
Your big Mario

P.S. If you happen to play vs England in the World Cup, just be ready around 109th minute"

Mario most recently played for AC Milan, and news of a new transfer covered headlines in recent months. Mario, however, decided it was time, ending his career at 35 years old. 

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

To learn more about sport in Croatia, CLICK HERE.