Petrol and Diesel Will Disappear By 2050 According to the European Union
July 10, 2021 - In its effort to knock down pollution and combat climate change, the European Union will propose a plan to achieve zero carbon emissions based on betting on electric options and no more on petrol and diesel.
Petrol and diesel are going down in history, the future is on electric vehicles, and the European Union on Wednesday is proposing a strategy to achieve carbon neutrality in the fight against climate change in the next decade, reports Index.hr.
The old continent is the cradle of prestigious car brands and has dominated car innovation for more than a century, but the car, which is the number one means of transport for Europeans, is to blame for greenhouse gas emissions.
Faced with this pressure, the European Union set a goal in 2020 to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
The European Commission is expected to propose new regulations on July 14 to achieve that goal, and according to several sources, the complete abolition of car emissions that use petrol and diesel from 2035 is being considered.
Electric vehicles will be the only ones able to meet such a requirement and will de facto be the only permitted means of transport in a completely new market.
In 2020, Europe introduced a maximum limit of 96 grams of CO2 per kilometer for car designers, but that amount should be reduced by 37.5 percent in 2030.
The reduction in carbon emissions should thus reach 60 percent in 2030 and then 100 percent in 2035.
Although these figures are still being debated, they are a huge compulsion for the automotive industry, which by 2027 must reckon with stricter pollution regulations for internal combustion engines with the use of petrol and diesel.
Takeoff of electric vehicles
In the automotive market, which has suffered a severe blow from the coronavirus pandemic, electric vehicles are making strong progress.
The share of electric cars is 8 percent of all registered vehicles in Western Europe in the first five months of this year, or 356,000 vehicles, and “which is more than in the whole of 2019,” says German analyst Matthias Schmidt.
The new regulations will further favor electric vehicles and increasingly lead to the rejection of hybrid and hybrid vehicles with charging, which combines a petrol engine and a battery.
This is a major challenge for an industry that employs 14.6 million people in the European Union and that still counts heavily on “transition technology”.
The lobby that has struggled for a long time in an effort to slow the transition is deeply divided today. Most members stress that too fast electrification would raise car prices and destroy jobs in favor of Chinese competition, which is ahead of Europe in batteries.
Volkswagen is ready
The automotive leader of the Volkswagen Group, whose fourth vehicle is sold in Europe, joined U.S. manufacturer Tesla in promoting 100 percent of electric vehicles after the 2015 scandal when he admitted to falsifying test results on the exhaust gases of his diesel engines.
"There is a huge conflict within the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA). Because of Dieselgate, Volkswagen has been forced to choose electric vehicles to repair its damaged reputation. The group has agreed to huge investments and is now producing them to comply with future laws," explains Matthias Schmidt.
“Volkswagen is in a perfect position to grab market shares and beat competitors,” he adds.
In June, Volkswagen announced that it would stop producing internal combustion engines in Europe between 2033 and 2035.
"The vehicle has been on the road for an average of 15 years. If we want to completely decarbonize transport in 2050, then we have to sell the last vehicle with a thermal engine by 2035 at the latest," said Diane Strauss of the NGO Transport and Environment for France.
In a classification released in June, the NGO named Daimler (Mercedes), BMW, Stellantis (PSA, Fiat), and Toyota as manufacturers whose projects were rated "unambitious" because they rely heavily on polluting hybrid vehicles.
Renault and Hyundai got better ratings even though they are also far behind Volkswagen and Volvo.
The future of internal combustion engines should be balanced between "2035, which is a premature year from the point of view of industry and society, and 2040 when it will be too late from the point of view of climate," said Pascal Canfin, chairman of the European Environment Committee. parliament.
Canfin advocates the creation of "several billion euros" funds that would help hundreds of small and medium-sized companies related to the automotive industry because it will be affected by the change in technology.
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Dubrovnik Summer Festival Will Have Its Grand Opening Today
July 10, 2021 - Everything is ready for the start of the Dubrovnik Summer Festival in the walled city, which opens tonight. Take a look at what the latest rehearsal looked like and more details about the event.
By raising the Libertas flag on the city bell tower and with the verses of the Hymn of Freedom in front of the church of St. Vlaho, the 72nd Dubrovnik Summer Festival will be officially opened on Saturday night, reports tportal.hr.
Over the next 47 days, until August 25, nearly seventy drama, music, dance, folklore, and other programs will be performed at fifteen stage and ambient locations.
The opening ceremony is directed by Hrvoje Korbar and features the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra under the direction of maestro Stjepan Vuger, percussion ensemble Percussion Club and Folklore Ensemble Linđo with the participation of the Festival Drama Ensemble, which will be joined by acting and dance students from the Zagreb Academy of Dramatic Arts.
Attendance at the ceremony will require an EU digital covid certificate or other valid evidence of vaccination, a negative test result, or recovery from infection.
The drama program of the festival will also include two premieres. The first is 'Out of Yourself', the work of Nataša Rajković, Ivan Penović, and the acting ensemble, as part of the EU project 'Port of Dreamers'. As part of it, the Games will also feature the play 'Celebration' of the Slovenian National Theater from Maribor by Ivor Martinić and directed by Jan Krmelj, and the play 'Under the Same Roof' directed by Ivana Janošev and co-produced by the civil society organization Kulturanova and Újvidéki Színház, a minority Hungarian theater. from Novi Sad.
Photo: Grgo Jelavic/PIXSELL
The second premiere will be 'The Lion's Head', based on the novel of the same name for the first time by Ivan Salečić, adapted by playwright Marijana Fumić and directed by Aida Bukvić. The plays "Hamlet", "Mara and Kata" and "Grižula" will be shown again, and the Student Theater Lero will perform the play "Jugo" by the author and director Davor Mojaš.
The music program of the festival will include, among others, the Percussion Club, the HRT Choir and Jazz Orchestra, Lovre Marušić, Julija Ležnjeva with the ensemble La Voce Strumentale, Eva Šulić with the chamber ensemble of the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra and quartet, Martina Filjak, Felix Klieser, Andrej Bielow, Lawrence Brownlee with Vesna Podrug Kossjanenko, Petrit Çeku, Goran Filipec, Richard Bona, Alfred Rodríguez.
Photo: Grgo Jelavic/PIXSELL
The unique music program "Dubrovnik on the music cliff" brings performances by Lovro Mercep, Marija Grazio, and Dubravka Separovic Musovic.
The festival will close with an opera gala concert by the HRT Symphony Orchestra conducted by Ivan Repušić with Diana Damrau, Nicolas Testé, and Roko Radovan.
According to the financial plan, the budget of the 72nd Dubrovnik Summer Festival is almost 8 million kunas, which is 1.5 million more than last year.
The audience will follow the performances by maintaining a physical distance from one seat with the obligatory wearing of face masks.
The Pearl of the Adriatic for some, King’s Landing for others, walled city Dubrovnik is UNESCO World Heritage Site perfection for all. Tips for travel, food, accommodation, sights & things to do can be found in Total Croatia's Dubrovnik in a page. Read it here, now in your language!
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Croatian Winemakers Won 254 Medals at the Decanter World Wine
July 10, 2021 - Croatian winemakers continue to win, receiving 254 medals at the 18th edition of the prestigious Decanter World Wine Awards, 28 more than last year.
The long-awaited results of the 18th edition of the Decanter World Wine Awards 2021 have been announced, Turističke priče reports. The world’s largest wine competition has had the biggest challenge to date, with a record 18,094 wines from 56 countries applying. For 15 consecutive days in June, nearly 170 wine judges, including 44 wine masters and 11 sommelier masters, declared the 50 best wines and 179 platinum, 635 gold, 5,607 silver, and 8,332 bronze medals.
Croatian winemakers won 254 medals at the Decanter World Wine Awards, 28 more than last year. Three Croatian wineries won the platinum medal and a total of 97 points - Benvenuti (Motova), Zure (Korčula), and Bire (Korčula). In total, Croatian winemakers won 3 platinum awards, 8 gold, as many as 80 wines were decorated with silver, and 163 bronze.
(Screenshot)
Unfortunately, this year we did not achieve positioning at the very top of Decanter's list with at least one wine in the category Best in Show or top 50 best wines in the world, but as more and more Croatian winemakers invest more and more in quality, we are sure that we will get to that last step.
Let's list the gold medals for eight wines: the coast was dominant, so five medals went to Dalmatia, and three to Istria.
Degarra Garageist Bili 2016.
Bora Posip 2019
Testament Tribidrag 2018.
Fakin Malvasia Istria 2020
Cattunar Collina Malvasia Istria 2017
Crvik Vilin Dance Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot-Plavac 2017
Vinologist Eclat Plavac Mali 2013
Vina Laguna Castello 2017. - Festigia
You can see the full list of winners here.
Last year, Croatian wines won three platinum, 11 gold, 68 silver, 88 bronze awards, and 56 awards. At this year's Decanter, Spain dominated and more than doubled the medals compared to the year before when France was the main one. Nine of the 50 Best in Shows were awarded to Spanish wines, and out of the nine outstanding, as many as three offer exceptional quality for less than around 15 euros per bottle. It is important to mention Germany, which achieved record results, and especially worth mentioning Spätburgunder Pinot Noir and world-class chardonnay.
Croatian wines and grapes are among the best in the world, and you can find more information about them in Total Croatia’s Guide to Croatian Wine HERE. Now in your language!
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640 Thousand Tourists Are Currently Staying in Croatia
July 10, 2021 - German media Bild highlights Croatia as a safe destination in the summer, and according to the first data from the eVisitor system, there are currently around 640 thousand tourists in the country, most of them from the markets of Germany, Slovenia, and the Czech Republic.
Renowned German media have been publishing more information about Croatia in recent days, so one of the leading German weekly Die Zeit published an extensive report on the natural beauties of the Kornati until the highest-circulation German tabloid Bild published an extensive and informative report on Croatia, not only highlighting it as a safe destination in times of pandemic and new variants but also mentioning that around 640 thousand tourists are currently in the country, reports hrturizam.hr.
"The beginning of July is the period in which most Germans prepare for summer vacations, and in the coming weeks, school holidays will begin in a large number of German provinces, which will mark the peak of the summer season. In this context, it is very important that in that period Croatia appears in the national media as a desirable and safe holiday destination", said the director of the CNTB Representation in Germany Romeo Draghicchio.
In the article Die Zeita, journalist Nikola Ljubić describes the unique experience of a relaxing atmosphere, beautiful sea, and excellent food on the Kornati archipelago that delighted him in late spring this year, during a study trip organized in cooperation with the Croatian Tourist Board and Šibenik-Knin County Tourist Board. and thanks to the cooperation of the CNTB Representation in Germany with the author of the article. A report on Croatia entitled "Last Minute Check" was published in the online edition of Bild which informs the readers in detail about the current situation in Croatia. The article describes our country as a safe destination and states the conditions for entering Croatia and returning to Germany. This article is the result of the cooperation of the CNTB Representation in Germany with the Bild editorial office, ie with the author Marco Oliver Rühle, who has been following the events in Croatia since the very beginning of the pandemic.
Let us add that Die Zeit is a high-value edition followed by almost 1.7 million readers, and during the corona crisis, its circulation increased by almost 25 percent and now amounts to almost 600 thousand copies. On the other hand, Bild.de is one of the most-read online portals in Germany with a reach of 24 million unique users.
"It is extremely important to adhere to all prescribed epidemiological measures in order to maintain the most favorable epidemiological situation in the country and thus attract as many tourists from our most important emitting markets to Croatia," concluded the director of the Croatian Tourist Board Kristjan Stanicic. According to the first data from the eVisitor system, there are currently around 640 thousand tourists in the country, most of them from the markets of Germany, Slovenia, and the Czech Republic.
For all you need to know about coronavirus specific to Croatia, including travel, border, and quarantine rules, as well as the locations of vaccination points and testing centers across the country, make sure to bookmark our dedicated COVID-19 section and select your preferred language.
World Health Organization: Obesity Affects 1 in 3 Children in Croatia
July 10, 2021 - The result of the new survey conducted by the World Health Organization shows that 1 in 3 children in Croatia is overweight or obese.
The new research conducted by Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative, Croatia (CroCOSI) showed that 35% of children aged 8-9 are overweight or obese and 17.7% of boys and 11.9% of girls in Croatia are affected. According to WHO Europe, the fact that 1 in 3 children in Croatia suffers from overweight or obesity poses a significant public health concern for Croatia.
Childhood obesity affects both the physical and mental health of children. Overweight and obese children are at a greater risk of developing many diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, asthma, musculoskeletal disorders, high blood pressure, and others. Unfortunately, studies also show that children with obesity often suffer from social disadvantages and therefore, tend to develop lower self-esteem and feel socially isolated. Obesity also plays a great factor in developing chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) which was recorded to affect and cause over 90% of deaths in Croatia.
The children obesity survey was conducted throughout Europe and Croatia ranked 7 among the Meditteranean European countries. The Adriatic region also showed the highest percentage of overweight or obese children in Europe with a record of 36.9%. The head of the Health Promotion Division of the Croatian Institute of Public Health, Professor Sanja Musić Milanović, MD, MPH, Ph.D., said that there was an increase of 6% in overweight and obesity among girls in the Adriatic region compared to previous studies. Prof. Sanja Milanović warns that this trend is very concerning and needs to be addressed by the public health policy in Croatia.
Nutrition and lifestyle survey by CroCOSI
The results of the survey will be used to further promote the health activities in Croatian schools. Although regular physical exams for school children is mandatory in Croatia, their nutritional status, physical activity, dietary habits, and lifestyle are not collected in a standardized way. To improve the situation, Croatia joined the Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative (COSI) of WHO Europe and named it CroCOSI ( Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative, Croatia) in 2015-2016.
COSI is a European movement to continuously monitor the nutritional status of children through a regular collection of comparable data of school children in Croatia aged 8-8.9 years old and their families including lifestyle habits and the environment of the schools they attend. The collective data allow inter-comparison of the health and nutritional trend in Europe and are used in raising awareness of the growing rates of obesity and health problems in Croatia and all the states involved.
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Croatia Last in EU as to Perceived Independence of Justice System
ZAGREB, 9 July - 2021 - The perceived independence of the national justice systems in the EU is worst in Croatia, Slovakia and Poland, according to a justice scoreboard the European Commission published on Friday.
According to a 2021 Eurobarometer survey, Croatia is last in the EU according to the perceived independence of its justice system, while Slovakia, Poland, Bulgaria, Italy, Spain, Hungary and Slovenia are slightly better.
The perceived independence of the national justice system is best in Austria, Finland, Germany and Luxembourg.
In Croatia, 68% of respondents among the general public cited interference or pressure from government and politicians as the main reason for the perceived lack of independence of courts and judges, 63% cited pressure from economic or other specific interests, and 50% said the status and position of judges do not sufficiently guarantee their independence.
Croatia also came last in the perceived independence of the national justice system among companies.
Poland, Italy, Slovakia and Hungary placed above Croatia, while Finland, Denmark, the Netherlands, Austria, Ireland and Luxembourg had the best scores.
Croatia and Italy have the largest numbers of pending cases in civil and commercial cases, although Croatia has the largest number of judges per capita after Slovenia.
When it comes to the time estimated as necessary to solve civil, commercial, administrative and other cases in Croatia, that was 130 days in 2019, 102 in 2018, 114 in 2017 and 133 in 2012.
The waiting was longest in Cyprus, 882 days in 2019, followed by Portugal and Greece, 860 and 677 days respectively in 2012.
Denmark scored best, with only 19 days of waiting in 2019, followed by Latvia (25 days), Estonia (32), Lithuania (52) and Slovenia (56).
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Plenković Meets with Bulgarian, Estonian Presidents, Amazon Reps
ZAGREB, 9 July 2021 - Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković held several bilateral meetings in Sofia on Friday, on the fringes of a Three Seas Initiative summit.
Plenković tweeted that he held talks with Bulgarian President Rumen Radev on economic cooperation and cooperation within the Initiative, migration, the fight against COVID-19, and the two countries' ambition to join the Schengen and euro areas.
Plenković also held talks with Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid, who supported Croatia's Schengen bid.
"We appreciate Estonia's support in Croatia's ambition to become a member of the Schengen and euro areas," he tweeted.
Plenković and Kaljulaid also talked about economic cooperation, notably in energy and digitalisation, EU efforts in fighting COVID-19, and climate challenges.
He also met with representatives of the Amazon Web Service, tweeting that they talked about digitalisation in Croatia, plans for the company to open a regional centre in Zagreb, and cooperation in digital transformation, which he said would also create jobs.
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Russian Businessman Shelkov Donates HRK 1.8m to Dubrovnik Hospital
ZAGREB, 9 July 2021 - The Renesansa company owned by Russian businessman Mikhail Shelkov has signed a HRK 1.8 million five-year donation agreement with the Dubrovnik General Hospital for the purchase of new medical equipment and further training of medical staff.
Shelkov is restoring Villa Aurora in Trsteno, outside Dubrovnik, and a former holiday resort on the nearby island of Jakljan. His company has now undertaken to donate HRK 370 million a year to the Dubrovnik hospital for the purchase of modern medical equipment and additional training programmes for its staff.
The company's CEO, Doroteja Ivanjko, said that the idea came from the owner, Mikhail Shelkov, as a logical step at the time of the coronavirus pandemic.
"Shelkov is well known for his charitable work, not just in Dubrovnik, but also on Mljet island which he often visits. Future donations to the hospital will depend on its annual needs," Ivanjko said.
The hospital's director, Marijo Bekić, said that the first donation would be used for the purchase of modern beds for the Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics to facilitate postnatal recovery.
Shelkov made money on titanium and on manufacturing aircraft technology. In 2006, he was declared an honorary citizen of Mljet for his contribution to the overall quality of life of the local island community.
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Total Value of 2020 Real Estate Market Transactions Up 0.5% to HRK 40bn
ZAGREB, 9 July 2021- In 2020, there were 103,000 transactions on Croatia's real estate market, or 7.7% fewer than in 2019, probably due to the COVID-19 pandemic to some extent, however the total value of real estate reached HRK 40 billion, 0.5% higher than in 2019.
The value of real estate transactions was equivalent to 11% of Croatia's Gross Domestic Product, and these figures were outlined at a news conference held in Zagreb on Friday on the occasion of the presentation of the annual publication "Croatia's 2020 Real Estate Market Overview", prepared by the construction and physical planning ministry and the Zagreb Institute of Economics (EIZ).
The ministry's state secretary, Željko Uhlir, said the residential real estate segment had the largest share in the market in terms of value of transactions, however most transfers were on the market of farmland and construction land and plots.
Every one in three transactions (33.3 %) were on the farmland market, and 16% of all transactions were sales of construction land.
Commenting on price rises, Ivana Rašić of the EIZ said that in 2020, the biggest increase in prices when it came to the real estate market were registered in the Adriatic counties of Croatia and in the capital city of Zagreb.
"The median flat price per square metre for the whole of Croatia was approximately HRK 9,600 in 2020," she said.
In Dubrovnik, for instance, the median flat price was HRK 19,000 per square metre and in Zagreb about HRK 11,000, she added.
Demand for new residential properties rose across the country, however houses in Zagreb, Split Rijeka, Pula and in their environs were also in high demand, Rašić said.
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Magnitude 3.5 Quake Rocks Petrinja
ZAGREB, 9 July 2021 - Croatia's Seismological Survey recorded a magnitude 3.5 earthquake eight kilometres south of Petrinja at 12:44 on Friday.
The Petrinja area was struck by a devastating 6.2 quake last December.
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