ZAGREB, 31 May 2021 - Croatia's industrial output jumped by a record-high 17.3% in April, rising for five straight months, which is perceived as an indicator of the post-corona crisis recovery of the production and the whole economy.

The national statistical office (DZS) on Monday published data showing that Croatia's industrial production in April fell 2.1% compared to March, whereas it soared 17.3% in comparison to April 2020, and this is the highest year-on-year increase since the start of keeping data on industrial production trends in 2001.

All five sectors see rise y-o-y

The production of durable consumer goods skyrocketed by 138.7%.

The production of intermediate goods increased by 19.5%, and of energy by 18%.

The capital goods production increased 14.1%, and production of consumer non-durables rose by 11% on the year.

The recovery of the economy is also reflected in the fact that the retail turnover in April soared by 34.4% on the year.

The economy is on the track of recovery since Croatia's GDP saw a rise for the third quarter on a quarterly basis.

For more, follow our business section.

ZAGREB, 31 May 2021 - Acting Zagreb Mayor Jelena Pavičić Vukičević said on Monday all the documents necessary for transferring authority to newly-elected Mayor Tomislav Tomašević were ready at the city administration and that the transfer could occur on Friday at the earliest.

She congratulated Tomašević on his election and wished him and his team success in their work.

We followed the campaign and saw the election programs, and we expect their prompt and good realization, she told the press.

Pavičić Vukičević also congratulated the people of Zagreb on City Day, which is observed today.

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

May 31, 2021 - As ePodravina writes, a new tourist product Podravina Adventure, a joint project of the Đurđevac Tourist Board and the Dravski peski Tourist Board, was introduced last Friday at the Karlovčan Family Ethno House in Brodić.

On this occasion, the State Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports Sandra Herman visited the region. The project was briefly presented by Kristina Sočev, Assistant Director of the Koprivnica-Križevci County Tourist Board, Mario Fuček, Director of the Đurđevac Tourist Board, Vjekoslav Maletić, Mayor of Ferdinandovac and Director of the Drava Sands Tourist Board Alen Janći.                           

Kristina Sočev thanked the Ministry of Tourism and Sports and the State Secretary for their support and approval of the project as a joint venture between the Tourist Board of the City of Đurđevac and the Tourist Board Dravski peski, as well as for the financial support of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports with which one piece of equipment was purchased.

''We wanted to show that our county is rich in tourist offer that is not sufficiently recognized. The coronavirus pandemic showed that outdoor activities are the future and an opportunity to develop continental tourism'', said Sočev, adding that the tourist communities of Pitomača and Virovitica-Podravina County and Nippy Adventures also participated in this project.

Alen Janći explained that the new tourist product will include the promotion of rafting, quads, bicycles of the beautiful Bilogora  area, which are united in the name of Adventure Podravina.

''We are sure that it will experience success and increase the number of arrivals and overnight stays in our tourist area'', said Janći.

Mario Fuček from the Đurđevac Tourist Board expressed his satisfaction at the fact that the representatives of several tourist boards put their heads together.

''We did it in order to show a different side of Podravina because it is adorned with gentleness, and we see in it the wild side that is also beautiful to show. We have a wealth of tangible and intangible cultural heritage and while we put it all on a pile Podravina really has a lot to show '' said Fuček.

Secretary of State Sandra Herman supported the idea of forming a partnership around tourism product.

''This is an excellent good practice example of joint ventures and why they are important'', said Herman and announced that the funds will be paid this year, and all those who formed joint ventures to pursue their projects will, according to the new rules be able to apply to the public call for project fundinf at the end of the year.

''We already feel and can experience that joint ventures regarding such projects have a future. Here, the result can already be seen, congratulations. Now we have to further promote your efforts and put it on the tourist market'', she said, emphasizing that Koprivnica-Križevci County will get its place in the Discover Rural Croatia campaign by the end of the year. 

With the apperance of the coronavirus, Podravina is increasingly turning to domestic, Croatian guests who want to explore the interior, the continental part of Croatia and foreign tourists.

''We will find additional funds for your events and top events for which we did not know at the beginning of the year whether they will take place. The continent is one of the underdeveloped areas, this year we have provided almost 40 million kuna to help underdeveloped areas, we want a balanced and stronger development of tourism, which brings the development of overall tourism in Croatia'', said Herman.

For more tourism news from Croatia, check out the dedicated TCN travel section. 

May 31, 2021 - The Croatia Euros camp has moved to Rovinj due to the current COVID-19 measures in Scotland. 

HNS reports that the Croatian Football Federation management has decided that the Croatia national team will stay in Rovinj instead of St Andrews, Scotland, during the European Championship.

HNS received a recommendation from UEFA to change the national team's camp due to the COVID-related measures in Scotland that could affect the national team. The Croatian Football Federation did not want to risk the possibility that due to a potentially infected person among the players and staff members, a larger number of players would have to go into mandatory self-isolation, so it was decided that St Andrews would not be the national team camp.

After a detailed analysis of available options and intensive communication with UEFA, the Federation's management, in agreement with the expert staff headed by coach Zlatko Dalic, decided that the Croatia national team will stay in Rovinj during the Euro, where it was during the first part of preparations. Croatia will stay at the Grand Park Hotel and train at the NK Rovinj playground.

"I think that in these circumstances, this is the best decision for the national team. We know that we will have excellent conditions, top accommodation, and quality terrain, and we cannot get that elsewhere in such a short time. We will try to have our peace, which is also needed. The support of the people can only give us extra energy. Given the pandemic, this is the best outcome; we have a unique opportunity to hold the championship in our country," said coach Zlatko Dalic.

"We reacted responsibly and quickly found the best solution for the national team in these exceptional circumstances. We could not allow our stay in Scotland to endanger most of the team in self-isolation. Rovinj has proven excellent living and working conditions for the national team, and other options abroad would be improvisation at the moment. We are at home in Croatia, we will be most comfortable there in these circumstances, and that is why we all agreed that this is the best decision," said HNS Executive Director Marijan Kustić.

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

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May 31st, 2021 - The Croatian parliament starts its session on Tuesday this week because the Feast of Corpus Christi is observed on Thursday. It will discuss the proposal of 41 opposition MPs for a vote of no confidence in Health Minister Vili Beroš.

The opposition says the reasons for that include the accumulated problems, the lack of an effective and transparent vaccination system, the avoidance of public procurement, corruption, and the theft of public money during the COVID pandemic to benefit close associates Minister Beroš.

"The reasons for this move are clear to all citizens - the accumulated debts in the healthcare system resulted in the suspension of deliveries of medicines to hospitals at the height of the pandemic. There are also huge problems with the vaccination system, and we have learned of favorable treatment in the development of the cijepise.hr vaccination registration system," Peđa Grbin of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) said in early May, explaining the reason for filing a joint motion for a no-confidence vote, signed by all opposition groups in parliament except the Croatian Sovereignists, who announced, however, that they would vote in favor of Beroš's resignation.

Grbin also said that the Ministry of Health "simply isn't functioning," and there were no reforms.

Beroš must leave, but that is not enough, and after he leaves, we must all work together to address the accumulated problems in the health system, Grbin said.

The government rejected the opposition's claims, saying that there are no grounds for a vote of no confidence in Beroš, and proposed to the parliament to reject the proposed decision on the no-confidence vote.

The government stressed that since the COVID outbreak, the health system had to deal with circumstances it had not experienced since the Homeland War, but it "stayed on its feet."

It rejected the opposition's claims on financing the health system, organizing the vaccination system, the public procurement, and claims related to the www.koronavirus.hr website and the procurement of advisory services.

The government said that the reform measures should establish a better, more efficient, and more flexible organizational structure and health system management.

On Wednesday, the parliament will discuss a report on the work of the State Audit Office for 2020; it will vote at noon and then conclude this week's work.

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

May 31st, 2021 - In the past 24 hours 40 coronavirus cases and 12 deaths have been registered in Croatia, the national COVID-19 response team said on Monday.

There are 1,935 active cases and 797 hospitalized patients, including 84 on ventilators, while 10,140 persons are self-isolating.

So far Croatia has registered 356,181 coronavirus cases, 8,026 deaths, and 346,220 recoveries, including 397 in the past 24 hours, while 2,013,455 persons have been tested for the virus, including 2,116 in the past 24 hours.

So far 1,751,087 vaccines have been administered, with 1,272,513 persons receiving the first dose and 478,574 both.

For more on COVID-19 in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

May 31st, 2021 - The new Ogulin glamping resort is the latest attraction with its unique ‘A-Frame cottages’ by the lake. 

Jutarnji reports, there are 20 glamping houses with saunas, swimming pools, jacuzzis, and pitches for private tents, and the emphasis is on the sensory park, which aims to arouse the senses.

Glamping is, by the simplest definition, a mixture of glamor and camping. It is, in fact, the fusion of these two concepts, which transform camping into premium luxury accommodation in nature, and in our areas, it is nothing new. The future Ogulin glamping resort will definitely raise the offer, quality, and glamorous camping experience in Croatia.

H3 Studio d.o.o | H3 Studio d.o.o Facebook

The new glamping resort will be located near Lake Sabljaci, in the settlement of Otok Oštarijski, part of the town of Ogulin. The project is currently under construction. According to the conceptual architectural and urban study prepared by H3 Studio, it includes a land area of ​​45,821 square meters, which is located within ​​catering and tourism. There is a central building with reception, kitchen, restaurant and cafe, terrace, offices, toilets and storage, 20 double and quadruple glamping mobile home, pitches for private tents and numerous public facilities, or sports and recreational areas and playgrounds.

Architect Hrvoje Hanže Hanzlin from H3 Studio explains that in agreement with the investor, the idea of ​​a glamping resort was reached, and the focus is to create an anti-stress program. 

"Given that a forest surrounds the plot, there is a lake, and in the background of the mountains Klek, we did not focus on maximum construction, but we devised a concept that will provide a connection with nature and beautiful views, while high-quality accommodation and content that would provide users with relaxation, peace, and privacy," says Hrvoje Hanže Hanlin and adds that the emphasis is therefore placed on the sensory park, which aims to stimulate the senses, reduce the stress of everyday hectic life and help find balance.

The resort itself is divided into several zones, depending on the configuration of the slope. At the top, there are glamping houses, and at the bottom, there are public facilities. In addition to the sensory park, tennis and mini-golf courts, a children's playground, a dog playground, and a flower garden are planned. The spirit of the climate is also visible in the design of buildings, with the use of local materials, mostly wood.

H3 Studio d.o.o | H3 Studio d.o.o Facebook

"The shape of the glamping mobile home is a modern interpretation of the archetypal shape of the houses of Gorski Kotar 'A-Frame house'," explains the architect. He adds that such houses were once built with a stone base, but here it is physically dislocated and "pushed" into the terrain on a slope and is used as an auxiliary room equipped with a barbecue and storage. The houses themselves are raised from the ground and placed on wooden poles while in the space between the plateau with a pool or jacuzzi. 

Also, all homes are equipped with saunas. On one side, there is a sail on the front, on the other a glass rock, and thanks to the configuration of the terrain on the slope, all the houses have a view of Lake Sabljaci.

The start of the project has not been defined yet, given that the necessary permits are still pending.

Follow the latest on flights to Croatia HERE and the latest travel updates and COVID-19 news from Croatia HERE.

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

May the 31st, 2021 - Zagreb has a new mayor and a major political shift has taken place in numerous places across the country which were former HDZ strongholds. With the results finally in after the second round, just what does brand new Zagreb mayor Tomasevic from Mozemo! (We Can!) promise to do for the capital's residents?

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the new Zagreb mayor Tomasevic said last night that he expects the official handover to take place at the end of the week and that the first meetings are expected as early as today.

"I'm going to proudly lead this city to a better future and I will be the mayor for all of its citizens, both those for whom I was the choice and those for whom I wasn't the choice. I believe that all of the citizens of this city, regardless of how they voted and whether they went to the polls at all, want better living conditions in their neighbourhoods, more accessible kindergartens, better healthcare services, more care homes, better public transport, better bike paths, more green areas, they want this city to finally give a bit of perspective to young people,'' said the new Zagreb mayor Tomasevic when giving his winning speech.

Tomasevic and his party Mozemo! announced that they'd reduce the existing 27 city offices, and thus the head offices, down to about 15. This of course also requires a vote in the Assembly. However, the late Milan Bandic's top people will not be easily replaced - the contracts for 11 of them will cease to be valid by the end of the year, but some of them have contracts for another three years and Zagreb mayor Tomasevic cannot dismiss them, even if he fully cancels their positions in the city's offices.

"We;'l talk to all of those people and directors, we'll see what projects are underway, what the deadlines are. There will be a normal transition of power. We'll have about 15 city offices, and for coordination, 27 offices are way too many, that's clear,'' said Tomasevic after the first round.

He also spoke about his first moves between the two rounds of local elections.

“We can immediately restructure the city administration and establish a city office for reconstruction. Currently, 80 percent of apartment buildings haven't even submitted a request for renovation, because people are struggling with documentation, which is a failure of both the city and the state. The city has the human capacity to form an office that will help people meet the requirements, that they don't have to collect documentation by going to city and state offices, but that we do it for them and communicate with people on their own doorsteps. The first thing that will be felt immediately after the change of government will be in the city administration, which will become open, accessible and transparent,'' Zagreb's new mayor assured, giving hope to many still struggling shamefully after the March 2020 earthquake struck Zagreb.

For more, follow our dedicated politics section.