May the 27th, 2021 - Glovo is set to purchase the wildly popular Croatian food delivery service Pauza.hr, adding that they also plan for more acquisitions and further expansion across Croatia's immediate region.

As Novac writes, Glovo, a leading delivery platform for various product categories, recently announced a series of separate acquisition agreements with Delivery Hero Group, one of the world's leading delivery platforms, which will acquire some of their companies in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), including one Croatian food delivery service - Pauza.hr.

The transaction is expected to be concluded in full over the next few weeks, depending on the fulfillment of previously agreed conditions, as well as the relevant regulatory approvals, a statement from Glovo read. The acquisition includes seven countries in Croatia's immediate region where Delivery Hero operates, namely: Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and here in Croatia.

Glovo will acquire the Foodpanda brand in Romania and Bulgaria, the Donesi brand in Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Pauza.hr brand in Croatia.

In a separate agreement, Glovo recently announced that an agreement had been reached on the acquisition of Ehrana, a local delivery platform from neighbouring Slovenia, without highlighting the value of the transaction. That transaction is expected to close over the next few months, and Glovo is currently working closely with Ehrana to define a transition strategy for both customers and partners and suppliers.

“Focusing on markets where we see clear opportunities for leadership and building sustainable business has always been at the core of our long-term strategy. Central and Eastern Europe are an important part of that plan. This region has wholeheartedly embraced delivery platforms and we're very excited to strengthen our position and increase our presence in countries that are constantly showing huge growth potential,'' stated Oscar Pierre, the co-founder and CEO of Glovo.

"Over the last few years, Delivery Hero has successfully built a leading position here in the Balkans. However, given the many other priorities ahead of us, I believe that Glovo is in a better position to continue to develop an excellent user experience for our customers in this region,'' concluded Niklas Ostberg, the CEO and co-founder of Delivery Hero.

For more, follow our dedicated business section.

May 27, 2021 - The first round of the 2021 Croatian local elections brought a strong breeze of change to the country, with one clear winner - transparency. 

I must confess that I am looking forward to Monday morning. Apart from the fact that I will be back in court for the first hearing of one of my two lawsuits from the Croatian National Tourist Board (which I am secretly quite enjoying, but don't tell anyone), it will also be the day after the second round of voting in the Croatian local elections. 

The Croatian obsession of treating even minor politician as rock stars is a source of endless fascination to me. Ask the average Brit to name, reconise and know the position of 10 politicians, and you will struggle. Not so in Croatia. Even though we do not talk politics at home, my daughters knew the mayors of Jelsa, Split and Zagreb, Karamarko, Oreskovic, Kosor, Plenkovic, Milanovic, Sanader and probably a few others. While at kindergarten age. 

The negativity of campaigning is on the rise globally, but things are always fairly murky in the Balkans.But are things changing a little? Is there some hope for Hrvatska, as that gentle Croatia 2.0 breeze of change gathers strength? If, as expected, the frontrunners for Sunday's run-off in Split and Zagreb prevail, this will be a huge gust of wind blowing in the direction of a better future for our children.

But it is not just in the big cities. 

I have been meaning to write this post for a while, but TC and Dubrovnik nomads have kept me busy. After the first round of elections on May 16, I posted this on my Facebook profile:

Although I don't pretend to understand all the nuances of Croatian local politics, a very interesting night at the polls. A brighter dawn for Zagreb for sure, and the success of young Ivica Puljak in Split is truly inspiring.

Can change come to Croatia? Look no further than Sveta Nedelja and compare the vote to 4 years ago. Even without Rimac, Holy Sunday is flying. Thanks to the leadership of Dario Zurovec and his team, jobs are up 20%, population has increased by 10% it has been named the top medium-sized Croatian town for the economy for the last 3 years in a row, as well as in the top 5 for quality of life.

And the voters seem to like it. A staggering 42% increase in the vote for young Zurovec, from 22% in 2017 to 64% this time around. A tiny case study of how to bring change to Croatia in just 4 years.

Just as the Croatian National Tourist Board is an irrelevant institution, so too the old politics of corruption and cronyism. I must admit. I am loving this gentle breeze of change, which is slowly gathering pace by the day. Go Croatia 2.0!

It seems that Sveta Nedelja was not alone. Transparency legend and Croatian brainbox Vuk Vukovic has been working with various local authorities to introduce transparency into local administration. And he had a rather interesting Facebook update of his own:

Transparency pays off ?

In the cities and municipalities that have introduced (or are introducing) our version of full budget transparency, their (city) mayors are each at over 60% in the first round.

Hrebak, Bjelovar - 66.8%
Ahmetovic, Omisalj - 63.5%
Petrina, Primosten - 70.3%
Bilic, Trogir - 63.6%

Ok, they would all get it probably without transparency, there are a lot of other projects and merits, but if it helped them a little, it's good!

Congratulations to the cities that have a transparent public procurement register (which is also certainly a step in the right direction), such as Sveta Nedelja and Zlatar, and their mayors at over 60% in the first round. Again, thanks to great other projects, but it's nice that voters honor this topic as well.

And I am also glad that the candidates in other cities who announced transparency were awarded, and those who faked transparency, ie offered a false promise, were punished (such as Pavičić-Vukičević and Filipović in Zagreb).

Everything is great.

There must be a message in there somewhere. Could it be that when people decide to vote for a better future for their children rather than the nepotism of the past, they see that Croatia moves forward, and their lives are better as a result? And then they want more of it?

Looking forward to a cleansing bura on Sunday night and then focusing on fresh beginnings on Monday. The twin viruses of technology and transparency are here to stay.  

May 27, 2021 - An introductory hybrid conference called "New Generation of the EU and Croatian Path to Recovery" was held on the Croatian Employers' Association premises.

The National Recovery and Resilience Plan with EU funds is expected to be a real lever for growth, recovery, and resilience to future crises.

Under the auspices of the Ministry of Regional Development and European Union Funds and with the support of the Ministry of European and Foreign Affairs and the Italian Embassy in Zagreb, the Italian-Croatian Chamber of Commerce and Forca Digital Agency, in cooperation with PwC Croatia, organized an introductory hybrid conference at the Croatian Employers' Association. The sponsor of the conference was Zagrebačka banka dd.

The conference discussed the national recovery and resilience plan and the new generation of the European Union.

Damir Zorić, Director General of the Croatian Employers' Association, gave a welcome speech at the conference and pointed out:

"I am thrilled that we all gathered today around the topic of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, which is very important to HUP and in the focus of employers' interests in the last few months. We want to continue to remain a constructive partner to the Republic of Croatia's Government in this topic to make the most of the opportunity of the generation provided by the NPOO. If we do not create at least 100,000 jobs in the coming period, we will not give future generations a decent opportunity to live."

The introductory discussion, as well as the round table, were attended by numerous eminent persons, including Zvonimir Savić, Advisor to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia and State Secretaries Šime Erlić from the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds and Zdenko Lucić from the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and Hrvoje Balen, ICT Vice President - HUP and coordinator for NPOO.

"In the next few months, we expect that there will still be room for NPOO corrections and enabling the involvement of the private sector in certain investment programs. We recognize the efforts of the Government, which negotiated more favorable conditions and a map of regional aid, which opened the space for encouraging private investment and sustainable employment, and we must praise the new dynamics of communication with the Ministries of Economy, Labor, Tourism and Regional Development," said Hrvoje Balen.

All present agreed that the Republic of Croatia is truly living a historic moment. The National Recovery and Resilience Plan with EU funds for the next multiannual financial framework is expected to be a real lever for growth, recovery, and resilience to future crises.

The Ambassador of Italy in Zagreb, HE Pierfrancesca Sacca, and entrepreneurs members of the Italian-Croatian Chamber of Commerce expressed their opinions not only on the National Recovery and Resilience Plan but also on investments and obstacles faced by investors and employers. The Ambassador of Italy in Zagreb, HE On this occasion, Pierfrancesca Sacca presented several activities that Italy and Croatia are carrying out, strengthening the cooperation between our two countries in all fields, and pointed out:

"I don't think we are fully aware of the consequences of the paradigm shift. Now no one thinks globalization can continue as if nothing has happened. There will be efforts to relocate trade and investment flows. The Italian system of promotion and internationalization of companies in the past looked a lot at distant markets. Still, now with increasing attention, it looks at markets and partners much closer to Italy, especially neighboring countries, especially towards Croatia.

An interesting discussion was joined by Mr. Alessio Cioni, Vice President of the Italian-Croatian Chamber of Commerce and Deputy CEO of PBZ dd, Hrvoje Dolenec Director for Macroeconomic Analysis and Market Analysis of Zagrebačka banka dd, and John Gašparac, President of the Management Board of PwC Croatia, who, with his extensive knowledge and experience, gave a special review of the event.

"Operating costs, although they remain an important criterion, are no longer crucial. We look at productivity, the market, and the recycling capacity in production to minimize the impact on the environment. I also emphasize the slowness of the bureaucracy and especially the legal system, which must be facilitated and simplified especially for the technological infrastructure and in the field of digitalization," said Alessio Cioni.

"We need to focus on two things - to enable entrepreneurs to get funds for their projects as soon as possible, and with the help of the synergy of the private and public sector, to achieve that. The realization of this potential is a historic opportunity for us. We definitely need to be careful about possible risks because others will be involved in it," said John Gasparac.

The conference continued with a presentation of "Possibilities of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan" by Nataša Mihoci, senior consultant for EU funds at PwC Croatia, who presented a cross-section of opportunities and sectors and potential financial allocations.

Digital and Green are two concepts that run through the entire National Recovery and Resilience Plan and need to be addressed in project preparation.

"It has never been more important to invest in human resources because without that we cannot reach 24.4 billion euros in the Republic of Croatia. Therefore, investment in human capacity and quality preparation is key to reach the mentioned amount. Prepare your ideas for projects now, and don't forget "digital" and "green," said Natasa Mihoci.

The closing speech at the conference was given by the Secretary-General of the Italian-Croatian Chamber of Commerce and event moderator, Andrea Perkov, and concluded:

"Today's conference showed that this was a synergistic effect of a public-private partnership with the common goal of presenting, influencing and creating a new generation of Europe in Croatia through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan."

For more, follow our dedicated business section.

May 27, 2021 - Stipe Miočić revealed to Croatian Sports that he wouldn't mind having the UFC title fight at Poljud Stadium in Split. 

Legendary UFC fighter Stipe Miočić is not giving up on his career and hopes to return the UFC champion belt he lost against Francis Ngannou.

As UFC boss Dana White recently hinted, Miočić should soon be in the ring against the winner of the Francis Ngannou - Derrick Lewis fight. 

Gol.hr reports that Miočić recently interviewed with Croatian Sports, a Croatian media portal in the United States, and revealed that he should soon arrive in Croatia soon and wishes to fight at Poljud.

"Oh yeah, that would be amazing. I love that Croatian fan mentality, Croatia is a perfect country… I am for the fight in Croatia, at Poljud, let's do it," said Miočić for Croatian Sports.

Journalist Ante Kvartuč asked Miočić if he had watched his beloved Hajduk live. Recall, Miočić was at Poljud during his last visit to Croatia and often pointed out that he was a fan of the famous Split club.

"No, I'm more of a guy who follows the national team," Stipe said honestly.

Croatia has Cro Cop, bronze and silver at the football World Cup, Goran Ivanišević, Marin Čilić, water polo players, basketball players… What do they have to achieve such great success?

"It can't be explained; it's all up to the mentality. You get into something, and you don't go out without achieving something," explains Miočić.

Back in March, and for the second time in his career, Stipe Miočić lost the UFC heavyweight title. Stipe suffered a heavy defeat in the fight for the UFC title in a rematch against Francis Ngannou. The Cameroonian defeated Miočić with a brutal knockout at the beginning of the second round. 

UFC president Dana White recently said that Miočić would fight the winner of Ngannou vs. Derrick Lewis, a highly anticipated fight that should be held this August. Miočić said he is only waiting for the contract to make it real. 

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

To get more news about sports in Croatia, CLICK HERE.

May 26, 2021 - Untold stories of how fear and panic that came with the COVID-19 pandemic influenced even the usually peaceful and welcoming people of Croatia. A first-hand account of racism in Croatia pre and post pandemic. 

Racism is not very rampant in Croatia, however, it still does exist. It is not widely talked about because racism in Croatia is subtle, and most of it is being committed unknowingly and without ill-intent. Even before the pandemic, non-Caucasian foreigners in Croatia would at one point come across racism - usually, in the form of racial microaggression. Although this term has been around for quite some time, I only first learned about it a few months after I moved to Croatia back in 2016 when I googled the phrase: When racism is so subtle you’re not even sure it is. What triggered me to look into it was when I got fed up from encountering people who yell "Kina" or "Japanka" at me, and from getting a couple of strange questions from people I just met such as if I eat dogs.

So what is microaggression and why is it not talked about in Croatia? Derald W. Sue, a psychology professor from Columbia University, defined it as the everyday slights, indignities, put-downs, and insults that members of marginalized groups experience in their day-to-day interactions with individuals who are often unaware that they have engaged in an offensive or demeaning way. Though this term is most often used in a racial context, it also applies to all marginalized groups including gender, sexual orientation, religion, and disability. Since most encounters of racism in Croatia never escalate to physical hate violence, people have always been hesitant to talk about it - including me. After all, the Philippines has a higher crime rate than Croatia so who am I to complain? Who am I to be dissatisfied with this country? Here, I can walk safely in a way that I couldn't in Manila. Here, the chances of theft and sexual harassment are much less than in the country I originated from. But the thing is, how should I answer when people ask me if I eat dogs or if they easily assume that I met my Croatian husband through internet dating sites? How should I respond when I walk down the street, minding my own business, and suddenly get singled out by people who yell "Kina", or when I hear people refer to two of my Filipino friends as "majmun"?

In fear of being labeled as over-reacting and over-sensitive - considering that blatant and obvious discrimination is more concerning - most people never address microagressions head-on because doing so, can cause more trouble than it's worth. Unfortunately, when the pandemic arrived in Croatia, these "seemingly harmless and unintentional comments" became heightened, dangerous, and impossible to disregard.

The Gradual Rise of Racism in Croatia After Covid-19 Entered the Country

As news about the new coronavirus in China gets more and more horrific, so does the fear and hostility of people in most parts of the world towards Asian people. In Croatia, this fear started to become apparent at the beginning of January 2020, even before the virus entered the country. During this time, most Croatians deliberately avoided being in a close radius with an Asian person, fearing that they could get infected just by being near one. Then, there was the fearmongering that all Asians, even Asian food, carry the virus. I personally experienced this when I went with a friend to Terme Tuhelj to enjoy the saunas in the early February of 2020. There were more people than usual at that time and my friend wasn’t so happy about it, so she told me to cough when I enter the sauna room so that people will leave. I told her that it was her idea so she should do it. She answered me so casually that she is not Asian so it wouldn't work. A newly-opened Asian restaurant in Croatia received a lot of hate comments back then, too.

The highest peak of racism in Croatia, however, was felt around March to June 2020 just before Croatia took its first lockdown measures. At this time, even my husband prevented me from going out after overhearing two Croatian men talking about dragging out an Indian couple who was getting supplies from the supermarket. I also started to receive messages from my Croatian friends asking if I was safe. In fear of xenophobic attacks, I never left the house without a mask and a pair of sunglasses on to make my ethnicity less noticeable. Also, during this time, many Asian foreigners have experienced refusal of services. For instance, a bus driver refused to let in one Filipino worker in Šibenik. The driver told him that he could not let him enter the bus because he could infect them with the coronavirus. There were also three Filipina workers who went inside a market in Trogir and all the staff including the cashier rushed to the stock room and hid there until they left. In Zagreb, a few Filipino workers received repeated xenophobic verbal attacks in the tram usually coming from high school to college students and older women and men. The worst xenophobic encounter they have had was with an old man who called them trash, spat at them, and told them to go back to China. 

The Easing of Racism in Croatia

The COVID-19 pandemic caused huge damage to this country's economy by heavily affecting the livelihood of a lot of Croatian people especially those in travel and tourism. The loss of jobs and loved ones caused a lot of hate and fear, not just in Croatia, but all over the world as people look for someone to blame for the worldwide impairment caused by the virus. But as the saying "time heals all wounds" goes, Croatia is gradually emerging and recovering from the severe and abrupt damages and changes brought on by COVID-19. People are now less scared as they become more informed and the prejudice towards Asians is getting better. As summer greeted the end of lockdown in Croatia in 2020, and tourists slowly filled its beaches and promenades once again - the lighter and friendlier Croatia that we have always known began to reveal itself to us once more. Although there are still a few racist remarks here and there, I think it is safe to say that the darkest time of racism in Croatia has passed, and with quite a sense of relief that it was never as violent as the Anti-Asian hate crimes that are plaguing other countries.

For more news about Covid-19 in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

For more news about Croatia, CLICK HERE.

ZAGREB, 26 May, 2021 - Defence Minister Mario Banožić said on Wednesday the reintroduction of conscription was being considered and that, although he was sure it was the right move, he felt that Croatian society still had to deal with this subject a lot.

Speaking on Croatian Radio, Banožić said he tried to research the subject in recent months.

He said almost two in three citizens supported mandatory military service, but added that the motive for introducing it was important, and that was security and stability.

Parents are for introducing conscription first and foremost as an educational measure, which is not the right motive, he said.

Croatia needs security, stability and serving one's country as the motive, ideals which are the foundations of the Croatian army, courage and the desire to feel secure and whole, Banožić said.

Croatian society still has to deal with this subject a lot, but reintroducing mandatory military service is the right step, he added.

Asked if there was a road map and when that could be expected, he said that for now the ministry was researching public opinion and how to manage the process because of the sensitive subject.

Especially considering that once you abandon such a model, bringing conscription back is a much tougher challenge, he added.

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

ZAGREB, 26 May, 2021 - The main Zagreb Stock Exchange indices ended the day in different directions on Wednesday, with investors focusing on the preferred shares of the Adris tourism and insurance group and the Valamar Riviera hotel group.

The Crobex fell for the fourth day running and dropped by 0.16% to 1,932.26 points. 

After falling for two days, the Crobex10 picked up and ended the day at 1,197.56 points, increasing by 0.20%.

Regular turnover amounted to HRK 8.85 million or about 450,000 more than on Tuesday.

The most liquid stock was the Adris Group with a turnover of HRK 3.2 million of its preferred shares, which closed at a price of HRK 410 per share, down 0.49%.

The Valamar Riviera hotel group was the only other stock to cross the million kuna mark. It generated a turnover of HRK 1.2 million. Its shares jumped in price by 0.67% to close at 30 kuna. 

Of the 36 stocks that traded today, only 9 registered share price increases.

(€1 = HRK 7.505183)

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

ZAGREB, 26 May, 2021 - Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša on Wednesday supported the Schengen entry of Croatia, Bulgaria and Romania as it would strengthen security in Europe.

We support Croatia's entry to the Schengen Area, as well as the entry of Bulgaria and Romania. We believe those are steps that strengthen security in Europe, he told a joint press conference with European Parliament President David Sassoli.

He spoke at the press conference via video link from Ljubljana after presenting to European Parliament leaders the priorities of the Slovenian presidency of the Council of the EU, which starts on 1 July.

Croatian PM Andrej Plenković said in Brussels on Tuesday he expected Croatia's Schengen membership could be on the agenda during the Slovenian presidency.

"Croatia is on the right track to become a member of the Schengen Area in 2022 and then to enter the eurozone. I think that's possible. When we look at the very good relations we now have with Slovenia, it would be a great scenario if something like that happened during Slovenia's presidency of the Council of the EU," he told the press.

Janša today also supported EU enlargement to the Western Balkans, saying many problems there, including the border issue, would be taken off the agenda with the accession of those countries.

EU enlargement is in our common interest. It should be our strategic response to numerous challenges, he added.

He said that when the EU was dealing with the financial and then the migrant crisis, neglecting enlargement, some other factors started expanding their influence in the Western Balkans.

Those foreign factors don't have the same values as we in the European Union, he added.

Janša said a European perspective was the answer.

We can solve problems by making borders less important. Slovenia is now part of the European Union and Schengen, where there are no physical borders, he added.

He announced an EU-Western Balkan summit for 6 October in Slovenia.

As for the priorities of Slovenia's EU presidency, Janša highlighted respect for the rule of law and EU resilience to crises. He also underlined the importance of the Conference on the Future of the EU, which will end next year during the French presidency.

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