ZAGREB, 23 May, 2021 - The founder of the Rimac Automobili company is taking the first step towards the realisation of a HRK 3.4 billion project for the development and establishment of a network of electric autonomous taxis in Zagreb, Jutarnji List daily said on Sunday.

In 2024, Zagreb will become the first city in the world with a robotaxi service for using self-driving, electric taxis via an application.

The founder of Rimac Automobili, entrepreneur Mate Rimac, is starting to build a park, a square, a storage facility and charging stations for electric, driverless taxis, or robotaxis, on the Sava river - on a meadow across from Zagreb's Student Residence Hall "Stjepan Radić".

The complex, officially called the Mobility Centre, should be completed by the end of 2022, and the robotaxi service in Zagreb should be launched by 2024.

According to Rimac Automobili, the Mobility Centre on the Sava river will have two roles: a social role, as it will be a place where people will come to acquaint themselves with new technologies and talk to experts, and a functional role, for charging, maintaining and cleaning robotaxis in an environmentally sustainable way, Jutarnji List reports.

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ZAGREB, 23 May, 2021 - Tomislav Škrljac's picture book "The Story of Petrinja", with illustrations by 14 artists, has been published by Školska Knjiga and all proceeds from sales will be paid into the account of a Petrinja elementary school badly damaged in last year's earthquake.

By publishing the book, Školska Knjiga took part in a humanitarian project launched a few days after the 29 December tremor by Škrljac, a writer, illustrator and designer born in Petrinja.

He wrote a story for children about the devastated city, conceiving it as a book with pictures by different illustrators, the publisher has said.

In the book, Škrljac describes the most important parts of Petrinja's history and highlights its sights and dedication to traditions. He contacted Školska Knjiga and pitched a unique picture book whose sales would help the reconstruction of an elementary school in Petrinja, thus launching a humanitarian project in which all participants waived their fees for the benefit of the city's children.

The book was illustrated by Branka Hollingsworth Nara, Maksim Šimić, Dubravko Mataković, Josip Sršen, Robert Solanović, Dario Kukić, Darko Macan, Ivana Guljašević Kuman, Frano Petruša, Stjepan Bartolić, Niko Barun, Filip Andronik, Goran Sudžuka and Škrljac.

It may be purchased at Školska Knjiga's website and book shops for HRK 50, with all proceeds going to the 1st Elementary School in Petrinja, which sustained the worst damage in the earthquake and is unfit for use. A new school will be built in its vicinity, financed by the Hungarian government.

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May 23, 2021 - The Vina Croatia Vina Mosaica website wants to become a key point of Croatian winemaking. It aims to present the Croatian wine list to the world as a recognizable destination of high-quality wines.

"Croatia has a wealth of indigenous varieties and a beautiful mosaic of four wine-growing and wine regions with their climatic, varietal, and positional specifics, such as this Iločka with Traminer. Our wine is not just food and potentially important export product. Along with gastronomy, it plays an increasingly important role in the tourist offer, and events like this brand Croatia as an eno-gastro destination," said the Vice President of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce for Agriculture and Tourism Dragan Kovačević.

HRTurizam reports, in 2020, Croatia recorded a 50% drop in wine sales due to the decline in tourism and the blockade of the HORECA channel; our winemakers sell almost 70% of their wine through the HORECA channel.

"However, the fact that our share of higher-priced wines, top-quality wines, and sparkling wines in exports is growing by almost 60 percent is encouraging, and this clearly shows that Croatian winemaking should go in the direction of high quality. Here, too, Traminer as a top variety has its role, and a large number of platinum and gold medals are proof that the crisis has not affected the quality of Traminer, "said Kovacevic.

Kovačević also added that the key role in stabilizing the wine sector was played by the national aid program by which the state removed HRK 9 million from the market with HRK 56m through crisis distillation and crisis storage, thus helping to preserve current liquidity and free up storage capacity for the new harvest, and assistance to the sector continues this year with 20 million.

He also pointed out that more investment should be made in the promotion and marketing of wine. "Winemaking must be a solid item in the state budget because there is no serious market positioning without marketing. Under the joint brand Vina Croatia Vina Mosaica, the Croatian Chamber of Commerce will continue to work even harder with its own funds and the funds of the wine envelope, EU funds, on the international promotion of Croatian wines. That is why we have completely renewed the website of Vina Croatia Vina Mosaica, which as an additional marketing tool should be a key communication point of Croatian winemaking and a guide for tourists and wine lovers through Croatian wine regions and Croatian wines," said Kovacevic.

Wines of Croatia - Vina Croatia | Wines of Croatia - Vina Croatia Facebook

The new Wine Act defined four regional organizations of winemakers and winegrowers that correspond to four wine-growing regions but also marketing regions of Croatia: Slavonia and the Croatian Danube region, Central Hilly Croatia, Croatian Istria, and Kvarner and Dalmatia. Winemakers gathered in the National Wine Association of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce and the professional service of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce are the initiators of this division, and these four regions are the backbone of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce brand strategy "Vina Croatia Vina Mosaica."

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May 22, 2021 - As Dulist reports, the closing conference of 'The Dubrovnik digital nomad-in-residence' project was held this Saturday at Lazareti. At the closing ceremony, Dubrovnik mayor Mato Franković announced a Dubrovnik Digital Nomads coworking space.

As part of the conference, the results of four creative workshops were presented, in which, in addition to digital nomads, representatives of the City of Dubrovnik and the Dubrovnik Tourist Board, as well as citizens, also participated. The goal of these workshops was to make joint recommendations for creating a better environment for digital nomads who will be staying in Dubrovnik. 

photo credit: Dulist

"We are pleased to conclude the first major conference of digital nomads in Dubrovnik. Digital nomads stayed in the City for a full 30 days and saw it in a different way, not only as a tourist city, but also as a city that has neighbourhoods pleasant to live in, like Mokošica, Lapad, Gruž, and Gornje Selo. They discovered a different Dubrovnik as well as our way of life. This is exactly what we wanted to achieve, to have digital nomads with this experience send a clear message to their colleagues across the world to come to Dubrovnik and stay here for a few months as a place to develop their creative ideas and contribute their practical experiences and knowledge to the Dubrovnik economy. We cannot expect our tourism of the future to rely solely on digital nomads, but I believe they will occupy one significant segment of it. At the same time, we expect some new ideas, products, and reflections of our city," said Mayor Mato Franković on this occasion, announcing that Dubrovnik will soon get a digital nomad coworking space. 

photo credit: Dulist

"We must not stop here, this is just the beginning. The future brings us coworking spaces of digital nomads, a place where all those who come to Dubrovnik will find all the information they need, a workplace where they can share ideas with all other digital nomads. They are not engaged in just one job, but in different professions and jobs. They love to travel, their work allows them to realize their ideas elsewhere. These are people who are very well paid for the jobs they do, and their company allows them to travel the world because of their creativity. That is the future we will go for. The coworking spac is the next thing we will realize," said Franković keeping the location of the space a secret for now.

                                                                                                                                                                           photo credit: Dulist

Franković emphasized that a digital nomads week, with which he would connect, was being prepared in Zagreb, but also that the goal was to connect all cities in Croatia through the project of digital nomads. (Read more about Zagreb Digital Nomad Week).

"Digital nomads are moving around and if the whole of Croatia is ready for the project of digital nomads, then the wealth of Dubrovnik in that project will be greater. If we are all open and friendly towards them, only the sky is our limit," concluded Franković.

 photo credit: Dulist

The director of the Dubrovnik Tourist Board, Ana Hrnić, emphasized that at the very end of the project she would have concrete data on how many posts digital nomads had from Dubrovnik and what results the project obtained.

"Nomads gave their suggestions about the little things that we could improve as a destination for them. For the time being, our accommodation has been intended for shorter stays. All they have listed are things that can be easily improved. They had, for example, suggestions like providing kettles, additional hangers, and similar minor details. It doesn’t require a big investment, and it makes a big difference. We should start on a coworking space where they will all meet as soon as possible. For digital nomads, when they come on their own, it is very important for them to have a space where they will meet others, work, and exchange experiences. They showed that the involvement of the local community in every part of this project was important. We are happy that the general impression is good, everyone is happy and satisfied," said Hrnić.

photo credit: Dulist

She added that this conference was a good foundation for the further strategy of digital nomads that would be developed in Dubrovnik in the future. The concrete effects of the stay of digital nomads will be reflected in their social media posts, which will ultimately be summarized and multiplied in the following period. When asked about the financing of the stay of digital nomads and this conference, director Hrnić answered that the Tourist Board financed the fees of the companies Saltwater Nomads and Total Croatia News, in the amount of 200 thousand kuna.

Tanja Polegubić from the Saltwater Nomads company presented the results of four creative workshops, in which, in addition to digital nomads, the citizens of Dubrovnik also participated.

"The aim of the workshops was to make joint recommendations for creating a better environment for digital nomads who will stay in Dubrovnik," said Polegubić.

The owner of the Total Croatia News portal, Paul Bradbury, stated that the project is a great opportunity for changes in tourism, based on the new slogan "Croatia - your safe, authentic, lifestyle destination".

"The project is great and could stop now, but there is already great momentum and discussions on the next steps. It is very encouraging to see the CEO of Raiffeisen Bank, as well as senior representation from Hrvatski Telekom, KPMG, and the Zagreb Tourist Board here today," Bradbury said. "The future of work will look very different, and Croatia - and especially Dubrovnik - can repivot its tourism based on its three jewels of safety, authentic experiences and lifestyles. People want these things, and with the freedom of workplace, Croatia has a lot to offer. And one of the findings of this month was the Beyond the Walls concept, which we will be exploring more on TCN shortly. Rather than Dubrovnik being limited in its offer by the content of the old city, these nomads found more than enough content for a one-month 'workation'."

The president of the Digital Nomad Association of Croatia, Jan de Jong, stated that the project is developing very quickly and successfully.

"We need to build content and community, where I recognize the role of the association, which must unite and serve digital nomads. We also need to send a message of inspiration to young people who may want to leave Croatia and somehow reverse the 'brain drain' with the arrival of digital nomads," he said.

photo credit: Dulist

Dutchman Rob Schubert is one of the digital nomads who has been in Dubrovnik for the past month and is delighted with the experience he has gained. His ‘start-up’ is normally located in Estonia, but it offers him various opportunities to work as a digital nomad.

"This project was so inspiring, we broadened our horizons. At this conference, I strengthened my thinking about digital nomads. I am glad that Dubrovnik has positioned itself as a new ‘hotspot’ for digital nomads. I will recommend to my friends and colleagues to come here. The city is beautiful, I have gotten to know it and I am so sad that I have to leave tomorrow," said Schubert.

photo credit: Dulist

Let us remind you that in a joint project of the City of Dubrovnik and the Tourist Board of the City of Dubrovnik, in cooperation with Total Croatia News and Saltwater Nomads, Dubrovnik hosted ten digital nomads from different parts of the world for a month.

photo credit: Dulist

For more information about digital nomads in Croatia, visit the TC Digital Nomads in Croatia in a Page, or follow the latest in the dedicated TCN section. 

May the 23rd, 2021 - HBOR representatives have been busy touring a highly successful Rijeka project which it has supported with both capital investments and export activities for years.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, HBOR representatives, together with the leaders of JGL visited the works on the construction of the Integra 2020 project recently, they also toured its warehousing capacity, which includes three units - one for research and development, one for commercial production and one logistics centre.

"HBOR has been successfully supporting us in capital investments and export activities for many years, recognising us as a company with an international vision, and this is also an opportunity to thank them for our strong cooperation. After supporting the investments in JGL Pharma Valley, Integra 2020 was financed mostly from a long-term loan from HBOR in the amount of 280 million kuna,'' said Mislav Vucic, Executive Director of JGL.

The new investment project will enable the company to increase its capacity of sterile production by as much as 60 percent and significantly raise the development and technological competence of the company and its global competitiveness for further international growth in the planned horizon of one decade.

"JGL is one of the flagships of the Croatian economy, a company that has shown that Croatian businesses can be technological innovators and strong exporters to international markets, in an industry that requires extremely sophisticated products. I'm looking forward to HBOR being part of the growth and development of JGL. I'm convinced that we'll continue to cooperate with JGL and provide support for their new successes by lending and insuring exports,'' said Hrvoje Cuvalo, a member of the Management Board of HBOR, who was among the HBOR representatives visiting the site.

"The role of the Croatian Government and HBOR in terms of encouraging exporters and production companies with the aim of strengthening the competitiveness of the Croatian economy is extremely important. I'm proud that at JGL, despite the coronavirus crisis, are successfully continuing with investments that are an investment in our future, and with which we're striving for further steps in the global health market. It's especially important that the Integra 2020 project, through new research and development capacities, will enable even stronger networking with the scientific and teaching sector, as well as strengthening the platform for further growth of our country in the field of pharmaceutical and biotechnological development,'' concluded JGL's Ivo Usmiani.

KBC Rijeka - The construction of a new hospital for mothers and childern in Susak

The group of HBOR representatives also visited the Rijeka Clinical Hospital Centre and the construction of the new hospital in Susak, for which HBOR, in cooperation with the CEB and the EIB, approved a loan in the total amount of 750 million kuna.

At the Susak site of KBC Rijeka, work on the construction of a new Rijeka Hospital for mothers and children is in full swing, having started back in September 2019. The new complex will combine all hospital facilities currently located at Kantrida with the Clinic for Gynaecology and Obstetrics and new laboratory facilities.

This project is a significant step forward in relocating hospital units to a unique location, and patients will no longer have to travel up to five kilometres between different hospital facilities of the Rijeka Clinical Hospital.

“The construction of a new hospital in Rijeka is the largest investment from the government in the healthcare system since the founding of the Croatian state. Regardless of all of the difficulties, the works are being implemented more quickly than was initially planned, and the completion of the works is expected in the first half of 2022. If we receive the support of the government as we have done before, we'll be ready for the next investments in the second half of 2022,'' said Zeljko Plazonic, MD, of KBC Rijeka.

"The investment of KBC Rijeka in the construction of a new hospital in Susak will directly affect 600 thousand citizens who gravitate to the Rijeka hospital and hundreds of thousands of others who spend their holidays in this area. That's why I'm extremely glad to have the opportunity to participate in the improvement of healthcare infrastructure that will provide patients, medical and university staff of the Clinical Hospital Center Rijeka with greater comfort, an increased quality of services and numerous technological and clinical improvements,'' stated Hrvoje Cuvalo of HBOR.

"With the completion of the new hospital project, KBC Rijeka will receive a quality, modern and efficient healthcare service to be able to offer to the residents of the three counties who use the services of the Rijeka hospital," added prof. dr. sc. Alen Ruzic, the director of KBC Rijeka.

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May the 23rd, 2021 - Croatian home coronavirus tests are coming. Much like in several other European countries where home coronavirus tests have been the norm for quite some time now, such as in the United Kingdom, Croatia is set to introduce such an option to take the pressure off testing sites and make the entire procedure much easier.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, Dolores Peruc, head of the microbiological department of the NZZJZ PGZ, announced the arrival of Croatian home coronavirus tests, which will make life easier for everyone wanting to see if they are infected with the novel virus or not.

“These are screening tests. They're actually designed to be positive in the first five days of illness. They must have a sensitivity of more than 90 percent and a specificity of more than 97 percent.

Another important point is how the sample is taken - this test that will arrive to Croatian pharmacies are intended for use as nasal swabs, nasopharyngeal swabs and those for the oropharynx, but we must say that the nasopharyngeal swab is the most sensitive of all and if the swab is taken correctly we can detect an active COVID-19 infection people,'' explained Dolores Peruc.

All testing tools come in a special package, and according to the announcements, Croatian home coronavirus tests will be sold in pharmacies without any need for a prescription at a price of about 100 kuna.

"In no European Union (EU) country are these so-called self-tests recognised as diagnostic, but if you prove yourself to be positive on one of them then you need to arrange to have a diagnostic test, if you're negative, the instructions also say that this test is not difinitive proof that you are indeed negative," stated the Croatian Institute of Public Health's director, Krunoslav Capak.

The first Croatian home coronavirus tests will probably appear on the shelves of wholesalers next week, and then will be made available for purchase by the general public in the country's pharmacies, Nova TV reports.

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 centres across the country, make sure to bookmark our dedicated COVID-19 section and select your preferred language.

May the 23rd, 2021 - The epidemiological situation across Croatia continues to become more and more favourable, with infection rates dropping and the vaccination rollout picking up its pace as time goes on. With things looking far more positive, Krunoslav Capak, the director of the Croatian Institute of Public Health, has encouragingly stated that we're edging closer and closer to the ''old normal' we took for granted before the coronavirus pandemic struck.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, as the tourist season rapidly approaches and coronavirus cases continue on their downward trend, Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic spoke about the somewhat controversial topic of so-called ''Covid passports'' and where Croatia currently stands.

"Croatia, as a country which relies heavily on tourism, has a strong motive to see all these solutions dealt with at the EU level, to be ready for its implementation as soon as possible. Our test was the first and we were the first to pass it successfully, not because we were first in line, but because some others weren't ready. We've done that part and we're ready. What has been published is legislation at the EU level. It's important that the certificates aren't referred to as travel documents, they're certificates that can confirm in a credible way for each person that the person has recovered, that they've been vaccinated or that they've tested negative", said Bozinovic.

"As for the parliament, I think the decision will be made on June the 7th, but that doesn't prevent us from starting to these certificates earlier. We have a week ahead of us in which we'll need to think about the new measures, given that the existing ones expire on May the 30th. Until then, we'll see in which direction to go further with concessions,'' he added.

''People who cannot be or haven't yet been vaccinated will not have to pay to be tested,'' Bozinovic assured.

Croatian test events: Everyone present returned a negative coronavirus test result.

When asked if the results of the pilot project had arrived since last week, Krunoslav Capak replied that they had results from the business event. There were 86 people who were vaccinated, and 32 who were vaccinated on the spot. "They're all negative," he said, which is extremely encouraging as we attempt to return to something like the old normal we were all so used to.

The second test event a wedding. "They were also all tested yesterday and we don't have a single positive test," Krunoslav Capak said.

"This is proof that in this way, if we provide access to the vaccinated, the sick and the tested, we can organise such events. We're close to teturning to the old normal ", Krunoslav Capak assured.

For all you need to know about coronavirus in Croatia, including travel, border and quarantine rules, as well as the locations of vaccination points and testing centres up and down the country, make sure to bookmark our dedicated COVID-19 section and select your preferred language.

May the 23rd, 2021 - McDonalds Koprivnica is set to open its doors in that continental Croatian town before Christmas 2021 arrives.

When it comes to most tourists in Croatia, the last thing on their mind is grabbing a quick McDonalds when on the way somewhere. Instead dreaming of pizza, cevapi, lamb on the spit, peka, many fish dishes, strukli and the list goes on, and on, then on a bit more. For those of us who live here, though, after the end of a a hectic work day, McDonalds is often more tempting than you'd imagine when the aforementioned dishes become the norm.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, McDonalds Koprivnica will begin operating before the end of this year, offering not only a taste of this international fast food chain to yet another Croatian town, but employment possibilities to locals.

This is information that has been circulating in Koprivnica for weeks now, and now it is clear that the realisation of McDonalds Koprivnica is very close. As Danica.hr unofficially finds out, McDonalds will allegedly by located the roundabout in Koprivnica next to Interspar and Pevex. The exact location is apparently going to be in the area behind the Apiosa petrol station, on the site where old houses are today.

It has also been found out that McDonalds has already signed its pre-contracts with the owners to purchase the aforementioned properties and their wish is to open the brand new McDonalds Koprivnica by the end of the year at the latest, ie by Christmas 2021.

When this enormous American fast food chain was asked about coming to Koprivnica, McDonald’s Croatia replied: We plan to further expand our business across Croatia and Koprivnica is also one of the towns interesting to us. As soon as the plans become more specific, we will inform all interested parties of what they are.''

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