Supreme Court Judges Do Not Support Any of Candidates For Supreme Court President
ZAGREB, 18 May, 2021 - The Supreme Court, meeting in a general session on Tuesday, did not give a positive opinion on any of the five candidates who applied for the position of Supreme Court President following a new call issued by the State Judicial Council.
Zlata Đurđević, the candidate enjoying the support of President of the Republic Zoran Milanović, received one vote from all the judges attending the general session, while the other candidates received none, according to a statement issued by the Supreme Court.
The session was attended by 33 of the total of 35 judges from all departments of the Supreme Court. They discussed the candidates' programmes and CVs and then took a vote by secret ballot.
Earlier, it was announced that Parliament will discuss the President's nominee for Supreme Court chief after the local elections. The law requires that a general session of the Supreme Court and the parliamentary Justice Committee also need to give their non-binding opinions on the President's proposal.
The State Judicial Council (DSV) issued a new public call for applications on 31 March after President Milanović told the DSV that he would not propose any of the candidates who had applied in the previous call. The new call was closed on 6 May.
Insisting that the nomination of candidates was his constitutional right, Milanović proposed Đurđević as his candidate for the post of Supreme Court President in March already, but Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković refused to include the proposal on Parliament's agenda saying that it was unlawful.
The Constitutional Court then ruled that the President of the Republic can only nominate a candidate who has responded to the DSV's public call, saying that this does not restrict the President's right to nominate and Parliament's right to choose a Supreme Court President.
Prime Minister Andrej Plenković later said that, although she is a criminal law professor, Đurđević had agreed to be part of an unlawful procedure and therefore she was unfit to lead the highest judicial body in the country.
Right-wing opposition groups in Parliament have also announced that they will not support Đurđević.
The term of the incumbent Supreme Court President, Đuro Sessa, expires in July. If Parliament fails to appoint a new head of the highest court by then, the position will be temporarily held by the Deputy President of the Supreme Court, Marin Mrčela.
For more about politics in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.
Checking in with Dubrovnik Digital Nomads-in-Residence – Zoltan Nagy Interview
May 17, 2021 – Among Dubrovnik digital nomads is also Zoltan Nagy, a Hungarian photographer, videographer, and a really cool person. He told us about his impressions of the city and the life of a digital nomad.
Zoltan Nagy is a landscape photographer, videographer, and web designer. He is not too far away from home in Dubrovnik as his homeland of Hungary is one of the neighbouring countries to Croatia. In fact, he considers Croatia one of his favourite foreign countries. He is a young digital nomad looking to explore the world and immortalize it in his photographs. One of the things that excited him the most about the Dubrovnik Digital Nomads-in-Residence program is meeting like-minded individuals and working with them on the common goal.
DNiR Program
The Dubrovnik Digital Nomads-in-Residence program is the work of Saltwater Nomads in partnership with Total Croatia News. The Dubrovnik Tourist Board and the City of Dubrovnik support the project and make it possible. The program is a co-creation effort looking to utilise the experiences of ten digital nomads combined with local community members. The goal is to create a strategic direction for the city through the use of design-thinking workshops. It represents a step towards re-thinking Dubrovnik's tourism sector.
The Interview
Zoltan is always upbeat and ready to help. We’ve taken advantage of this and asked him a few questions about his experiences in Dubrovnik. He is very happy with the life in the city and the people he met along the way.
“I love it so far! We’ve met quite a lot of local people here and they were just so nice. They showed us around, gave us some tips and tricks on where to eat, where to find nice photo spots. And of course, the Old Town is just amazing.”
So, what does a person with such a positive outlook on Croatia and Dubrovnik find to be the most challenging thing for digital nomads here?
“The only challenge I found here is the accommodation. So, as a digital nomad, I of course have a monthly budget I can spend on food and just living in a place, and I couldn’t find really good deals in terms of accommodation here…”
Check out the full video below.
Saltwater Nomads' Tanja Polegubic on Dubrovnik Digital Nomad-in-Residence Program
Dubrovnik Mayor Mato Frankovic on Digital Nomads, US Flights, 2021 Season
Winners announcement video:
Learn more about the Dubrovnik Digital Nomads-in-Residence program.
Checking in with Dubrovnik Digital Nomads-in-Residence – Charlie Brown Interview
May 17, 2021 – Our interviews with digital nomads in Dubrovnik continue with Charlie Brown, a freelance writer and wine expert from the UK.
Charlie Brown comes from the UK and she is a freelance writer covering themes of wine, food, finance, and entrepreneurship. Her skills are many and interests diverse. Together with her husband Sam she used to own a wine shop and bar outside of London until the couple decided to sell the business and their house to dive into the life of digital nomads. They are no strangers to Croatia nor Dubrovnik, but it was the Digital Nomads-in Residence program that enabled them to come and live in the “Pearl of the Adriatic”. Charlie is always keen on exploring new places and local culture. She is especially interested in the traditional food and wine scene. This is why Croatia was always high on her travel list.
It was through Facebook groups that Charlie and Sam found out about the possibility of joining the program in Dubrovnik. She applied and it didn’t take long for the people in charge to decide a person with an intimate knowledge of wine and food is always a welcomed group member.
DNiR Program
Saltwater Nomads created the Digital Nomads-in-Residence program in partnership with Total Croatia News. They found amazing partners in the Dubrovnik Tourist Board and the City of Dubrovnik which support the project wholeheartedly. The program gathers ten digital nomads of different profiles whose experiences of living and working in Dubrovnik will be used to craft a strategic direction for the city. Dubrovnik is moving towards a more sustainable future and digital nomads might be a contributing factor in those efforts.
The Interview
Charlie is always hard at work and it is not easy to get her time. So we’ve made sure to keep the interview short and sweet. Through our chat she revealed her insights into the city and being a digital nomad in Dubrovnik:
“It’s been great weather which really helps. There’s plenty to do here as well and it’s really nice to meet the digital nomads here as well. So, so far it’s been a really great experience.“
"It’s a new thing here, digital nomads in Dubrovnik. So, aside from us ten and our partners, it would be great to be able to meet more people – if there are people – doing this here as well. So, anything like meetups and that sort of thing would be good as well."
She also had plenty of chosen words about her colleagues in the program and the beautiful co-working space in Dubrovnik’s Lazareti complex. Make sure to watch the full interview below.
Learn more about the Dubrovnik Digital Nomads-in-Residence program.
Saltwater Nomads' Tanja Polegubic on Dubrovnik Digital Nomad-in-Residence Program
Dubrovnik Mayor Mato Frankovic on Digital Nomads, US Flights, 2021 Season
For the latest digital nomad news from Croatia, follow the dedicated TCN section.
The winner announcement video:
Police Investigating Death Threat Against Karlovac Mayoral Candidate
ZAGREB, 18 May, 2021 - Davor Petračić, an independent candidate for the mayor of Karlovac backed by the Social Democratic Party (SDP), on Tuesday reported to the police having received a death threat. He has refused police protection, but hopes the perpetrator will be identified soon.
Petračić found a letter in his post box containing a bullet and a message saying "the real one comes through the barrel."
"I don't have anything against anyone, I defended this city in the war and will try to defend it once again," Petračić said, adding that he hoped the police would find the perpetrator.
Police spokeswoman Andreja Lenart confirmed to Hina that police had received Petračić's report and were investigating.
The incident was condemned by Petračić's political rival in the 30 May runoff, current mayor Damir Mandić of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), as well as by the county branches of the SDP, HDZ, Homeland Movement and Croatian Party of Rights (HSP).
For more about politics in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.
Rovinj Sea Research Centre Celebrating 130 Years of Work
May 18, 2021 - The Rovinj Sea Research Centre turns 130 in 2021. It is the place in Croatia for oceanographic research and all things science related to the preservation of the sea and maritime life.
Established back in 1891 as Berlin's Aquarium Zoological Station, the research Institute is known today as the Rovinj Sea Research Centre (CIM), and last week it celebrated 130 years of work. An affiliate of the Ruđer Bošković Science Institute (IRB), that institute recently reported that CIM currently has 54 employees working in four laboratories, and the centre is heavily involved in numerous impressive scientific projects.
''This includes five projects of the Croatian Science Foundation (HrZZ), worth 5,855 635 HRK, three projects financed within the INTERREG cross border programme (worth 1,326 000 euros), three projects with European structural and investment funds (7,189 531 HRK), and two projects financed within the EU programme for research and innovations, OBZOR 2020, valued at 179,360 euros,“ says the IRB official website.
The section of the IRB page dedicated to CIM adds that the centre offers a multidisciplinary take on the research of the sea, offering both basic and applicable oceanographic research. This includes six areas of interest: processes and dynamics in the food chain, examining the dynamics of water masses, ecology (species and the interrelations of species in both clean and in polluted waters), sea organism research (ecological, physiological, and genetic features of organisms, and a pollution effects study), the monitoring of pollution and sea quality, and finally, the monitoring of eutrophication (a process in which the environment becomes enriched with nutrients which can trigger the development of algae and cause an imbalance in the ecosystem).
Set in the beautiful town of Rovinj on the Istrian peninsula because of the clear waters of the Adriatic sea, CIM is on a mission to preserve marine life and its biodiversity.
CIM truly has a rich tradition, having conducted international systematic research and monitoring of the marine ecosystem of the Northern Adriatic for over 30 years. ''This approach became a model for the regional organisation of the European systematic monitoring of the coastal sea,'' says IRB.
IRB adds that in this long tradition, the Croatian science programme of monitoring the Northern Adriatic played a huge role. Having begun fifty years ago, it developed into the Jadran Project, making Croatia one of the first countries in all of Europe to have developed a systematic approach to the monitoring of the sea.
''Additional confirmation of the tradition and scientific quality of CIM can also be seen in the recent joining of CIM to JERICO – the Joint European Research Infrastructure network for Coastal Observatory, making CIM a partner of some of the most famous European Institutes“, concluded the IRB's explanation.
Learn more about Beaches in Croatia on our TC page.
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Croatia's Coronavirus Update: 491 New Cases, 27 Deaths, 886 Recoveries
ZAGREB, 18 May (Hina) - In the last 24 hours of 8,004 tests taken for coronavirus in Croatia, six percent, that is 491, have turned out to be positive, the national COVID-19 crisis management team reported on Tuesday.
The COVID-related death toll has risen by 27 to 7,765.
Currently, there are 4,871 active cases of the infection with this novel virus, and of them 1,566 are hospitalised patients, including 166 placed on ventilators.
Since the first registered case of the infection on 25 February 2020 in the country, Croatia has conducted more than 1.93 million tests.
As many as 350,997 have been diagnosed with this infection, and of them 338,361 have recovered including 886 recoveries in the last 24 hours.
To date, Croatia has administered about 1.37 million doses of COVID vaccines. A total of 1,052,032 people have been given at least a one dose of the vaccine, and 317,937 have been inoculated with both shots of the two-dose vaccine.
For more about Covid-19 in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.
Terme Sveti Martin Private Social Network Introduced
May 18, 2021 - The Terme Sveti Martin private social network is a daily business tool that facilitates day-to-day operations.
As hrturizam reports, it is an application of the Croatian company, the Q agency, which has united the entire communication of the company, both private and business, into one application or a closed social network. It places all company communication in one application.
“Late last year, when we got back to work, we looked at how to increase connectivity among people in the firm and keep them informed. There was a lot of daily information, especially related to the situation around the coronavirus. We looked at how to distribute all the information within the company the fastest, and again to achieve a better connection with employees ", says Igor Nekić, director of the first Healthiness Resort in Europe - Terme Sveti Martin.
He found out about Jenz on the social business network LinkedIn, after which he contacted them and soon after that they started preparing and implementing it. After three months of use, Nekić points out that everyone in the company has accepted the new way of communication and that they see Jenz as an internal social network.
“We have been using Jenz for about three months now and everyone is thrilled. They publish and like pictures and posts from private life, so we all get to know each other better and connect, while on the other hand, we have business communication where we publish information about the everyday business - from various policies, daily obligations, changes in business, etc.… All information they automatically exit through the app and all employees have insight into key information. We look at it as an internal social business network that serves us for both official and unofficial communication," says Nekić and emphasizes that Jenz has already proven to be a very good tool and an excellent investment.
"As a young and open company, we are always open to new ideas and we look at how to follow all new trends and be different from others," says Nekić, adding that they were the first resort that introduced Jenz. This is another step towards the digitalization of their business as well as the tourism sector.
For more on travel in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.
Ivica Olić Returns to Croatia National Team Bench for EURO 2020
May 18, 2021 - Ivica Olić returns to Croatia as an assistant to coach Zlatko Dalić for EURO 2020!
"Ivica was allowed to join the national team. He wanted it himself, considering that he now has free time. He decided that he did not want to rest," agent Dejan Joksimović told Russian RIA Sport, as reported by Index.hr and 24 Sata.
Although Vedran Ćorluka joined the national team as a replacement for Olić, Olić managed to get CSKA to allow him to work with the Croatia national team this summer.
Olić took over CSKA in April this year, when he was fifth, but failed to get them out of trouble. He finished sixth, which is the worst placement of the Moscow club in the Russian championship since 2001.
Former CSKA player Zoran Tošić stated that Olić's decision is not clear to him because he could miss part of the club's preparations.
"I thought Ivica needed time to solve the problems at CSKA; it would probably be better if he stayed. I hope the coach and the professional staff know what they are doing. I will always support CSKA because I spent a lot of time there," Tošić said.
Olić thus joins Vedran Ćorluka and Dražen Ladić as part of Zlatko Dalić's coaching staff at EURO 2020.
The Croatia national football team will gather on May 25 at the beginning of preparations for the Euro, which will traditionally be held in Rovinj. After the friendly against Armenia, the national teal will have a final check on June 6 against Belgium in Brussels, from where they will travel to the base camp in St. Andrews on June 8.
The UEFA EURO 2020 will take place between June 11 and July 11, 2021. Croatia plays in Group D (London/Glasgow) with England (hosts), Scotland (hosts), and the Czech Republic.
Croatia opens its EURO campaign on Sunday, June 13, against England (15:00, London). On Friday, June. 18, Croatia plays. The Czech Republic in Glasgow, Scotland (18:00). Croatia's final group stage match is against Scotland on June 22 in Glasgow (21:00).
The top two in each group plus the four best third-placed teams go through to the knockout phase. The round of 16 is scheduled from June 26 to 29. The quarterfinals are held on July 2 and 3, the semifinals on July 6 and 7. The final will be played on July 11 at Wembley Stadium in London.
We will have more on this soon!
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Austrian MEP Backs Tomislav Tomašević, Says Green Policies Are Neither Left Nor Right
ZAGREB, 18 May, 2021 - Thomas Waitz, a European Green Party co-chair, has said in an interview for Hina that green policies are neither left nor right but rather focused on dealing with the consequences of the human beings' actions on the climate and environment.
Waitz, an Austrian member of the European Parliament, visited Croatia in early May at the invitation of the leader of the Croatian OraH party, Zorislav Antun Petrović, to support the Green-Left Coalition's candidates in the campaign in the run-up to the local elections which Croatia held on 16 May.
On Monday, this Austrian MEP congratulated Tomislav Tomašević of the Green-Left coalition for a convincing victory in the local polls in the City of Zagreb. Tomašević mustered 45% of the vote in the first round of the elections for the mayor of the Croatian capital city and will face off Miroslav Škoro of the Homeland Movement (12% of the vote) in the runoff set for 30 May. The coalition led by Tomašević won the elections for the city assembly and was short of one seat for an absolute majority.
On Monday, Waitz tweeted: "Congratulations to the Green-Left coalition for their great result in the local elections in Zagreb yesterday."
"The Green-Left coalition won 23/47 seats in the City Assembly! Zagreb deserves a citizen-led & democratic movement to lead the recovery efforts," the Austrian politician added.
The European Green part also stated that its partners in Croatia were focused on the green post-quake recovery and that they promised to put an end to clientelism and poor management of the city.
Waitz, whose Greens Party is a junior partner in the ruling coalition led by Chancellor Sebastian Kurz in Austria, says in the interview which Hina published on Tuesday that the preservation of the planet could be considered generally a conservative policy as we would like to protect the planet for the future generations.
EU expects Croatia to invest in rail lines
Commenting on possible demands stemming from the European Green Deal for Croatia, Waitz recalled that the Council of the EU and the European Parliament had reached provisional agreement in April on the climate legislature whereby the EU set an intermediate target of reducing net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels.
The reduction of greenhouse gas emissions implies the reduction of dependence on fossil fuels. Therefore Waitz recommends that Croatia should invest more in the rail network.
The European Union expects Croatia to implement such projects. Please invest in rail lines to Ljubljana, Maribor, Graz, Budapest and Belgrade, the Austrian MEP said.
He recalled that the EU policy "From Farm to Fork" envisages the reduction of the use of pesticides by 50% until 2030 and in this context he urged Croatia to invest in the education and training of young farmers about sustainable farming.
He also commented that the mass tourism could be sustainable and in this context advocated providing hotels and establishments catering for tourists with locally produced food..
For more about politics in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.
Osijek II Falls to Rudes in 2nd HNL (PHOTOS)
May 18, 2021 - Osijek II and Rudes met on Sunday, May 16 in Osijek as part of the 32nd round of the 2nd Croatian League.
Osijek II and Rudes played at City Garden Stadium on Sunday, May 16 in the 32nd round of the 2nd Croatian League.
Slobodan Kadic
Rudes' Abdurahimi scored the first goal of the match for the 1:0 lead in the 4th minute. Domagoj Babin equalized for Osijek in the 30th for 1:1 at the half.
Slobodan Kadic
Abdurahimi put Rudes back in the lead with a goal in the 54th minute, and Mario Jelavic put Rudes even further ahead just four minutes later for 1:3!
Slobodan Kadic
A penalty taken by Dion Drena Beljo gave Osijek some hope in the final minutes, especially after Rudes player Marko Cosic was booked for his second yellow, but the match ended 2:3 for Rudes.
Slobodan Kadic
Osijek II is currently in 11th place with 41 points, while Rudes is in 2nd with 53.
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