Vaccination of Dubrovnik Tourism Employees Begins Ahead of Season
April the 25th, 2021 - Dubrovnik tourism employees begin getting vaccinated against the novel coronavirus as the city attempts to obtain some form of security for the upcoming 2021 tourist season this summer.
Croatia's tourism Mecca, the Medieval walled city of Dubrovnik and the country's southernmost city, relies very heavily on air traffic partially owing to the fact that it is effectively cut off from the rest of the country by the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina at Neum, the neighbouring country's only piece of coastline.
While this usually doesn't pose that much of an issue as it can typically be crossed quickly with some exceptions during the height of the summer season, the coronavirus pandemic has changed everything, and the lack of air traffic to Dubrovnik from other European countries which have banned unnecessary travel, such as the United Kingdom, has dealt a heavy blow to the city which once rested very firmly on its laurels.
As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes, the vaccination of Dubrovnik tourism employees began recently, and it was accompanied by the Minister of Tourism Nikolina Brnjac who was there on a working visit. The Minister and the Prefect of Dubrovnik-Neretva County, Nikola Dobroslavic, visited the point of organised vaccination in the sports hall in Gospino polje.
"Thanks to our Dubrovnik tourism employees who responded to the organised vaccination invitation, this is an extremely important message being sent out from the tourism sector to foreign guests who are planning to come to Croatia this year. We're seriously preparing all the conditions to have the safest and most successful tourist year. I encourage and invite tourist workers to get vaccinated, from May the 1st we'll receive 230,000 doses of vaccine per week, the amount of vaccine will be enough to optimally prepare for the season,'' said Minister Nikolina Brnjac.
After Dubrovnik, in accordance with the priorities and national vaccination plan, the vaccination of tourism employees will begin in all other tourist destinations across the Republic of Croatia, and the exact order of priority vaccination by counties will be determined by the Croatian Institute of Public Health. The Ministry of Tourism plans to organise vaccinations for all seasonal workers as well, if necessary, as well as for providers of household accommodation services after the vaccination of employees in larger companies is completed, where there are higher risks of spreading the infection.
In addition to providing priority vaccination for Dubrovnik tourism employees and of course other such workers across the country, additional points for testing guests for the novel coronavirus in tourist destinations are currently being set up, antigen tests for tourists will be co-financed, and while people with a reason or with residence in Croatia were always able to arrive in the country, Croatia has been open to tourists coming from third countries such as the USA and Russia since back at the beginning of April.
For more on coronavirus specific to Croatia, from travel, border and quarantine rules to the locations of vaccination points and testing centres across the country, make sure to bookmark our dedicated COVID-19 section.
As Cijepi Se Website Fails, Plan for Zagreb Vaccination Revealed
April the 25th, 2021 - As we previously reported, the once popular cijepi se vaccination platform has completely failed and will no longer be an option for those wanting to be vaccinated against the novel coronavirus. What are the next steps for the Zagreb vaccination process?
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, as Zvonimir Sostar, the head of the Dr. Andrija Stampar Institute recently confirmed to Index, vaccination through the Cijepi se system has been stopped by the City of Zagreb and the capital no longer intends to continue it in future through the platform.
"That's right, only those who have applied through their family doctors are being vaccinated. We're no longer vaccinating people through the Cijepi se platform at all,'' said Sostar yesterday morning. He also explained the reasons behind such a decision.
"When we had a meeting with the IT specialists, we asked them if the platform is working properly anywhere, in any county. The answer was that no, it wasn't working at all. Then we decided entirely on the model that health centres actually carry out the vaccinations, and that we be the coordinators and the logistics behind that. Family doctors refer people, and the order goes through. This way of doing it is successful and it works extraordinarily well, the response is very good,'' said Sostar of the Zagreb vaccination plan going forward.
“We're going to continue as we have done so far, through people's general practitioners. Until further notice, we're not going to be taking vaccine registrations through the Cijepi se platform,''
He warned of a major technical problem with the website, which is one of the key reasons why they gave up using the platform. "The platform now only shows the initials, which creates big problems for us. You can't check the vaccination status with the initials, we have to do the checks, all of which requires extra time,'' according to Sostar.
Sostar revealed plans for the Zagreb vaccination process in the weeks ahead.
"We plan to vaccinate people next week as well as this week, which means that there aren't going to be any vaccinations on Monday mornings and on Friday afternoons. The main reason is that we still don’t have enough vaccines to vaccinate people for hours on end. But that week after the next we plan to provide vaccinations on both Monday morning and on Friday night, as well as on Saturday, at least in the mornings.
As of that week, we estimate that we'll vaccinate about 6,500 people a day. The news is that we're introducing three additional teams at the Zagreb Fair. We're going to vaccinate with AstraZeneca on Monday and Tuesday, and since we should receive 18,000 doses of Pfizer on Monday, that should be enough for us to start vaccinating with Pfizer on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Next week, we should receive 3,500 doses of Moderna and 1,350 doses of Johnson & Johnson,'' Sostar told Index.
For more on 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.
Ministry Reassures All Who Sign Up For Vaccination Will Get Appointment
April 24, 2021 - The Health Ministry on Saturday said that the cijepise.zdravlje.hr platform for arranging COVID vaccination appointments had shown some deficiencies, which is why efforts are being made to remove them and all who have used this platform to sign up to get vaccinated will be given appointments.
The ministry underscores that a glitch that has led to arranging appointments for vaccination of younger citizens before some older ones are inoculated has been fixed.
The ministry admitted that some shortcomings of the platform had been detected. However, the ministry notes that some general practitioners have failed to fully cooperate in implementing this system and updating the data entered in the register for planned vaccinations, which has also caused obstacles for the smooth implementation of the vaccine rollout plan.
The ministry underscores that some county health authorities have made the local online vaccine booking system for themselves.
All that has made it more challenging for the platform to deliver on its expectations, the ministry said in a press release.
It recalls that Health Minister Vili Beroš has already dismissed speculations and insinuations about cronyistic relations with the companies or people involved in selecting this platform.
For more about COVID-19 in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.
FinMin: National Recovery and Resilience Plan Generational Opportunity
April 24, 2021 - Finance Minister Zdravko Marić said on Saturday that the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NPOO) was the topic of the government's meeting earlier in the day, was a generational opportunity for Croatia.
The government is expected to endorse the plan on Thursday.
"We are going to finalize and hammer out this document at the government's session on Thursday, and we will very likely adopt the final draft of the plan which we will forward to to the European Commission for fine-tuning and evaluating," Marić told the press after today's meeting of the inner cabinet.
The procedure of evaluation and assessment of national recovery plans from Croatia and other EU member-states will take several months in Brussels, according to the minister.
Marić recalled that Croatia's national plan is about 10 billion euros, and two-thirds (6.3 billion) refer to grants. After that, the following stages are about loans for 3.6 billion euros.
Furthermore, the Multiannual Financial Framework for Croatia envisages 12 billion euros, and also there is the Solidarity Fund. All those are great financial amounts in the next few years, the minister said.
The deadline for applying projects under the recovery plan in mid-2026 and tapping funds can be until the end of that year.
The approval in Brussels would pave the way for the disbursement of a 13% pre-financing, which is about 800 million euros. After that, the amounts will be allocated to Croatia twice a year based on the fulfillment of the criteria as agreed with European institutions, Marić said.
Asked by the press about the engagement of the private sector, Marić said that the first component of the Croatian NPOO plan is about the enterprise sector, making up 50%. He added the combination of the private and public institutions pertaining to education, healthcare, public administration, judiciary, pension system, social policy, and initiatives for the post-earthquake recovery.
The direct effect concerning the private sector is 34%, and also, any investments have implications for the private sector, he said.
Croatia one of the few EU members where the plan was to public consultation
Marić dismissed criticism about a lack of transparency when it came to the document. He said that Croatia was one of the few EU member-states to have this document put to public consultation. Social partners were provided with an insight into the draft document, and a plenary session of the parliament discussed the matter.
For more about politics in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.
Ministry Denies Claims That COVID Jab Bookings Were Deleted From Platform
April 24, 2021 - The health ministry on Saturday refuted media allegations about deleting 4,000 Covid jab bookings for getting vaccinated from the CijepiSe registration platform on 23 February.
The ministry explained that some minor technical deficiencies appeared in connecting the relevant data about holders of social security numbers during the test trial of the platform.
The ministry was notified about this information after it asked the company to develop and manage the cijepise.zdravlje.hr platform to give its opinion on the matter.
It has been established that all the data relevant for making vaccination appointments were not connected in the case of 200 citizens who booked COVID vaccinations during the trial test of the platform.
As soon as it got this information, the ministry demanded an urgent solution to the problem, and then solving the issue is ongoing, the ministry said.
The ministry dispelled fears that this might adversely affect the schedule for getting vaccinated, explaining that the schedule for administering COVID-19 vaccinations is arranged according to the priorities defined in the vaccine rollout plan and not according to o the date of sending the request for vaccination.
As many as 160,000 Croatians have booked COVID vaccines through the cijepise.zdravlje.hr, and no irregularities except the above-mentioned technical problem involving 200 entries have been recorded.
For more about COVID-19 in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.
Minister: It's Unseemly for President to Announce Show for Commemorations
April 24, 2021 - Transport Minister Oleg Butković said on Saturday that it was unseemly for President Zoran Milanović to announce a show for commemorations marking important Croatian historical anniversaries.
Asked by the press while he attended a campaigning event of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) mayoral candidate in the City of Rijeka about Milanović's latest statements, including his claim that that the coming commemoration of the 1995 military and police operation "Flash" would turn into a show, Butković commented: "That says about him!"
"I think that it is unseemly for the head of state to announce shows at any events commemorating important events from the Croatian past," Butković said, adding that the 1995 Flash operation was important for the defense of Croatia.
Butković dismissed Milanović's claim that the recent presentation of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NPOO) was insufficiently transparent.
The whole Croatian public is informed that the work on the plan started in August last year. All the ministerial departments were included in the elaboration of the document, Butković explained.
He went on to say that one could not like the document, but the claims about insufficient transparency in the adoption of the plan did not stand.
For more about politics in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.
GLAS Mayoral Candidate Pushes for Sustainable and Green City Development
April 24, 2021 - The GLAS mayoral candidate in the City of Zagreb, Anka Mrak-Taritaš, on Saturday presented the party's program for sustainable and green development of the Croatian capital city.
"The 12-section program is about the change in managing the City of Zagreb, with the absorption of the European Union's funds which have not been tapped so far, as they are not suitable for crony management," Mrak Taritaš said while unveiling the agenda in Maksimir Park.
Mrak Taritaš, a parliamentary deputy, said that Croatia now had the opportunity to withdraw the EU funds for recovery and resilience, and Zagreb could find its place in that.
The two candidates for deputy mayors on this slate -- Marko Torjanac and Mirando Mrsić -- presented their policy's planks concerning education, culture, social welfare, and healthcare.
Torjanac promised the development of Zagreb as a hub of urban culture and independent scenes.
He proposed repurposing the compounds of the former Gredelj factory into a center offering educational and cultural contents and services.
Mrsić pledged more transparency in the distribution of outlays for social welfare and healthcare in the city.
A new city hospital should be built in the Novi Zagreb suburbs, he added.
For more about politics in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.
President: National Recovery and Resilience Plan Insufficiently Transparent
April 24, 2021 - President Zoran Milanović said on Saturday that the recent presentation of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan was insufficiently transparent, which he considers problematic, saying the public lacks precise information on what the funds which Croatia will obtain from the EU will be spent on.
"That is a problem because it erodes the little trust that exists between citizens and the EU and that link - having information about what the money will be spent on - is very important. For the sake of transparency, so that one knows if it goes to public firms, those with political ties to the ruling party," Milanović told reporters during a visit to Samobor, where he attended an event at which awards were presented to the best local salami makers.
Milanović said that he had no information whatsoever on the content of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan and that if he were Prime Minister, he would take care everything was as transparent as possible.
Having information on projects on which EU money will be spent is important to dispel suspicion of or rumors about preferential treatment, he said, adding that the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NPOO) should be available to a larger number of people.
The Prime Minister should not have come to the parliament with the NPOO as it is. "He has only provoked people to ask him legitimate questions," said Milanović.
Explaining his statement of Friday that the coming commemoration of the 1995 military and police operation "Flash" would turn into a show, he said that he was referring to the protocol because wreaths would again be laid by five different delegations.
"It will take until Christmas to do it instead of doing it all at once," he said.
Describing the current commemorative arrangements "as an escapist, cowardly policy that does us no good," Milanović said that they would put some of the participants in the commemoration of Operation Flash in an awkward position, primarily military commanders, whose supreme commander he is and who will come with him.
For more about politics in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.
Dubrovnik's Digital Nomads are in Residence: Meet Them! (VIDEO)
April 24, 2021 - Dubrovnik's 10 digital nomads are in residence. Meet them all in their one-minute application video.
The eagles have landed.
Organising an international competition to help Dubrovnik establish its digital nomad identity was always going to be a challenge in the current environment, but the initial challenges have been overcome. Last-minute accommodation changes, re-routed flights and a tightening of measures have certainly not helped, but the 10 winners of the Digital Nomads-in-Residence programme are now in residence in Dubrovnik, ready to start their innovative programme of collaboration with the city, tourist board, and local community to help improve Dubrovnik's strategy to meet the remote work opportunity.
The journeys of some of the ten winners have been longer than others. You can meet them all in this collection of their one-minute application videos below.
Kelsey Kay Love from Texas, flying in from Los Angeles.
Kelsey Kay Love, USA, is the brand manager for SelvaRey Rum, a luxury alcoholic beverage brand. She has worked as a freelance travel writer for a number of travel websites and tourism service providers in Maui and Australia. Kelsey is from Texas and currently lives in Los Angeles, California.
Ron Tardiff from USA driving from Budapest.
Ron Tardiff, USA, is a scientist whose work is related to ecology and marine protection. He has studied marine sciences, maritime affairs, aquaculture and sustainable blue growth in seven institutions around the world. Ron conducted research, developed a strategy, managed projects and initiatives for 11 organizations with the aim of promoting a sustainable blue economy and maritime issues at the highest levels of government
Carolyn Zelikow from USA, on the ferry and bus from Stari Grad on Hvar.
Carolyn Zelikow, USA, currently works from Hvar for the American digital agency Storyware. Carolyn came to Croatia after graduating from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia, and was a special deputy executive vice president for institutional advancement at the Aspen Institute.
Rob Schubert from the Netherlands, flying in from Estonia.
Rob Schubert, the Netherlands, is currently based in Estonia, where he runs his business as CEO and co-founder of an eHealth startup aimed at advancing in the diagnosis of autism. The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) awarded the business as the most efficient health startup in 2020.
Alyssa Isogawa from USA/Japan, flying in from Los Angeles.
Alyssa Isogawa, Japan / USA, is an entrepreneur who started a business for e-commerce Deep End a few years ago, which today she can run from anywhere in the world. She grew up swimming and playing water polo, which is why she especially loves Croatia.
Marlee McCormick from USA, flying in from Texas.
Marlee McCormick, USA, has been working in radio for 22 years and has hosted the KB & Marlee Morning Show on a Country music station in Fort Worth, Texas for the past three years. She has worked for award-winning news radio in Dallas.
Charlie Brown from the UK, on the bus from Zagreb.
Charlie Brown, UK, writes about wines, travel, food, entrepreneurship and finance for medium.com, UK wine magazines and other clients. In October 2020, she sold her wine shop outside of London, and after the sale she decided to live the life of a digital nomad.
Kaisu Koskela from Finland, flying in from Tenerife.
Kaisu Koskela, Finland, works as an independent scientist in academic research, including for the European Commission, and the topic of her doctoral dissertation is highly qualified people (skilled migrants) who change their place of residence. Kaisu has been working as a digital nomad in various countries for several years.
Albert Cañigueral from Spain, flying in from Barcelona.
Albert Canigueral, Spain, is a future of work expert and author. He is currently directing a documentary on the future of employment and the future of cities. One of the 12 chapters of his documentary will be dedicated to digital nomads. It also deals with the impact of high technology on society.
Zoltan Nagy from Hungary, driving from Tenerife via Budapest.
Zoltan Nagy, Hungary, is in photo and video production with an emphasis on travel-related topics. He built his own brand called Zolixplorer. He runs a YouTube channel in Hungarian. He is an ambassador for Olympus and Manfrotto in Hungary and runs an online photography school
You can read more in the official press release from the city of Dubrovnik here.
As an official project partner, TCN will be following the 10 nomads over the next 4 weeks and reporting on progress.
You can learn more about the programme here.
Saltwater Nomads' Tanja Polegubic on Dubrovnik Digital Nomad-in-Residence Programme
Dubrovnik Mayor Mato Frankovic on Digital Nomads, US Flights, 2021 Season
For the latest digital nomad news from Croatia, follow the dedicated TCN section.
Nikola Tesla Statue, Largest in the World, Unveiled in Varaždin!
April 24, 2021 - The famous Croatian sculptor Nikola Vudrag was in Varaždin, his hometown, where his Nikola Tesla statue, the largest in the world, found its permanent home.
As Jutarnji.hr reported, a special occasion was held in Varaždin on Wednesday, where Mayor Ivan Čehok presented the Nikola Tesla statue, the work of renowned Croatian artist Nikola Vudrag. The iron statue of 12.5m high, 4.5m wide statue and weighing almost 4 tons, is now the largest statue in the world dedicated to the Croatian genius.
Credits: Pixsell
The artist
Nikola Vudrag is an artist born in 1989 in Varaždin, and now currently living in Zagreb. After growing up next to his grandfather and father, both metalworkers and welders, he became interested in the creative aspect of metalworking, craft, construction, and art.
He has now been sculpting and exhibiting since 2005 all around Europe and Croatia, on more than fifty independent and group exhibitions. He is the author of several public awards and medals. He deals with philosophical and linguistic concepts in fine arts but pays most attention to the classical approach and symbolism as the language of visual art.
The Nikola Tesla statue, the largest in the world
It is a Tesla Powerline sculpture, constructed in 2017 by Nikola Vudrag, for the exhibition "Tesla mind from the future" in Zagreb, in the form of a model for a high transmission line. Earlier that year, Vudrag had been chosen as the author of the portrait "Our Lady of Loreta", a 12 m high monument in Primošten.
Credits: Pixsell
"Nikola Tesla's sculpture began as a conceptual project as part of the rethinking of Croatian visual identity, in which power lines would alternate with sculptures dedicated to many real and narrated protagonists, including Tesla, Oak, Triumphal Arch, Torpedo, Veli Jože, Bear and the like.", said Nikola Vudrag, adding that sculptural forms would replace some of the transmission lines on the tourist route throughout Croatia.
Nikola Tesla, born in 1856 in the town of Smiljan, was an inventor, electrical engineer, mechanical engineer, and futurist best known for his contributions to the design of the modern alternating current (AC) electricity supply system. All over the world, he’s been celebrated in several forms, and among them, through sculptures and statues. Now, the largest in the world has been erected in the city of Varaždin.
The unveiling
Before its presentation in his native Varaždin, Vudrag’s monumental work had been exhibited in cities such as Zagreb, Budapest, and Berlin, and from now on it will be permanently placed in front of the Varaždin Technology Park.
"It started with a half-meter sketch, until the Tesla Mind from the future exhibition appeared, for which I made a similar 12-meter sculpture," said Vudrag, noting that parts of the sculpture were exhibited at his solo exhibitions in northern Croatia.
"Six months ago, the idea was launched to finally collect this Tesla from all locations and put it in front of the Technology Park. He finally found his happy home," said Vudrag, thanking the project's initiator, Varaždin's Varkom director Željko Bunić and the City of Varaždin, for choosing his hometown as the place were the almost 13 meters tall Nikola Tesla statue will be permanently erected.
Credits: Pixsell
Mayor Ivan Čehok, who was present in the ceremony, pointed out that, considering its appearance points to the essence of his work, it is the only sculpture of Nikola Tesla that most clearly shows the greatness of his work.
"We decided to place it in our renovated Technology Park because, in fact, this monument goes with innovation, with what today represents the innovation potential not only of Varaždin but also of Croatia," said Čehok.
"The installation started a month ago, first preparing the entire foundation structure, grounding, then placing legs up to six meters high, then pouring concrete and adjusting the balance of the plane. Then we lifted the upper torso, arms, and head with two cranes of twenty meters. six months of planning and three years, which he "spent" in studios, foreign and domestic exhibitions, the monument to Nikola Tesla finally found a permanent home in front of the Technology Park building in Varaždin, a city institution dealing with new technologies’’, Nikola Vudrag told Jutarnji.
Total Croatia included Nikola Tesla in its guide to Croatian inventions and discoveries, which you can read HERE.
You can find more information about the city of Varaždin in Total Croatia’s Varaždin in a Page 2021.
For more news about everything made in Croatia, be sure to follow TCN’s dedicated page.
