ZAGREB, 20 March 2021 - In the last 24 hours, 1,186 new coronavirus cases and 10 related deaths have been registered in Croatia, the national COVID-19 response team said on Saturday. 

The number of active cases currently stands at 6,917. Among them are 931 people who are receiving hospital treatment, including 89 placed on ventilators.

Since 25 February 2020, when the first case was confirmed in Croatia, 256,805 people have been infected with the novel virus, of whom 5,753 have died, and 244,135 have recovered.

Currently, 23,427 people are in self-isolation. A total of 1,468,132 people have been tested to date, including 6,595 in the last 24 hours.

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

ZAGREB, 20 March 2021 - Tourists and owners of property in Croatia from Slovenia, Poland, Austria and Germany want to spend their summer holidays in Croatia this year. Still, they are cautious in planning and booking because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and restrictions imposed to contain it.

Last year the Croatian tourism industry recorded the best results from these four markets, so Hina asked the directors of the Croatian Tourist Board (HTZ) offices there about current booking figures for this year, including the forthcoming Easter holidays.

This and the Safe Stay in Croatia project were also discussed earlier this week at HTZ online workshops for the Slovenian and Polish markets. Over 200 participants from Croatia attended, and the two countries' workshops will soon be held for the Austrian and German markets.

As for the Easter holidays, tourist arrivals from these and other countries are not expected in large numbers because of the third wave of the pandemic and the restrictions that are in place there, as well as because of the existing measures in Croatia, which requires a negative PCR test or a quarantine until PCR test results arrive for travelers wishing to enter the country.

The initial optimism for this tourist season and travel has diminished in many countries as the vaccination process is slower than expected. New, more infectious variants of the coronavirus have emerged, resulting in increased infections.

Slovenia

The director of the HTZ office in Ljubljana, Metka Bradetić, said that Slovenian partners see Croatia as a country where Slovenians will definitely travel to as soon as the conditions allow. She said that they are not worried about the summer and post-summer seasons but that the pre-summer season is uncertain because the epidemiological measures currently in Slovenia are rather strict. It is hard to make any predictions.  

"Slovenian owners of real estate and vessels in Croatia can't wait for relaxation of the border crossing regime," Bradetić says, noting that the current booking for Croatia is lower than at the same time last year, but that Slovenian tour operators and travel agencies expect stronger last-minute sales.

Poland

The director of the HTZ office in Poland, Agnieszka Puszczewicz, said she is pleased with the response to the HTZ business workshop, where Polish partners said they are hoping that their compatriots will be able to travel to Croatia this summer despite the third wave of the pandemic because Croatia is among the most sought-after destinations.

"Our Polish partners stress the importance of information about health safety protocols and the conditions tourists will have to meet to visit Croatia this summer. They all hope that an increase in the number of vaccinated people and those with antibodies will further facilitate travel. The Polish government's decision on return protocols will also have an impact, and we should also take into account the fact that a PCR test costs 125 euro in Poland," Puszczewicz said.

She noted that Poles praise Croatia for its handling of last year's season and hope that this year too, they will spend safe and carefree holidays in Croatia.

Austria

Austrians are mostly interested in the conditions for entering Croatia, the cost of PCR and rapid antigen tests and testing sites, the epidemiological and vaccination situation in Croatia, and the country's plan to open to international tourism, the head of the HTZ office in Austria, Branimir Tončinić, told Hina.

"Assuming that Croatia will be on the green list and that Austria will change its present regime of return to the country with mandatory testing and a 10-day quarantine, even larger visits from this market are possible than in 2020, but only as of June, because Austria has only recently extended the return regime for its citizens until 31 May," Tončinić said. 

Asked about Austrian owners of real estate and vessels in Croatia who, like Slovenians and citizens of other countries, visited Croatia in the pre-summer season last year, he said that they are mainly interested if there are or there will be any regulations allowing them to enter Croatia to check on their property.

"There is a great interest in Croatia among this section of the public because they own property in Croatia where they can stay in isolation with the greatest possible degree of safety from infection. There is currently fear that because of the Austrian border crossing regime, they will not be able to travel abroad unless their country changes the conditions for returning citizens. They are less concerned about the Croatian border regime," Toničić said.

Germany

Similar information also comes from Germany, Croatia's most important travel market. The director of the HTZ office there, Romeo Draghicchi, says that Germans are eager to travel but are still delaying booking their holidays and following coronavirus developments both at home and abroad.

Tour operators and airlines will adjust their services to destinations for which German authorities will not prescribe a quarantine on return to the country. Everyone agrees that any facilitation of travel between European countries will positively affect the tourist turnover said.

"The number of Germans who visited Croatia in 2020, mostly in the two main summer months, was about 50% lower than that in the record year 2019. If the coronavirus situation gets back to normal before June and lasts until the end of September, this market season could be more successful than last year. Still, total results will depend on the overall situation with the virus in Europe, especially in Croatia," Draghicchio said.

He said that Germans are mostly asking about general conditions for entering Croatia, including types of testing. At the same time, property owners are mainly interested in simplified entry procedures, such as short-term visits to check their vessel or house.

"Currently, booking for Croatia in Germany is at 30% of last year's level, but it is expected to pick up in the lead-up to the summer provided that the pandemic subsides. Everyone is hoping for a positive scenario, a longer season, and better results than those achieved in 2020," Draghicchio said.

He said that "a certain number of Germans" will visit Croatia already for the Easter holidays. They are mostly inquiring about Istria, which is currently designated as a safe travel destination from which Germans can return home without undergoing testing or staying in a quarantine.

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ZAGREB, 20 March 2021 - The leader of the Democratic Alliance of Serbs and deputy mayor of Vukovar, Srđan Milaković, said on Friday that the discussion in the Croatian parliament on the bill on civilian victims of the 1991-1995 Homeland War showed "an uncivilized attitude of right-wing parties towards Serb victims in Croatia."

Under the proposal, civilian victims who could not exercise their rights under the present law would do so under the new law. The law would also cover civilians injured in mine explosions or the use of firearms during the period between 17 August 1990 and 30 June 1996. Civilian victims would be allowed to claim entitlements for family members listed as missing from the war even before they are declared dead. The bill also provides for measures to improve the social and economic status of civilian victims. These rights can be exercised both by citizens of Croatia and by foreign nationals, provided that at the time of the incident, they were residents in Croatia. After the debate, the bill was sent for a second reading.

Commenting on the debate, Milaković said that it showed "an uncivilized attitude of right-wing parties towards Serb victims in Croatia." "No one in the Serb community denies the crimes committed at Ovčara. On the other hand, the deputy mayor of Vukovar and MP, Marijan Pavliček, and many others are unable to accept the killing of Serb civilians by Croatian forces in Vukovar in 1991," he added.

"The experience of the families of Serb civilians killed - including their personal tragedy and pain over the loss of their loved ones and the denial, ignoring, and justification of their killing by the Croatian public and state institutions - cannot be compensated for by any law or entitlement.

"They could not get compensation because final court rulings did not establish the commission of the crimes in which their dearest ones were killed, and judicial authorities never initiated proceedings for those killings. So not even in death are innocent Croats and Serbs equal," Milaković wrote.

He concluded by saying that it remains to be seen whether the new law would "remove the present injustices" in practice.

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

March 20, 2021 - Mass tourism in Croatia is disastrous, and investments in it unsustainable says Dutch MEP Bas Eickhout.

In an interview with Hina, Dutch MEP Bas Eickhout from the GreenLeft said that Croatia's investment in mass tourism is unsustainable and that it could destroy Croatian tourism in the long run, reports Jutarnji List.

Eickhout understands large investments in mass tourism "from the perspective of quick earnings" but believes that such an investment is not profitable in the long run. "I am not sure that such an investment is profitable in the long run. You will see that people are increasingly looking for areas that provide peace," said the Dutch parliamentarian, adding that mass tourism means "quick but short-term earnings."

"Perhaps, in a longer period, you could even be left without tourism. That would be a great pity because I want people to enjoy the Croatian coast in the future as well," concluded Eickhout, who was named the most influential MEP in the field of environmental policy by VoteWatch Europe last year.

Eickhout believes that "the potential of the Croatian coast is huge" and that the European Union should "strengthen its visions of its development."

"It's a precious area," he said.

The use of wind as a renewable energy source can provide additional protection to fisheries along the coast, according to Eickhout, who advocates "sustainable fisheries."

"We need to think about sustainable fishing in a way that you do not only catch fish now but that the children of current fishers and their children should also benefit from this sector," he concludes.

Eickhout pointed out that in this segment, too, the key factor is biodiversity, "the preservation of which must become a priority so that the fish stock can be restored."

He also stressed the importance of the attitude of fishermen themselves towards this issue and believes that it is important to "achieve agreement and respect between fishermen and the ecosystem."

Referring to the impact the European Green Plan could have on the Mediterranean coast, including Croatia, Eickhout pointed out the huge potential of these areas in the processes of achieving biodiversity, renewable energy production, and the development of sustainable fisheries.

Asked how citizens, those in Croatia and the rest of the EU, could benefit from the Green Plan, Eickhout said that "not only will the current population in these areas benefit, but also the next generations," but to realize this, a “more coherent vision of coastal development opportunities” is needed.

He believes that this will also reduce the emigration of people from coastal areas to cities that, as he states, are "already overcrowded."

Eickhout believes the current European Commission has made a big step forward by clearly recognizing green policies as a priority.

"This European Commission understands that one of our great challenges for the future, for our European future, for the future of Croatia," said Eickhout.

"This is the core of the Green Plan's idea: to create a new economy that will not burden the environmental system so much, and at the same time will create new, better jobs," he added.

He emphasized that this transition was not easy and that to claim otherwise by any politician would be an attempt to deceive the European electorate.

However, that is "the only future we need," believes the representative of the Greens.

He believes that Europe can only take the lead in global innovation through the green transition and that there is no point in copying another model.

"We cannot, for example, compete with the Chinese in labor costs. They will always beat us in that. We have to come up with our own story," says Eickhout.

The European Parliament's negotiating team and the presidency of the Council agreed in November 2020 that with at least 30 percent of spending from the long-term budget and recovery plan, it would go to climate targets.

Eickhout said he was satisfied with the deal but said more money would be needed for the changes planned and that the European budget represented only a small fraction of the funds available.

"Each member state has at its disposal funds from the national budget, which, in total, are much larger than what the EU has. And there are large amounts of funds from the private sector," said Eickhout.

Eickhout emphasized in particular that the Green Plan is not and must not only be a matter for the EU but that neighboring countries, as well as candidate countries, must be involved in its implementation.

"We hope that the entire Balkans will become part of the European Union. That is our starting point and our goal," Eickhout said.

He also added that if this is the Union's goal, then it is the duty of Brussels to ensure the mutual implementation of the green transition in the entire area.

Otherwise, we will have "different dynamics of implementing the Green Plan," warned Eickhout, adding that they would "shoot themselves in the foot."

Bas Eickhout has been a Member of the European Parliament since 2009. At the heart of his political work are the fight against climate change and the creation of a social Europe, and he warns of the strengthening of anti-European forces in the EP.

In the last elections for the European Parliament in 2019, the European Greens singled out Eickhout and the German MEP Ska Keller as their candidates for the head position of the European Commission.

Eickhout is vice-president of the Greens' Group in the European Parliament (EP) and vice-president of the EP's Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee.

Although it does not hold leading positions, it has significant influence thanks to a strong network of relations, many years of parliamentary experience, and work on several important legislative proposals and initiatives, notes VoteWatch, an independent Brussels-based research organization analyzing political influences on public opinion and shaping EU legislation. 

The European Parliament will discuss the EU's strategy for sustainable tourism in the plenary next week. As announced on the EP portal, the European Parliament will call in the report for the EU to develop cleaner, safer, and more sustainable tourism after the COVID-19 pandemic.

The pandemic has redirected consumer preferences to greener options, the report said, calling for a plan to develop more sustainable forms of tourism to reduce the sector's environmental footprint.

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March 20, 2021 - The Split Technology Park will be the beginning of a new Split, one that turns from tourism to technology. 

Slobodna Dalmacija reports that a total of HRK 105 million was allocated to the City of Split for the first phase of the future Split Technology Park in Dračevac, which is almost 64 percent of the total value of the project, estimated at HRK 165 million! This is the largest individual project of the City of Split in the European Union's programming period. A public procurement procedure has been launched to design and construct the Split Technology Park central building with a total area of more than 17 thousand square meters.

But most importantly, this project is the beginning of a new Split, which emerges from the monoculture of tourism and turns to high technology. It results from many years of work and cooperation between the City of Split and competent ministries, primarily the Ministry of State Property, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Culture during 2018, and continuous cooperation with the Ministry of Regional Development and European Union funds.

If the market survey and survey of entrepreneurs, which was also conducted during the project's preparation, proved to be correct, 1470 employees would work in only the first of the three phases of the Split Technology Park in Dračevac. Thanks to this project, 404 new jobs would be created in Split, which would be structured so that more than 94 percent would be employees of higher education. The total capacity of all three phases is 7,000 new employees who could work in Dračevac.

The idea of ​​the technology park on Dračevac dates back to 2009 when the Croatian Government donated 146 hectares of land worth HRK 276 million to the City of Split for the first time. The City aimed to turn it into a business and fair center where there would be 952 employees in the early years. To realize the project worth about HRK 400 million, the City then established the Split Development Agency - SRA, adopted a Detailed Development Plan for the Dračevac Work Zone, which provided for an ABC center, fair center, and technology park. However, the City had not started the process or parceled the zone according to the adopted DPU, issued a geodetic study, or defined its intentions towards the competent authorities. Therefore, as stipulated in the contract, the Croatian Government was to confiscate the donated land to the City due to inactivity.

In the summer of 2017, the City of Split, led by Mayor Andro Krstulović Opara, drafted the Urban Agglomeration Split Strategy and the ITU Urban Agglomeration Project Action Plan, which envisaged changing the Dračevac project to accommodate two strategic projects - relocating the JGP Promet garage and the Split Technology Park, abolishing the fair center as an idea that depends on a strong consumer market that Croatia does not have. Then talks began with the Ministry of State Property, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Culture, and the Split-Makarska Archdiocese on the future content of Dračevac, and in January 2018, Mayor Krstulović Opara reactivated the Development Agency, renaming it the Development Agency Split - RaST d.o.o.

Then the amendment of the DPU of the Working Zone Dračevac began. Given the strongly expressed will and desire of the City of Split to revitalize this area, the Croatian Government, at its session in Split in May 2018, decided to donate land to the City of Split Promet and the Technology Park Split, as well as the decision to donate part of the land in Dračevac to the Split-Makarska Archdiocese for the needs of the development of the Educational Center-kindergarten, primary and secondary school.

In the meantime, the City of Split made amendments to the DPU of the Dračevac Working Zone and prepared project-technical documentation of the preliminary, main implementation project and feasibility study as a basis for co-financing from EU funds. On the feast of St. Domnius, May 7, 2020, the Croatian Government turned its intention to donate land to the City of Split from 2018 into a Decision, and the City then performed a subdivision study and submitted a request for registration of ownership.

At the end of 2020, the City of Split obtained a valid location permit for the entire first phase of the Split Technology Park and then, together with the Development Agency, Split applied for two projects for co-financing and direct allocation of EU funds, according to calls issued by the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds mechanism, within the Operational Program "Competitiveness and Cohesion 2014-2020."

Decisions to accept the project arrived in February. The first stage of construction of the central building of the Technology Park, i.e., the project entitled "Development of the Dračevac Zone - Technology Park Split - Dračevac" includes the implementation of activities related to the reconstruction of the former barracks "St. Križ” to create the infrastructural preconditions to establish the technology park. The project's total amount is HRK 77.1 million, while the grant amounts to HRK 44.2 million, or 56% of the total project funds.

The second stage of construction of the Technology Park central building, i.e., the EU project called "Constructing and equipping the central building of the Technology Park Split - Dračevac," includes finishing works and equipping the central building to the stage of usability and includes all necessary construction and craft works, installations, ventilation, heating and cooling, water supply and drainage, equipping common areas, conference rooms, 3D laboratories, etc. The project's total amount is HRK 87 million, while the European Union grant amounts to HRK 60.8 million, or 70% of total project funds.

For the realization of the initial section of the Split Technology Park, i.e., the construction of the central building, the total amount of both registered projects amounts to HRK 164,754,315.70, of which a total of HRK 105,074,234.69 of EU grants has been provided, and the deadline is 31 December 2023.

The technology park in Dračevac is divided and will be built in three phases. In the already mentioned first phase, the most important is the central building of the Technology Park, the construction of which will be co-financed by EU funds, with emphasis on office and production space. For the entire first phase, a unique preliminary design was prepared, based on which a location permit was obtained in October 2020, and the preliminary design was prepared by the Faculty of Civil Engineering, Architecture, and Geodesy with the chief designer Darija Gabrić.

Thus, the reconstruction and upgrade of the existing central building of the 4th GBR "Pauci" barracks, which is largely retained, except for one dilatation that is removed to build a new road, will create a new central building, the future headquarters of high technology in Split. In addition to 1,010 parking spaces, employees of the future Technology Park will have at their disposal laboratory and office space, a coworking center, canteen, kindergarten, gym, and parks, and the city of Split will get the first large conference center with up to 800 participants.

Thanks to the approved funds, the City of Split initiated the procedure. They announced a preliminary consultation on procuring the design and construction of the central building, with a total estimated value of HRK 116.8 million without VAT. The remaining funds will be provided in the budget over three years.

The deadline for realizing the rest of the first, second, and third phases of the Split Technology Park is, as stated in the government's grant, 25 years. The second phase of the Technology Park (about 75 thousand square meters) focuses on offices, laboratories, and production halls. In the third phase (20 thousand square meters), they will build a business tower with aparthotel and a business office center, additional large congress facilities in Split.

Without a doubt, the Split Technology Park is a capital project of the City of Split in the years to come and a ticket to the world of the highly developed IT industry. The former barracks on Dračevac will be the base of a smart city. 

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

March the 20th, 2021 - Just how has the ongoing coronavirus pandemic affected Croatian consumer habits, the typical household budget and the way we spend money in general? With economic woes rife and restrictions to certain economic entities still in force, the bag is a mixed one.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Ana Blaskovic/Jadranka Dozan writes, over recent months, we have often heard how working from home has largely replaced the purchase of fashionable clothing and footwear with tracksuits, slippers and trainers, and how less money has generally been spent on these items since the coronavirus pandemic struck.

Many will also say that their car's fuel tank is lasting longer, but also that their costs of (tele)communications have increased, as well as the figures on bills for some other "overhead" items. The scale of changes in living and consumer habits today has left a mark on what typical Croatian household consumption looks like.

Among what was looked at in regard to Croatian consumer habits includes data on inflation and the consumer price index (CPI). A few days ago, the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) published data for the month of February, according to which, for the first time in the past year, the index of these prices in year-on-year comparisons had a positive note to it. After a 0.3 percent drop back in January, the annual inflation so measured in February also stood at 0.3 percent, but was encouragingly rising.

The CBS consumer price index is calculated on the basis of a representative basket of about 890 products. Each month, about 38,000 prices are collected from within a given sample of outlets.

In order to preserve representativeness, the coverage of goods and services is revised once a year, and given the circumstances of the ongoing pandemic, the CBS has included some new products in its basket for the year 2021. According to the Institute, these are protective face masks, disposable gloves and hand sanitizer.

Back in December 2020, Eurostat issued recommendations to EU member states on the calculation of what are known as ''weights'' in order to include the effects of these coronavirus-induced changes in personal consumption expenditure.

As such, in its calculation of the consumer price index, the decline in ''weights'' compared to 2020 was recorded in the following categories: Restaurants and hotels, Transport, Recreation and culture, Clothing and footwear, Education, according to the CBS, which delved into Croatian consumer habits during the pandemic.

At the same time, compared to last year, food and non-alcoholic beverages have a higher "weight" attached to them; Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels; Health; Communication, miscellaneous goods and services; Alcoholic beverages and tobacco; Furniture, home furnishings and regular household maintenance.

A comparison of the data from this and last (2020) February shows, for example, that the ''consumption weight'' for food and non-alcoholic beverages increased from 26 to 27.2 percent, while the share of clothing and footwear decreased from 6.4 to 5.7 percent. The costs of housing and related "utilities" (electricity, water, gas, etc. utilities) and maintenance costs in February last year were 16.3 percent higher in terms of weight, and today their weight is 17.7 percent.

Expenses related to personal transport or personal vehicles (purchase, parts, repairs, fuel) in the structure today make up 13.3 percent, while a year ago they "weighed" more than 15 percent. The ''weight'' of transport services (road, rail, sea) was reduced from 1.5 percent down to one percent. But equally, the weight of expenditures related to communications, primarily telephone and Internet, is expected to continually increase.

The well known British BBC has also been working on adjusting the consumer basket to calculate the cost of living these days. The statistical office over in the United Kingdom has refreshed its list of more than 700 products, not only with those items such as disposable masks, hand sanitizers, slippers or tracksuits, but also with, for example, home workout equipment, smart watches, electric cars, and items which reflect the result of attempted healthier eating trends on that Northern European island.

When looking specifically at Croatian consumer habits however, there was less intervention in the coverage of that same proverbial basket, but the ''weight adjustments'' haven't gone without affecting the value of the IPC.

Back in February this year, consumer prices rose equally (by 0.3 percent) on both annual and monthly levels. Annual inflation across the EU averaged 1.3 percent, still well below the ECB's target of "close but below 2 percent", and Croatia is among the 14 member states with accelerating inflation.

The category in the ''basket'' when it comes to Croatian consumer habits that pushed up monthly inflation last month was transportation, up 1.7 percent on average. Transportation, which has seen a 13.3 percent drop in the consumer basket, has been affected by higher oil prices, which have been on an upward trajectory on global stock exchanges over the past four months or so. More expensive transport costs back in February was mitigated by 0.1 percent (on average) cheaper food and non-alcoholic beverages. Although the decline is more modest than in transport, a higher ''weight'' was crucial in the inflation calculation, as food participates in the basket with as much as 27.2 percent.

Annual inflation, on the other hand, was primarily affected by higher alcohol and tobacco prices. They were 4.5 percent higher in February than they were back during the same month last year (with a so-called weight of 5.2 percent). Growth was also recorded in the category of recreation and culture (1.3 percent) and communications (1.2 percent). In the last year, the prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages were lower by 0.8 percent, while the costs of housing and utilities (water, electricity, gas and other such items), which make up 17.7 percent of household costs, were 0.9 percent cheaper.

With the spectacularly embarrassing failure of plans for rapid vaccination across the European Union, the pandemic looks set to continue. However, the forecasts for this year are still in the realm of optimism.

"With the expected recovery of the economy this year, we expect the return of moderate price growth," say analysts from Raiffeisen Bank (RBA). In this light, energy should be influenced by a slight recovery in crude oil prices.

“We expect the average price of Brent crude oil to rise above 70 US dollars per barrel in the second and third quarters of this year, and global crude oil inventories will return to pre-pandemic levels by the end of this year. On the other hand, rising food prices will slow down, partly due to the global environment and the normalisation of supply chains. Therefore, we expect that the average inflation rate this year will be around one percent,'' they noted from RBA.

For more on Croatian consumer habits, follow our lifestyle section.

March the 20th, 2021 - The Mamic brothers have finally faced justice at the hands of the Supreme Court, and now their cars, money and property are set to fall into the hands of the Croatian state.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, by the final verdict of the Supreme Court, the infamous Mamic brothers (Zdravko and Zoran) and members of their family, as well as former tax collector Milan Pernar, will be left without a part of their property/assets that will now belong to the state.

Pernar is thus left without 2.97 million kuna as the Land Registry Department of the Municipal Civil Court in Zagreb was ordered to delete Pernar's wife as the owner of a house of 104 square metres and a 239 square metre yard in Zagreb, with a total value of 1,715,000 kuna. The property is now to become the property of the state, and Pernar's wife Tajana, as the owner, must release it within fifteen days of the judgment becoming final, Slobodna Dalmacija reports.

The Pernars are also left without a thirteen-year-old VW EOS 2 TDI, which is worth a little less than 85,000 kuna, and the Ministry of the Interior (MUP) must register the ownership of the state in the register of registered vehicles. Pernar has to hand over the car within fifteen days and must also pay a little over 296 thousand kuna into the state budget, which is the difference between the confiscated assets and the illegal property gain according to the Supreme Court ruling.

When it comes to the Mamic brothers, fugitive former Dinamo boss Zdravko Mamic is being left without a good part of his real estate and his cars. As are members of his family. It has been legally established that the eldest of the Mamic brothers (Zdravko), gained a profit of 52 million kuna and 37 thousand kuna by a criminal offense, and this will now become state-owned money.

105,000 kuna is being deducted from his account in Hypo-Alpe-Adria Bank, while almost 31,000 euros is being deducted from his daughter Iva's account in the same bank, along with another 78,500 kuna from Iva's account with Erste bank. Over 6000 euros will also be taken from the Erste bank account owned by Zdravko's older daughter Lucija. All banks in which the Mamic family had accounts were ordered by the verdict to transfer the said payments to the state budget within fifteen days.

Zdravko Mamic's wife Marina will also be deprived of the money found in the search of their family house, in the amount of 21,270 euros and 17 thousand kuna. Mamic was also left without the seven million kuna he had in his deposit account at Postanska banka, which the bank transferred to the state budget account back in 2015.

The former Dinamo boss will also be left without an apartment in Preradoviceva street in the very heart of central Zagreb in the Cvjetni residential and business building. It is an apartment which boasts eight rooms and a terrace of 164 square metres with two garage spaces, with a total value of 6.97 million kuna, formally owned by Marina Mamic.

The Supreme Court ordered the land registry departments of the courts in whose territory the property is located to delete the previous owners and transfer them to the state, and Marina Mamic and Vanja Horvat must also hand over the real estate to the state within two weeks.

That isn't all that the state took away from Mamic. There is also a very pricey 12-metre-long boat, Bentley Continental 6.0 GTC cars from 2007 owned by Marina Mamic, and an Audi 2.0 TDI Sport car owned by Vanja Horvat that will also be transferred into the state's hands. The Port Authority of Sibenik and the Ministry of the Interior should transfer all this to the state, and Mamic must pay the difference between the value of what was taken from him and what he illegally earned to the state within a period of two weeks. That amounts to approximately another 25 million and 540 thousand kuna.

Zoran Mamic, on the other hand, will be left without the 2.69 million kuna that Dinamo should have paid him, which the state blocked from happening back in 2015, and that will also become state budget money. Furthermore, a little less than 48 thousand kuna that Ana Mamic, one of Zoran's ex-wives, had in an Erste bank account will be confiscated.

Due to the crimes of her former life partner, Ana will also be left without a 10-year-old Land Rover Evoque worth 210,000 kuna. Now, the former Dinamo coach has to pay the state within just fifteen days the massive 25 million and 894 thousand kuna difference between the value of the confiscated assets and his illegally obtained property benefits.

For more, follow our lifestyle section.

March the 20th, 2021 - One popular cider brand, known here as the "Koprivnica cider" is putting this otherwise typically overlooked continental Croatian town on the map. If you're a cider lover and enjoying a refreshing glass of it over ice during the warm summer months is your thing, then you might want to pay attention.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Sergej Novosel Vuckovic writes, Koprivnica, a continental Croatian town known for the Podravka brand and its numerous beloved products, might just gain more recognition from no less than the popular Somersby cider brand.

The product behind that name refers to the range of cider, a drink that has always been very popular in Northern Europe, and has since gained traction here in Croatia, and the production of which was started by the Danish beer company Carlsberg in its factory in Koprivnica around a decade ago.

Somersby is made there for the whole world, and only last year, despite the coronavirus pandemic, a total of 867 trucks full of bottles of different flavours of this wildly popular cider were sent to about twenty markets from the Carlsberg Croatia plant in Podravina, with another 200 tanks with this drink intended for tapping.

That nicknamed "Koprivnica cider" ended up in Tahiti, the Bahamas, Bermuda, but also Greenland, China, Congo, the USA, not to mention the EU markets, from Austria to Germany. These figures were announced recently at the factory by the President of the Management Board of Carlsberg Croatia, Marcin Burdach.

“Despite all of the challenges that the year 2020 brought with it, we're very pleased with how it ended. Every year we record growth, including last year when exports to Germany and Hungary increased. Otherwise, Somersby production in Croatia started back in 2011. Initially, there were only three Carlsberg factories in the entire world that were producing Somersby cider, of which the Koprivnica plant was the first to start fermenting wine," said Burdach, without giving any specific data on the company's business results.

Here in Croatia, this cider is made in ten different flavours, including kosher apples, intended for the stricter Israeli market. Carlsberg Croatia also produces already renowned beer brands such as the much loved Pan in its various ways, as well as Tuborg and Carlsberg, which are originally Danish labels, and the company is also a significant employer, as it employs about 300 people in an otherwise fairly neglected part of the country.

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