Mladost Tops Jug to Defend Croatian Cup Title
January 25, 2021 - Mladost tops Jug to defend the Croatian Cup title (15:13).
Mladost defended the Croatian Cup on Sunday, lifting the trophy for the tenth time. Their opponent, Jug, remained with 14 titles and failed to reach their 66th trophy in history.
Mladost opened the match well, especially with an extra man (which was a great bonus for them throughout the match), and led 4:2 at the end of the first quarter. Mladost was up by two goals in the middle of the second quarter (7:5). Jug fought back with four consecutive goals (Fatović penalty, Papanastasiou, Fatović, and Kržić) for a complete turnaround - 9:7 for Jug!
At half time, the Mladost coach replaced goalkeeper Ivan Marcelić with Jerko Jurlina, which proved to be one of the key decisions of the Mladost bench. However, at the beginning of the third quarter, Merkulov scored from a distance for 10:7, which, combined with Popadić defending a penalty, opened the door for Jug.
Mladost did not give up, and with a great defense and goals by Kharkov and Visković, they were just one goal behind before the last quarter (11:10 for Jug AO). At the beginning of the last quarter, Miloš equalized at 11:11. The last time Jug lead was thanks to Garcia (12:11 - six minutes before the end).
Kharkov attacked with three more goals, and four and a half minutes before the final buzzer, Mladost took the lead at 14:12 and managed to keep that advantage until the end.
The left-handed youngster, Russia national team player Konstantin Kharkov, was chosen as the best player of the final tournament. In addition to 3 goals in the semifinals against Primorje EB, he puzzled the mighty Jug defense, scoring 7 goals in the final.
Zoran Bajić, Mladost coach, said after the match:
"To my boys, well done, they were fantastic. We were like a cat with 9 lives. We were behind and played great against Jug, a huge, fantastic team, but this is not the first time we have shown character. I have said many times that these are my warriors. Beating Jug in the last two and a half years in four finals is no small thing."
Vjekoslav Kobešćak, coach of Jug AO, added:
"Congratulations to Mladost on the victory. They were a better team today, calmer, and they deserved the victory. We only played one quarter properly, that was the second. The rest wasn't us. This is the second game in a row in which we received 15 goals from Mladost, and with so many goals conceded, serious water polo cannot be played, nor can we win a trophy."
Source: HRS
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Fitness Centers and Gyms in Croatia Likely to Reopen First
January 25, 2021 - Fitness centers and gyms in Croatia are likely to reopen from February 1, a meeting between the government and the Headquarters revealed on Sunday, held to discuss potentially relaxing some of the epidemiological measures in place.
Namely, the current measures expire on January 31. As Index.hr has learned, although no final decisions were made, a consensus was reached at Sunday's meeting on a slight easing of measures on February 1. Most concessions will be in the segment of sports and recreation, but the opening of restaurant and cafe terraces is still on the table.
Prospective opening of gyms and concessions when it comes to sports training and competitions
Gyms will likely open on Monday, February 1, but that is not yet entirely certain. The opening of gyms is considered because there is no solid scientific evidence that they are places where the infection is spreading. It should be reminded that gyms were not in the last draft for closing in late November when stricter measures were introduced but were eventually included in the list.
On the same date, the circle of those who are allowed to train, compete and play sports, in general, could expand, at least when it comes to outdoor sports. However, as Index learned, it might also be possible for children to train indoors. According to the current measures in force until January 31, training and competitions are allowed only for athletes of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd category.
It is most likely that from February 1, cafes will be allowed to sell coffee outside, with the potential opening of terraces
When it comes to cafes, it is most likely that from February 1, the sale of coffee and similar beverages outside will be allowed. Recall, the fierce reactions of caterers came precisely to the decision according to which cafes cannot sell coffee outside, but kiosks, gas stations, and bakeries can. Restaurants that are also closed to guests are allowed at least delivery, while cafes have been completely closed for the past two months.
As Index finds out, the opening of restaurant and cafe terraces from February 1 is still in play. The competent Ministry and other ministries whose sectors could be covered by the concession are expected to conduct an additional evaluation according to which a final decision should be made. If a decision is made to open the terraces, work would likely be limited, probably until 10 pm.
Upper elementary students return to school
Upper elementary school students would return to schools in February instead of the online classes they now attend.
They also discussed lifting the ban on private gatherings of people from more than two households at Sunday's meeting, but Index revealed that it is not realistic.
Index also learned that as things stand now, the permitted numbers of people at various types of gatherings should remain as they are now.
Final decisions will be made in the middle of the week, most likely on Wednesday.
Why aren't more measures eased?
The Headquarters is concerned about epidemiological pictures in some European countries, and especially news about new strains. If the import of a new strain into Croatia was confirmed, it could mean that the concessions would not be as discussed at Sunday's meeting. A few days ago, it became clear that vaccine delivery at this stage would be significantly lower than expected. The Headquarters also believes that closed spaces continue to pose the most significant risk of spreading the infection.
It is precisely these three factors that are cited as the key reasons why there will be no stronger easing of measures from February 1, primarily when it comes to opening cafes and restaurants for guests.
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Young Croat Josip Popcevic Pioneers Preservation of Super-Pollinating Bees
January 25, 2021 – Croat Josip Popcevic has already decided to dedicate his young life to little-known solitary bees. The reason? They are super-pollinators - our very future could depend on them
Croatia is not unknowledgeable when it comes to bees. Beekeeping is a traditional part of rural life in Croatia. Indeed, Slavonian honey is protected at an EU-level and the honey of Istrian is in the process of requesting the same.
Croatian honey is renowned throughout the region. Slavonian honey is protected at an EU level
Vast tracts of land in Croatia are dedicated to successful agriculture. Here, too, the worth of bees is well known. Bees are known to pollinate upwards of 80% of all the crops we eat (pollination is how male and female plants reproduce and make seeds).
Garlic, parsley, apples, cherries, apricots, lemons, asparagus, pumpkin, cucumber, broccoli, courgette (zucchini), cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, aubergine (eggplant), watermelon, celery, kale, peppers and all berries are cultivated widely across Croatia, providing incomes, employment and food. The pollination of all of them relies on bees.
The honey made from beekeeping in Istria is currently applying to the EU for the same protected designation awarded to that from Slavonia
However, for all of the awareness of bees' importance in Croatia, much of is restricted to the familiar scenes of traditional beekeeping. We are only too aware of the diseases and pollutants that can damage these precious colonies that produce our honey and pollinate our plants.
But, the truth of the integral roles bees play in our livelihoods and food is actually very different from what we imagine. It is a truth far removed from the colonies and hives of mask-wearing, honey-collecting beekeepers. Because up to 90% of all bees do not live in colonies at all. Those who don't aren't social, community creatures at all. They live a solitary existence. They are solitary bees. And, these solitary bees are far more important to the pollination of our plants than the colonies that live in hives. Just one single Red Mason bee (one of the many types of solitary bee that lives in Croatia) is equivalent to 120 worker honeybees in the pollination it provides.
Solitary bees are the best pollinators of all bees
One person who is not unaware of the importance of solitary bees to our existence is 27-year-old Croat Josip Popcevic from Zbjegovača, a small village near Kutina. Since graduating in Production Engineering at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture, Josip Popcevic has turned his mind back to the rural landscape from which he comes and has dedicated himself to the preservation, protection and furtherance of the solitary bee population so integral to our existence.
Housing for solitary bees made by Josip Popcevic © Cornuta / Josip Popcevic
One of Josip Popcevic's great ideas for securing the future of these important solitary bees could perhaps only come from an engineer – he has decided to build houses for them. This is no easy task. Unlike honey bees, who can live comfortably alongside thousands of others within a colony, solitary bees – as their name suggests – live completely alone. Except when mating, they do not depend on other bees at all. They most often nest in the ground, in wood and other natural materials. They are more active at lower temperatures, do not fly far from where they live, they are less aggressive than colony bees and they do not sting.
One of Josip's houses for solitary bees, at work within a Croatian agricultural endeavour © Cornuta
After recognising the worth of solitary bees to pollination, Josip Popcevic realised he could simultaneously run an endeavour of preservation in tandem with a business that was commercially viable to the agricultural industry. He founded the company Cornuta, through which he provided fruit growers with the service of pollination using solitary bees. Now he has extended the business to building houses for solitary bees. He now sells the houses to those operating within the agricultural sector. And, while his efforts currently lie solely within the borders of Croatia, thanks in part to a business competition grant, he has his eyes on expansion of his endeavours into both neighbouring countries and local communities.
© Cornuta
“I will soon start placing dwellings for solitary bees on public areas such as parks and school gardens,” Josip Popcevic told Jutarnji List in a recent interview. “I want to dedicate myself even more to educating citizens to become aware of the importance of bees for our planet. There is still a lot of room for improvement and I think that this activity will be even more popular in the years to come.”
A solitary bee, one of the most important pollinators in the world
Mladen Vedris: We Can't Allow Istria to Rely Solely on Tourism
January the 25th, 2021 - Croatian economist Mladen Vedris has discussed tourism, the possibility of Istria leaning far too much on it and Istria's tobacco growing potential which could be a lifeline in these uncertain, pandemic-dominated times.
As Novac/Vedran Marjanovic writes, joining the public controversy about changes in the excise system demanded by British American Tobacco as a condition for the survival of its business in Croatia, economist Mladen Vedris appealed to quickly find a new model of excise duty on tobacco in order to preserve tobacco production Croatia.
''I see the issue of BAT and the Rovinj Tobacco Factory in the context of the importance of an entire industry, in this case the tobacco industry, for the development of a region such as Istria, ie in the context of the fact that one single economic branch cannot be relied on at the state or even at the regional level.
We're talking, clearly, about tourism and its importance for Croatia and the economy of the wider Istria region, on the one hand, and the need to maximally protect the industries that exist in the area, on the other hand. All this within the framework that we now have and live in, and they're burdened by the pandemic and its impact on tourism,'' Mladen Vedris stated, noting that he is not familiar with the details of BAT's request to the Croatian Government.
He added that he considered the recent announcement by Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic that a solution to changes in the excise system was being sought and would be found to be very encouraging indeed.
Zdravko Maric's task
''It's good that the Prime Minister is publicly sending out messages that the problem that afflicts a part of our business community is being solved and I believe that talks are being held in that direction. In talks that are known to me, although I admit that I don't know everything, the Prime Minister said that the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Zdravko Maric was given the task to solve this problem. It's also known that there is a dispute over the level of excise duties placed on certain types of tobacco products, as well as European regulations that set certain frameworks for the excise system in that part, and I can only believe that Croatia will adopt the solutions in line with that regulation that we're talking about,'' Mladen Vedris added.
In addition to the economic importance of the tobacco industry for Istria and the regions where tobacco is grown, Mladen Vedris also drew attention to the amount of BAT's investment in the Rovinj Tobacco Factory.
''In the future, we can count on an even higher total amount of BAT's investment. Therefore, in my opinion, a common language must be found with a company that invests as much, and now, whether and when it will be found, which isn't insignificant, is not actually for me to assess,'' he said.
Mladen Vedris agrees with the assessments that the announced changes to the excise system have been being prepared for too long now.
''It's expected that we should have the solution that was announced within 30 days, and not longer,'' he concluded.
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Croatian Koncar Group Cites 2020's Difficulties, Expects Growth in 2021
January the 25th, 2021 - The Croatian Koncar Group wasn't immune to the seemingly endless woes of 2020, but the large company still expects growth this year with the advent of the vaccine and the potential for some form of business and economic normalisation.
As Novac/Vedran Marjanovic writes, the Croatian Koncar Group has proven to be resilient to the ongoing coronavirus crisis and even expects revenue growth of ten percent this year, as was announced yesterday by the President of the Management Board of the Croatian Koncar Group, Gordan Kolak.
''The source of growth, first of all, we see in the beginning of the procurement of the HZ Passenger Transport (Putnicki prijevoz) trains, but we still see foreign markets, primarily Germany, Sweden and Austria, as primary in terms of the placement of our goods and services,'' stated the head of the Croatian Koncar Group, which consists of fourteen companies within the wider group and a joint venture with Siemens, as well as around 3,500 employees. Their annual revenue stands at an impressive three billion kuna, of which exports make up sixty percent.
When it comes to one of the company's most significant current export ventures, the sale of trams to the Latvian city of Liepaja, Gordan Kolak indicated that twelve of the contracted trams will be delivered to Latvia this year and next year.
Referring to the impact of the ongoing global pandemic on the Croatian Koncar Group's overall operations, Kolak stated that it is mostly reflected in the difficult access to new foreign markets, but, he also warned, it also lies in creating a new approach in markets where the Croatian Koncar Group is already present. The report on Koncar's operations throughout the pandemic-dominated year of 2020, announced Kolak, will not be presented before first being published on the Zagreb Stock Exchange.
''In any case, we had revenue growth last year, but at the moment I can't talk about the scale of that growth. The general situation on the global market is favourable for our company,'' he concluded.
This year, the Croatian Koncar Group is celebrating its 100th anniversary of doing business, and as one of the interesting things related to the jubilee, Kolak stated that Dragutin Pusic from Koncar, who designed the first logo of the company, will also celebrate his very own hundredth birthday.
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ILTM World Tour: Interest for Croatian Luxury Tourism Increases
January the 25th, 2021 - Croatian luxury tourism hasn't been discussed much recently owing to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Tourism in general has taken a back seat, damaging economies across the world, but the ILTM World Tour, which places a focus precisely on luxury tourism, has seen growing interest for Croatia.
As Morski writes, Stories - a group of unique luxury hotels, participated in the most important luxury tourism fair in the world called the ILTM World Tour back in November and December last year and presented eighteen hotels from their collection.
The fair is traditionally held in Cannes, France every year, and this year, for the first time due to the coronavirus epidemic, it was held virtually, and the online platform was available to participants until the end of 2020.
The Stories Group held a total of 137 meetings with agents from around the world, and Americans, Australians and some of those much closer to home in the rest of Europe, such as Britons, are among the most interested in Croatia and Croatian luxury tourism.
''Meetings with agents were extremely successful, and the level of interest in Croatia is significant. When compared to 2019, five percent more agents this year expressed their interest in Croatia, or 62 percent of all agents who participated in the fair. Although the increased interest gives us hope for a more successful 2021, the basic precondition for the realisation and launch of tourism is a good epidemiological picture and accessibility, ie transport and air connections,'' said the president of the Group of Unique Luxury Hotels of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce, Nenad Nizic.
The ILTM World Tour 2020 brought together exhibitors with agents specialising in luxury tourism from different markets; Asia and the Pacific, European countries and North, Central and South America, and virtually brought together more than 2,600 experts in the luxury tourism segment, including 1,200 exhibitors, 1,300 agents and more than 100 representatives of VIP media, and a total of more than 38 thousand one -on-one meetings.
The ILTM fair is strategically important for the Stories Group because it is a fair where representatives of some of most luxurious hotels in the world and the best agents come together and meet, and Stories Hotels are being presented for the fourth year in a row with the support of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce to place Croatia and Croatian luxury tourism firmly on the wider luxury tourism map.
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Platak Ski Resort Gets New Toboggan Run, New Cable Car Planned
January the 25th, 2021 - Rijeka's Platak ski resort is set to get not only a brand new toboggan run, but a new cable car on which construction will hopefully begin during the warmer summer months.
As Vecernji list/Radmilla Kovacevic writes, as was expected, given that skiing abroad is written off given the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Croatian ski resorts will simply have to do. They don't boast kilometre-long trails, they aren't equipped to the highest ski standards as is the case in numerous famous European ski resorts, but during these coronavirus-dominated times, needs must.
At the famous Platak ski resort, where since last year they have had a system in place worth fourteen million kuna with fourteen snow cannons, a new accumulation lake with 50,000 cubic metres of water, an engine room and cooling towers, they had to limit ticket sales in the first days, the same is true for other Croatian ski resorts.
Several factors coincided, apart from the fact that foreign ski resorts are currently inaccessible, snow fell during the school holidays, which is the factor that drives Croatian skiers the most even when there is no pandemic to speak of.
''In Croatia, skiing started on January the 2nd, when the conveyor belts were opened, and on January the 5th, the cable car started working. At that time we were the first ski resort to open in this part of Europe. By the way, skiers typically gravitate towards us in a circle of 200 kilometres, but now they're coming from everywhere, from Nasice, Osijek and Varazdin all the way to Dubrovnik. During the first few days we had a lot of pressure to deal with, on the first day we sold 1100 tickets, which means that there were about 3500 people on Platak. After that, we limited the daily ticket sales to 600 and people were skiing until the rain came on Wednesday, but soon we should have snow again,'' said Alen Udovic, director of the Gorani sports centre in Platak, which this winter got a brand new toboggan run of 250 metres next to the mobile trail, and construction of a new cable car should begin by summer.
According to those at the Platak ski resort, the toboggan run through the forest is a complete success, and many are looking for winter joy on Zagreb's nearby Sljeme as well. The demand for tickets is also very high, some have returned in recent days disappointed that they haven't managed to fall into the daily quota of a thousand ski passes.
The Sljeme ski resort, which opened on January the 19th, is open every day from 09:00 to 16:00, and for the first day or two, 700 ski passes could be issued by 10:00.
"I also met the team I was with in France with last year," said a Zagreb resident on Facebook, confirming that many have given up going abroad this winter, but they haven't given up on skiing.
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Britain Appoints Simon Thomas New Ambassador To Croatia
January 25, 2021 – Replacing the outgoing Andrew Dalgleish, Simon Thomas new ambassador to Croatia is an expert on security and counterterrorism
After five years in his position, the United Kindom's popular ambassador to Croatia, Andrew Dalgleish will move on to pastures new in July 2021. Britain has appointed Simon Thomas new ambassador to Croatia. He has a background in diplomacy and is an expert on security and counterterrorism.
Simon Thomas new ambassador to Croatia is a career diplomat but has held several positions outside of the diplomatic service. He joined the United Kingdom Diplomatic Service in 1997, after graduating with honours in Russian language and literature at the University of Birmingham. His first appointment saw him assigned to the Russia department of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office before he took up the position of Second Secretary in the United Kingdom Embassy in Warsaw, Poland.
Simon Thomas, the United Kingdom's new ambassador to Croatia © Simon Thomas
After over two years at this station, he spent time at the UK Mission to the United Nations in New York and the UK Representation to the European Union before being recalled to the UK to work in the field of counter-terrorism in the Cabinet Office.
After returning to the Russia department of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office for over two years, this time in a more senior position, he went back to New York for a couple of years to take up the First Secretary position of the UK Mission to the United Nations.
From there, he was promoted to Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he remained for over three years. Following another UK-based appointment, he again took up the position of Deputy Head of Mission, this time at the British Embassy in Harare, Zimbabwe, where he spent over two years.
In the period since, Simon Thomas new ambassador to Croatia returned to education. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the Royal College of Defence Studies where he spent a year studying strategy, leadership and international affairs alongside senior military and civilians from more than 50 countries. He has also been learning Croatian. He also holds a master's degree in International Security and Strategy from King’s College, London. He was awarded the title of Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE ) for merit in foreign policy in 2008.
The Embassy of the United Kingdom in Zagreb © UK in Croatia
Simon Thomas new ambassador to Croatia tweeted “Delighted to be appointed the next United Kingdom British ambassador to Croatia, succeeding Andrew Dalgleish in July. Very much looking forward to getting to know Hrvatska and her people, and to deepening the great friendship between our two countries.”
The outgoing ambassador echoed his sentiments: “Excellent news of the appointment my successor, who takes over when I leave beautiful Croatia this summer,” tweeted the popular Mr Dalgleish, who will obviously miss the country he has called home for the last half-decade.
“Simon, get ready for one of the best jobs you could wish for!” furthered Mr Dalgleish. “Until then, I've still got so much to see and do!”
Mr Dalgleish will be transferring to another appointment within the United Kingdom Diplomatic Service. We wish him the best of luck and warmly welcome Simon Thomas new ambassador to Croatia.
The outgoing United Kingdom ambassador to Croatia, the popular Mr Andrew Dalgleish, pictured with a colleague from the Spanish Embassy at Zagreb Pride in 2019 © Andrew Dalgleish
Falling Snow Causes Treacherous Conditions on Croatian Roads
January 25, 2021 – Released images show falling snow is causing extremely difficult conditions on some Croatian roads, both motorways and state roads, with the mountainous regions of Lika and Gorski Kotar most affected
Any optimists living in Zagreb could be forgiven for thinking winter was over. Over a succession of two days last week they were basking in the relatively balmy daytime temperatures of 16 degrees. The sun shone brightly, the boots stayed indoors and lighter jackets were thrown on to visit the shops. Not everyone in Zagreb is an optimist, though. And those with an experience that is greater than their hope knew the reality of the situation; Croatia's winter can turn round at any moment to bite you in the ass.
Snow covering the Lika region
And that's exactly what happened this weekend, when falling snow produced treacherous driving conditions across a wide area of Croatia. On some motorways, a ban on trucks with trailers and tractors with semi-trailers is in place because of the continually falling snow. Another response to the falling snow has been to make winter vehicle equipment mandatory.
A thick layer of snow covers the road near Delnice at 19.14 on Sunday 24 January 2021 © HAK
While the Croatian capital was experiencing its warm spell, falling snow continued to descend on more mountainous regions of the country, Lika and Gorski Kotar in particular. And it is those that remain most affected by the treacherous driving conditions. Hrvatske Autoceste (Croatian Motorways) are responding to the continuing weather conditions. But, they released pictures of one motorway section near Delnice which, even after plowing, was 30 minutes later again covered by the falling snow.
A snowplow arrives at 19.15 to clear the snow © HAK
Thick falling snow and ice made it difficult to drive on the A6 Zagreb - Rijeka highway. The National Association of Drivers and Vehicle Owners (HAK) issued a series of warnings for the following routes: A1 Zagreb-Split-Ploče between the junctions of Bosiljevo II and Maslenica, A6 Rijeka-Zagreb between the junctions of Bosiljevo II and Kikovica, state road DC1 between Zagorje and Gračac and state road DC3 through Gorski Kotar between Zdihovo and Kikovica.
By 19.45 the road is in the same state as before the snowplow arrived, because of continually falling snow © HAK
HAK also reported that there is currently no passable road for trucks with trailers and tractors with semi-trailers from the direction of the continental interior towards Rijeka and Istria and Dalmatia and vice versa. The colder temperatures are expected to stick around for most of the early part of the week, although the skies may be clearer in some regions. Temperatures will rise again heading towards next weekend under an increasing cloud cover, but the chilly conditions might well bounce back towards the end of next weekend. Zagreb itself could even experience more snowfall at that time.
Croatian Animated Film Enters Oscar Nomination Race
ZAGREB, 24 January, 2021 - Croatian filmmaker Dalibor Barić has confirmed to Hina that his "Accidental Luxuriance of the Translucent Watery Rebus" is one of the 27 titles that will be considered for nomination in the Animated Feature category at the 93rd Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Awards.
U.S. film portal The Wrap has reported that a week ago, due to the pandemic, it was believed said category would have only 13 competing films but that another 14 were added, including Barić's, which was produced by the Zagreb-based production company Kaos.
"Accidental Luxuriance of the Translucent Watery Rebus" had its world premiere at Annecy and has participated in many international festivals, the main platform for presenting films in times of a pandemic, including Zagreb, Bogota, Thessaloniki and Seville.
According to the Croatian Audiovisual Centre, the film "is a story about Martin, who tried to fight the system but is now on the run, and conceptual artist Sara. Together, they join a revolutionary commune in the countryside, with the police on their trail. Inspector Ambroz knows that asking the right questions is more important than the answers, because maybe none of this is true."
Barić, born in 1974, animated, directed and edited the film, as well as writing the script and the music.
