ZAGREB, 19 January 2021 - Croatian Ambassador to France Filip Vučak died on Saturday after a grave illness, the Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

Vučak "made a great contribution to the development of Croatian diplomacy from its beginning," the ministry said, adding that he significantly contributed to the development of the relations with France since 2017.

Vučak had also been Croatia's ambassador in Madrid during the intensive lobbying for the start of Croatia's accession negotiations with the EU as well as to the Holy See, where he "persistently promoted historical facts about the blessed Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac, notably when the process of Cardinal Stepinac's canonisation began," the ministry said.

Vučak had also been the charge d'affaires in Moscow, the foreign minister's chief of staff and later the foreign minister's special advisor.

ZAGREB, 18 January 2021 - Tomo Medved, Deputy Prime Minister and head of the task force dealing with the aftermath of the December earthquake, on Monday said that so far 507 housing containers and mobile homes had been installed for affected people in Sisak-Moslavina County, with 130 installed in the past three days.

"Since last week we enhanced our teams for the delivery and instalment of containers and mobile homes and rendering them ready for use, and so far a total of 507 have been installed, with 130 installed in the past three days," Medved told a cabinet meeting.

He reported that more than 650 temporary housing units had been connected to the electricity grid, including those obtained through private donations.

He added that the task force had been meeting regularly and in addition to eight regular meetings, it held a thematical meeting with representatives from the Finance Ministry who have prepared guidelines and recommendations for local government.

Local civil protection authorities have registered a total of 2,500 applications for temporary accommodation for people who lost their homes in the devastating earthquake, and 777 have been listed as urgent.

"To date we have registered 2,045 people who have temporarily registered addresses outside Sisak-Moslavina County," added Medved.

He underscored that the task force has adopted a conclusion to procure material to set up a container settlement in Petrinja as well as setting up tents for citizens and volunteers in Glina.

A conclusion has been adopted to mobilise more transport companies to help speed up the delivery of containers and mobile houses from the Lekenik base and for the purpose of removing damaged chimneys and to repair roofs in the Sisak area.

He said that local government units would deliver meals at certain checkpoints and would be responsible for delegating people for food deliveries.

"We have distributed 52 tonnes of food, 25,263 hot meals, 5,774 meals for operative forces. Considering the consequences of the earthquake, we have provided 892 psychological services, held a meeting with the National Centre for Psychological Trauma and other providers of psychological help in order to coordinate work in the field," said Medved.

Since the government's last meeting, structural engineers have received 5,328 new requests for their buildings to be inspected and so far 3,258 have been examined.

"To date a total of 46,902 requests have been received and 21,628 buildings have been examined. As a result, of the total number of buildings examined, there are 2,639 buildings labelled red, 4,422 labelled yellow and 12,609 labelled green," Medved underlined.

ZAGREB, 18 January 2021 - Regional Development and EU Funds Minister Nataša Tramišak said on Monday that the reconstruction of the quake-struck Sisak-Moslavina County could start in the second half of the year, in early summer.

"We will primarily seek funding available under EU programmes. We are speaking about €111 million to be used for housing reconstruction, that is, construction or renovation of the housing stock... to provide for the elderly, the feeble, the disabled, marginalised groups, members of ethnic minorities, etc," the minister told reporters before a government session.

She explained that the Operational Programme Competitiveness and Cohesion was being amended and that measures were being awaited that would define reconstruction models.

"The funds are already available, we are now waiting for the programme to be finalised," Tramišak said, adding that an informal dialogue with the European Commission had already started.

The EC is willing to change operational programmes and implementation could start this year, she said.

Asked when the first houses could be rebuilt, she said that their construction could start in the second half of the year, possibly in spring or summer.

"It all depends on how quickly we will design the model house and interview people interested in that type of housing construction. We are talking about the construction of new sections of settlements and about state-owned flats and houses, similar to how the Central State Office for Housing has done so far, giving every year a certain number of state-owned houses and flats for use to families in need," she explained.

Asked how much of an obstacle unclear property-rights relations could be, she said that she was talking about the construction of entire sections of settlements or the renovation of existing state-owned housing units, where there were no unclear property-rights relations.

As for the EU Solidarity Fund, she said that a full appraisal of the damage caused by the 29 December 2020 earthquake was being awaited, after which it would be sent to the Fund.

She explained that money from the Solidarity Fund, unlike the funding the state already has for family houses, was intended for the reconstruction of public infrastructure and buildings.

The Solidarity Fund is notified about the amount of total direct damage caused to public buildings, business facilities and family houses, and that amount must exceed HRK 2.3 billion, which is already turning out to be the case, the minister said, adding that the EC then approved aid in the amount of six percent at the most.

Aid in the amount of between 2 to 3% of the estimated damage will be used for public infrastructure, she said. 

Significant budget funds will be required as well, and significant funding can also be sought under the new programming period 2021-2027 that is being worked on, Tramišak said.

ZAGREB, 19 January 2021 - Croatia's Seismological Survey registered a magnitude 3.8 earthquake at 5.44 a.m. on Tuesday whose epicentre was 10 km northeast of Glina in the Petrinja area.

The tremor was felt in Petrinja, Sisak and Zagreb.

The Banovina region was struck by a magnitude 6.2 quake on 29 December and numerous stronger and weaker aftershocks have been registered since.

January 19, 2021 - The Croatian Tourism Ministry will award 'Safe Travel' labels to hotels and tourist facilities ahead of the 2021 Croatian tourist season.

Unlike some countries, such as Greece, Hungary, and Estonia, which have announced the introduction of COVID passports for tourists intending to visit, the Croatian Tourism Ministry has taken the view that "the COVID passport system has not been developed at the EU level" and that they will await the decision from the EU, reports Jutarnji List.

It can be learned unofficially that Croatia is not in favor of introducing COVID passports at the moment and that this will be its starting position at a virtual meeting next Thursday, at which EU heads of state or government will discuss this topic.

COVID-passport is a colloquial name for a vaccination certificate, i.e., a certificate that a person has vaccinated against coronavirus, which in some EU countries could replace rigorous measures when crossing the border, like presenting a negative PCR test or quarantine. In other words, a vaccinated tourist who has this certificate (COVID-passport) with them could enter the country without hindrance.

The idea was first put forward publicly by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who believes it will help kick-start the recovery of the tourism and travel industry. According to the draft of the new law, France envisages the introduction of 'green passports' for people who have been vaccinated. The draft law also states that those who cannot prove they are negative for COVID-19 or have not been vaccinated are "banned from certain activities and access to public transport, restaurants, cultural institutions, and other public places." Spain has also been announced that the authorities there will register their citizens who refuse to be vaccinated and share it with other EU countries.

The idea is controversial from a legal point of view because, in most countries, vaccination cannot be mandatory. On the other hand, there must be no discrimination in the rights of freedom of movement. Another problem will be that citizens still cannot decide for themselves when they will be vaccinated because there will not be enough vaccines for at least a few more months for everyone to be vaccinated.

"To introduce such a restrictive measure in Croatia, it should be acknowledged that the situation is so serious - extraordinary - that it requires quite extraordinary human rights restrictions. Since such a thing is uncommon, we would have to be in a state of a great natural disaster (Article 17 of the Constitution), so the introduction of such a measure would have to be decided by Parliament by a two-thirds majority of all deputies. Or, in other words, as long as the government claims that we have a regular state of constitutional law (Article 16 of the Constitution), this type of restriction cannot be introduced, which represents a kind of coercion," explains Djordje Gardasevic from the Department of Constitutional Law at the Faculty of Law in Zagreb.

While an agreement is awaited in Brussels, the Croatian Tourism Ministry is preparing a list of hotels and tourist facilities that will be awarded the 'Safe Travel' label as proof that they are safe for guests because they respect epidemiological protocols. In about twenty days, the Ministry will start a campaign, 'Safe stay in Croatia,' and will award these labels.

"Safety protocols are being prepared for accommodation and catering facilities, including for nautical tourism, and the label will be harmonized with the recommendations of the Croatian Institute of Public Health, which are currently in force. The labels will be awarded at the beginning of February, and the Ministry of Tourism and Sport will keep records of entities with national labels and conduct ad hoc checks on compliance with the measures," reads the official response of the Ministry of Tourism.

At the end of last summer, Croatia became one of the countries that received the WTTC seal for safe travel, created by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC). The 'Safe Travel' trademark was designed to enable travelers to identify destinations and companies worldwide that have adopted global standardized health and hygiene protocols. In a way, it is a guarantee to tourists that they will stay in a facility that adheres to coronavirus control protocols.

"We will have two types of Safe Travel labels - WTTC and national - and the application of safety protocols and achieving the required level of vaccinating tourism workers and the entire population will contribute to strengthening Croatia as a desirable and safe tourist destination, where guest safety comes first," explained Ivana Crnić, spokeswoman for the Ministry of Tourism and Sport.

"The list will include hotels, marinas, family farms, private accommodation, even airports, and ferries. After all, we have already proven to be a safe destination because no tourists became infected in hotels in Croatia in the summer of 2020," said Crnić.

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January 19, 2021 - The Croatian Society of Composers (HDS) and its service ZAMP have recently launched a campaign titled 'Playlist for Sisak Music School' to restore the earthquake-damaged Fran Lhotka Music School building. 

Jutarnji List reports that Zlatan Stipišić Gibonni, Marijan Ban, Aljoša Šerić, Lea Dekleva, Branimir Mihaljević are just some of the many artists who responded to the action of the Croatian Society of Composers and its ZAMP service launched recently called 'Playlist for Sisak Music School' to restore the earthquake-damaged Fran Lhotka Music School building. More than 100 local music artists, composers, songwriters, and publishers have already responded to the call, donating royalties from their copyrights to charity, and the list is updated daily.

This campaign was launched on the successful campaign model from 2014, 'Playlist for Slavonia' by which the right holders and HDS ZAMP then donated more than 440 thousand kuna for flooded areas. Even now, many musicians and members of the Croatian Society of Composers have waived royalties from one or more of their famous compositions and some from their entire repertoire. The total amount generated from the public performance and broadcasting of these songs on radio, television, and via the Internet will be paid into the account for the Music School's renovation. It is too early to talk about the amount collected because the situation with public music performances is now much different from in 2014. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, there are no public concerts and performances that would help increase the amount.

The playlist currently contains more than 200 songs of various musical genres. Pop, rock, and authors of klapa or tamburitza music together with colleagues from jazz, alternative and classical music will help the return of young musical talents to the benches so that music can continue to live in Sisak and Sisak-Moslavina County," said Antun Tomislav Saban, HDS Secretary-General who thanks everyone who decided to join this selfless gesture, especially since it comes at a time when royalties have been the only source of income for many musicians throughout the coronavirus pandemic, and perhaps for the foreseeable future. 

"At the same time, we ask that music editors of radio and television stations, following their program guidelines, broadcast songs from the Playlist in the coming period to make the collected amount as high as possible. We know that they will be happy to help rebuild the school in this way," concluded HDS ZAMP.

For more on the Petrinja earthquake and to see how you can donate money, food, humanitarian, sanitary, and material aid, follow our dedicated section.

January 19, 2021 – 45 people tried to enter Croatia with fake PCR tests this weekend alone. They were caught by Croatian police, detained at the border and reported to the State's Attorney office. If found guilty, each faces a maximum penalty of three years in prison

Some 45 people tried to enter Croatia through the borders of one county with fake PCR tests this past weekend.

Travel from Bosnia and Herzegovina into Croatia currently requires the production of a negative PCR test or a doctor's certificate proving you have successfully passed through a COVID-19 infection in recent months.

Since the ban on entering Croatia from Bosnia and Herzegovina without a negative PCR test was introduced, fake PCR tests are increasingly being forged. Border police and customs officers at crossings in Brod-Posavina County have met many people trying to cross the border with fake PCR tests. But, this weekend a new record number of forged tests were found on the county's border crossings.

According to a statement from the Brod-Posavina Police Department, as many as 45 attempts to enter the country with fake PCR tests were discovered on Saturday and Sunday.

"At the Stara Gradiška border crossing, police officers determined that 43 persons, mostly citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, presented fake PCR tests issued in BiH at the border control. At the Slavonski Brod border crossing, two people were registered who gave forged tests," the Brod-Posavina police reported.

Police officers file criminal charges against all those suspected of committing the criminal offence of forgery of a document with the Municipal State Attorney's Office in Slavonski Brod. If found guilty, such persons face up to three years in prison.

The overall number of people detained on Croatia's border with fake PCR tests this weekend could actually be higher - the figures of 45 persons detained with fake PCR tests were released by the police of just one county in Croatia - Brod-Posavina County. A further eight Croatian counties exist along the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina. Each has border crossings between the two countries.

January the 19th, 2021 - Travel for tourism purposes is more and more restricted and continues to be plagued (literally) by constant alterations and sometimes impossible complications despite the advent of the coronavirus vaccine. The Croatian National Tourist Board (HTZ) however, is still continuing to plan for the season ahead. Meet Croatia Wish List 2021.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the Croatian National Tourist Board (CNTB) is currently implementing a new campaign for Croatian tourism in 2021 across social media, called "Croatia Full of New Beginnings/Hrvatska puna novih pocetaka" combined with the label Croatia Wish List 2021, which aims to promote Croatia through new beginnings and positive wishes.

The CNTB launched the campaign on Monday and is running it on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and TikTok with the hashtag #CroatiaWishList2021 across fifteen European markets - Austria, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, the Netherlands , France, Slovenia, Sweden, Norway, Belgium and Switzerland.

"With this campaign, our goal is to maintain the visibility and presence of Croatia on our most important emitting markets by presenting more undiscovered locations and proposals for planning a holiday this year in Croatia, with which we want to inspire our followers on social networks and motivate them to create their own wish lists for Croatia, places they want to visit and things they want to experience as soon as all of the necessary conditions for travel are created,'' said the director of the CNTB, Kristjan Stanicic.

At the end of January, he'll be announcing a separate campaign that will communicate all the advantages of Croatia as a safe tourist destination through seven specially prepared videos, and in February a campaign for digital nomads, focusing on the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Sweden will be launched.

"As of spring, we will launch intensive so-called invitational marketing campaigns, and overall in 2021 we expect better tourist results than we had in 2020 and we also expect to maintain the position of Croatia as one of the leading destinations in the Mediterranean,'' concluded Stanicic when discussing the upcoming CroatiaWishList2021 campaign.

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