January 3, 2021 - Its 2400-history is reflected in its name ('Old Town' in Croatian) and a new promotional video - meet Stari Grad on Hvar.

With distance comes perspective. 

For 13 years, I viewed the town of Stari Grad on Hvar from a close distance - my beloved adopted home town of Jelsa 8 kilometres away. 

Both Jelsa and Stari Grad are located in the centre of the island, less fashionable and less popular than their more glamorous neighbour to the west - Hvar Town. 

Jelsa and Stari Grad were similar but different, and both very pleasant places to hang out. As a patriot, of course, Jelsa was the better place to be.

Moving away from the island 4 years ago, perspectives have changed, and so too is Stari Grad. 

It is partly the investment in the new hotels we featured recently in The Rise of the Quality Hotel Scene in Stari Grad on Hvar. It is partly the rise in nautical tourism brought on by the extension of the waterfront in the historic old town, which dates back to the arrival of the Ancient Greeks in 385 BC. It is partly due to the town's commendable direction to avoid party tourism and focus on its authenticity, heritage and natural beauty.

Perhaps the changes are due to my perspective only, but I don't think so. In recent years, Stari Grad has seemed to be more at ease with itself as a destination, with great new restaurants opening (several all year), local arts and craft shops rather than cheap Chinese souvenirs, and an ever more diverse tourism offer.

The Stari Grad Tourist Board released a new promo video for the destination a few days ago, which I really liked. And for the first time, I saw Stari Grad for what it has become - a complete destination.   

Here is the new video above. I am sure that an English-language version (at least with subtitles - I would be happy to help with this) is forthcoming. But even if you don't speak Croatia while we wait, the footage is excellent. 

Looking to learn more about Stari Grad on Hvar? Here are 25 things to know. 

January 3, 2021 -  Toni Bosnjakovic, a 35-year-old Croatian Paralympian, is on the ground repairing Petrinja earthquake damage.

Croatian Paralympian Toni Bosnjakovic is currently in Petrinja, where he is helping to repair the damage in the city as a volunteer. 

Gol.hr reports that 35-year-old Toni Bosnjakovic was in a serious accident six years ago. Namely, Toni fell under a train and was left without the lower part of both legs. But that wasn't going to stop him from succeeding. In his 30s, he discovered the possibilities he had in sport.

"And what's your excuse for not going to help?"

"I immediately realized that I would have to train for rehabilitation to get back to normal life as soon as possible. Then I started thinking about competing. Then, when I started competing, I said why not as I was already training. Then it became a habit, and today, I can't imagine life without sports," Toni told Dnevnik Nova TV.

"I will no longer go as a lizard but as an experienced Paralympian."

He started with summer sports, triathlons, and athletics, but his love for the snow was greater.

"I was asked in some amazing ways to do Paralympic shooting, but the training, held at the other end of town, was too far away. However, I didn't want to give up. And then the idea came to mind - parabiathlon."

Toni's story was created by the synergy of the Paralympic Committee, the Paralympic Skiing Federation and the Biathlon Federation.

Two years ago, he competed in Nordic running at the Winter Olympics.

"The experience I gained there is invaluable; it can't be bought with money, I saw my competitors. I've seen what it looks like first hand. I won't go there more as a lizard than as an experienced Paralympian."

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

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

Thanks to a good pre-crisis initial capitalisation, Croatia's banks have enough potential to continue to provide all the services they have provided so far, but should future EU cash injections go to the Croatian private sector for investments?

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 3rd of January, 2021, although the second wave of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic is now at its peak, announcements of an effective vaccine and the expected natural calming down of the spread of infection with the arrival of spring 2021 gives us hope that all of those promises of domestic economic recovery will come true. At the same time, what's more important than that growth itself is what the quality of the recovery will be, how long it will last for, and for those at HUB, the most important thing is to analyse what the role of banks could be in that saga.

Owing to a good pre-crisis initial capitalisation, banks have enough potential to continue to provide all the services they have provided so far. This potential can be applied equally to liquidity and available capital. Good projects, as well as the needs of people who will regularly repay their obligations will be financed at the lowest interest rates in Croatia's history. How can we ensure that the start of Croatia's economic recovery in 2021 and the availability of funds at a very low cost of capital turn into lasting recovery at high growth rates? The answer depends on how the country uses European Union (EU) funds.

It is of the utmost importance to use those funds so that as much as possible falls into the hands of the Croatian private sector, more precisely the corporate sector, in order to increase investment. Banks are ready to support such projects, because investments accompanied by favourable financial structuring strengthen the sense of trust in clients and this improves their creditworthiness in general in the long run.

An important part of European Union funds is that which is used for various financial instruments. This is of great importance when it comes to the very structure financial instruments so that they don't crowd out the market but instead complement and improve it, in two ways. First of all, the improvement of the framework for resolving insolvency and the development of capital markets, especially venture capital funds, is imposed as a necessity to increase the economic dynamics on the way out of this terrible and unprecedented crisis. It is good that these measures are mentioned in the National Development Strategy 2030 and are in the recommendations of the EU Council to Croatia, so the implementation of these measures can now be readily expected.

Second of all, when it comes to debt instruments, the trend of sectoral and earmarked fragmentation of credit guarantee schemes needs to be reversed. The guarantee schemes of HBOR and HAMAG-BICRO, which are financed from EU funds, should be simplified, reduced in their numbers and made more flexible and transparent according to the needs of the market. This will encourage risk-taking that wouldn't have been taken without government intervention, which directly increases investment and economic growth.

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January the 3rd, 2020 - Several days have now passed since the horrendous Petrinja earthquake struck central Croatia, causing tremendous damage in Petrinja, Sisak, Glina and in other surrounding areas. It was also felt in Zagreb and in various other places across Croatia and the wider region. On top of the horrific damage it caused, it also took several lives, including that of Laura, a thirteen year old girl.

The donations and aid have been pouring in for the victims of the Petrinja earthquake victims, for the reconstruction of the afflicted areas, and it has come from at home and abroad. The earthquake, which stole the property and in some cases the lives of people, marked the end to an absolute disaster of a year dominated by the still ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The fact that the Petrinja earthquake hit an area of Croatia which suffered enormously during the Homeland War, has faced years of shameful neglect and economic woes of a type not felt by most of the rest of the country added an additional burden to the entire sad saga.

Petrinja's locals, devastated by the loss of their home and of course the tragic loss of life caused by the quake, are finding it increasingly difficult to hold back the tears when remembering the trauma of the natural disaster, and when turning to face the long journey to recovery ahead of them.

As Index writes, Petrinja's locals have been commenting through tears for HRT on the devastating earthquake that hit their central Croatian town, almost entirely destroying it. The shakes continue to occur, and it's difficult to imagine what could be more psychologically torturous for the residents of this part of the country.

"There is no amount of money that can bring Petrinja back to what it once was. There will be new buildings of course, but this was, in a way... well this town had a soul, and now it will never have it again'' said one emotionally exhausted man from Petrinja through visible tears.

"Everything has gone. But well, there were also victims who lost their lives because of this. Everything else can be dealt with, but not that,'' said another Petrinja resident who also couldn't hold back the tears.

For more on the Petrinja earthquake and to learn how you can donate and offer help, follow our dedicated section.

January 3, 2021 - While 2020 was a terrible year for most, there were plenty of success stories in Croatia. For some, such as the business-friendly Bjelovar Mayor, Dario Hrebak, it was the most successful year in his city's history.

It is almost a year since I wrote the most unlikeliest of titles in the modern Croatia - Seeds of Change: My City is Corruption-Free, Claims Croatian Mayor.

Bjelovar Mayor Dario Hrebak appeared to be a mayor with a different agenda than the ones I was used to in local politicians - lining their pockets, rewarding party loyalists and cousins with the top jobs, and using the position to maintain the status quo rather than working for the citizens of the town. 

Reducing the number of people in his administration to make it more efficient (never a vote winner), slashing local business taxes to encourage investment, and digitising the system to make it more efficient and user-friendly. Not things one was sadly accustomed to in public administration in Croatia. 

The pandemic has prevented me from taking a more active interest in Bjelovar on the ground this year, but we have been following progress from afar.

The Bjelovar mayor has always been very communicative on social media, and his latest post on Facebook today hails not only the opening of the first McDonalds (and accompanying 40 jobs) in his city, but also the fact that his policies seems to be working - he claims that 2020 was the most successful year in the history of Bjelovar, and that there is more to come in 2021:

For years we have been building Bjelovar as ′′business-friendly", a city with one of the best business environments in Croatia, where the entrepreneurial kuna is valued more than in most other cities in Croatia. McDonald's opened today in Bjelovar. The investment, greater than 2 million euros, was implemented within a short period of only a few months. 40 new employees will have jobs, and this investment is proof that Bjelovar has become a desirable destination for many investors. The city that abolishes its taxes, quickly issues all necessary permits, reduces public administration and makes it more efficient, I'm sure there will be targets and new manufacturing investments.

(Site of the new McDonalds in Bjelovar - before and after)

All entrepreneurs and investments are welcome to our Bjelovar, and the competition encourages us to be better, faster and more agile.

And to finish, some more good news, despite the crisis, we have completed one of the more demanding years in which after 20 years we abolished the apparatus, exempted payment entrepreneurs and other taxes and compensation so that they could keep their jobs, and on the other hand by implementing a budget of about 250 million kunas, this is the most successful year in the history of our city! Happy new year 2021. to us!

I'm convinced it will be even more successful!

You can follow the latest from Bjelovar in the dedicated TCN section.

January the 3rd, 2020 - The much talked about Rijeka Port Chinese investment has been forced to stop owing to pressure from both the European Union and from across the Atlantic from the United States of America, who do not want the Chinese there for strategic reasons.

As Morski/Josip Bohutinski writes, the Rijeka Port Authority has annulled the tender for a concession worth a massive 20.5 billion kuna despite the fact that two binding offers had been received for that tender from global players in the field of port management. The problem was that one offer, and ironically the best one of them all, came from a consortium of Chinese companies.

According to Vecernji list, the pressure being put on Croatia from both the USA and the EU to ensure that the Chinese don't get the 50-year concession for the container terminal in Rijeka Port was huge. The US and the EU do not want this Rijeka Port Chinese investment for various strategic reasons. The decision on the tender for the concessionaire was therefore weighed up and postponed for a long time. Croatia could choose the Chinese offer despite opposition from its Western allies, or it simply cancel the tender. According to current information, the possibility to choose another, less favourable offer was not taken into account.

A new tender

According to the decision of the Managing Board of the Rijeka Port Authority, the pressure to reject the Chinese was indeed enormous. Namely, the Governing Board made the decision to cancel the tender on Wednesday, and this news went almost unnoticed in the shadow of the utterly tragic events in Petrinja and its surroundings. The Rijeka Port Authority didn't provide an explanation as to why the tender was annulled, it only stated that the Board made a decision on the annulment of the concession procedure and on the initiation of a new procedure. It has also been stated that the Board of Directors decided on this unanimously, with all of its nine members. It was said that, in accordance with that decision, the Rijeka Port Authority will start a new procedure for granting a concession for the development, operation and management of the Zagreb Deep Sea container terminal as soon as possible.

The new tender will be conducted through a public tender in an open procedure lasting 35 days from the publication of the notice of intent to the final granting of the concession. The best bid for the concession at that container terminal was made by a consortium of Chinese companies comprising Ningbo Zhoushan Port Company Limited with a 70 percent stake, Tianjin Port Overseas Holding Limited with a 20 percent stake and the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), which is constructing the Peljesac bridge in Dalmatia, with a 10 percent stake.

The Chinese offered a permanent portion of the annual concession fee of two million euros, with a commitment to complete the second phase of work within five years. The second offer came from a consortium consisting of the Dutch company APM Terminal BV with a 51 percent stake in the consortium and the Croatian company Enna Logic with a 49 percent stake, and they offered a permanent part of the concession fee of one million euros per year, with the obligation to complete the second phase in a decade.

Ningbo-Zhoushan otherwise operates the largest port in the world, and Tianjin is among the 10 largest ports in the world. APM terminals BV is the operator of 74 terminals worldwide, and is part of the largest shipping container company - A.P. Moller-Maersk. Binding offers arrived in March 2020 and the decision has only just been made, although it was expected to be made back in September. Therefore, the bidders were also asked to extend the guarantee for the seriousness of their bids from the 31st of December 2020.

The invitation to participate in the tender for the concession, development and management of the Rijeka Port container terminal was published back on March the 4th, 2019, and those interested could submit a request to participate by May the 3rd, 2019. The first round of the competition ended on June the 30th, 2019, after the evaluation of the received applications for participation. The second round of tenders began on the 1st of July 2019, and on the 2nd of December 2019, the Rijeka Port Authority sent the candidates a notice of the conclusion of the dialogue and an invitation to submit their final bids. The deadline for submission of those bids expired on March the 4th, 2019.

A fifteen day appeal time

CRBC, which, as stated, is building the Peljesac bridge, has filed an appeal against the tender for the Hrvatski Leskovac - Karlovac railway, and the move was interpreted as a Chinese maneuver and pressure to make a decision on the now dropped Rijeka Port Chinese investment, Vecernji notes. The Chinese, as well as the Dutch-Croatian consortium, may file an appeal against the decision to cancel the concession procedure within fifteen days of receiving such a decision. The appeal in that case would be submitted to the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure. Otherwise, the tender documentation states that the concession grantor reserves the right to cancel the tender procedure in accordance with the appropriate law, to reserve the right not to accept all bids received if they don't fully comply with the tender conditions, and to do so in accordance with the Regulation on the concession procedure.

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ZAGREB, 3 January, 2021 - In the last 24 hours, of 5,611 tests performed for coronavirus, 696 tests, that is 12.4%, have returned positive, and 56 COVID patients have died, Croatia's COVID-19 crisis management team stated on Sunday.

The death toll stands now at 4,072.

There are currently 6,444 active cases, including 2,453 hospitalised patients, of whom 211 are placed on ventilators.

A total of 18,299 people are self-isolating.

Since the start of the epidemic in late February, 212,958 people have been infected with the novel virus and 202,422 have recovered, including 1,142 in the last 24 hours.

As many as 1,032,091 tests have been done.

January 3, 2021 - If you can travel in 2021, where would you most like to go? In 21 places to go in 2021, The Guardian recommends Ilok. 

As we say goodbye to a year spent mostly at home, it's safe to say the travel bug in all of us is crawling.

However, tourism may never be the same, and the COVID-test-free days of tour groups and packed planes won't be back so soon. But that doesn't mean we can't still travel and that the most undiscovered places have become the most appealing gems in the corona era. 

In a piece titled 21 Places to Go in 2021, The Guardian has moved away from the travel hotlist they usually launch in January and instead gave the floor to writers across Europe to share the local spots they're dreaming of visiting this year. 

Along with big shots like Portugal, Spain, Italy, and Greece is Croatia - and instead of the crowded coastal towns we're familiar with seeing in international media, The Guardian recommends Ilok. 

Zrinka Marinović writes:

"The eastern region of Slavonia is off-the-radar Croatia, and I’m planning to go as soon as we can travel. Specifically to Ilok, Croatia’s easternmost town, which is like a fairytale.

Ilok is surrounded by fortifications, including two monuments from Ottoman times and a medieval fortress rising above the Danube, but the main reason to visit is the 15th-century wine cellars. These supplied wine for Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation, and a bottle can cost £5,000. Happily you can taste it more affordably at the Festival of Traminca, which is usually in June."

Marinovic continues by talking about the food in Ilok, inspired by Austria, Hungary, and Serbia, like the standout fiš paprikaš. However, Marinvoic especially can't wait to dig into a specialty just north of Osijek, at a small winery called Vina Gerstmajer - drunken meat. 

"Where they cook meat in 10 litres of wine. You can prepare it with them and drink rakija (fruit brandy) while it’s cooking. It’s like being at a friend’s place – something we’ve all been missing in lockdown."

You can find the full list on The Guardian HERE.

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