January 1, 2021 - What a start to the New Year for one Petrinja family. A new child and a pledge of a new house, and 2021 is just 13 hours old. 

Will 2021 bring more happiness and less tragedy than the horror show that was 2020?

If you are looking for that hope, and a light of positivity in the disaster of the recent earthquakes in Croatia, raise a glass to the Safic family from Petrinja, whose world was turned upside down three days ago, and which has been turned back in the right direction in the first 13 hours of 2021. 

As reported earlier today, little Daris Safic was born just 15 seconds into the New Year, in Sisak hospital, in a part which had not been damaged by the recent earthquake. Daris' family are from Petrinja, and their house was destroyed in the December 29 quake, and the family had been sleeping in their car until the birth, a horrible situation.

The story has understandably received widespread media coverage, and the response has been swift, with a phone call from the island of Brac, from the Mayor of Supetar, Ivana Markovic, bringing the second piece of joyous news of the new year. Ivanka Toma of Jutarnji List takes up the story.

The family of the first baby born in 2021 cheered the call from Brač: ‘We will build you a new house!’

We immediately accepted her offer. Thank you very much, the father of little Daris Safić told Jutarnji.

The first baby born in 2021 in the maternity hospital in Sisak, little Daris Safić, is doing well, as is his mother who slept in a car until the birth because their house in Petrinja was destroyed in a catastrophic earthquake.

- They are both good, but the problem is that now I have to go where the caravans are shared and see if I can get any accommodation. I have to tell someone what the situation is and ask them to bring me a caravan. The hospital said they would try to leave their wife and child another night, but could not guarantee. It is possible that he will have to release her tonight, and I don't know where we will go - said Ferid Safić, the father of this year's first baby, who, in addition to the newborn, an older child and his wife, also takes care of his old and sick mother.

In addition to the child, the mayor of Supetar, Ivana Markovic, also made him happy on New Year's morning.

- The mayor of Supetar called. The lady said that she was informed that a New Year's baby was born who had nowhere to go because our house was demolished in an earthquake and said that she would come with the designers and build us a house - says Safić, who is grateful to the mayor.

- We accepted her offer immediately. Thank you very much - said the father of little Daris and constantly notes that the most important thing is that everyone is alive and well. Knowing that his housing issue will be resolved is a great relief in this difficult situation in which, as he says, everyone helps each other as much as they can.

- Two days ago, I decided that it would be best for the city of Supetar to renovate someone's house. And when I saw that the newborn was left homeless, that the mother slept in the car until the birth, I decided to call them - said Supetar Mayor Ivana Markovic, adding that she was called by a lot of neighbors who want to help.

- I contacted designers and surveyors who will inspect the family house from Petrinja for free and make projects for them. I was also contacted by craftsmen from Supetar, potters and other masters who want to participate - said Mayor Markovic, adding that she will open a special account of the City of Supetar where donations for the renovation of the family house from Petrinja can be paid.

- I think this is the best model for providing assistance. People can see exactly where they invested the funds and how they helped - she said, adding that she also contacted the Supetar firefighters with whom they will go to Petrinja as soon as they can.

- As far as I am concerned, we can leave immediately tomorrow - said Markovic.

As soon as the account details are published, TCN will add them to this article.  

For more on the Petrinja earthquake, follow our dedicated section.

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ZAGREB, 1 January, 2021 - Civil Protection director Damir Trut said on Friday morning that a thousand people were in Sisak-Moslavina County, helping its residents clear streets of rubble following the earthquake that hit the county on December 29.

There were 1,500 members of different organisations on the ground on Thursday, and today there are 1,000, Trut told Croatian Radio, describing the situation on the ground as under control.

Speaking of priorities for today, he cited transport and distribution of container homes, camper vans and tents, the removal of chimneys, roof repair, and food distribution.

"The distribution of bread and water started this morning and there will be hot meals as well," he said after a meeting of the competent services.

Trut confirmed that some of the people who earlier did not want to leave their quake-damaged homes had expressed a wish to be accommodated temporarily in the Petrinja barracks.

Reception centres will also be opened at two primary schools that have been inspected by structural engineers and that are in good condition, he said.

Vaccination against COVID-19 to start on Saturday

Trut also announced the start of vaccination against COVID-19.

"People in tent settlements who have been evacuated will be vaccinated as will rescue staff," he said.

Josip Atalic, a professor at the Zagreb Faculty of Civil Engineering and coordinator at the Croatian Centre for Seismic Engineering, said that the quake-hit area was still seismically active but that one should not panic and should get used to it and behave accordingly.

He advised local residents against staying in their houses until they were checked by structural engineers.

Atalic said that it was too early to say how many houses would have to be torn down.

According to the international methodology used by Croatian structural engineers, if the cost of repairing a house exceeds 65% of its value, it is not worth repairing. However, as regards privately-owned houses, that decision will be up to their owners while the procedure regarding houses in the historical zone will be determined by a number of other institutions as well as restorers, Atalic said.

The European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) this morning reported about two more moderate earthquakes near Petrinja and Sisak, of which the first measured 3.2 on the Richter scale and occurred at 4.52 a.m., with the epicentre 12 kilometres southwest of Petrinja.

The second quake measured 3.1 on the Richter scale and was registered at 6.37 a.m. and its epicentre was 19 kilometres southwest of Sisak.

For more on the Petrinja earthquake, follow our dedicated section.

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ZAGREB, 1 January, 2021 - Croatia has registered 1,170 new coronavirus cases and 41 infection-related deaths in the last 24 hours, the national coronavirus response team said on Friday.

There were 8,226 active cases on Friday, of whom 2,478 people were receiving hospital treatment, including 232 who were on ventilators.

Currently 23,233 people are in self-isolation. Since February 25, when the first case of infection was confirmed in the country, a total of 1,024,740 people have been tested for coronavirus, including 5,631 in the last 24 hours.

Since the start of the epidemic 212,007 people have been infected with the novel virus, of whom 3,961 have died and 199,820 have recovered, including 1,802 in the last 24 hours.

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January 1, 2021 - A prestigious international award for the Movo mobile office innovation of the company Sobočan from Mursko Središće.

Movo mobile office, an innovation of the Sobočan company from Mursko Središće, won the "Best of Best" award at the international competition ICONIC AWARDS 2021: Innovative Interior awarded by the German Design Council.

ICONIC AWARDS: Innovative Interior each year awards the best design solutions in the furniture industry that represent new trends in the industry. Movo mobile office, designed by the company Sobočan and which won the jury in a strong competition of solutions from around the world, stands out precisely for its innovation and adaptation to new trends. Namely, the coronavirus pandemic imposed the necessary transformation of our work and living spaces, and the Movo mobile office responded perfectly to the challenges of functionality and comfort of working from home.

The Movo mobile office provides professional working conditions when working from home, and is also an attractive design element. This mobile office takes up minimal space and provides the user maximum comfort when performing work tasks. At the end of the work, it closes very easily, locks if necessary, and pushes away. Each of the models is mobile, collapsible, fully equipped with an electrical box and storage, and has the possibility of locking.

The idea for this product in the company Sobočan was "born" in the spring of this year, and Movo mobile offices were developed by the company's design team - Anamaria Burazin as a product designer, and architects Mirna Jović and Jakov Fatović. It took only four months from the idea to the realization and the finished product, and already in December this first big international award arrived.

An expert jury made up of prominent designers and architects from several countries stressed the importance of modern office solutions that save space.

"In urban areas, space is becoming increasingly valuable - either privately or in the office. That is why the idea of designing a complete workplace, which after working in a few simple steps can be turned into a design element, is modern and innovative in every way. All Movo models are extremely smartly designed and offer the highest level of functionality ", it is emphasized in the explanation of the Movo award.

The German Design Council, awarded by ICONIC AWARDS, has been operating since 1953 as one of the world's leading centers of expertise in communication and knowledge transfer in design, branding, and innovation. It is part of the global design community and strives to establish global exchanges and networking, promote new talent and membership. Through events, awards, jury meetings and expert committees, the German Design Council brings together its members and international design and branding experts. It currently has more than 340 member companies.

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January the 1st, 2020 - As Index writes, in 2021, Croatia is set to introduce the national compensation for the elderly in the amount of 800 kuna, increase the Croatian minimum wage to 3400 kuna net, reduce income tax rates down to 20 and 30 percent, and also down to 10 percent for enterprises with an income up of up to 7.5 million kuna, abolish quotas for foreign (third country) workers, and regulate the temporary stay of digital nomads.

Usually, a number of new laws come into force at the beginning of any given year, or amendments to existing ones occur, such as the new National Allowance for the Elderly Act, the new Law on Foreigners, a package of laws regulating the fifth round of tax reform - amendments to the tax laws on income, profit, VAT, the fiscalisation in cash transactions, on the financing of local self-government units, as well as new laws regulating the banking sector.

At the beginning of this year, some new bylaws came into force, such as the regulation on the amount of the Croatian minimum wage.

The Croatian minimum net wage in 2021 will rise to 3400 kuna

From the beginning of 2021, the Croatian minimum wage will be 3,400 kuna, which is 150 kuna or 4.61 percent more than it was in 2020. Namely, the government prescribed, by decree, that the Croatian minimum wage this year amounts to 4,250 kuna, which is 187.49 kuna more than last year.

The minimum hourly rate for student services - 26.56 kuna

Students who work through student services will also profit slightly from the increase in the Croatian minimum wage, to whom employers must pay a minimum of 26.56 kuna per hour from the beginning of this year, which is about 4.7 percent more than the previous 25.39 kuna in 2020.

The decision on the Croatian minimum wage for students is made every year by the Minister of Science and Education.

In February, the first payment of national compensation for the elderly will take place - 800 kuna

From this year on, Croatia will start paying the national benefit for the elderly to Croatian citizens over the age of 65 who have for whatever reason not secured an old-age pensions and are not entitled to any sort of pension, in the amount of 800 kuna.

This, popularly called the national pension, is regulated by the new Law on National Compensation for the Elderly, and the Minister of Labour, Pension System, Family and Social Policy, Josip Aladrovic, expects that around 20,000 beneficiaries will receive the new payment in the first year alone.

"The national benefit for the elderly is designed as a benefit that will cover the most vulnerable part of the population. We expect that in the first year, there will be slightly less than 20,000 who will use their right to access this benefit and the approximate cost of it to the state budget will stand at 132 million kuna in 2021,'' Aladrovic said in mid-December, when the Croatian Pension Insurance Institute (HZMO) began receiving applications for these payments.

HZMO will pay this fee through commercial banks and the first payments of this fee should start in February, with backpayments from January 2021 included.

Amendments to the Income Tax Act also define the tax treatment of this benefit - it, like other social benefits, will not be considered a sum on which income tax is paid.

Lower income tax rates

Amendments to the Income Tax Act are part of the package governing the fifth round of tax reforms. These changes have reduced income tax rates down from 24 percent to 20 percent, and from 36 percent down to 30 percent.

These lower rates should result in a higher salary for working people who, considering their salaries and thus their tax bases, must pay income tax. That increase can be anywhere from ten kuna to a thousand or two or more kuna. How much the increase is exactly depends on the amount of a person's salary, any benefits they receive for their dependent members and their place of residence and its surtax rate.

An estimate made earlier on by Finance Minister Zdravko Maric says that more than 900,000 taxpayers can expect higher incomes from the reduction of income tax rates, depending on the amount of their income. Out of a total of 2.8 million employees and pensioners, 1.9 million of them, given the amount of their income or pensions, don't pay any income tax, according to the Minister of Finance.

Amendments to the Income Tax Act reduce the rate applied from 12 percent to 10 percent applicable to the taxation of annual and final declared income and the flat-rate taxation of activities (such as renters of flats or apartments). However, the tax burden for those who fail to report their income in accordance with legal regulations is increasing, and the so-called penalty rate for asset disproportion has gone up from 54 percent to 60 percent.

This is other income based on the difference between the value of assets and the amount of assets with which it was acquired. Until now, this disparity has been taxed at a rate of 36 percent.

The novelty of the legal changes is that people who rent out their apartments, and if they certify the contract with a public notary, will no longer have to go to the Tax Administration themselves, but notaries will have the obligation to send this certified contract to the tax authorities. If, on the other hand, the contract is concluded without notarisation, people will still have to bring it to the Tax Administration themselves.

The financial effect of the changes in the income tax rate is estimated at two billion kuna, and since this tax is the income of local self-government units, the state will compensate them by taking over the equalisation fund, which is further explained below.

The state has taken over the equalisation fund

Thus, in accordance with the amendments to the Law on Financing of Local Self-Government Units, the shares of municipalities and cities in the distribution of income tax have increased from 60 to 74 percent, and that of counties has increased from 17 to 20 percent.

However, the funds for the equalisation fund, which has so far held a share of 17 percent in the distribution of income tax, will be provided for by the state budget from this year.

Income tax - the rate for enterprises with an income up to 7.5 million will fall from 12 to 10 percent

At the beginning of the year, amendments to the Income Tax Act came into force, reducing this tax rate for enterprises with an annual income of up to 7.5 million kuna from 12 percent down to 10 percent.

In addition to that, the tax rate on dividends and profit sharing was reduced from 12 percent down to 10 percent, and the tax rate on performance fees for foreign performers (artists, entertainers, athletes, etc) was reduced from 15 percent down to 10 percent.

The amendments to this law also stimulate banks to try to agree on a partial or complete write-off of receivables with clients who end up running into financial difficulties. Namely, the tax-deductible expense of a credit institution would be the same amount of the write-off of receivables, based on credit placements, the value of which is adjusted in accordance with special regulations of the Croatian National Bank.

VAT - the threshold for payment according to the collected invoices has been raised to 15 million kuna

Amendments to the Law on VAT raised the threshold for the payment of VAT according to the collected fees - from 7.5 million kuna to 15 million kuna. It also expands on the possibility of applying the VAT calculation category to imports.

Although most of the provisions of this law will enter into force at the beginning of this year, one important provision will enter into force in the middle of the year - from the 1st of July 2021, all imports of goods into Croatia from third countries will have to have VAT paid on them.

Fiscalisation - the treasury maximum is going to be prescribed by the Minister of Finance, Zdravko Maric, in an ordinance

The package of the fifth round of tax reform also includes amendments to the Law on Fiscalisation in Cash Transactions, whose provisions no longer prescribe the cash maximum, but will instead be prescribed by the Minister of Finance, according to certain categories of Croatian taxpayers.

At the beginning of the year, the application of some provisions adopted back at the end of 2019 began, so from the 1st of January 2021, the obligation to carry out the procedure of the fiscalisation of sales via self-service devices begins, as does the obligation to display QR codes on each issued and fiscalised invoice/receipt.

Law on Foreigners - quotas for foreign workers are abolished

At the beginning of 2021, Croatia will abolish its previous quota model for the employment of foreigners from third countries and move over to a new model that should make it easier for employers to employ foreigners.

Until now, the government has made decisions on determining the annual quota of permits for the employment of foreigners, for which it has also determined the list of activities and occupations they can engage in, as well as the number of permits for those professions in one year.

However, the new Law on Foreigners, which also came into force today, introduces a new model based on the opinion of the Croatian Employment Service (CES) on the justification of the employment of third-country nationals and the issuance of residence and work permits for such individuals.

This means that employers will first ask the CES to conduct a labour market survey before applying for a residence and work permit for the employment of a foreigner. If it is determined that there are no unemployed persons already here in Croatia who meet the requirements for that position, employers will then be able to apply for a residence and work permit to the Ministry of the Interior (MUP). The procedure for issuing residence and work permits, including the implementation of the labour market survey will take a maximum of 30 days.

The law also prescribes exceptions to the implementation of the labour market survey related to deficient occupations such as carpenters, masons, waiters, butchers and in the case of seasonal work of up to 90 days in agriculture, forestry, catering and tourism sectors.

The Law on sending workers to the Republic of Croatia (posted workers)

On the first day of the new year, the Law on Sending Workers to the Republic of Croatia and Cross-Border Enforcement of Decisions on Fines enters into force. It regulates the fundamental issues related to the position of workers in accordance with and on the basis of European Union legal sources, and provides a framework for compensation for the work performed, as other conditions, of posted workers.

These include the rights and guaranteed amounts of compensation for work performed in Croatia, the rights to protection at work, working hours and holidays, protection against discrimination, the right to quality for accommodation and internal mobility costs to which a Croatian worker is entitled, as well as the judicial protection of these rights.

The temporary stay of digital nomads will be properly regulated

Croatia is also among the few countries that will regulate the temporary stay of digital nomads. The Law on Foreigners also defined the term digital nomad - a third-country national who is employed or performs business through communication technology for a company or for their own company that isn't registered in the Republic of Croatia and doesn't perform work or provide services to employers headquartered in Croatia.

Temporary residence can be granted to third-country nationals who intend to stay in Croatia or are staying for the purpose of remaining here as digital nomads - this will be regulated by the new law. These people are mainly highly qualified foreigners and IT experts.

The rate for calculating and paying tourist board membership fees will be reduced by 12 percent

Enterprises can count on the reduction some parafiscal levies this year. As such, they will pay a 12 percent lower membership fee to the tourist board, regulated by amendments to the law on this topic.

This also enabled the Tax Administration to change the amount of the monthly membership fee advance due to a significant drop in that activity, and the calculation of the lump sum membership fee when persons providing catering and hospitality services in households or on family farms obtain a decision on approval in the current year, considering the fact that this membership fee is calculated based on the capacities from the previous year according to the data from the eVisitor system.

Amendments to the Tourist Board Membership Act are explicitly prescribed to enter into force on the 1st of January, and although this date isn't explicitly foreseen for amendments to the Forest Act, the application of these legal provisions coincides with the beginning of the year.

Namely, on the 15th of December 2020, Croatian Parliament passed amendments to the Forest Act, which were published in the Official Gazette (145/2020) on the 24th of December, and as they enter into force eight days after their publication, this coincides with the beginning of 2021. These legal changes envision the lowering of yet another parafiscal levy.

The total relief for the domestic economy from the above moves is estimated to stand at around 33 million kuna.

The new regulation on special tax on cars - Finance Minister Zdravko Maric expects their reduction in price

At the end of last year, the Croatian Government passed a new regulation on special tax on motor vehicles, and the Minister of Finance expects that this could lead to cheaper cars.

That regulation regulates the calculation of that special tax in the light of the new system for the measuring of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions produced by new cars. At the beginning of 2021, the full application of the so-called Globally Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP) across the EU will begin, which means that new vehicles will no longer have CO2 measurement data according to the old type-approval rules, but it will be governed by new data. As such, it was necessary to adopt a new regulation, Minister Maric explained at a government session held on December 30th.

In addition to the environmental component which is implied, this special tax on motor vehicles also has a value component, and the new regulation has raised the value threshold up to which the special tax is not paid from 150 to 200 thousand kuna.

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January the 1st, 2021 - Following the shock ban on passenger transport from the UK to Croatia and vice versa after the discovery of a new strain of the novel coronavirus in parts of southern England, the ban has been lifted for Croatian citizens and British citizens who hold residence in Croatia. They may now travel home from the UK to Croatia.

The impulsive ban threw a proverbial spanner in the works for many a would-be Christmas traveller, and indeed for those waiting for turnaround flights by either British Airways or Croatia Airlines at either end. For some, the sheer level of wanton disregard for those trapped on either side of the channel was too much to deal with after a horrifically stressful year, with some taking their anger directly to PM Andrej Plenkovic's Twitter, where he announced what was to be an initial 48 hour flight ban.

It is worth remembering that the European Commission issued a non-binding recommendation that EU member states lift these blanket bans to allow for essential travel, as nobody should become stranded anywhere. Individual countries, however, could still do as they pleased, and Croatia did just that.

That initial 48 hour flight ban was extended until midnight on the 31st of January, 2020, as the rules for travel to the EEA for UK citizens who are also UK residents were set to change as Britain's transition period drew to a close anyway.

The official page of the British Government (GOV.UK) updated its rules as the UK's Brexit transition period ended last night, reflecting the changes. It now states that travel from the UK to Croatia, or indeed from UK citizens arriving from any other non-EU/EEA country to Croatia would not be permitted for the duration of Croatia's coronavirus measures, which are currently set to remain in place until the 15th of January unless they're extended again.

Thankfully, this ban on British travellers coming from either the UK or any other non EU/EEA country does not include Croatian citizens or British nationals who hold lawful residence in Croatia. Such people fall within the bracket of ''limited exceptions'' to this rule. As do those travelling for ''urgent personal, family or business reasons'', but all those arriving from the UK to Croatia for whatever reason must still present a negative PCR test result which is not older than 48 hours when crossing the Croatian border, or get tested immediately upon arrival (at their own expense) and self-isolate until a negative result is obtained.

It's worth remembering that testing isn't available at Croatian airports, so you're free to go and get your test from a testing centre (list here) before self-isolating. The results are typically available within 48 hours or less.

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Interview with Mirko Sardelić, Ph.D, Research Associate at the Department of Historical Studies HAZU, Honorary Research Fellow of the ARC Centre of Excellence for the History of Emotions (Europe 1100-1800) at The University of Western Australia; formerly a visiting scholar at the universities of Cambridge, Paris (Sorbonne), Columbia, and Harvard.

Intro: The human species has a unique capacity in terms of abstract thinking and innovation. Our civilization has advanced as humans developed new creations. Now, we are living in times when the speed of innovation is faster than ever, when the reach and the adoption of every new technology is quicker and wider than ever before. Still, on the one hand we have small but very innovative countries; on the other hand, some countries are quite big in terms of size and highly populated, but still falling behind. In this interview, we will discuss which technologies and discoveries changed the course of history and the balance between societies and countries.

Q1: What were the first discoveries that happened at the dawn of our civilization? How long did it take for them to spread around the globe?

From today’s perspective when we think about technology, the things that come to our mind are often connected to electronics, robotics, or nanotechnology. But in order to get to these advancements, some simple yet fantastic discoveries shaped the way humans made the environment much more hospitable, or safer. If a community wanted to protect itself, its members needed fortifications such as walls and fortresses. If they wanted the fortifications to pose a serios obstacle, they made them of big blocks of stone; and this was not just in ancient times. How does one transport these huge blocks much easier? By rolling them on tree trunks, forming slides of some sorts, with humans or animals pulling ropes. Tree trunks are round, they roll nicely across the terrain; and if you cut just a piece of a cylinder, you get something which can be called a wheel. Four kinds of independent evidence for the use of wheel for wagons appeared across the ancient world between 3400 and 3000 BCE. The wheel has had an enormous impact in human history; however, there were some advanced civilizations, such as the ones in South America, that did not use it.

One tends to overlook the importance of the screw, the last of simple technologies invented, some 3000 years ago in Mesopotamia. Just check out modern machinery and you will see how bolts and screws keep those machines together. In Mesopotamia and ancient Greece screw pumps were used for irrigation, i.e. to transport water. One can also mention nails, a simple and yet a very important element that binds things together.

In terms of processes that are more complex, I believe that the development of metallurgy had a huge impact on these later stages of human evolution – it got us out from the Stone Age anyway. In order to be able to shape bronze, humans first needed to develop the technology of furnaces capable of maintaining the temperature around 1000 C. Arguably the oldest Bronze Age cultures were in the Balkans, around the Danube basin, some 6000 years ago. Bronze was a great asset when it comes to making tools and weapons. Bronze weapons were crucial in combat – many wars were won just thanks to this improvement. Around 1700 BC the people from western Asia called Hyksos used their bronze weaponry and chariots to conquer not just any kingdom, but the grand Egypt whose infantry was fighting the war while equipped with copper swords.

As far as the circulation of these inventions is concerned, resources of information, innovations and techniques accumulated in each region sooner or later found their way throughout the Afro-Eurasian zone. The exchange and transfer of knowledge in this vast continental mass was quite intense; however, it took up to several centuries for some technologies to get introduced to various places during the Metal Ages. Conversely, three other inhabited continents were left out of this flux.

Q2. Was there a discovery that helped our civilization to mature and form the concepts that we see today – countries and nations?

This is quite a broad aspect. Let us begin with agriculture and domestication of animals that are closely connected with sedentary cultures. Farmers started planting grains some 10-12.000 years ago, and not much later (probably some 10.000 years ago), sheep, pigs and cattle commenced their cohabitation with humans. Food surpluses allowed the creation of the first cities, in Mesopotamia and South Anatolia, before 7000 BCE. Requisites for agriculture were favourable climate and access to water; the latter was acquired through, among other means, irrigation, another great invention. In river valleys and swampy terrains of Egypt or Southeast Asia one could use digging sticks to create seed drills, but harder soil craved for the invention of ploughs.

Cities became centres of economic, political, and religious activity. Let us just remind ourselves that 55% of the world’s population today lives in urban areas, which is projected to be close to 70% by 2050.

As for spiritual activity, Christian and Buddhist societies of the Eurasian continent experienced the important invention of the monastic life. An order of men detached from quotidian social connections, eminently mobile, dedicated their life to specialization in the highest intellectual or spiritual discoveries that contributed significantly to their societies.

Nations are imagined political communities, mostly formed in the 19^th century for various reasons; mostly aiming political stability that ensures all other activities to develop in what is perceived a safer, more homogenous environment. In principle, the institutions of national governments are trusted with nation’s defence, education, legislation, civil rights, foreign relations, transport infrastructure, and a whole set of tangible and intangible structures that enable complex social activities.

Q3. What were the main historical discoveries and innovations that started new epochs of development?

The first that comes to my mind is the one that marks the beginning of history: the invention of writing. It was invented in several different places independently, first in Mesopotamia and Egypt (ca 3200 BC), then in China (1500 BC) and Mesoamerican cultures. In the beginning, it was used mostly to record the most important information related to agriculture or taxation, but later on it developed into an indispensable tool to transfer ideas; in short, this included anything worth remembering and developing. Manuscripts were circulated across the Afro-Eurasian world for centuries, contributing to development of ideas and technologies. Writing is the embodiment of ideas, but it is much more than that: it has a cognitive and social function. Therefore, we all continuously practice writing, we contemplate, polish, and revise our texts, i.e. our ideas.

Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press in the mid-15^th century made the written word the medium of mass communication and removed some limitations for the circulation of information. Books became more accessible, and more numerous: it is estimated that by the year 1600 some 200 million copies of various books were printed. One can only imagine how many more books eventually were printed over the four centuries that followed. A subsequent medium that appeared in the 17^th century, the newspapers, shaped the world of information in the way that Internet and TV shape digital circulation today.

Q4. What technologies made the biggest changes in relations between the countries or continents, or changed their power relations?

The 18^th century saw the invention of the steam engine. Its improvements in the 19^th century gave birth to machines, which resulted in enormous advancements in industry, transportation, and agriculture. In turn, this gave base to the rise of superpowers such as Great Britain and the United States of America. High-pressure engines started setting ships, trains, cars, and eventually airplanes in motion. Steam engines powered the Industrial Revolution that shaped the world as we know it today.

Q5. With the development of new weapons, in the 21st century, the old ones are becoming increasingly obsolete. Tanks dominated in the last 100 years but are now becoming useless, mostly because of much cheaper drones. Was there a discovery or technology that empowered one country in war or a similar kind of conflict?

In one of our previous interviews, we mentioned that one who wants to win the war needs two requisites (to start with): the means to finance it and good logistics. In the present day, the development of new weapon technologies is more entangled with the financing of new ideas and related discoveries. But in the past, some very simple ideas lead to the creation of extremely powerful military units. Again, somewhat neglected from a modern perspective, chariots were a high-tech weapon some 3000 years ago. It is not directly connected to technology, but it is hard to overemphasize the importance of horses on warfare through at least four millennia of human history. Alright, some inventions such as the stirrup or the saddle made them more effective over time. Cavalry was a predominant force until the invention of reliable, fast, and powerful weapons at the beginning of the 20^th century. For centuries European armies had difficulties confronting Eurasian nomads (the Huns, Magyars, Cumans, Mongols…) whose light cavalry used (composite) bows to launch thousands and thousands of arrows in a matter of minutes. Even one of the most successful military formations of ancient times, the Macedonian phalanx, needed cavalry on its flanks despite its 5-meter-long spears.

Composite bows and longbows were the light artillery for millennia. The mentioned steppe nomads dominated battlefields of Eurasia using exactly those kinds of weapons. English longbows were the equivalent in Western Europe in the Late Middle Ages (12^th-15^th centuries). Its ‘mechanic’ cousin, the crossbow, was so powerful and lethal that Pope Innocent II (1139) forbids its use against Christians.

Great wars of the 20^th century significantly improved the weaponry, created nuclear powers and lead to the development of rocketry.

Q6. It is expected that much of the future warfare will be cyberwar. Many countries are developing their cybersecurity as a response. Has something similar to that process happened in history?

Technology made everything more accessible, which means not only physical protection is needed, but virtual protection has increasingly gained importance. One can use your credit card from another continent, skilful hackers can turn off the electricity to a block or even part of some remote town. It is a perennial question of access to information and those skilful enough to (ab)use it.

One of my main interests are nomadic empires, so I will draw two examples from the rise of the Mongols. Once they had established the empire, they realized that they should use all skilled workers they encountered and captured in their campaigns. The Chinese had very capable engineers who could build impressive structures or produce war-machines, the Persians had experienced administrators (…) – all those were used to do the things nomadic peoples were inexperienced in. I believe this is a great example of being aware of one’s own limitations and knowing exactly who is the most apt to compensate for those.

Also, one of the most reliable allies of the Mongol army commanders was intelligence. During the Black Sea campaigns, the Mongols gained precious information from traders (mostly Venetian) on European geography, armies, castles, population, the relations between rulers, supplies, and everything else useful on a campaign. Therefore, when they invaded Eastern and Central Europe in 1241/42, they knew exactly where to go, what to do, whom to attack or avoid, what the most vulnerable points were. The result was that they crushed several very strong European armies, pillaged several countries, and made them pay tribute.

Q7. What were, in general, the most fruitful areas of influence, where we can observe overwhelming changes? Was it in transportation, in weapons, communication, knowledge management, construction, energy, medicine, economy? And can we single out one or two dominant areas?

The Romans had exquisite mastery of construction: just take a look at their buildings all around the Mediterranean basin and beyond. It was as late as the early 20^th century when the construction improved significantly. For example, the formula for Roman concrete is still sought for: its durability, resilience to saltwater, and longevity have not been surpassed to this day. All major civilizations were aware of the importance of roads and communication. On the other hand, the concept of economy is quite complex: even the best experts have troubles predicting many aspects of its development.

I could single out the change that happened to humankind with the invention of electricity. Also, the Internet contributed to unimaginable access to all sorts of information and dissemination of knowledge. Last, but certainly not the least, medical advancements need to be mentioned. Ancient civilizations had quite capable physicians. I remember a note from Greek historian Herodotus (5^th ct. BC) in which he gives an account, and was quite surprised, that the Egyptians had doctors who were specialized for eyes, internal organs, etc. – just as we have today. The Chinese have had quite rich tradition in medicine as well. But what the field has achieved so far, with personalized medicine and with all the technology at our disposal, is just to become even more impressive. After all, the fear of non-existing (even of just being ill) is one of the most potent incentives known to humankind.

Q8. Today we have polarization between the USA and China, and the EU in some segments regarding technology innovations. Was there a country that was famous as a technology leader or an expert in one field?

Throughout its rich history, China was well-known for its innovations. The compass (12th ct.) made the oceans a less hostile environment, the paper money (11^th ct.) made the trade and financial transactions easier, while the invention of gunpowder (11 ct.) changed the warfare of the second millennium AD. Of course, it is only through the transfer of knowledge in the late Middle Ages that most of these inventions got improved – e.g. the Venetian and Genoese merchants made significant strides to advance the financial instruments invented either by the Chinese or by the merchants in the Islamic world; gunpowder-based weaponry, such as cannons and rifles, were also improved across Eurasian continent.

In ancient times the civilization that lived in Mesopotamia was famous for its inventions. We have mentioned some: the wheel, cities, writing. However, there were dozens more, such as administration, accounting, mathematics, astronomy, sailing, production of bricks, cartography, and maybe the most interesting one: the concept of time. Based on their sexagesimal system, our hours have 60 minutes which are subdivided in 60-second intervals.

Q9. Most importantly, what can we learn from those who missed opportunities and didn't advance on time? Which civilizations collapsed or became irrelevant? What can we advise modern states, and warn them if they miss current opportunities in AI development, genetics, or any new technology that will emerge soon? Our time to react is getting shorter, and the consequences are getting bigger.

The rise and fall of civilizations were in focus of historians for many centuries. They happened mostly as a combination of several factors: ecological, economic, social, technological, richness or depletion of crucial resources such as timber, oil, or ore deposits. The system of nation-states is arguably the invention of the 19^th century, and it is the best humankind has available for the moment.

One can conquer a land with a military machine, but one of the things that might have changed the world, even more, is a relatively simple invention: private property. Indigenous peoples of Australia, the Americas or Africa, who considered themselves guardians of the land they lived on, were deprived of the space they took care of. It certainly was one of the game-changers in the evolution of humankind. History gives many examples of those who were not resilient enough, not sufficiently developed or just different in terms of economy, social organisation, or technology; in the end, they no longer exist. Or at least, their way of life no longer exists. Does that mean we need to be constantly alert and improve so we do not get surpassed by rivals, or should we redefine our existence altogether? This is our dilemma. (Certainly, for a long period of history we needed the former.)

The proper globalization that started in the 20^th century has demonstrated how entangled all the aforementioned factors can be. We have all witnessed what small yet provident nations such as Singapore or Norway are capable of. We are all witnessing how China has managed to multiply its industrial and financial output although it seemed that technologically it was quite behind some superpowers in the domain, only a few decades ago.

In the 21st century technological advancements in biomedicine, nanotechnology, rocketry, the AI (…) will enable people to create fabulous things. Already now pretty much anything can be produced; it is just a matter of how much money and effort is invested. There are two key questions: ‘What are we interested in?’ and ‘Who are we?’ And here I refer to a nation-state, a multinational corporation, an elite of some kind, a group of conscious individuals. As ever, it will be a combination of factors, but it seems that the least problem will be inventions of new technologies. There will be new battlegrounds of the political, social, and ethical challenges trying to answer the questions how to use the technology, and how accessible it will be.

Finally, I believe you are painfully right about the reaction time, the pressures, and the consequences. Most of us receive in one day the amount of information a single person in the Renaissance (just 15 generations ago) received during their lifetime. Shall we succumb to all sorts of internal and environmental pressures? The paradox is that humans can be very fragile, yet highly resilient. With everything happening so fast and with so much at stake, we all need to learn new things, learn more, and, as ever, adapt to crucial changes in our environment.

More interviews with Mirko by Aco on TCN:

Mirko Sardelic PhD: A Brief History of the Most Devastating Earthquakes

Mirko Sardelic PhD Interview: History of Pandemics: Lessons to Apply to Corona Crisis

You can read more from Aco on his Medium profile.

ZAGREB, 1 January, 2021 - The European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) on Friday morning reported about two moderate earthquakes near Petrinja and Sisak, of which the first measured 3.2 on the Richter scale and occurred at 4.52 a.m., with the epicentre 12 kilometres southwest of Petrinja.

The second quake measured 3.1 on the Richter scale and was registered at 6.37 a.m. and its epicentre was 19 kilometres southwest of Sisak.

The ground in the Banovina region is still shaking after a devastating 6.2 magnitude earthquake that hit Petrinja and its environs on December 29.

That earthquake was followed by a string of tremors and by December 31, 265 were felt with a magnitude above 1.0 on the Richter scale.

For more on the Petrinja earthquake, follow our dedicated section.

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