Vukovar Student Becomes Croatia's First Animal Rights Lawyer
October 2, 2020 - Ivana Kramer from Vukovar became Croatia's first animal rights lawyer after graduating from the Faculty Of Law in Osijek
Ivana Kramer from Vukovar has become Croatia's first animal rights lawyer. She did so after graduating from the Faculty Of Law in Osijek, having received her diploma on September 23. The Faculty Of Law in Osijek is the only one in Croatia that has an elective course in animal rights.
In a recent interview with Vecernji List's Suzana Lepan Štefančić, Ivana explained that her desire to become Croatia's first animal rights lawyer stemmed from always having been around animals. “I have three dogs,” she said, in explaining her choice of the elective course in animal rights, “and my mother Željka adopts and helps abandoned animals.”
Some of the animals that Ivana's mum Željka looks after in Vukovar. Photos from the Facebook of Željka Kramer.
Ivana commuted to the Faculty Of Law in Osijek for five years in order to complete the course, choosing to stay living at home in Vukovar rather than move to the Slavonian capital. She says she would ideally like to stay in Vukovar to begin working in this field of law.
Her elective course in animal rights was undertaken in the final year of her studies and was the step that propelled her to the status of Croatia's first animal rights lawyer. During this final year, she researched the Animal Protection Act, which was implemented in 2017, with an emphasis on the situation in the Osijek-Baranja and Vukovar-Srijem counties. Her research included dog shelters in Vukovar and Osijek, where she occasionally volunteers.
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Theater at End of City: Former Judino Drvo Transforms into Split's Newest Theater
October 2, 2020 - Famous Split music venue and club Judino Drvo has closed its doors. The Kopilica space will now be used to host Split's newest theater.
Dalmacija Danas reported that "Theater at the end of the city" is located in Kopilica, the infamous location of Split's 'metro' and club Judino Drvo. Now, however, it will become a place where Split locals will enjoy theatrical performances.
The space, most commonly known to Split's alternative population as Judino Drvo, has been turned into a small theater with an audience of 200 seats and all the accompanying contents. In addition to the atrium, ground floor and gallery, there is also a large stage for performances, excellent sound and lighting, and something crucial for the audience - free parking.
The main actors in this move are the UC collective led by Iris Buric.
"We are very happy to announce the imminent opening of the "Theater at the End of the City", a project that is so much needed by our city, which for years has been crying out for additional space where cultural events will be offered. From the first day I saw this space, I associated it with the theater and I believe that the audience will fall in love with this charming theater at first.
"Theater at the end of the city" is conceived as a multimedia center that will offer citizens cultural and educational content under its roof. We will open it with the autumn theater season, but our plan is to soon expand the program to children's theater performances, guitar school, acting and much more. This city does not lack content and will, it lacks adequate space and we believe that "Theater at the end of the city" will very soon become an important actor in the cultural scene of Split," said Buric.
Amadeus Events, which is very well known to the Split theater audience, is in charge of the program part of the theater season.
"We have been cooperating with all the most successful Croatian theaters for almost a decade. Behind us are hundreds of successful performances throughout Dalmatia in all cultural locations. But we have been dreaming for a long time to provide the citizens of Split and its surroundings with just such a place. And after almost a year of preparation, we can say with satisfaction that we have succeeded. Autumn rich in theatrical performances awaits us and we know that our audience will be very satisfied with what this theater will offer them.
We would also like to thank Građa d.d. which again had an ear for cultural projects in our city. They have once again confirmed their slogan, so when the "Theater at the end of the city" is born, the materials always stand by you!" said Amadeus.
The actresses who will soon have the opportunity to perform on Split's newest stage also commented on the news:
"The news that a new theater scene is opening is always sensational. And when something like that happens in the middle of a global pandemic, then it’s so much more. Then it’s another confirmation that theater is desperately needed. And indestructible. And to all of us who live for theater, an indispensable injection of optimism.
I am overjoyed that my new play, Vla Vla Vlajland cabaret, will be registered as the first play to take place at the Theater on the outskirts of the city," said Ecija Ojdanic.
"When we no longer have a small theater at the beginning of the city, here is a small theater at the end of the city. In addition to our large HNK, Youth Theater and Puppet Theater, we have been crying out for years for a space where we could perform plays, hold concerts and organize similar events that would enrich the cultural events in the city. And here is a small theater where we will be able to perform small and large plays - a Theater at the end of town. We wish them a happy start to the season without the coronavirus, joy and happiness for the elderly and youth," said Arijana Culina.
"Everything related to the theater in Split that is new, every man who loves this city should be happy. Culture is a mirror of our society. That is why I am especially happy that such a project with such a resounding and appropriate name "Theater at the end of the city" is being prepared in our city. From the very idea, place, concept, visual identity and program, this is a project that will change the vision of the culture of Split. I have to admit that after this project I am optimistic and a bit euphoric after a long time. A project that will raise the bar high in the city," concluded Ana Gruica Uglesic.
"Theater at the end of the city" will open its doors with a cabaret play "Vla Vla Vlajland" by author and director Ivan Leo Lema, featuring the always top performance of Ecija Ojdanic on October 9 and 10 (Friday and Saturday) at 8 pm, and October 11 ( Sunday) at 7:30 pm.
Tickets are on sale for 90 kuna from Monday, October 5, at the box office of the theater (Kopilica 24) from 3 pm to 7 pm. You can also book tickets by calling 091 9720 540.
Free parking is provided for all visitors to the theater, and the organizers also emphasize that all epidemiological measures in force will be respected.
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Dinamo and Rijeka Advance to the Europa League Group Stage!
October 2, 2020 - Dinamo and Rijeka advance to the Europa League group stage after defeating Flora and Copenhagen on Thursday evening in the final qualifying round.
Dinamo Zagreb secured a spot in the Europa League after beating Estonian club Flora 3:1 in the final qualifying round at Maksimir Stadium. Ademi scored twice for Dinamo in the 26th and 87th minutes, and the first goal of the match was scored by Gavranovic in the 11th. Sinavskij scored for Flora in the 65th.
After losing to Ferencvaros without a chance to qualify for the Champions League, Dinamo will play in the Europa League this season for consolation.
Unlike the last qualifying round of the Champions League, in which two matches were played, only one match was played in the final round of the Europa League qualifiers.
Dinamo's last hurdle to qualify for the group stage was the Estonian champion, Flora. The difference in quality was obvious and Dinamo came away with the win. However, harder than expected.
90'+3 KRAJ!!! Dinamo - Flora 3:1 (Gavranović, Ademi 2x) ?????????????? Imamo europsku jesen u @EuropaLeague ! ????⚽️ #uel #dinamozagreb pic.twitter.com/dOtJoPHHUh
— GNK Dinamo (@gnkdinamo) October 1, 2020
In the second match on Thursday, Rijeka also secured a spot in the Europa League group stage thanks to a 1:0 (1-0) away win against Copenhagen, Denmark in the last qualifying round.
Rijeka reached the victory thanks to an own goal by Ankersen in the 20th minute.
Rijeka managed to withstand the pressure of the home side in the first 15 minutes, and then from the first offensive action to gain the advantage, which they kept until the end.
Although the match was mostly played in Rijeka's half, Copenhagen did not manage to create any dangerous scoring opportunities to thus give Rijeka the victory.
? Navijanje u svlačionici poveo je Damir Mišković, predsjednik HNK Rijeka, jedan od najzaslužnijih ljudi za uspjehe riječkog prvoligaša ?⚪#ZajednosmoRijeka #UEL #Krepatmanemolat pic.twitter.com/5HQHUwtYla
— NK Rijeka (@NKRijeka) October 1, 2020
The Europa League group draw will be held in Nyon at noon on Friday.
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Coronavirus Brings Together Sibenik Companies Making UV Disinfectant
As Poslovni Dnevnik/Darko Bicak writes on the 1st of October, 2020, although the technology of destroying viruses and bacteria with UV light has been used for a long time now, the innovation of the Sibenik company UVready could lead to its wider application. It is, so to speak, a “coronavirus company” that emerged in March due to the spread of the pandemic by merging three Sibenik companies from the PIN Business Incubator in that Dalmatian city into a single joint project.
The goal, the owners of the three Sibenik companies explain, was to contribute to the fight against the spread of the new coronavirus, primarily from the position of continuing the sustainable business of their parent companies, with a total of about 50 employees, as well as their core business.
Their more widely adapted UV systems or devices could soon, they hope, greatly facilitate the disinfection of various types of spaces and even enable a larger number of people to stay indoors than currently allowed. All this at a much lower price we're currently paying for coronavirus protection.
As Martin Krstic, the owner of the energy project company Energy4People, which has developed several energy efficiency projects, larger solar and hydro power plants in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, explains, the story began in early March with Franko Juric, owner of the engineering company FN Elektroinstalacije, and Ornel Supa, the owner of Bubamara, a company that specialises in professional maintenance and cleaning, found the PIN in a discussion of how to respond to the then just emerging coronavirus crisis.
“Although each of us comes from a different business, we realised we had to do something. My colleague and I are engineers and came up with the idea of applying UV technology to fight the coronavirus. We knew the technology of UV radiation in the fight against viruses and bacteria that are much stronger than the flu or coronavirus works, which is actually nothing new because back in 1903 Niels Ryberg Finsen won the Nobel Prize for this discovery,'' said Krstic, the CEO of UVready.
He explained that this disinfection technology has been used for decades in the healthcare system, primarily in operating rooms and laboratories, which are disinfected with UV light after undergoing classic cleaning. The same situation takes place in the food industry where in factories almost all food is "insured" at the end of the production process with UV radiation. However, in these conditions, it is highly certified professional equipment and its price is high.
"We realised that we don't need such advanced standards for disinfection from the coronavirus, flu, etc, so the price would be three to four times lower, and with the mass production of components it would fall even further," Krstic pointed out. In the end, UVready "emerged" from such an approach, assembling such systems according to the needs of individual users.
UVready, therefore, isn't just a classic store that sells finished products but specialises in smaller systems, the smallest ones suitable for smaller business premises or private apartments, can be, they say from UVready, available for around three thousand kuna.
Although they founded the company in the spring, they realised their first commercial project only this week with the Zagreb-based agency Lemax, which specialises in travel software.
"So far, we've had two donations in Sibenik, for the hospital there and the nursing home. Our plan is to expand to all sectors, primarily service activities and transport, but first we're going to health institutions, ie hospitals, and we could soon get several large contracts.
Namely, in hospitals we don't have to explain much about what it is about because they've always used UV light there in specific conditions, and we're now offering it to them in other places where people gather and move,'' explained the executive director of UVready. They also started cooperating with scientific institutes, from which they would receive certificates for their lamps and fans that would be recognised by the general public. Therefore, they are planning several scientific and business conferences in the coming period, the first B2B meeting in Sibenik on October the 15th, 2020, and after that in Zagreb and Mostar, where they plan to get the business community better acquainted with this technology.
At the same time, this group of Sibenik companies are starting talks with the National Civil Protection Headquarters in order to influence that their recommendations and measures are in line with technological achievements.
This specifically means that the existing mass application of disinfectant fluids would be replaced with UV lamps at every step. Additionally, using this technology could, according to UVready, double the allowable number of people indoors, be it in cafes, restaurants, clubs or at conferences and in studio halls.
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Goodbye to Paper Referrals? Big Changes as E-Referrals Arrive
October the 2nd, 2020 - If you've been in Croatia long enough, you'll have heard of an uputnica. This little piece of paper is your key to a 'pregled' or check up by a specialist, a scan, surgery and more. In true Croatian fashion, they're not digital and you needed to hold on to this slip of paper like gold - until now. Say hello to e-referrals.
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 1st of October, 2020, paper uputnice/referrals are coming out of use and e-referrals should finally be the new normal. Such instructions were given to doctors and they are ready to refer all of their patients electronically from the 2nd of this month, Vecernji list has learned.
However, neither the Ministry of Health nor the Croatian Health Insurance Fund have officially confirmed this piece of news, despite the fact that the competent minister sent instructions attesting to it to all relevant primary care doctors on the 18th of September. Hesitation with the announcement of such excellent news points to the fact that they know that in practice it will not go smoothly, and that computerisation is still a sore point in Croatia, even though it has been being announced for ten years now.
The problem is that not all hospitals in Croatia are networked within CEZIH, the central health information system of Croatia. "On October the 1st, 2020, the printing of a referral on a paper form for newly issued referrals will be abolished and we'll start working with e-referrals," reads the letter received by family doctors on September the 18th, 2020 from Health Minister Vili Beros.
The minister's letter regarding the changes to the Croatian Health System goes on to say that "by abolishing paper referrals, selected doctors will have to make either a direct e-referral or request the target institution to appoint their patients" and that requests for appointments for patients who have been issued an e-referral by sent by e-mail. However, family doctors say they don't agree with this. Seeking appointments for patients from hospitals is considered an administrative task that disrupts public health and imposes additional administrative obligations on selected physicians, to the detriment of direct contact with the patient.
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Rijeka Refinery: Path Open to One of Largest Croatian Investments
As Novac/Vedran Marjanovic writes on the 1st of October, 2020, the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development has recently issued a positive decision on INA's project to modernise the Rijeka refinery in the part related to the environmental impact assessment of that investment. This is another step towards the realisation of the largest investment for the Croatian economy in recent years, worth a massive four billion kuna, which, according to announcements from INA, will place the Rijeka Refinery among the most modern refineries in the world.
Behind the phrase ''the modernisation of the Rijeka refinery'' is actually the construction of a coking complex with a port, storage and transport system.
''The main goals of the INA Rijeka Oil Refinery, which the planned second phase of modernisation, ie the implementation of the Heavy Residue Treatment Programme, seeks to achieve, are the higher production of low-sulfur gasoline and diesel fuels, the cessation of heavy fuel oil production, the reduction of the amount of total harmful emissions from the refinery site, and the production of fuel according to newer EU standards,'' it was stated in the study that INA submitted to the Ministry of Economy in the procedure of obtaining that solution launched in May this year.
The final decision of the Management Board and the Supervisory Board of INA on the beginning of the second phase of the modernisation of the Rijeka refinery was made last December. "INA's investment of four billion kuna is the most beautiful Christmas gift for the Croatian energy system."
This euphoria is far from surprising because it is known that the modernisation of the refineries in Rijeka and Sisak was one of the obligations that MOL undertook by buying the first 25 percent of INA shares way back in 2003. This obligation was included in the famous inter-shareholder agreement from 2009.
From the documentation submitted by INA to the Ministry of Economy in the procedure of obtaining that decision on the impact of the modernisation of the Rijeka refinery on the environment, it is evident that INA addressed the then Ministry of Environmental Protection, Physical Planning and Construction back in 2009.
INA confirmed that obtaining this decision from the Ministry of Economy is one of the steps towards the construction of a plant for the treatment of heavy residues at the Rijeka refinery.
''Considering the fact that the project of construction of a plant for processing heavy residues implies obtaining a series of location and construction permits, these processes should be completed in the middle of next year,'' announced INA. A warning from the decision of the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development is on the same track.
''This decision ceases to be valid if INA failts to submit a request for the issuance of a location permit within two years from the day of execution of the decision,'' it was noted in the decision of the Ministry of Economy.
On the occasion of the final decisions of the Management Board and the Supervisory Board of INA on entering the 4 billion kuna investment in the Rijeka refinery, Croatia's largest company announced that the processing plant should start operating in 2023. Although it should be understood that these announcements were made before the coronavirus crisis took hold, which stopped almost all investments in the country for at least three months this year.
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Novigrad-based Aminess Expanding Business on Island of Krk
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 1st of October, 2020, the Novigrad-based Aminess, a well known and successful Croatian tourist company, has expanded its business to Njivice hotels and a camping resort on the beautiful island of Krk, which start operating under the Novigrad-based Aminess brand on October the 1st, 2020.
Aminess Magal Hotel (formerly Hotel Beli Kamik), Aminess Veya Hotel (formerly Hotel Jadran), Aminess Gaia Green Villas (formerly Marbera Flora Green Villas) and Aminess Atea Camping Resort (formerly Camp Njivice) are new members of the Novigrad-based Aminess portfolio, which will jointly contribute to the company's additional growth and strong development in the competitive Croatian tourism sector.
"We're extremely pleased that the Njivice resort and camp have become part of the Aminess family and we will now have the opportunity to create great results together and contribute to the further development of Njivice and the island of Krk. We believe that the synergy of these two companies, Aminess and Hotel Njivice, will be a great success and mean stronger market visibility. We're convinced that we will further strengthen the fantastic story we have been creating with our employees and the guests in Novigrad, Orebic and on the island of Korcula for years with our new colleagues in Njivice on the island of Krk,'' said Zrinka Bokulic, President of Laguna Novigrad, which owns the Aminess brand.
The Novigrad-based Aminess already has a very rich portfolio, boasting the hotels Aminess Maestral 4 * and Aminess Laguna 3 *, the camps Aminess Sirena 4 * and Aminess Maravea Camping Resort 4 * located in Novigrad, while hotel Aminess Lume 4 * is located on Korcula, and Aminess Grand Azur 4 * is located on the picturesque Peljesac peninsula.
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Sveta Nedelja Free Bus Service to Begin in Croatia's Most Progressive Town
October 1, 2020 - A new Sveta Nedelja free bus service will soon come into operation, the latest innovative move from arguably Croatia's most progressive town.
A wise man once said: "Surround yourself with positive people and progressive thinkers, and watch how much more positive your life becomes."
After years of living in Croatia listening to people complaining in cafes and the media about how terrible things are here, I made a decision to surround myself with positive people and those looking forward rather than back to the past.
The results are amazing.
Rather than coming to accept that there is no good news in Croatia and nothing is possible without connections, when surrounded by some positive forces, you learn that actually quite a lot IS possible, and things ARE getting done. One great example of this, of course (and a hot topic right now), is the imminent introduction of the digital nomad visa for Croatia. Croatia will be only the second country in Europe to introduce this progressive new direction for Croatia. And all because a Dutchman, Jan de Jong, sent an open letter to the prime minister on LinkedIn asking for the visa. Some 44 days later, following a meeting with de Jong, Prime Minister Plenkovic tweeted that his government would introduce the visa, and it was introduced into Parliament the following day.
Just 44 days.
During the summer.
In Croatia.
Incredible.
De Jong has now turned his attention to getting Croatia to plant again, by starting a new project with Dutch technology, to grow tomatoes in northern Croatia, creating an initial 72 jobs. Within days of posting his intentions on LinkedIn, he had already received offers of 5 million euro in investments from all over the world.
Quite inspiring, this positive atmosphere, isn't it?
And it is not just the private sector. Several local authorities are doing incredible things trying to modernise the archaic and nepotistic administrations they have inherited. And, as I learned last weekend on my first visit to the town of Sveta Nedelja just outside Zagreb, some administrations are doing things rather nicely indeed. In an age of emigration, unemployment and economic hardship, here was a town whose population has grown 10% since the 2011 census, which has created 20% more jobs since 2017, whose unemployment rate of 3.9% is well below the national average, and whose transparent administration and aggressive slashing of local taxes have helped grow the budget from 107 million kuna in 2017 to 169 million kuna this year.
And all the good news and income is being passed on to its residents through a range of innovative schemes, the latest of which was announced by Mayor Dario Zurovec on Facebook two days ago - the introduction of the Sveta Nedelja free bus service, which will come into operation in a few weeks. Here is what the mayor had to say:
Today I signed a contract with the bus carrier Arriva to provide a bus service in the area of the town of Sveta Nedelja. We will announce the exact start date of the traffic soon, after we have just solved a few small formalities. Passengers on local buses will not have to buy tickets. Below you can read how the concept was conceived, and we will inform you about the exact schedules and timetable just before the start of operations.
As part of our free public transport we will introduce 3 lines to Podsused that allow you to connect to trains. In this way, passengers will have more favorable conditions because the ticket will not cost them anything until they change to the train. Additionally, this way you avoid traffic jams on the roads to the center of Zagreb or even the east, and it is possible to travel to Zaprešić. Those who do not like the train will be able to continue their journey on ZET buses:
* from the Podsused roundabout towards the Ljubljanica and Črnomerec
* on the other side of the railway in Podsused (Av. Bologne) towards Črnomerec and Zaprešić
Also, at the other end of one of the bus lines, it will be possible to change to ZET in Kalinovica (on the old road) and from there travel to the Sava Bridge.
As for traveling to Samobor, there is an option to travel to Sveta Nedelja or Strmec by free public transport and then change to Samoborček / Autoturist.
The introduction of free public transport does not mean that existing bus carriers stop running. So, they continue to operate, because their lines are inter-county and county, which is why they are not under our jurisdiction. This means that the same Samoborček / Autoturist lines continue to run at the same prices to Zagreb and Samobor until these carriers decide otherwise.
In the future, we intend to further improve this free public transportation service.
With the current legal framework, this is a big step forward and far better than the model we have had so far. This concept of city transport allows you to get anywhere within the city of Sveta Nedelja without paying a ticket, and to get to Zagreb quickly and for a very low price because you only pay the train or ZET. Also, this will make the trip to Samobor cheaper. In addition to all that, departure times will be frequent throughout the week, but also on weekends and holidays, while night lines will also run on weekends and holidays. The carrier was selected through a public tender, the value of the contract is about 4.2 million kuna per year and is financed entirely from the town budget.
In this way, Sveta Nedelja has once again become an example to other towns in Croatia. In addition to the quality of service to citizens, additional benefits of this kind of public transport are that there will be fewer cars and less traffic jams, fewer traffic accidents, less CO2 emissions, with of course a more favorable situation for your home budgets.
Thanks to all my collaborators and Davor Nadji who worked with us on this project until recently. I am happy that we are fulfilling our promises, and we will not stop there. More good news for our Sveta Nedelja is coming soon!
Mayor Zurovec was on the bus today on a test run, and he posted on Facebook Live with more details on how this will all work.
Sveta Nedelja is a great story which we will be following is more detail over the next 12 months and more, a true example of how things CAN work in Croatia. Here is an overview of the first part of my first visit to Croatia's newest town last weekend - read more in Sveta Nedelja Beyond Rimac: Jobs, Innovation, Nature, Population Growth.
You can follow the latest in the Sveta Nedelja revolution in our dedicated TCN section.
Sibenik-Knin and Zadar Counties No Longer on Germany's Red List
October 1, 2020 - Sibenik-Knin and Zadar counties are no longer on Germany's red list for travel.
HRTurizam reports that last night, the German Robert Koch Institute revised the list of countries that are on the red list, that is, high-risk countries for travel during the coronavirus pandemic.
What is important to point out is that Sibenik-Knin and Zadar counties are no longer on the red list, so it is now possible to travel to those Croatian counties.
The following counties are still on the red list in Germany: Brod-Posavina, Dubrovnik-Neretva, Lika-Senj, Pozega-Slavonia, Split-Dalmatia, and Virovitica-Podravina.
Declaring an area at risk means that those returning from high-risk countries on holiday must be tested for coronavirus and remain in self-isolation until they receive a negative test result.
Recall, on September 29, the Slovenian government adopted changes to the countries on the lists unsafe for travel during the corona era.
"The Government took note of the Assessment of the Epidemiological Situation in the European Union and the Schengen Area, the Balkans and selected Third Countries, the Assessment of the Epidemiological Situation in the Countries and the European Commission's Re-open EU Recommendation, as well as the Criteria per 100,000 inhabitants by country prepared by the National Institute of Public Health. It assessed the professional justification of the restrictions from the Ordinance on ordering and implementing measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 at border crossings at the external border, at checkpoints at internal borders, and in the Republic of Slovenia and decided that these restrictions should continue to apply," said the Slovenian Government on its website.
Thus, the red list includes 16 EU Member States and the Schengen area, with only administrative units with a poor epidemiological picture and 114 third countries with an uneven distribution of infections.
Regarding Croatia, the red list now includes Brod-Posavina, Dubrovnik-Neretva, Lika-Senj, Pozega-Slavonia, Sibenik-Knin, Split-Dalmatia, Virovitica-Podravina and Zadar counties.
The orange list now includes the Croatian counties bordering the country. This means that from these areas, Slovenia can be entered with a negative coronavirus test and without having to quarantine.
Serbia and Poland are on the green list again, together with Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Liechtenstein, and Finland, while neighboring Italy has been withdrawn from the green list.
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National Council for Pensioners to Discuss Poverty and Low Pensions
ZAGREB, Oct 1, 2020 - Increasing pensions and changing the pension indexation model in relation to the average wage are some of the key topics to be discussed by the National Council for Pensioners and Elderly Persons, which held its first session on Thursday, on the International Day of Older Persons.
Associations of pensioners and the trade union of pensioners SUH welcome the establishment of the national council as an advisory body to the government, said SUH head, Jasna Petrovic, ahead of the Council's session, held in the building of the Ministry of Labour, Pension System, Family Affairs and Social Policy.
She said that they hoped the council would soon start working on serious issues since 61% of pensioners had pensions below the Croatian poverty threshold.
The council has recently been established through an agreement between the government and pensioners' associations as an advisory body in the area of pension and health insurance, social policy, and the protection of the elderly.
Increasing pensions allowances, changing the model of indexing them to the average wage, and changing the model of family pensions are some of the priorities for the sessions of the national council, said Petrovic.
"Our interest is to establish a kind of social dialogue with pensioners with the aim of improving the pension system, the social welfare system and all systems that deal with the elderly," Minister Josip Aladrovic said.
Although the council is an advisory body, Aladrovic said they wanted its work to result in concrete measures and visible effects.
Sixty-six residents of care homes die from COVID-19
One of the topics will be preventing the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic among elderly persons, and mid-October a campaign will be launched to raise awareness about the spread of the disease among the elderly population.
For this purpose, a committee for preventing and curbing the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic among elderly persons was established on August 24, led by epidemiologist Branko Kolaric.
To date, 66 residents of care homes have died, which 25% of the total number of coronavirus-related deaths.
Kolaric said Croatia had done a very good job compared to other countries where the percentage is between 50 and 70 percent.
He said their goal was for elderly citizens to receive the best possible care during the epidemic.
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