COVID-19 Tech Hit: Croatian Border Form Saves 21.7 Years Queueing in 3 Months
August 28, 2020 - Croatia is not famous for efficient bureaucracy, but one Croatian border form has helped 4.6 million visitors in the first 3 months, saving an estimated 21.7 years of waiting time.
It is one of the most impressive initiatives of 2020 in Croatia in my opinion, and yet very few people in Croatia know much about it. An initiative which was realised in just 10 days, and which has helped reduce waiting times at Croatia's borders, allowing tourists to have a much smoother arrival to their holidays here.
And it has been a total hit.
Today marks the three-month anniversary of the launch of the Enter Croatia online form by the Croatian border police. Although not mandatory to fill in prior to entry, about 70% of visitors are doing so, and in the first 3 months of operation, some 1,901,138 vehicles, carrying 4,660,426 people have benefited from a 30-second border screening process, rather than a much lengthier wait.
The problem was simple, and well highlighted during a TCN visit to the main Bregana border with Slovenia on May 17. Due to corona, it was necessary to document where arrivals were staying, as well as take their contact details so that they could be contacted in case of an outbreak of the virus. As we saw first hand, this was a very time-consuming process, with average time 5-8 minutes. While this was not a huge problem due to the light traffic in May, it would be catastrophic in peak season.
The Croatian border police reaction was superb - the creation of an online form, now in 10 languages, where tourists could pre-announce their arrival, filling in all the data that needed to be collected, so that when they arrived at the border, everything was already in the system. The passport was swiped, and they were free to go. Total border formalities time - less than 30 seconds. Marina Mandic, the Croatian police spokesperson explained a little more:
EnterCroatia is a system that was established on 28.5.2020 and its purpose is for foreigners, through previous applications to this system, to shorten the time of border control and take other information we need to implement subsequent epidemiological measures.
Foreigners, our guests, but also others who wanted to enter the Republic of Croatia for economic reasons, reluctantly accepted such a system.
There are several reasons, this system is operational, simple, available in ten different languages and works in practice.
the system was established from idea to realization in just 14 days by the Ministry of the Interior's development engineers, and that there are no system errors or difficulties in functioning. It is operational not only in the field through the work of police officers but also in a digital sense.
Special EnterCroatia lanes were set up at some borders (see lead photo), enabling those who had registered to join shorter queues with shorter waits. It has proved to be an extremely efficient system, and the Croatian police deserve much credit in the way that they have facilitated traffic flow and information flow during this pandemic. Indeed, some crude calculations of these numbers give some kind of perspective.
The average time to deal with the border formalities prior to the Croatian border form was 5-8 minutes, or 6.5 minutes. For those using the form, that wait is now less than 30 seconds, so a 6-minute saving per pre-registered vehicle. With almost 2 million vehicles successfully using the system, that equates to an incredible 21.7 YEARS of waiting time which has been eradicated. In just 3 months.
Imagine how much more efficient Croatia could be if we could replicate initiatives like these into other parts of our daily lives.
The Croatian police have been the unsung heroes in recent months in my opinion, and their efficiency and organisation, as well as transparent sharing of information has been appreciated by many. They even found themselves having to answer all the tourist enquiries for some reason, this in a country with a national tourist board, 20 regional tourist boards, 319 local tourist boards, a ministry of tourism, and a dedicated tourism department in the Chamber of Economy. The response and effectiveness of the Ministry of the Interior and the official tourism sector could not have been starker, with many tourists complaining that official tourist information was almost impossible to find regarding the latest travel advice. It was one of the reasons we started the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community and associated chatbot which now has over 21,000 users. Such was the lack of presence of the official tourism bodies that ABC News came through our Viber community for help during their recent 6-part series on Dubrovnik, the first of which was broadcast to 12.5 million people on Good Morning America.
Apart from facilitiating entry into the country, the EnterCroatia form has proved invaluable in helping travellers trying to get Croatia. With so many unknowns, trying to board flights to transit to Croatia has been a very stressful experience for many. A print out of acknowledgement of the form has been enough to convince many flight check-in clerks to let the passenger proceed.
All in all, an outstanding effort, and congratulations to all involved. It feels nice to be writing articles of praise about Croatian bureaucracy, and I would be happy to do so again.
So what's next in the Croatian Bureaucracy 2.0 revolution?
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Croatia on Slovakia's Red List, Denmark's Orange List
August 28, 2020 - Croatia has been placed on Slovakia's red list and Denmark's orange list due to the spike in coronavirus cases.
Index.hr reports that Slovakia has expanded the list of countries on the red list, i.e., countries at high risk due to a rise in coronavirus cases. Croatia is on the red list, and the restrictions take effect on September 1.
As of September 2, the countries on the red list for coronavirus are Croatia, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Malta, Slovak Pravda reports.
They add that it is not recommended to travel to Greece, which is also high-risk.
Denmark put Croatia on the orange, "quarantine" list of countries for COVID-19 on Thursday, the foreign ministry said, warning not to travel to Croatia unless necessary.
"This week, France and Croatia have been added to the list of countries to which any unnecessary travel is discouraged due to the increased number of infections. The SSI (Institut Statens Serum) numbers show that the infection rate is 31.3 for France and 32 for Croatia. Thus, these countries are above the national criterion on the infection rate of 30," according to the ministry's website.
The Ministry tells those who are already on holiday in Croatia that they can stay until the previously planned date, but that they should minimize the risk of infection and should be tested when they return home, although they do not have to stay in isolation for 2 weeks.
If they decide to visit Croatia in the future, then they are invited to spend 14 days in quarantine on their return to Denmark.
As of midnight on August 29, Croats, as well as citizens of other "quarantine" countries such as Belgium, France, Romania, or Spain, will need to state the reason for their visit to enter Denmark.
The Croatian embassy in Copenhagen warned Croatian citizens on its Facebook page that it would be in the orange category of travel recommendations from midnight on August 29, and asked that they are informed in more detail about the conditions for entering Denmark.
The Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs updates its list of travel recommendations every week, based on data from the Statens Serum Institute.
In an interview with RTL, Capak commented on the measures that other countries are implementing against Croatia.
"Our incidence is high. We have more than 60 per 100,000 inhabitants in 14 days. We have a high rate, and it is expected that some countries will take some measures against us. But I must say that most of Europe is still green towards the citizens of Croatia and us. I can still travel to most European countries. We hope that now that the tourist season is waning, we will be able to reduce it and improve our indicators, based on which they will then remove us from the red and orange lists," Capak said.
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A1 Croatia - Fastest Internet Connection Introduced for Users
Users of the popular A1 Croatia will soon have the fastest internet connection in the entire country available to them following a survey which concluded that users want things to be more simple and flexible.
As Dora Koretic/Novac writes on the 27th of August, 2020, users of A1 Croatia's services will be the first in the country to be able to access the internet via optics for the first time in the Republic of Croatia, receiving access speeds of up to 1 Gbit per second, which, according to this telecom operator, is the fastest such internet connection in all of Croatia.
Among other things, A1 Croatia's users will be able to enjoy an internet speed of 200 Mbit per second in the most basic of packages, and thanks to the MOZAIK option, they will now be able to connect the services they need and use, thus achieving savings that can reach up to 120 kuna per month, which will be more than welcome for many families.
The new service is specially adapted to users of A1 Croatia's fixed services - they will now be able to manage the offer of TV content or change packages without having to pay an additional fee on a monthly basis. According to the company, this brand new approach to the user was created after a survey of 406 respondents was carried out and which showed that over 88 percent of them want to activate or deactivate their services more easily, and over 80 percent of them want to independently manage their tariffs and options through an application or portal.
“Our experiences during the coronavirus pandemic confirm that users have adapted, digitally transformed and they do know what they want. Therefore, our new offer is based on simplicity and flexibility,'' said A1 Croatia's director Ivana Markovic.
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Croatia is a Nautical Tourism Destination, Not a Party Destination
Nautical tourism is a very promising branch of Croatia's most important economic branch, and the idea is now to make sure that nautical tourism is what Croatia becomes known for, and not as a mere party destination.
As Novac writes on the 27th of August, 2020, at the suggestion of the Association of Accommodation Providers on Boats - the HGK charter, and in cooperation with the Sibenik-Knin County Tourist Board, the County Crisis Staff, the Sibenik-Knin County Public Health Institute and the Sibenik Health Centre, a tourist testing point was organised. The same is being sought by the Zadar County Tourist Board.
''For guests who came in spite of everything or for those who still want to come, and their home countries require testing on return, we must provide efficient and cheap testing for coronavirus,'' said Pasko Klisovic, president of the HGK charter. Some European countries aren't happy with the development of the epidemiological situation and are putting Croatia and some of its counties on their respective red lists. However, people's general comment, Klisovic said, is that they feel safer here in Croatia than they do back at home or at work, and they also enjoy themselves here.
A couple of isolated micro-hotspots (clubs and infections among the very young population) have been placed in the foreground, while the nautical tourist season has been going with the offer of the perfect self-isolation conditions for all guests (mostly families, couples and the elderly population, all of whom tend to spend more).
''We keep repeating what everyone already knows. Nautical tourism and charters are by far the safest form of holiday. Charter guests go directly to the boats from their car where they stay in their intimate environment for seven or more days, they don't go to any party events but only to marinas and restaurants where there will be no crowds now,'' explained Klisovic, adding that charters also have their very own protocol for receiving guests and handing over vessels, which guarantees a high level of security. Marinas also have their own protocols that involve extra security.
The aforementioned association says that they still have a large number of booked arrangements that haven't been cancelled and they're afraid that due to risky tourist facilities, the classic period for which is much shorter than that of the charter season and whose guests spend a third of the average consumption of charter guests, they will sacrifice literally half of the charter season.
''We lost the entire pre-season, we can't afford to lose the post-season,'' said Klisovic, nothing that if nothing is done, Croatia will lose not only the post-season, but also part of its charter companies, ie jobs which are either directly or indirectly related to them.
In view of all this, the association has stated that it is urgent to introduce and implement measures that can reduce the number of daily infections to the level those numbers were at at least a month ago and to provide as many points for the fast and affordable testing of guests as a condition for returning to their countries of residence. They also pointed out that Croatia must do more to promote nautical tourism as a specific type of holiday, which by all elements is currently the safest form of tourism.
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No Tourists Board Beloved Dubrovnik Republic Ship Replicas This Summer
As Novac/Gabrijela Bijelic writes on the 27th of August, 2020, the ongoing coronavirus crisis which hit Dubrovnik the hardest of all of Croatia's coastal destinations, has permanently disrupted the sailing schedule of two popular sailing ships, the Tirena and the Karaka. These beautiful replicas of the merchant ships of the old Dubrovnik Republic have been an indispensable part of the the city's waters for countless years until now, and this August they are waiting for the return of tourists, which looks a dire prospect.
''We haven't done any rides this season. There are no passengers. The boat is moored along Rijeka Dubrovacka, the other day we introduced sunset sailing at 18:30 and we did so vain, just so that the boat sails. We did a promo ride for one of the cafe owners and did a party for one of our commercial employees on Saturday and that's it. It's an absolute horror,'' said the captain of the Tirena, Bogomir Vukovic.
In the past generous tourists seasons, Bogo, as he is affectionately known, had 140 to 150 working days a year, and in this unfortunate 2020, there's been little to none of that. He hoped to do some work in September and October, but even that is unlikely, given the fact that the coronavirus pandemic is putting off many guests.
''At the beginning of the month I was at the bank, they extended my moratorium on my loan repayment for another six months. We're now waiting for survival support from the state, any kind of loan with a two to three year wait would be good if salaries for 4 to 5 crew members and the service for the ship could be settled. I'm sad to see the Tirena just standing idle like this. And I only invested 100 thousand euros in the preparation for this season, so you can work it out,'' Captain Vukovic says in a resigned tone. He also made an original proposal for the local authorities:
''I'd call on Mayor Frankovic or County Prefect Nikola Dobroslavic, who is already deciding on this, to declare a disaster for the City and the County, which are both 99.9 percent dependent on tourism. This is the only way we will save ourselves from this little beast that has done more damage to the world than the atomic bomb,'' says Captain Bogomir Vukovic.
The situation with another Dubrovnik Republic replica vessel isn't much different either. The ship, which is under the command of Captain Fran Radosevic, spends most of its time docked berth at Gruska placa.
''We've had three small groups so far, and we've not been doing excursions this summer at all because so far, we haven't been able to gather even the minimum number of passengers needed, 30 to 50 people per voyage, to be at all profitable. We had to do one wedding of 80 people, and in the end, due to the epidemiological measures, it all came down to 8 of them, the newlyweds, their parents and their godparents. Fortunately, so far, we haven't fired anyone, and we haven't reduced the salaries of our employees. We have an agency and that has helped us so far, I just don't know how we're going to proceed. I don't rely much on bankers or politicians,'' Radosevic explains.
''We returned on March the 18th, and a day later we already had 70 people arranged for dinner. Instead of dinner, we were greeted by quarantine,'' recalls Radosevic, who is sick ans tired of the state's attitude towards entrepreneurs in tourism.
''Our VAT rate of 25 percent is the highest in the entire Mediterranean. If this isn’t an opportunity for it to be taken down, then I don’t know when it is. It isn't normal that from one trip that costs 350 kuna, we have to give 250 kuna to the state,'' Frano Radosevic complains. He says he is angry at the statistics that politicians are still claiming that we're at 50 percent of last year's turnover.
''Let them come to Dubrovnik themselves and they'll see what the real situation is on the ground,'' says the disgruntled captain of the Karaka, which remains an eternal piece of the Dubrovnik Republic in the modern day.
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Buzin City Island - One of Biggest Investments to be Realised
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 27th of August, 2020, there has been talk circulating for a long time about the construction of a new southern entrance to Zagreb. To be more precise, talks have been going on for more than a decade now. Is the long-anticipated Buzin City Island about to come to fruition?
Various rumours and options have appeared in public, but the attractive piece of land in Buzinske krce, along the main road connecting the Croatian capital city of Zagreb with Velika Gorica and Franjo Tudjman International Airport, remained untouched. And then recently, large excavators arrived on the meadow. This is the announcement of the beginning of the realisation of one of the largest investments in Croatia - Buzin City Island. The business settlement on eighty thousand square metres of land, with 250,000 m2 of office space, will be realised in five phases, and the entire project is worth two billion kuna, as reported by Vecernji list.
When the works are completed, the southern entrance to the capital will become Buzin City Island and, as was revealed by project manager Marijo Tomic, it will have "all of the facilities needed by a working man during and outside his working hours". The investor of this project is the company City Island d.o.o. based in Rugvica, and the main designer is the Split company MIG arhitekti. The main contractor is KFK, a regional leader in the production of aluminum-glass facades. The same company is currently working on seven major projects in the United Kingdom and some in the United States. The Buzin City Island project will be built in five phases, explained Tomic.
''It isn't being built classically, several different buildings will be built, and in several phases. The deadline for the completion of the first phase is 24 months. The construction site is divided into two plots, zone A and zone B, and we will build about twenty business buildings,'' Tomic stated, adding that in the first phase, which is still only just beginning, the construction of envelopes of various business premises is planned. In the first phase, they will build a hotel with 200 rooms and a congress centre, as well as three business buildings in which multifunctional halls and a studio will be located.
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Croatian Government Introducing New ID Cards, Regulating Digital Nomads
August 28, 2020 - On Thursday, the government accepted and sent to the parliamentary procedure amendments to the Law on Identity Cards and the Law on Foreigners, which should also regulate the temporary stay of digital nomads.
Novi List reports that according to the draft proposal for amendments to the Identity Card Act, which will be applied from August next year, in accordance with the European Parliament regulation on strengthening the security of Union citizens, the new identity cards will contain biometric identifiers in the form of faces and two fingerprints in interoperable digital formats.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Davor Bozinovic reported that the age limit for issuing permanent identity cards has also been changed. It has been raised from the age of 65 to 70, while the identity card for citizens from the age of 70 will be issued with a validity period of five years.
Amendments to the law also prescribe the obligation to withdraw from the use of identity cards issued without a validity period that do not meet the minimum security standards. In addition, the new ID card will contain a two-letter Croatian mark printed on the front in a blue rectangle surrounded by 12 yellow stars.
"Apart from the amendments made to harmonize with the Regulation, the proposed amendments to the law would enable the use of electronic ID cards on mobile devices, and not only on personal computers as before. Citizens are given the opportunity to access electronic services and validly electronically sign documents using mobile phones or tablets. Citizens will not pay extra for the use of the appropriate software solution for mobile devices," specified Bozinovic.
The Minister added that these amendments stipulate the obligation for persons who have reached the age of 16 and who have been allowed by a court in a non-contentious procedure to marry in accordance with the provisions of the Family Law and have entered into marriage, to obtain an identity card if they reside in Croatia.
On Thursday, Bozinovic also presented a proposal for the Law on Foreigners, which stipulates that the Government no longer makes a decision on determining the annual quota of permits for employment of foreigners, but employers are already obliged to request the Croatian Employment Service to conduct a labor market test before applying for a residence and work permit for foreigners.
"If it is determined that there are no unemployed persons in the Republic of Croatia who meet the requirements of employers, employers should submit a request for a residence and work permit to the Ministry of Interior, which will ex officio ask the Croatian Employment Service for an opinion on the employment of a foreigner with a Croatian employer. The procedure for issuing residence and work permits, including the implementation of the labor market test, can take a maximum of 30 days," explained Bozinovic.
The Minister added that the bill prescribes exceptions to the implementation of the labor market test related to occupations such as carpenters, masons, waiters, butchers, and in the case of seasonal work up to 90 days in agriculture, forestry, catering, and tourism.
In order for the Government not to be obliged to re-issue the Decision on determining the annual quota of permits for the employment of foreigners, it is prescribed that the Law on Foreigners enters into force on 1 January 2021.
According to the proposal of the new law, a new institute of long-term visa is introduced, the so-called D visa, in case a third-country national is granted temporary residence due to work, family reunification, study, research, and secondary education.
Furthermore, the novelty is the prescribing and more favorable regulation of temporary and permanent residence for members of the Croatian people with foreign citizenship or statelessness, who have a certificate from the Central State Office for Croats outside the Republic of Croatia.
In addition, under more favorable conditions, family members of a Croatian citizen can acquire permanent residence, as well as foreign minor children who have been granted temporary residence for three years, and one of the parents has been granted permanent residence or long-term residence.
Bozinovic also announced a novelty which prescribes the possibility of regulating the temporary residence of digital nomads, i.e., foreigners who perform jobs digitally for foreign employers.
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Another Coastal County Restricts Number of Attendees at Weddings, Funerals
ZAGREB, August 27, 2020 - The civil protection authority in Dubrovnik-Neretva County on Thursday recommended that the national authority adopts a measure restricting the number of attendees at weddings, funerals and commemorations to 50 people and that other celebrations be attended only by family members with up to 20 people.
In addition, performances, religious rites and so on need to be held according to all the epidemiological measures if they are held outdoors. If they are held indoors, face masks need to be used and a distance of at least two metres kept.
The owners of hospitality premises are responsible for organising the implementation of these measures and enhanced inspections need to be organised by local response teams.
These measures will apply as of Monday 31 August for a period of 14 days.
Similar measures were recommended on Wednesday in Split-Dalmatia County.
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Butkovic: 1.5 Billion Euros Invested in Railways
ZAGREB, August 27, 2020 - Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Oleg Butkovic visited on Tuesday workers working on the reconstruction of the railway running from the Zagreb West Rail Station to Savski Marof.
Minister Butkovic underscored that the project was a part of a large transport infrastructure investment cycle worth HRK 20 billion (approx. €2.67 bn), with work on the railway accounting for €1.5 billion of that amount.
The reconstruction of the railway is worth HRK 366 million (excluding VAT), most of which is covered by a loan aproved by the World Bank, that is, the International Bank for Resconstruction and Development (IBRD).
The works on the reconstruction began in May.
The contract for the reconstruction works was signed in February this year between the HZ Infrastruktura railway operator and the Austrian Swietelsky company. The deadline for completion is 27 months, which means the railway should be completed in summer 2022.
The railway from Savski Marof to Zagreb West Rail Station, which is about 18 km long, is the most frequented railway in Croatia, with over 160 trains passing along the route every day, and it is a part of the RH1 railway corridor, which is very significant for international freight transport and urban-suburban transport.
The reconstruction should increase the level of safety and the carrying capacity of the rail line, as well as reduce the cost of maintenance, while the trains are expected to be able to travel at 120 km/h.
Large transport investment cycle
During his visit to Savski Marof, Minister Butkovic underscored that together with another large construction site nearby - the reconstruction of the railway from Zapresic to Zabok - an investment of about HRK 900 million was being made in railway reconstruction in that area alone.
Minister Butkovic announced that investments in railway would continue in the coming years, and next week a contract would be signed for the purchase of 22 new trains for the rail transport company HZ Putnicki Prijevoz, a project worth more than a billion kuna.
According to the data he presented, the total transport performance so far this year is at about 50% of last year's results, and rail freight transport, and even passenger transport, he said, have not seen much damage because there was even more demand for that type of transport during the coronavirus crisis.
President of the HZ Infrastruktura railway operator Ivan Krsic underscored that the works on the reconstruction of the railway from Zagreb West Rail Station to Savski Marof were progressing well, noting that the railway was last overhauled in 1974.
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Volume of Construction Work Recovers in June
ZAGREB, August 27, 2020 - In June 2020, after three months of decline, the volume of construction work in Croatia grew by 8.5% on the year, according to the preliminary data of the Croatian Bureau of Statistics (DZS) released on Thursday.
The increase in the volume of construction work is the result of economic lockdown measures being lifted.
The measures were put in place on March 19 to curb the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic and immediately caused the first decline in the volume of construction work since February 2018. The decline continued in April and May.
After a substantial increase at the start of the year (by 8% in January and by 11.9% in February), there was a decline in the volume of construction work by 0.9% on the year in March, by 4.7% in April and by 2.2% in May.
In June 2020 works on buildings went up by 9% compared to June 2019, while civil engineering works grew by 8%, according to the working-day adjusted data. Civil engineering works include the construction of roads, railways, pipelines, bridges etc.
The volume of construction work rose by 10.5% on the month, with the works on buildings increasing by 12.2% and engineering works by 6.6%.
The volume of construction work saw a mild growth of 0.3% in Q2 compared to the same period last year.
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