ZAGREB, Aug 27, 2020 - Croatian Defence Minister Mario Banozic attended an informal meeting of the European Union member states' defence ministers, which took place in Berlin on Wednesday, within Germany's presidency of the Council of the EU, the Croatian ministry stated in a press release.

It was the first physical ministerial meeting at the EU level since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the participants discussed EU’s operational commitments as part of operations and missions of the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP).

The importance of cooperation with NATO and the United Nations was highlighted.

Minister Banozic spoke about the importance of efforts of the EU and NATO to keep their focus on and coordinate their activities in southeastern Europe, which is additionally exposed to security challenges and hybrid threats due to the circumstances marked by the COVID-19 pandemic.

He called for more efforts to be invested in making it more visible how much the European Union contributes to the stability and security of the bloc's neigbourhood in the southeast.

Also on the agenda was the new Strategic Compass, which is expected to give the EU a common strategic direction. In an initial step, a common threat analysis will be conducted during the German Council Presidency, which is a first at European level, according to the information provided on the website of the German EU Presidency.

The framework document on the Strategic Compass was on the agenda of the EU defence ministers' meeting in Zagreb in early March when Croatia chaired the Council of the EU.

Minister Banozic expressed confidence that the Strategic Compass can contribute to the understanding of the role of the European Union in the changing geopolitical environment and to strengthening the complementary defence capabilities and cooperation.

The meeting also revolved around PESCO, which is the Permanent Structured Cooperation, established in December 2017 to raise cooperation on defence among the participating EU Member States to a new level.

Also discussed was the European Defence Fund, which is expected to foster an innovative and competitive defence industrial base and contribute to the EU's strategic autonomy.

The fund will have an important role in developing the EU defence abilities and can help SMEs that do business in the defence industry, to be more engaged in those efforts, reads the ministry's press release.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.

ZAGREB, Aug 27, 2020 - Health Minister Vili Beros told the government on Thursday that during the past seven days, Croatia experienced the biggest spike in coronavirus cases, and that the numbers are not good, however, the clinical status of people infected with the virus is milder than at the onset of the epidemic.

Since the outbreak the epidemic of the coronavirus on 25 February,  8,889 people in Croatia have been diagnosed with this infectious disease, and 157,387 people have been tested for it.

Currently, there are 2,352 active cases, Beros said.

Of those active cases, 174 are receiving hospital treatment, and this is 7.4% of all those currently infected. There are 10 patients on ventilators or 0.4% of the infected, Beros said.

Responsible behaviour can markedly reduce the spread of the infection, and the minister called on Croatians to strictly comply with epidemiological measures.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.

ZAGREB, Aug 27, 2020 - The Croatian chamber of public health officials on Thursday called on the authorities to hire more specialists from sanitary engineering in crisis situations such as the current COVID-19 epidemic.

The chamber says that the shortage of epidemiologists could be offset by actively engaging more certified sanitary engineers who are currently out of work.

The chamber believes that, when it comes to the implementation of epidemiological measures, a major part of the practical work required, could be performed by sanitary engineers. Therefore the association has appealed for more these professionals to be hired in the fight against the spread of the coronavirus infection.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.

August 27, 2020 - Formula 1 champion Nico Rosberg has purchased the car to test his speed skills to the maximum - the Rimac C_2.

Croatia does not produce many cars, but the ones they do produce are pretty special, world-class even. Thanks to the pioneering efforts of Mate Rimac and the team from Rimac Automobili, whose company essentially is the Croatian car industry, Croatian automotive excellence in globally famous. 

The Rimac magic has attracted significant investment from major players in the automotive industry, including Porsche and Hyundai, and some of its buyers are no less high-profile. 

Another big PR win for the Sveta Nedelja company, as Formula 1 champion Nico Rosberg announced that he has become the latest member of the Rimac family, purchasing the company's prestigious C_2. 

As Rosberg explained in his YouTube video on the subject, the Croatian C_2 edged it over the Ferrari SF90 Stradale, Aston Martin Valhalla and Koenigsegg Regera:

Here's what you've been waiting for – it’s been such a difficult decision! What do you think of my choice....how would you have decided and why? Subscribe to my channel so you don’t miss the customisation: https://bit.ly/NicoRosbergYT

Watch till the very end for an exclusive preview of what’s coming next….It’s been super tight between the Ferrari SF90 Stradale, Rimac Concept Two, Aston Martin Valhalla and Koenigsegg Regera! But in the end I’m super happy with my choice. You can be really looking forward to some Hypercar videos in the next few weeks. Of course, you’ll be part of the next steps: Customising my new hypercar and some driving action!

Mate Rimac was also clearly delighted with the deal, posting on social media:

The greatest feeling is to make products that make a difference and our customers happy. To have such an amazing guy as Nico Rosberg (Formula 1 World Champion) as a customer and future owner of a C_Two is just mind blowing. Nico has just visited us a couple of days ago to have a factory tour, configure his car and have a first proper test drive. Stay tuned for more really exciting stuff!

For the latest in the Rimac Automobili story, follow the dedicated TCN section. 

August 27, 2020 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for flights to Croatia with updates for Split.

Croatian Aviation reports that this summer, Aer Lingus launched only one direct line to Croatia, while before the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, four were announced.

The company introduced the Dublin - Split line only on July 20 this year, at the same time canceling the lines from Dublin to Pula and Dubrovnik, as well as the Cork - Dubrovnik line for this summer season.

Aer Lingus aircraft operated three times a week on a direct route to Split (Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays), but currently, the number of weekly flights has been reduced and flights on Wednesdays are excluded from the schedule. The company will continue to operate between Split and Dublin twice a week (Mondays and Fridays) until September 11, after which Aer Lingus will conclude this summer season and traffic to Croatia.

Direct flights of other airlines

Travelers still have several options for direct travel between Ireland and Croatia. The well-known low-cost airline, Ryanair, will operate throughout September on two routes from Dublin to Croatia:

Dublin - Split line continues to operate twice a week, on Tuesdays and Saturdays,

Dublin - Dubrovnik line continues to operate twice a week, on Wednesdays and Sundays.

The Croatian national airline will also continue to operate on the route Zagreb - Dublin, three flights a week have been announced, every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, with an A319 aircraft with a capacity of 144 seats.

This news comes one day after popular low-cost airline easyJet announced it would not operate on 20 international routes to four Croatian airports in September. The company will thus suspend certain lines earlier than planned, solely due to weak demand.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.

As Novac/Lidija Kiseljak/zupan.hr writes on the 27th of August, 2020, the Sisak-Moslavina County Development Agency is the holder of the PISMO (letter) project, the establishment of the business incubator in Novska, with partners in the Sisak-Moslavina County project and the Zagreb Development Agency. The value of the project stands at 20,293,944.35 kuna (with EU support amounting to 19,938,127.84 kuna), and it lasted from the 1st of September 2017 to the 1st of September 2019.

In the selection for the best county project, this one, based in Novska, entered the finals in the Contribution to Entrepreneurship category.

The Novska business incubator has gained an enormous level of popularity in just a short time and Novska has become a regional centre for the development of video games in the fastest growing industry, which earns billions worldwide. That is why the plans are expanding and moving towards the establishment of a campus for the PISMO gaming industry, which will include a faculty, accommodation for pupils and students, a gaming industry accelerator and an business incubator for eSport. Thus, the already completed phases of the development of the facility will be further supplemented.

In the first phase of the Novska-based project, free English language lessons were provided for all children in kindergartens in the county. The second phase regarded workshops for primary and secondary schools on software tools used to create video games, while the third phase is the business incubator itself. In the fourth phase, the introduction of the high school profession of ''video game development technician'', will take place, while in the fifth comes financial support for new startups that are established.

The Croatian Employment Service also joined in with the project, making special measures only for PISMO, so it pays the minimum Croatian salary and travel expenses to all those who decide to come to Novska from all parts of Croatia for training for six months.

Startups, founded by young developers who complete their high school or education as part of the incubator receive incentives from the CES to start a business in the amount of up to 100,000 kuna, Novska gives them 20,000 kuna, and Sisak-Moslavina County provides them with 35,000 kuna.

There are 33 startups operating within the business incubator, more than originally expected, because more and more participants in education in Novska remain in established startups. On top of that, twelve brand new companies will open soon.

The director of the Development Agency, Mario Celan, believes that a large number of game development startups from other parts of Croatia will move to Novska thanks to this aid. A measure intended for small and medium-sized companies from the gaming sector in the amount of 50,000,000 kuna, which is being prepared by the Ministry of the Economy, is also being prepared.

The establishment of the Novska business incubator was initially aimed at enabling entrepreneurs to do business and create new jobs in an easier and more efficient way, to encourage as many of them as possible to establish companies, ie startups, and thus contribute to strengthening entrepreneurship in Novska and Sisak-Moslavina. That's precisely what happened.

Since its inception, PISMO has provided an opportunity for many people to enter the fastest growing industry in the world, so it isn't surprising that an increasing number of unemployed people from all over Croatia are coming to Novska for their six months of training. In addition to education, where a large number of participants are learning how to create video games, the PISMO incubator also offers access to the latest technology and equipment for creating computer games, financial support for self-employment and beginning with your very own startup.

From the modern technology to which they have access, there is also VR equipment, a music studio, video recording equipment, a conference hall and much more.

Strategic investments

In addition to its own education, the incubator is actively cooperating with the local Sisak Technical School, and from September onwards, it will also cooperate with the high school in Novska.

For more on Croatian and EU projects, follow our lifestyle page.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.

August 27, 2020- As the number of digital nomads rises globally, some are choosing to spend some of their time in Croatia. Continuing our TCN series meeting international digital nomads calling Croatia their temporary home. Meet Cyndie Burkhardt, from NYC to Global Citizen to Split.

As recently featured on TCN, the world is projected to have a billion digital nomads by 2035, people from all over the world doing all manner of jobs and business with one thing in common - a flexible, mobile workplace connected to the Internet. If even a fracture of that number becomes a reality, the economic opportunity for countries which can attract these wealth-generating individuals has the potential to dwarf Croatia's current tourism revenues. And there are few countries better placed than Croatia to take advantage. Safe, beautiful, great gourmet scene, top tourist destination, English is widely spoken, well connected to other destinations, and a superb lifestyle. 

In order to look at the issue in more detail, we have decided to look at some of the digital nomads who have Croatia in their lifestyle plan, and to find out why Croatia, what Croatia offers, and what are the things that countries should be looking out for to take advantage of this economic opportunity. I am very grateful to Tanja Polegubic from Split's waterfront co-working space, Saltwater in Split for her help in connecting me to various digital nomads using her space. 

Our next digital nomad in Croatia is Cyndie Burkhardt currently in Split, a long way from home in New York City.

Split has a growing number of digital nomads. Tell us briefly who you are and what you do. 

Hi, I'm Cyndie Burkhardt and I’m from New York City, in the U.S. I’m a certified holistic health coach, photographer, and digital storyteller. A year ago I left my home to travel and live in 12 countries in 12 months. My plan was to explore health and wellness in different societies around the world, learning first-hand, from real people. I found diverse healing practices, met a lot of interesting characters, had amazing experiences, and gained a broader perspective on what “health” means. All along, I photographed and wrote about these adventures and created stories that are told through the lens of lifestyle and culture. (The project is on my website.) Then COVID-19 cut my travels short. My journey took a different turn and unfolded in ways I couldn’t have imagined. I arrived in Split on March 1 and a week later travel restrictions, shutdowns, and flight cancellations were being put into effect. I decided to stay because Croatia was very responsive to the pandemic early on and it seemed safe here.

You originally planned to be here for one month and now it’s much longer. How does this affect your work?

First of all, let me say that staying here longer than a month has given me an opportunity to get to know Croatia better, which I’m super excited about. I’m happy for every chance to see more of this beautiful country and meet its people. Being a little more settled, meaning I don’t have to pack up all of my things and race off to the next destination, has helped me create a workflow and a routine. Instead of rushing to complete my project in a few weeks, I’m able to develop it in more detail. I’m looking at long-term work opportunities which are remote and web-based. I would love to start something here, possibly collaborating with local Croatians and expats.

Working from a laptop rather than an office seems like an ideal lifestyle. What are the pros and cons? 

I’ve been working remotely on a laptop for several years, sometimes from home and sometimes from an office or workspace. The pros are being in control of my schedule, for the most part, and having the freedom to work in different locations. I have more flexibility to schedule the time I need for self-care, for cooking and eating good food (better than grabbing fast food or eating out, which is typical with office life), getting enough sleep, exercising, and socializing. Being able to structure my days to include things that are important to me while still getting my work done empowers me to work harder when I am on the computer. I’m probably more efficient with work because I can completely manage my own time.

That being said, the cons are the ease of jumping on the computer at any time and sometimes working too much, having to maintain some sort of organized structure to connect with people who work within traditional work hours and also different time zones, and often being isolated and alone. It’s important for me to find time outside, whether that means jumping into a workspace or a café periodically to change my environment and to be around other people. Sometimes it’s just going for a walk to clear my head.

How did you choose Croatia and specifically Split?

I visited Croatia 19 years ago, in Istria, and I loved it. I always wanted to come back and spend more time here and see the entire Dalmatian Coast and the islands. Of course, I had no idea how things would turn out to make my dream come true! When I decided to travel, I went with a company called Remote Year and Split was on their itinerary. The company considered the country and the city safe, well-connected, and wired for a digital working community. It’s got great atmosphere, people, food, and the healthful Mediterranean lifestyle. I also learned about “pomalo.” Things fell into place perfectly.

For me personally, discovering the expat community and continuing to meet new friends has been a huge bonus. I grew up on the East Coast of the U.S., in Cape May, New Jersey, at the seashore. It is identical to Split in terms of being a small beach community, the tourism season, the weather (minus your crazy bura and jugo winds!), plus the brilliant sun, salty air, and refreshing water. Being here completely resonates with me and makes me so happy, it’s the best of both worlds for work and lifestyle. I’ve had nothing but great days and experiences here.

What’s important for a destination to offer to be compatible with a digital nomad lifestyle, apart from good WiFi?

Strong and reliable WiFi is most certainly on top on the list. It’s also important to have thriving co-working space(s) so there’s an environment outside of your apartment to work, socialize, and have a coffee. My experience has been really good and positive in large part because of the people I’ve met and the kindness they’ve shown me. I’ve gotten tips on things to do, places to visit, and recommendations when I’ve needed something. When I travel I’m fully engaged and interested in meeting local people, learning about the culture and history, trying all of the food, and having unique experiences. These are the basics for truly experiencing a place. Here in Split, making new connections and friends, and being able to speak English with people, has made a huge difference in feeling like I’m part of a community. All of this is shaping my impressions and my journey.

To learn more about Croatia for the digital nomad, check out the Total Croatia Digital Nomad guide. 

Are you a digital nomad in Croatia who would like to be featured in this series? Please contact us on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Subject Nomad

August 28, 2020 - The traditional Ludbreg Days of Holy Sunday usually attracts more than 100 000 pilgrims. The feast will be held from 3 - 7 September under special epidemiolocal measures.

So popular is the traditional visit of the faithful on Ludbreg's Holy Sunday that the event is usually stretched out over ten days. But not this year. The event duration has been reduced due to the ongoing pandemic. Under special epidemiolocal measures, the town is still prepared to welcome as many as want to come. "It's impossible to plan for an exact number of how many will come," Ludbreg Tourist Board director, Andreja Horvat tells TCN. "Some will not come out of fear; some will come because it is a church holiday. There are no organized buses this year, and we have reduced promotion to a bare minimum because we do not want to invite people to a large gathering. But, for however many who do come, we are prepared."

This year there will be no accompanying programs (concerts, exhibitions, promotions, etc.). All masses will be held outdoors, i,e in the sanctuary. Following the masses, pilgrims will be invited, as usual, to attend the outdoor market, which will still take place on the town streets and the central square. To afford everyone more room, this year the amusement park has been moved to Otok Mladosti (The Island of Youth).

The lack of knowing exact numbers has given some difficulties to local caterers. They don’t know exactly how they should prepare for these days; how many will come? Will they stay and eat after Mass, as they usually do? How much food should they order?.

"Given that the situation is changing from day to day, we hope that we already have plans for everything," says Andreja Horvat. "Still, we expect new civil protection measures against Coronavirus for Varaždin County on September 1. Whether they will relate to the reduction of the number of people at various gatherings, we do not yet know."

Ludbreg's Days of Holy Sunday is based on a long tradition of pilgrimage to a unique Croatian sanctuary. Pope Leo X in 1513 acknowledged and confirmed the miraculous appearance of the Blood of Christ that took place in 1411 in the chapel of today's Batthyany Castle, Ludbreg. Ever since, pilgrims from all over the world have been drawn to the town, its shrine, and the Holy relic.

Ludbreg is unique within Croatia and one of the few shrines in the Christian world confirmed by a written decree from the Pope. The miraculous event is said to have taken place when a priest doubted the words of the transubstantiation of the bread and wine into the true body and blood of Jesus. Shortly afterward, the actual Blood of Christ is said to have appeared. Word of the miracle soon spread around the Christian world and pilgrimages began, even before the confirmation by the Vatican.

The faithful have visited since then, especially gathering each year during the ten days of Ludbreg Holy Sunday. Today, the Holy relic can be visited in the parish church of the Holy Trinity, where it is held in a chalice and kept in a beautiful baroque display.

Take a look at TCN's video stories about Ludbreg to learn about the tallest statue of St. Vincent in the world or about Sara Kolak, the town's gold-winning javelin thrower who brought her gold medal back from the 2016 Olympics in Rio.

If you want to learn more about the miracle city, read our detailed travel guide: Discover The Croatian Road Less Travelled: Ludbreg.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.