Number of New Businesses in Knin Rises Despite Employment Issues
As Suzana Varosanec/Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 5th of August, 2020, according to the amount of total revenue in 2019, the most successful small privately owned enterprise registered in Knin is Transport Beton Lubina, with 43.1 million kuna in revenue.
Enterprises based in the Croatian city of Knin, located in the Dalmatian hinterland, who have been operating within the corporate income tax system for the last ten years without exception have shown a positive consolidated financial result, according to Fina's recent analysis which was prepared on the occasion of Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day and Croatian Veterans Day.
However, the net profit in the amount of 12.1 million kuna, which was reported in Knin last year, which also the highest in the observed period 2010-2019, seems to be encouraging. It is as much as about 55 percent higher than in 2010, and about 34 percent higher than it was back in 2018.
The total revenue of this group of Knin-based businesses were the highest back in 2011 when they amounted to 429.2 million kuna, and the lowest was in 2018 (173.5 million kuna), while last year they were at the level of revenues earned back in 2010, which is equal to revenues of around 215 million kuna in total.
As previously stated, according to the amount of total revenue earned in 2019, the most successful small privately owned enterprise with its headquarters in Knin is Transport Beton Lubina with an impressive 43.1 million kuna. The production of concrete products for construction is the predominant activity of this company, which is owned and managed by Srećko Lubina. The company employs nineteen people and their average net salary in 2019 was around 5300 kuna per month, which is well above the Knin average.
The number of enterprises based in Knin increased from 75 in 2010 to 88 in 2019, an increase of 17.3 percent, but the number of employees decreased from 615 (2010) down to 510 (2019), which marks a decrease of a similar 17.1 percent. As such, it can be assumed that one of the reasons is the stated negative trends in terms of the amount of the net salaries of employees in Knin.
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Suncani Hvar: Hvar's Top Hotel Chain on Guest Structure and Adaptability
As Novac/Jozo Vrdoljak writes on the 4th of August, 2020, during this crisis, the largest hotel chain on the island of Hvar and one of the largest in Dalmatia, Suncani Hvar, lost 90 percent of its market overnight. As many as 90 percent of the guests of this hotel company were tourists from the USA, Canada, Australia, Brazil and from closer to home in Europe - Great Britain.
Every other guest came from outside of Europe in 2019. With a quick reaction in a very short time, they managed to change the market in order to get new guests from other markets. The good occupancy of the hotel at this time instills optimism in the President of the Management Board, Gordana Tomicic, and she's of the belief that in spite of the woes of 2020, this year will end positively. She is especially pleased with the occupancy of the Palace Elisabeth hotel, which, she says, is proof that exclusive hotels have their pull even in times of crisis.
How many guests are currently holidaying in Hvar Town?
According to official data obtained from the Tourist Board of Hvar Town, at the end of July, Hvar Town realised slightly more than 50 percent of the overnight stays it had when compared to the same period in 2019. Since the beginning of April, Slovenia has been the leading market for Hvar terms of the number of overnight stays realised, recording 97 percent of last year's result, followed by Croatian tourists with 92 percent, German tourists with 58 and Polish tourists with 63 percent when compared to the same period last year.
What is the situation with Suncani Hvar?
At the moment, we have 66 percent of the guests staying in the facilities when compared to last year. At Suncani Hvar, due to objective reasons of the inability to arrive, our main markets of the USA, the United Kingdom, Brazil and Australia are in significant decline. We compensated these markets with closer markets, so Croatian guests are the leading market in the number of overnight stays now, and 66 percent of last year's result was achieved. This is followed by Germany with 31 and Denmark with 73 percent compared to the same period last year, and they're then followed by other closer markets.
Which hotels are open?
As for the opening of the hotels, the Riva hotel was opened back in June, and due to the increase in demand, our largest hotel, Amfora, was opened on June the 30th. Camp Vira opened in July. In addition to these hotels, the Palace Elisabeth, the first five-star hotel on the island of Hvar, was opened in July and was completely renovated last year. We're pleased with the fact that we've had unexpectedly high demand for the Palace Elisabeth hotel, which is 90 percent full, which makes us happy and shows that exclusive products have their pull even in times of crisis. In the past few weeks, we've been working intensively on preparations for the opening of the Pharos Hotel. With its opening, we'll have more than 80 percent of the capacity belonging to Suncani Hvar in operation, with the planned high occupancy during the month of August.
What are the announcements for the coming months?
Considering the circumstances and the change in the structure of guests, the announcements for the coming months are positive, and today at the Amfora Hotel, we're recording occupancy rates at last year's levels and even as much as one hundred percent occupancy at the Palace Elisabeth Hotel.
How are you doing in terms of reservations?
The condition of the reservations being made is also very good. We're currently achieving a higher entry of reservations into the system compared to last year, although this is partly the result of higher capacity availability compared to the same period last year.
How did you attract guests?
During the lockdown due to the pandemic, we literally lost more than 90 percent of all our standard markets overnight. In addition to Dubrovnik and Split, we were the most affected in the Croatian tourism sector. We had to adapt to the new business conditions in a very short time and with timely reactions. So, we had to adjust our prices and business conditions and establish cooperation with new partners. We focused on the fact that there are those for whom Hvar was unattainable due to its exclusivity and price, so this season those people can experience the charms of Hvar at a more affordable price. In a short period of time, we managed to attract markets that aren't really dominant for Hvar. So, from the beginning of the season, we were faced with a situation that resulted in a complete change in the structure of our guests both at the level of the destination, and especially at the level of our hotels.
You say you have completely changed the structure of guests?
In 2019, in the hotels of Suncani Hvar, every second guest came from outside Europe. Mainly from the USA, Canada, Australia and Brazil. These are the countries that were or are still the most affected at this moment in time with respect to the pandemic.
As many as 90 percent of our guests arrived here by plane, so the cancellation of the operations of some airlines and the generally significant drop in flights to Split Airport further affected us. With the easing of the measures and the opening of borders, things began to change rapidly, so we've been recording an increase in guests from neighbouring countries such as Austria, Germany and the Czech Republic, as most people from there travel to their final destination by car, and with the increasing number of summer flights to Split, we're getting guests from the UK.
What else have you done? Did you lower your prices?
These good figures are the result of price corrections, relaxed sales conditions, and adjustments to our offer and the packages that we've implemented this season. For example, one of the advantages of staying at the Palace Elisabeth Hotel and in the rest of our luxury offer is the use of what's on offer at the luxury beach Beach Club Hvar, the former Bonj ‘les bains’ beach club, which we renovated this year.
What business changes have you made as a result of this crisis?
In moments of likely revenue decline, the emphasis was placed primarily on optimising the cost side, so we reorganised our operations, we reduced our operating costs and we focused on optimising the workforce. We created an internal labour exchange and redistributed work responsibilities within the existing team of Suncani Hvar. We've reduced all cost categories that aren't necessary for current operations in a timely manner. All of our employees have been providing their contributions throughout a very difficult year. Despite the difficult business conditions, the operating staff didn't have any salary reductions. We also applied for the Government measures to help us to preserve jobs, which is crucial to retain workers and preserve the stability of the tourism system during the crisis.
What are the prospects in terms of business results?
Despite the fact that this is the most difficult tourist year in the past 20 years, we expect a positive result at the level of the year itself, which confirms the market value of Suncani Hvar, and also the potential of the destination. We don't expect the normalisation of business in terms of the return to the results we had in our most successful year of 2019 even in 2021. I believe it's more realistic to expect a return to these figures during 2022.
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Croatian Telecom Makes Free WiFi Available in Certain Areas
As Novac writes on the 3rd of August, 2020, Croatian Telecom/Hrvatski Telekom provided the citizens of Sisak and the residents of the municipalities of both Ražanac and Posedarje with free internet in areas where public gatherings take place. They are part of the cities and municipalities that were awarded a voucher in the amount of 15,000 euros as part of the WiFi4EU initiative, after which they chose Croatian Telecom as the best contractor to provide public free WiFi internet for their citizens.
As part of the WiFi4EU initiative, the European Commission is launching projects co-financing high-quality free internet access for citizens in public places such as parks, squares, public buildings, libraries and museums.
In the area of the city of Sisak, thirteen WiFi connection points have been installed, which have been successfully connected and integrated with the city's telecommunications network and cover the locations of the newly renovated city skating rink ''Zibel'' and the city pool, Caprag, a central summer gathering place for local residents. The project provoked extremely positive reactions from citizens, on which occasion, Mayor Kristina Ikić Baniček stated: "Our goal is to facilitate access to Internet services in public spaces and improve digital connectivity in the city of Sisak."
Access to free public internet was realised at the beginning of summer in well-known tourist destinations in the vicinity of Zadar. In the municipality of Posedarje, free WiFi internet access was launched in early June at several locations including Punta beach, Sveti Duh beach, the building of the Posedarje Tourist Board and the Podvrtline car park. Access points have been set up in the nearby municipality of Ražanac, where there are nine external and two internal access points which work to cover the locations of the Municipality building, the square in front of the Municipality, the National Library, Riva (waterfront) and the Vlaški kraj, Pisak, Pježavac and Puntica beaches.
Due to the specific weather conditions in the local climate, the municipality of Ražanac has invested additional funds of its own that will ensure the functioning of the network throughout the year. "With this project, we've covered the most frequented places in the Ražanac area and we're sure that our locals and their guests will be satisfied. The project team of Croatian Telecom has really done an excellent job and all of our wishes and ambitions have been entirely fulfilled,'' said Nikola Miletić, Mayor of Ražanac.
Otherwise, Croatian Telecom is the largest private investor in the Republic of Croatia, which has been continuously investing in the quality and development of its mobile and fixed network infrastructure for years.
"We're proud that cities and municipalities recognise us as a reliable technological partner, which will provide their citizens with the best experience of using the public and free internet. We're continuing to digitise Croatia by providing access to quality internet to as many citizens as possible, which means investing in the development of optical infrastructure, WiFi access points and the mobile network,'' said Nikola Brebric, manager for the development of ICT business solutions at Croatian Telecom.
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Utility Vehicles Made in Rasco Kalinovac Factory Exported to Australia
As Novac/Jozo Vrdoljak/Privredni writes on the 3rd of August, 2020, the Rasco factory in Kalinovac has produced the 300th Muvo vehicle, a multifunctional utility carrier for the maintenance of urban areas, fully designed and manufactured in Croatia.
Muvo vehicles are currently cleaning and maintaining more than thirty major Croatian cities, including gorgeous coastal destinations. The vehicle is also present in almost all of Europe, as well as in Asia and even as far away as Australia.
The idea of adopting the production of a small universal utility vehicle was born back in 2008, and is the result of the thoughts of two owners and the then members of the board, Frane Franičević and Darko Paviša, on how to ensure the growth of Rasco's revenue in the future.
Although the Muvo vehicle development project started during the global economic crisis, Rasco's director Darko Paviša says that at that time, both he and Frane Franičević accepted the crisis as a challenge and during its hold on the world, began with the construction and production of new types of machines. They also worked on expanding the company's production programme, so that after the end of the crisis, they could take even better positions in the market.
"We weren't satisfied with the representation of our products from utility companies. We've started to produce machines in smaller dimensions, so that they can be installed on small tractors or small utility vehicles that most often maintain the centres of cities and municipalities. We quickly realised that we needed a complete package to enter this market: both a propulsion vehicle and maintenance connections. Back in 2008, small universal utility vehicles were produced by only a few manufacturers in Europe, and in relatively small batches. We recognised this opportunity and started developing the concept, which is today's Muvo vehicle,'' Paviša pointed out.
The conceptual concept of the vehicle and the project task were created by Frane Franičević, and the project lasted for four years. The first Muvo was presented back in 2012 at the IFAT trade fair in Munich, Germany, and aroused a lot of interest among customers and visitors. Serial production started in 2013, and most of the first copies were sold here in Croatia, in order to obtain quality information on the behaviour of the machine in real working conditions and to provide efficient and fast service support.
"Muvo has combined excellent work performance, multifunctionality and quality. Our customers get a compact cleaner, a winter service vehicle, a mowing vehicle, a plant and park watering machine, a lifting platform and much more in one vehicle by changing the attachments. Muvo is constantly undergoing improvements, in line with user comments and market needs. Today, almost eight years after the start of production, we stand by the side of global manufacturers,'' explained Ivica Ivanic, technical director at Rasco.
With the help of a strategic partnership with German articulated utility vehicle manufacturer Max Holder, the company’s management began exporting Muvo vehicles back in 2015. The Muvo project was spun off into a separate company, Rasco Holder, which is 50 percent owned by Rasco and 50 percent owned by Germany's Max Holder. This step forward ensured Muvo's entry into the world market and played a major role in the impressive number of 300 vehicles sold.
"We achieved the goal we wanted: we entered the segment of communal maintenance in cities and smaller, local self-government units and very quickly established that there is still room for the expansion of this the offer to this group of clients. That's why soon after the successful placement of our Muvo vehicles, we started working on a new platform for the utility market: the compact Lynx cleaner,'' concluded Rasko's Darko Paviša.
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Flights to Croatia: Aegean Airlines Cancels All Flights to Croatia in 2020
August 5, 2020 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for flights to Croatia with updates from Zagreb, Split and Dubrovnik.
Croatian Airlines reports that Aegean Airlines, a Star Alliance member, previously announced the start of traffic to three Croatian airports (Dubrovnik, Split and Zagreb) from September this year. All flights to the mentioned destinations have been canceled for this year.
Before the pandemic, Aegean Airlines planned to operate to three destinations in Croatia from Athens (Eleftherios Venizelos Airport). The start of traffic was first postponed to September, and now all flights to Croatia have been canceled for this year.
Lines to Zagreb, Split and Dubrovnik were supposed to operate with a smaller number of weekly flights compared to last summer season, but due to weak demand, the company completely canceled flights on these routes and does not intend to launch them this year.
This left the airports in Split and Zagreb without a direct connection with the Greek capital. Croatia Airlines operates on the route Zagreb - Athens with a stop in Dubrovnik, so the flight between the two capitals is not direct. The Zagreb - Athens (via Dubrovnik) route of Croatia Airlines continues to operate three times a week, every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday on the DashQ400 aircraft, with a capacity of 76 passengers.
It should also be mentioned that Volotea also canceled flights from Dubrovnik and Split to Athens until the end of the summer flight schedule.
Furthermore, Croatian Aviation reported that as of Sunday, August 2, Turkish Airlines is operating fewer weekly flights on the Istanbul - Zagreb route.
In July, Turkish Airlines operated five times a week on the Istanbul - Zagreb route, but since the beginning of August, there has been a reduction in the number of weekly flights. Throughout August, the company will operate on the mentioned line only four times a week, every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, flights will take place on Mondays and Fridays in the evening, and Wednesdays and Sundays in the morning.
Smaller capacity aircraft (mainly A319) have been announced on the route. It is worth mentioning that before the outbreak of the pandemic, Turkish Airlines flew to Zagreb twice a day, transporting a large number of passengers from Asia, and these tourists are almost non-existent in Croatia this year. The company has repeatedly adjusted its capacity on the line by introducing larger aircraft, such as the A330, but this will probably not be necessary this year.
The second line of Turkish Airlines in Croatia, to Dubrovnik, was previously announced for September. However, all flights have been postponed and the company is currently offering flights in October, though they will soon be canceled. In fact, Turkish Airlines will not return to Dubrovnik Airport this year.
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VIDEO: Rijeka Fans Light Up Krk Bridge with 222 Flares for Operation Storm
August 5, 2020 - 222 defenders were killed in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County during the Croatian War of Independence. 222 torches are traditionally burned in their honor on Krk Bridge to commemorate Operation Storm.
Operation Storm, a strategic victory in which the Croatian Army liberated Croatia, began on this day in 1995. It is considered the most important military offensive of the Croatian War of Independence.
Index.hr reports that during the Croatian War of Independence, from 1991 to 1995, 222 defenders were killed in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, and 222 torches are burned in their honor on the Krk Bridge. The traditional torchlight procession has been organized since 2017 by the NK Rijeka fan group 'Armada', the 'Vavik Vjerna Kirija' fan association from Crikvenica and members of the 'Blue and White Island' fan association from the island of Krk.
Take a look at the scenes from the Krk Bridge below.
"There is no surrender! Honoring the dead does not allow a delay, not for anything, let alone for the rain!" pointed out the Armada fan group, answering the question if the adverse weather on Tuesday would disrupt the torchlight procession on the Krk Bridge, by which fans pay tribute to the fallen veterans from Primorje-Gorski Kotar County that gave their lives for an independent Croatia.
"On this day in 1995, the victorious Storm started. How would it be if the operation was postponed because very high temperatures were announced, if they delayed the action for a more pleasant situation? We cannot retreat, there will be 222 torches for the heroes from Primorje-Gorski Kotar County whose lives were lost for our freedom in the Homeland War.
Several inquiries arrived in the last few hours about whether the traditional Armada torchlight procession would take place. The reason for concern can be seen with the naked eye, just by looking out the window and the announcement of more torrential rain over Rijeka, including in the area of Kraljevica during the torchlight procession. Delaying this is out of the question and there is no surrender. Get dressed and go to Kraljevica, Oštar, Voz, Črinjševa," said the members of the Armada before the torchlight procession.
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HNS Executive Director Marijan Kustic Talks About Upcoming Season, Spectators, and National Team
August 5, 2020 - Executive director of the Croatian Football Federation, Marijan Kustic, spoke about the just-finished season, the Cup final, the playoffs, referees and VAR, the national team and coach Zlatko Dalic, the junior championship that stirred relations with Hajduk, and other current events in his latest interview.
The interview with Lovorko Magdic is transmitted in full, as reported by HRT:
The end of the season is just around the corner, as are the playoffs for the First HNL. What is your impression of the Cup final?
"I am happy that the final of this year's Cup was played in Kresimir's city, the city of the greatest athlete in the history of Croatia, Drazen Petrovic. I think that the match between Rijeka and Lokomotiva took place in a nice atmosphere. The slightly luckier team won, and I am really happy and proud that everything went well and that nothing happened after the game," says Kustic.
At one time during the corona era, there were spectators, now again, there are not.
"We monitor the epidemiological situation on a daily basis, and we simply did not want to get into a situation where we do not start the new competition season, which starts very soon. That is why we decided that there will be no spectators in the last round, in the Cup final and the qualifying matches of Istria and Orient, and we will most likely start the new championship also without spectators. With the current decision, the Nation's League is also played without spectators, which is why we decided to play the national team matches in Zagreb."
HNS quickly adapted to the health situation in Croatia and the world regarding football competitions in the country.
"As soon as we got into this situation with the coronavirus, we set up a working group, with doctors, epidemiologists and our people who run competitions within HNS. We followed the everyday situation, so we made decisions. When we stopped competing, few believed that we would bring the season to an end, which was perhaps the most interesting since the founding and independence of Croatia, because the order on the table was not known until the last round."
Your impression of the referees?
"There are always those who are satisfied and dissatisfied. Our goal was to introduce a VAR system; with this, we wanted to reduce errors to a minimum. What we always like to say is that we don’t want tails to be chased after games, but we can state that the reffing was very good. The application of VAR proved to be a great hit, we are satisfied and happy, we need even more education, and over time it will improve."
The playoffs for the First HNL used to be very interesting, the fight between the First League ninth place and second-place finishers from the Second League. Have the playoff matches lost their competitive charm?
"All these qualifying matches have their charm and I hope that there will be great matches in the future as well. Most importantly, it was shown in the 1st HNL that by investing in infrastructure and building better and better pitches, we have better and better games, more goals, fewer cards and fewer injuries to players."
The first league is more and more stable, even more interesting in the media, and a new agreement on media rights is on that track.
"That is great for Croatian football, for Croatian clubs. All funds will be directed to clubs, the first league, women's league, futsal league. It’s a big step forward, especially in this situation, because it’s not easy for clubs to raise funding to sustain and endure an entire season."
Will the second division endure all the turbulence currently happening?
"I deeply hope it will. The other day we had an assembly of clubs in the Second League, and as the Federation, we will also participate when it comes to financial assistance in paying club fees, with some 90 thousand kuna per club. We are doing everything to help the clubs, and we will do it in the future as well. Our goal is for the clubs to survive, not to shut down."
Onto the Croatia national team - the start of the Nations League is in September, is the start of this competition in any way in danger?
"The dates are known, and at this moment the decision is such that there will be no spectators, so it was much more practical and simple to organize in Zagreb, so the matches will be played in Zagreb for now."
The contract with coach Zlatko Dalic has been renewed.
"From the beginning, we said that there would be no problems, it was a mutual wish and we are looking forward to our further cooperation and the success of the Croatia national team."
There were many different comments, arguments and justifications about the final of the Croatian Junior Championship.
"I have repeatedly stated my opinion on this. Decisions were made, we asked for the opinion of Uefa, which said its own and presented the practice on which the countries in Europe were based when it comes to the same or similar issues regarding the conclusion and selection of clubs for European competitions. Before the final decision was defined, we consulted with them and sent a letter to them. We have acted according to the practice in Europe, although I have stated before that it is always best to solve it on the pitch, but such decisions are always the most difficult to make."
The Executive Director of HNS also commented on the work of the health commission headed by Dr. Dragan Primorac.
"Truly all praise to our health committee and the working group that is working hard on it. I hope that the new tests will not have any coronavirus-positives, so as not to get into a situation where we have to question play and regularity."
HNS's cooperation with the International Olympic Committee, whose new member is former Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, is intensifying.
"Congratulations to her once again on her election, it is a great success to be elected to such a body. As for the cooperation itself, we are working on its improvement, not only in the interest of HNS, but in the interest of all federations in Croatia. We have intensified this collaboration over the last year. I will be a representative in the Assembly of the Croatian Olympic Committee on behalf of HNS, so I am looking forward to working with Mr. Zlatko Mates. I hope that we will all work together for the benefit of Croatian sport."
In the two years since Croatia played the World Cup final, when you say that you are the executive director of HNS, or that you come from Croatia, how much has the attitude of people from abroad changed?
"It has certainly changed; it should not be emphasized much. Whatever country you go to, everyone mentions Modric and our other players - this is the biggest promotion of Croatia in the world. Looking at our cooperation with other federations in general (basketball, handball ...), I think that we should all work together for the benefit of Croatia with the Law on Sports and the Financing of Sports. If we all work together in that direction, we will make a big step forward. I hope that the future will be better and brighter for sports in general," concluded Marijan Kustic.
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Croatia Confirms 24 New Coronavirus Cases, One Death in Last 24 Hours
ZAGREB, Aug 4, 2020 - In the past 24 hours, 24 new cases of the coronavirus have been identified in Croatia and one person has died, the national coronavirus crisis management team said on Tuesday.
"In the past 24 hours, there have been 24 new cases of the SARS.CoV-2 virus and the current number of infected people or active cases in Croatia today is 647," the COVID response team said.
Among them, 117 patients are being treated in hospital and seven of them are on ventilators.
Since 25 February 2020, when the first case of the virus was identified in Croatia, 5,318 people have been infected with the coronavirus and 154 of them have died while 4,517 have recovered. Currently, 2,490 people are in self-isolation.
To date, 123,199 people have been tested for the novel virus, including 1,133 in the past 24 hours.
The national response team accepted a recommendation by the COVID response team of Vukovar-Srijem County that the epidemiological measures in place be extended for another 15 days, until August 19, in this eastern county. That means that all wedding parties in that county will be allowed in the presence of immediate family only.
Jandrokovic: Let's Realise Vision of Croatia as Safe Country
ZAGREB, Aug 4, 2020 - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandrokovic on Tuesday sent his greetings on the occasion of Victory Day, Homeland Thanksgiving Day and Croatian Veterans' Day in which he called for realising a vision of Croatia as a safe country with legal and social certainty.
In his message he recalled that 25 years ago the military-police operation Storm liberated Croatia and reinstated Croatian sovereignty over the majority of occupied territory, paving the way for the process of peaceful reintegration of the Croatian Danube region.
He said that along with Operation Flash, Operation Storm was the key operation that led to the end of the Homeland War.
On this day we express our gratitude to all brave Croatian defenders and their families, to all heroes who won a victory in the Homeland War which is the foundation of the free, independent, democratic and sovereign Croatia, Jandrokovic said.
It is our obligation, today and in the future, to protect the dignity of the Homeland War and to continue building Croatia on the values that we showed in the Homeland War, he added.
"With the faith in our own abilities and knowledge, let's realise the vision of Croatia as a safe country with legal and social certainty, social justice, solidarity and inclusiveness, a country with a strong and sustainable economy and a country of knowledge and innovation in which young people will find opportunities to realise their personal and professional lives and contribute to its demographic vitality," said Jandrokovic.
Milanovic: a Stupid Fabrication about a Joint Criminal Enterprise
ZAGREB, Aug 4, 2020 - Addressing the First Croatian Policeman unit on Tuesday, President Zoran Milanovic warned of the "stupid fabrication" to present the Croatian defence war as a joint criminal enterprise.
Milanovic decorated members of the First Croatian Policeman unit with the Order of Nikola Subic Zrinski on the 30th anniversary of the assembly of 1,800 personnel who then began training to liberate the country from Serb occupation.
"We won the war. The war is over and after the war, there were attempts to present all that before the tribunal in The Hague as a joint criminal enterprise, but that attempt failed," Milanovic said.
Joint criminal enterprise is one of those stupid and ugly lies
"We were lucky that not one of our generals, and they were acting under orders from the state leadership, was tainted and convicted for that 'joint criminal enterprise', which is one of those stupid and ugly lies they tried to pin on Croatia's back," he underscored.
"I don't know who is to blame for that but I am glad that that poor attempt failed. It is up to us to be benevolent in peace and to show good faith," he added.
He greeted the families of those who fell as casualties or went missing and who paid the highest price.
Regret that the First Croatian Policeman was not given the status of a war unit earlier
"I am pleased to be able to decorate you and the brigades from Bosnia and Herzegovina that liberated Croatia. That is our and my debt of honour to you and to them," the President said, adding that he regretted that the First Croatian Policeman had not been accorded the status of a war unit earlier.
The celebration was held in the same place where 30 years ago about 1,800 Croatian police officers began training so that they could be put to the service of defending the homeland, it was said at the celebration.
This government has corrected an injustice
Veterans' Affairs Minister Tomo Medved expressed his congratulations on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the First Croatian Policeman unit underlining that with this the government has corrected an injustice by deciding that the the First Croatian Policeman was the first armed unit of the Interior Ministry.
Ahead of the 25th anniversary of the military-police operation Storm, he thanked the troops for all they had done during their service in the Homeland War.
"Let's be proud of everything we achieved together and ready for challenges that each new day brings. With optimism and faith, we are continuing towards a better future," said Medved.
