ZAGREB, July 24, 2020 - The Croatian journalists' association (HND) and union (SNH) sent an open letter to Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and Culture and Media Minister Nina Obuljen Korzinek on Friday, reminding them of unsolved problems and asking for a media strategy, new media laws, and journalism funds.

Four years ago, you announced a quality media strategy, a media legislation reform and support for quality journalism and free and professional journalists and media. New laws on the media and the public broadcaster have not been passed, while the copyright law was criticised in public consultation by almost all relevant professional organisations,the HND and SNH say in the letter.

They recall that last year they were forced to protest in the streets against the huge number of lawsuits against journalists and media, political and advertisers' pressure, threats against journalists, the undermining of professional rights and standards, the breach of media laws and lack of a serious media policy.

Today the situation is even worse, as the coronavirus crisis has further deepened the economic difficulties in the media sector and shown how unprotected media staff are, the letter said, adding that in several years before this crisis 50% of media staff were laid off.

The HND and SNH also ask for stronger social dialogue, stopping strategic lawsuits against public participation, including the HND and SNH in decision making and that their remarks on the electronic media bill be accepted.

We hope that in this term you will improve media legislation to ensure media independence and conditions for free and professional journalism. If journalists live in poverty, corruption or fear, there is no freedom of the press or democracy, the letter said.

ZAGREB, July 24, 2020 - The government on Friday sent to parliament a bill on the reconstruction of the Zagreb area after the March earthquake under which, as Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said, the government will cover 60% of the costs and local governments and owners 20% each.

A reconstruction fund will be established to oversee the works, raise money for the reconstruction and serve as a one stop shop for all citizens affected by the quake, he added.

The prime minister recalled that HRK 100 billion had already been ensured for emergency repairs by revising the 2020 budget and from the Environmental Protection Fund, that HRK 41 million had been allocated from the Condensing Boiler Fund, and that the government had paid for the accommodation of people who lost their homes in the quake in a Zagreb student dorm.

A US$ 200 million loan has been agreed with the World Bank, talks are under way on a Council of Europe Development Bank loan, and an application has been submitted to the European Solidarity Fund, said Plenkovic.

Earthquake damage estimated at €11.5 billion

"The earthquake damage is estimated at €11.5 billion, the number of damaged buildings is 25,000, the extent of the earthquake was big, ten seconds of earthquake will no doubt bring ten years of work," he added.

The law is expected to ensure the principles of organised reconstruction under professional regulations so as to preserve Zagreb's historical and artistic value. All interested stakeholders, builders, architects, art historians, conservationists and others were consulted in drafting the bill, which was also put to public consultation, resulting in 400 comments, some of which were incorporated into the bill.

Plenkovic said he wanted the widest possible consensus on the law and for it to be clear, transparent and implementable.

Construction and Physical Planning Minister Darko Horvat said the reconstruction would be a big financial challenge and that the bulk of the expenses would be covered by the state. A detailed programme of measures will be made for the pace of reconstruction, depending on financing.

As for public buildings, he said their reconstruction would be fully covered by the founders.

Culture Minister Nina Obuljen Korzinek said the reconstruction would envisage state-of-the-art technology to increase the value of Zagreb's buildings and preserve the cultural and historical aspects.

Finance Minister Zdravko Maric said he hoped the reconstruction would contribute to economic activity in Croatia.

Parliament will debate the bill next week.

24th July 2020, The world is a crazy place to be right now, let’s pause for art, beauty and truth – an interview with ‘Broken isn’t bad’.

Let’s face it, there is a lot going on in the world, so I wanted to write something a little different and promise not to mention Corona (Covid 19) too much but it is where this story starts so bear with me for a second.

Lockdown was a very personal experience for everyone, my time was relatively pain-free (you can read my impressions here) and led me to re-evaluate every area of my life, particularly how I spend my time and where I spend my money. With so much extra time on my hands and social media being a vice (for many, I’m sure) – I decided to ‘clean out’ my social media so it provides more value.

I started following more thought leaders, writers, poets and artists. I have always loved art but once I started following more artists, I realised just how much joy (and inspiration) art brings me. I stumbled across an artist that I loved on first sight, made better by the fact that all of the illustrations are accompanied by a wide range of deep, thought-provoking or spiritual poems and texts (all the things I love in one place). In line with reassessing my other value – ‘where I spend my money’, I decided to buy a piece of art. Only upon looking further at the Instagram account did I see that this artist was in fact, from Croatia and then after messaging, I discovered that Sanda (the artist behind Broken isn’t Bad) lives in the city of Čakovec (90 km North of Zagreb).

The account is called Broken_isnt_bad and has an impressive 525,000 followers, how could I not reach out for an interview? In these crazy times, where so many are struggling, particularly artists, I wanted to share a success story and hopefully some words of inspiration.

How long have you been an artist and where did you study?

I studied graphic design at the Faculty of Graphic Arts, University of Zagreb from which I graduated in 2012 and, in 2016, I opened my Instagram account and started posting my drawings under the pseudonym Broken isn’t bad, while simultaneously working in a big corporation as a graphic designer. It was a period of my life when I felt quite depressed and unmotivated. I was really unhappy with how everything works in those big companies where you cannot express your creativity as you’d like to, and where you must obey those above you who don’t have a bit of creative talent but think they know better than you. Also, my long-term relationship ended in quite a bad way and I felt really broken in a psychological sense, so it’s amazing how my artistic profile actually showed me how to move forward and regain happiness and peace in my life.

"Bloom", Broken isn't bad

Did you always know this is what you wanted to do or did you try your hand at other careers first?

Not at all. I never thought I would make a career as an artist nor had I planned it. I had been searching for my passion for quite a long time and since I’ve always loved creatives stuff, handcrafting and drawing, graphic design seemed like the best choice to study at the time. During my student years, I started to be more interested in art in general; especially illustration, tattoo and street art and I started learning to draw in creative software such as Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. I found a job as a graphic designer soon after I had graduated, but had never been able to fit in, so I started drawing as a hobby, just for myself, in order to find a way out of that uptight place that suffocated me, but have never expected it would lead me to the place I am right now.

Cat girl, Broken isn't bad

I see you have a strong social media following; how long have you had your Instagram page and when did you first start seeing movement on your page and reactions to your art? That must have felt so rewarding?

I opened my Instagram account in January 2016 at the urging of a friend who was among the first ones I showed my drawings to. As I can recall, it was only a few months after opening it that I started receiving positive comments, tattoo, and commission requests and started seeing a linear growth in following. Since then, everything has been surreal and happened so fast. I’m not sure how exactly I’ve built my loyal fan page, it somehow happened by itself, maybe because I wasn’t expecting anything and was true and honest with myself, so people found something familiar in my work, something to relate to. It has been definitely rewarding!

"Happiness, Broken isn't bad"

Being an artist or creative is never an easy path in regards to making a living, and Croatia is a country which can be tough in general. How has your journey been and can you make a living just doing what you love?

The first year (2016) was the most difficult because I needed to balance my day job and my hobby (I mostly drew in the late evenings and nights), but at the same time, it was most enjoyable because I was working just for myself and didn’t worry about how many people liked my work or were buying from me. But the most challenging was quitting my full-time and well-paid job in 2017. If you're going to dedicate yourself to starting your own creative business, it's impossible to manage another career/job. In other words, you have to quit your day job and walk away from a steady long-term opportunity for something unpredictable and scary. You never know how profitable your business will be in the future, will you be able to give yourself a pay-check every month or whether customers will like your products. That was the greatest challenge I’ve experienced so far, but I’m so happy I followed my heart.

In 2018 I opened a legal small business here in Croatia, and I am now able to make a decent living by selling my prints and working on customised artworks. It’s the most rewarding and enjoyable job ever. Being my own boss, I love that I have flexibility in schedule. Having that work-life balance keeps me engaged and excited.

Coming from NZ – which, in general, has a very optimistic attitude and moving to Croatia, one of the biggest differences I noticed was the mentality. I don’t know how many times I have heard the phrase “ne može to” or “that won’t work” – did you find the same in regards to pursuing a life in the arts?

Being born in the northern part of Croatia - Međimurje, I am lucky enough to be raised with a different mentality than it is in the south. To be honest, I have never heard the phrase “ne može to” here where I live, and I didn’t have any difficulties in regards to pursuing a life in the arts – especially not coming from other people telling me that it won’t work. My family and my friends have never discouraged me, just the opposite - they have been there on my side from the first day. When I told them that I was planning on quitting my job before I found a new one - they were nothing but reassuring, believing in me, my talent, and abilities.

I trust you, Broken isn't bad

Social media is a powerful platform (it’s how I found you on Insta!) has this been one of your strongest tools or how else have you marketed yourself and your art?

Instagram has definitely been my strongest promotional tool since I opened it in 2016 and it keeps being such. I made Facebook page a year later, but it’s not that powerful and I don’t spend as much time there as on IG. I get most inquiries for commissions, tattoos, and prints, as well as nice words of support from my followers, via Instagram and it’s the easiest way to communicate with them.

Love is Love, Broken isn't Bad

You have some beautiful, thought-provoking and powerful pieces; I loved seeing the same-sex option for your artwork in regards to love. In a very conservative country, this is a bold (and beautiful) move, what are your thoughts on this?

Sexuality for me means revealing the inner self and showing your vulnerability but at the same time, embracing it as your greatest strength. Most of my illustrations depict naked women and I try to mix eroticism with familiarity and surrealism – to show we are so much more than just skin and bone. With my illustrations I try to help individuals feel good about themselves, to find that invincible power which connects them with their inner selves in order to create a positive relationship both with themselves and with their partners – and I don’t want it to be exclusive to heterosexual people/couples – we are all human being and deserve the right to express our own sexuality.

Fortunately, majority of my following is from the US, Australia, Canada or Western Europe where those “controversial” pieces aren’t an issue. Growing up in Croatia where everyone who does not look or behave in accordance with general social norms provokes negative glances and cannot feel safe in their own neighbourhood, definitely plays a role in what people find offensive, provocative or controversial. I understand my work can be seen as a direct insult to peoples’ religious beliefs, but I try to ignore the negative comments and reactions and focus on an audience that values freedom of expression.

"Lotus Man", Broken isn't bad

I saw on your page that you are inspired by your own thoughts, experiences but also by a lot of poetry – are these your main inspirations and who are you favourite poets?

For me drawing is a form of meditation. I mostly create for myself (at least that was in the beginning) in order to express what I see and feel for my own self-healing purposes. Ever since I was little (and used to read a lot more than nowadays), I have been writing all those wise words from books, articles, songs, movies in my diaries. It was the quotes that led me to drawing and made me discover my true passion, so for me, it isn't just about quoting somebody else's words, it's about creating something out of it and healing myself at the same time.

My greatest source of inspiration has been words from poets and writers, like Rumi, F. Pessoa, P. Neruda, M. Angelou, E.E. Cummings, R.M. Rilke, O. Wilde, R. Payne, H. Murakami, F. Scott Fitzgerald, just to name a few, but I am also interested in yoga philosophy, astrology and spirituality, therefore, the quotes from motivational and spiritual speakers/teachers have also influenced my work quite a lot.

"Meditation", Broken isn't Bad

Which Croatian artists or authors do you admire or have been the greatest inspiration for you?

My greatest inspirations have been tattoo artists across the world who I have been admiring on Instagram and other social media for years. I’ve been always a big fan of tattoos and would say that tattoo art actually drew me to my style. Unfortunately, not many Croatian tattoo artists are there that would inspire me, since the scene is still quite small in our country. But I’d love to mention a few other artists who I admire very much; Korovles, Maja Tomljanović, Lara Zigic, Kvar illustration, Klarxy, 3Oko, Hana Tintor…

In these crazy times of the coronavirus pandemic, many are losing their jobs but I see it could be an opportunity for some – especially in regards to online work or using social media to our advantage. If you were to give one piece of advice to the youth of Croatia in regards to the opportunities that exist (if you believe they do), what would that be?

I would say go for it! Go for your dreams and follow your passion - there’s nothing to lose! Honestly, I don’t think I would have an art career without Instagram. It has definitely been vital for turning my hobby into career, and I’m always happy to see and be able to follow new young illustrators/painters/DIY workers/musicians/hand-makers etc., especially from Croatia.

Permanent Internet access and use of social media have played a big role in artistic world and have opened up the opportunities for many people to curate their own personal gallery on social networks, build their own client base and spread their artistic message into the world. Even artists who use traditional techniques increasingly use digital technology to expose their work making it more approachable to a wider audience. Art is becoming more popular and we are starting to see a wider array of artist and their vision that otherwise would be overlooked.

"Escape the Ordinary", Broken isn't bad

What would you say to anyone else who has an artist’s heart but doubts they can make it?

Do not compare yourself to others, you are neither better nor worse than those next to you – we all have our place in this world. Pave your own way and most importantly – be honest with what you create, stay humble, grateful and aware of your mistakes as well as your achievements. It always shows new potentials and ways to evolve and grow your craft. Magic happens when you step out of your comfort zone. Don’t be afraid.

"I don't owe you", Broken isn't bad

Closing comments

The world is undoubtedly an uncertain and scary place at the moment but words (and art) like this remind me that there is still beauty in the world. This is by far one of my most favourite interviews, a breath of fresh air with honest and inspiring responses – follow your heart, stay true to yourself, take the risk, act with humility and gratitude… timeless messages that we all need to be reminded of from time-to-time. If you want to see more from Sanda, you can find her works on Instagram under broken_isnt_bad or check out her website for prints and more information.

All images were provided by broken_isnt_bad and are subject to copyright.

ZAGREB, July 24, 2020 -  A special edition of the Daily Mail's Check-in supplement focuses on Croatia, praising the country as a dream destination post-lockdown holiday, the Croatian National Tourism Board (HTZ) reported on Friday.

The 12-page travel section highlighted all the main tourist attractions in Croatia which is depicted as a safe tourist destination. In early July, the British government decided that Britons returning from Croatia will not be required any more to self-isolate for 14 days.

The HTZ director, Kristjan Stanicic, was quoted in the HTZ press release as saying that he now expected more intensive realisation of the tourist turnover from that market after the relaunching of flight services connecting London, Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle, Birmingham and Bristol with Croatia's airports.

The e-visitor data show that currently there are about 6,000 British tourists spending holidays in Croatia, and most of them are in southern Dalmatia.

ZAGREB, July 24, 2020 - The new, 15th cabinet held its first meeting on Friday, with Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic saying the main item on the agenda was a bill on the reconstruction of buildings damaged in the Zagreb area in the March earthquake.

"As we promised, the bill is on the agenda of the first government session after the election," he said.

Plenkovic said he expected Health Minister Vili Beros, Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic, Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic Radman and Tourism Minister Nikolina Brnjac "to cooperate closely in the days ahead so that we can conduct consultations to combine what we do with our ambition to achieve the best possible tourist season and communication with many other states which follow the epidemiological situation in all other states, including in Croatia."

ZAGREB, July 24, 2020 - Health Minister Vili Beros said on Friday that 81 new coronavirus cases had been registered in Croatia in the last 24 hours, correcting the director of the Croatian Institute of Public Health (HZJZ), Krunoslav Capak, who had previously confirmed 84 cases.

"Officially, according to the HZJZ platform, 81 new cases have been recorded in the last 24 hours, and Capak mistakenly said that there have been 84 cases," the health minister said at the first meeting of the new cabinet.

The number of active cases in Croatia is 1,032, 139 people are being treated in hospital and nine of them are on ventilators. Since the start of the outbreak in the country in late February, 128 have died, including eight in the past week, Beros said.

He said that the known hotspots relating to nightclubs in Zagreb and a monastery in the eastern town of Djakovo had been placed under control and that the number of new infections in these areas was on the decline. He added that smaller clusters in Sisak-Moslavina and Virovitica-Podravina Counties were also under control, while a hotspot in Ivankovo in Vukovar-Srijem County remained active.

The other continental counties are mainly calm, without any major clusters, while several smaller clusters have been observed in the coastal counties. However, 54.3 percent of the positive cases today come from self-isolation, which means that these persons are under observation, the minister said.

The national coronavirus response team reported 104 new cases on Thursday and 108 on Wednesday, and Beros said that most of the new cases were currently exhibiting milder symptoms. 

"Although the epidemiological situation is under control, we must not be satisfied because we have shown that we can do better. That's why I call on the citizens to observe simple rules to protect themselves and others from the infection," Beros said.

July 24, 2020 - Croatia first in the world to use contactless card payment technology (NFC) for online customer reviews, a game-changer for business globally

In the modern era, there's no better promotion for your business than online customer reviews. Comments and ratings on platforms like Trip Advisor, Google and Facebook have replaced slow and unreliable word-of-mouth recommendations in the digital age.

But, how to get those reviews? A huge proportion of goodwill from satisfied customers is lost forever the moment they step out of the door. They can forget every detail of your business, their experience or maybe they just don't find the time.

Review Booster Pro, an innovative platform from Dubrovnik, offers the best solution yet. It uses NFC – the same technology used by credit cards for contactless payments – to facilitate on-the-spot online customer reviews in super-fast time. It's a simple solution that could be a game-changer for business globally.

“I'm the CEO and owner of the Mint Media digital agency,” explains Ivan Ivušić who has developed Review Booster Pro.”We work with a lot of clients in the tourism sector. Over the past few years, we got a lot of requests from clients about how to improve their online reputation. Their main concern was how to improve their ratings and increase their number of reviews of Trip Advisor, Google, Facebook and other platforms, in order to get more visibility and more customers.”

“We tried many different solutions; business cards with QR codes, something you scan with your mobile phone which would take you to a web page where you write reviews. But, the main problem was the speed. Once customers leave a venue, they don't find the time to write reviews or they don't remember the name of your business. So, the conversion rates were low. So, we needed something quick and simple, so customers can leave reviews on the spot. This is what the market needs.”

Their solution was to employ NFC - Near Field Communication, the technology you use to pay contactless with your credit card. All newer mobile phones are fitted with this technology. Businesses signed up to Review Booster Pro have RBP boards, which they present to customers after their experience – for instance, while you're waiting for your restaurant bill. You simply wave you phone over the board, the phone's operating system reads the chip, your web browser opens automatically and takes you to the RBP landing page of the business you're in. You then select which of the platforms you're already signed up to - Trip Advisor, Google, Facebook etc. - and leave your online customer reviews.


© Review Booster Pro

“The RBP boards are around the size of a large mobile phone – and these can be presented to the customer or even positioned permanently on every table in your bar or restaurant; hotels, dentists, hair and cosmetic salons, retail stores, tourist guides and agencies are also some of our clients,” explains Ivan. Aside from encouraging simple and super fast reviews, businesses using the RBP platform obtain other benefits. On their RBP landing page, where they can place their branded logo and individual text, they can also use banner advertising space to promote existing partners or market different sections of their business. For instance, while a customer is leaving a review of the hotel bar, they will be shown the details of what's on offer in the hotel's spa.

Business owners can measure the clicks on each individual board they have. Therefore, a restaurant owner will be able to see which of his staff is obtaining the most reviews. Previously, such information would have been complete guesswork, unless an individual server is specifically named by a customer in a review.

“All of our current clients were already well aware that this is exactly what they need,” says Ivan. “It took about 10 minutes to sell each of them this product. In our extensive preliminary testing, businesses that were averaging 3 reviews a day went up to receiving 15 reviews per day. It's really a game-changer.”

Future plans for RBP are extremely exciting and they are already searching for ways to move the technology into different forms – imagine having the RBP chip implanted within a laminated page at the end of your restaurant menu. But, for now, the next step is to be recognised by one of the biggest three review sites.

“Trip Advisor has a separate platform (RCP) which you can partner with, to offer projects that will get them more reviews,” says Ivan. “Our product will be particularly beneficial to them because it not only increases their number of reviews, it also increases user acquisition.”

“We are processing our application to become one of these partners. They have different tiers of partners, so if you are successful and reach the top, Trip Advisor then promotes you as a solution to all the businesses worldwide who hold accounts on their platform. That's our goal. And I have every confidence we will reach it because all other solutions rely on software, many on downloading a separate app. We found no other solution in the world right now that is using NFC technology for this.”

July 24, 2020 – Tourism takes up 20 percent of Croatian's GDP. When it comes to the most popular tourist destinations, Poreč is near the top in Croatia, along with its surroundings, with record numbers of overnight stays each year. Most people work in tourism there or are directly related to it. Therefore, recognizing the importance of tourism, the City of Poreč has decided to educate children from an early age about that very important sector through a project called “Ambassadors of Modern Tourism“.

This is the first project of its kind in Croatia and the aim is to teach children the key elements of tourism and to prepare them for the tourism of the new age. It is essential to encourage investment in human potential from an early age.

Taking back the interest in tourism

As Ajna Temimović from the City of Poreč explains, in 2018 and 2019, Poreč was named the best city to live in Croatia in the category of medium-sized cities. Big investments in education, sports, and youth have contributed to this.

Poreč is also among the top 5 cities in Croatia with a positive rate of natural increase, but what concerns them is the low interest of young people for working in tourism.

“Unfortunately, there is less and less interest in certain tourist courses and fewer number of children are enrolled in our tourist high school than usual. Therefore, we decided to apply and implement a project aimed precisely at our youngest residents,” says Temimović.

Source: the City of Poreč

In some places, whole families work in tourism and children grow up without the right understanding of what the tourism sector is, why is it important for families, and what is the role of each individual. The focus of the “Ambassadors of Modern Tourism” is to change that by integrating children into the tourist lifestyle.

“The primary goal of this project is to educate children about all aspects important for tourism and the destination in which they live to bring tourism closer to them in a positive way and teach them how to contribute to the development of tourism in their city,” says Temimović, adding that the secondary goal is the promotion of tourist profession from the earliest age.

Learning through workshops

The project is led by the City of Poreč and it is financed by the Hrvatska za djecu foundation. Children from the Kindergarten Radost Poreč, the Summer Camp of the City of Poreč and the Society Naša djeca Poreč are attending workshops within the project.

They are learning about what it means to live in a tourist city, who is a tourist, what are tourists' expectations, what are the advantages and disadvantages of a tourist career.

“The interest proved to be greater than expected, and the children approached the workshops with great enthusiasm. Currently, the workshops are held in three groups with children of preschool age and lower classes of primary school,” explains Temimović.

Source: the City of Poreč

“At first it was interesting for them because they never thought and talked about it. It was something new to them, but the kids are in camp, where they learn through playing games and no one controls whether and what they have learned,” says Sniježana Matejčić, head of the Society Naša djeca Poreč, adding that in this workshop, games are fun, but children are also expected to acquire some knowledge.

A primary school teacher, the group leader, says “the children are most looking forward to the sweets at the end”.

The workshop lasts seven to eight days. In the end, young participants will test the acquired knowledge through a quiz and receive a certificate “Ambassador of Modern Tourism”.

A long-term wish is to expand this idea to the national level to raise awareness of the importance of tourism in Croatia's economy.

Source: the City of Poreč