PM Says Donations to Quake-Victims to be Exempt from VAT
ZAGREB, 7 January 2021 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic on Thursday announced changes to regulations on the implementation of the General Tax Act which will exempt from VAT donations delivered to the areas affected by last week's earthquake.
"This is another important gesture, similar to the one we did at the time of measures which applied to the COVID-19 pandemic. These donations won't be burdened with either profit or income tax, they will represent tax breaks," Plenkovic said at a cabinet meeting.
At the end of last year, the Croatian Employers Association asked the government to stop charging taxes on donations for quake-hit areas, primarily VAT on the delivery of goods and services. Monetary donations are exempt from VAT but those in the form of goods and services are not.
A few days ago, the Voice of Entrepreneurs association asked the government to exempt from VAT the firms that have been unselfishly helping the people of Sisak-Moslavina County affected by the 29 December tremor.
President Milanovic Gets Vaccinated, Calls on Citizens to Get Vaccinated
ZAGREB, 7 January 2021 - Croatian President Zoran Milanovic was publicly vaccinated against coronavirus at the Pantovcak presidential office on Thursday, calling on all Croatian citizens to do the same as, he underscored, it is better than getting infected with COVID-19.
Milanovic called on all those who were in two minds to get vaccinated, noting that the vaccine certainly helps.
Anyone who consciously decides not to get vaccinated when the vaccine is available and free, takes on the responsibility for their own health, and when a certain number of people are vaccinated, there is less burden on the system, the president said.
He also said that it was not normal for a person who administers vaccination, that is, a doctor, not to get vaccinated themselves.
He stressed that coronavirus was a global challenge especially painful for those who got sick, died and for those who lost their loved ones.
"That is a serious matter, but for most people, it is not. That is why life needs to go on in a normal way as much as it is possible, it needs to be treated like something that can be avoided, monitored, something curable, from the viewpoint of social caution, hygiene, and if it happens, it happens," Milanovic said.
"Be careful, do everything you can, and do not worry that it will happen to you," he said.
Before getting vaccinated he consulted a doctor, he added, stressing that everyone should do that.
"Life goes on, ahead of us is a year when we will have to start over for the umpteenth time... It is encouraging for Croatia that our democracy is quite functional," Milanovic said.
In addition to President Milanovic, Armed Forces Chief-of-Staff Admiral Robert Hranj also got vaccinated in front of the press at Pantovcak.
Croatia Agriculture Production Grows by 1 Billion Kuna in 2020
January 7, 2021 – Within the last month, TCN was pleased to report that Croatia agriculture and food exports had jumped considerably in 2020, while imports of the same had fallen. The success of Croatia agriculture in 2020 has been confirmed by a new report which shows that the industry has grown by almost one billion kuna in a year
The success of the Croatia agriculture sector in 2020 was detailed in a report by Smarter, a consulting company specialising in the agriculture and food industry. Vecernji List published their coverage of the report in recent days.
In the report, figures show that the value of Croatia agriculture production increased by 4.7% compared to the same period during the previous year. Croatia agriculture revenue, therefore, jumped from 17.9 billion HRK to 18.8 billion, an increase of almost one billion kuna. The 12 month period of Croatia agriculture used to compile the figures ends in November within each comparative year.
Figures show that Croatia agriculture experienced excellent results in crop production (wheat, soybeans, corn, etc). This contributing evidence goes some way to explain the good news TCN reported back in December that, according to the country's Central Bureau of Statistics, the total value of Croatia agriculture and food exports in the period from January to September 2020 amounted to 1.7 billion Euros, an increase of 5 percent from the same period in 2019. Within the same period, the value of agricultural and food imports into Croatia was 2.5 billion Euros, a decline of 7.3 percent from last year.
The result of the 2020 successes in Croatia agriculture has been a reduction in the foreign trade deficit by 26.6% in the agriculture and food sector. The improvement in 2020 is being partly attributed to grants and payments under the Rural Development Program (RDP), which have grown significantly creating a stimulus that in part affected the growth of the value of production and the amount that was produced. Increasing profits within the country's agriculture sector is being catalysed by adding value to the raw product which is grown here, via processing and other methods, which happens prior to export taking place.
Magnitude 3.8 Aftershock Jolts Petrinja
ZAGREB, 7 January 2021 - Croatia's Seismological Survey registered an earthquake at 1206 hours Thursday measuring 3.8 on the Richter scale with the epicentre near Petrinja, 45 km southeast of Zagreb.
The intensity of the quake, whose epicentre was six kilometres southwest of Petrinja, was V degrees on the EMS scale, the service said on Thursday afternoon.
This is one more aftershock in the sequence of tremors that have happened in this Croatian region since the 29 December devastating quake, which measured 6.20 on the Richter scale and took seven lives.
On Wednesday evening, a magnitude 5.0 tremor rocked Petrinja.
Ministers Get Vaccinated in Front of Press
ZAGREB, 7 January 2021 - Ten ministers in the Andrej Plenkovic cabinet on Thursday got vaccinated against coronavirus in front of the press in a bid to raise awareness of the importance of immunising the whole population against this novel virus.
The jabs were administered to those ministers who have not yet caught the virus and have not yet acquired immunity against this infectious disease.
They also called on citizens to get vaccinated.
The head of the Croatian Institute of Public Health, Krunoslav Capak, who attended the vaccination of the ministers, said that many public figures and distinguished people in Croatia would join a campaign promoting vaccination.
He is sure that more than 50% of Croatians are in favour of vaccination, and that a quarter of those polled are still in two minds about getting vaccinated. For those unsure about vaccination, it is important to send messages about vaccination, Capak said.
President Zoran Milanovic was publicly vaccinated against coronavirus at the Pantovcak presidential office today, calling on all Croatian citizens to do the same as, he underscored, that is better than getting infected with COVID-19.
4,000 Doses of Moderna Vaccine in Croatia on January 11
January 7, 2021 - When can we expect the Moderna vaccine in Croatia? Croatian PM Andrej Plenkovic weighs in on its arrival and first doses.
The Croatian Government held a new session at the National and University Library on Thursday where Prime Minister Andrej Plenković addressed the recent Petrinja earthquake and Moderna vaccine plan in Croatia, reports Jutarnji List.
"On Tuesday, we visited the heavily destroyed areas, and these larger cities in the SMŽ area and gained immediate insight. After the earthquake last night, 5 according to the Richter scale, all services were on the ground - the Civil Protection, the army, the police, the HGSS, and assistance was provided to the citizens by the Red Cross and numerous volunteers. The electricity is being repaired, the telephone signal is being spread in the area, the minister is in coordination with the mayors, and urgent procurement of alternative accommodation is being done.
There is a larger number of containers and houses; we will order more containers. The aim is to provide them as soon as possible. I thank Medved for arranging this, all of you who are engaged, all the volunteers. It is important that help and support are well-coordinated and channeled to those who need it most. I thank the engineers who are richer in their experience in Zagreb, now also in SMŽ. Thanks to the Red Cross, Caritas for all of their help in the earthquake-damaged areas," he said.
The Prime Minister also commented on the coronavirus and Moderna vaccine in Croatia.
"As far as COVID-19 is concerned, the EMA has approved the vaccine from the manufacturer Moderna, and Croatia has ordered practically a million doses from this manufacturer. The first Moderna vaccine should arrive in the Republic of Croatia on January 11, with about 4,000 doses. By the end of March, about 90,000 doses could arrive in the Republic of Croatia. Also good and important for us is that the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine has been sent for approval. There are indications that this vaccine could also be approved during January. For us, this is important because we have ordered 2.7 million doses from them, and if approved, they could get significantly larger quantities of vaccines by the beginning of spring. We will talk about that when the process is over."
The Prime Minister also discussed the events in Washington.
"We condemn the scenes and acts of violence that took place. It was clearly an attack on American democracy concerning election results. It is good that this calmed down in a few hours; we believe that everything will follow the Constitution and the law. An attempt that is by no means a good episode in the history of American democracy. I thank the American ambassador for his cooperation, everything that has been done to improve relations between Croatia and the United States, and I express my regret for these developments," said Plenković.
To read more about COVID-19 in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.
Official: Wednesday's Tremor Did Not Cause Big Damage
ZAGREB, 7 January 2021 - The head of the Civil Protection Authority, Damir Trut, said on Thursday morning that Wednesday's quake measuring 5.0 on the Richter scale had not done big damage to the area of Petrinja, and there had been no casualties.
Croatia's Seismological Survey registered an earthquake at 6.01 p.m. on Wednesday measuring 5.0 on the Richter scale with the epicentre near Petrinja, 45 km southeast of Zagreb. The tremor was felt in central Croatia, including in the capital.
Trut told the national radio (HR) on Thursday morning that fortunately when the last strong quake happened, it had been raining and cold which was why staff and forces engaged to repair roofs and chimneys had left buildings before the tremor.
Local residents are mainly in buildings that are more resilient to quakes and therefore there were no casualties and there was no considerable damage,Trut explained.
He added that the outdoor kitchen which had been set up in the centre of Petrinja after the 29 December quake to supply local residents with meals would be relocated to a new site.
Emergency services visited villages in a wider Petrinja area last night to calm down the population and provide them with necessities.
Tents with heaters were set up in the area concerned.
Trut said that all the settlements but one had been provided with electricity. The remaining one was connected to generator units powered by gas.
Business Owners Ask Croatian Government: When Can We Start Work?
January the 7th, 2021 - The Croatian Government has a lot on its plate, but one pressing question comes from the owners of catering and hospitality establishments who have suffered enormous losses until now. Their one single question is: When can we start working again?
As Poslovni Dnevnik wrires, although the current epidemiological measures which were adopted at the end of last year will cease in a few days, when it comes to precisely what will happen next, no one knows.
''In any case, the Croatian Government must adopt quality economic measures as soon as possible, because the problems we've been talking about for months haven't just disappeared,'' writes the Association of Entrepreneurs.
''Recently, the Voice of the Entrepreneurs (Glas Poduzetnika) Association sent a letter to the Croatian Government and the National Civil Protection Headquarters, in which we asked them to inform business owners about further economic and epidemiological measures as soon as possible. Namely, it was announced that the measures will last until January the 8th, 2021, of which we're not far away from. Business owners and artisans who had to close their doors now don't know when they'll be able to continue doing business at all.
There is no information on whether such people will be able to continue working or whether the restrictive measures will be extended. We consider that to be inadmissible.
We believe that the Croatian Government and the National Civil Protection Headquarters should inform business owners and craftsmen about further steps as soon as possible. Uncertainty has been going on for more than nine months for many and the situation is getting worse. Moreover, we still don't have an answer to the question about compensation for activities that are prevented from operating due to the measures. Business owners are interested in whether the Croatian Government will compensate them for the huge losses incurred due to business restrictions? Furthermore, many activities that aren't formally closed, such as passenger transport and travel agencies, are failing. Unfortunately, more and more people end up at the Croatian Employment Service, and we currently have 160,000 unemployed people. We believe that this trend will continue if quality economic measures aren't adopted soon.
We're fully aware of the new crisis we're experiencing, and we've transferred our available resources to help Sisak-Moslavina County, but the problems caused by the coronavirus crisis that brought tens of thousands of companies to their knees haven't simply disappeared. As a reminder, job preservation grants aren't an aid measure for business owners. In addition, this measure won't save the business of companies nor will it enable the recovery of the economy.
Many UGP committees sent out letters proposing measures that would allow companies and crafts to survive, however, they never received any responses. Business owners are being left to fend for themselves again, without any information on when they'll be able to resume work. We appeal to the Croatian Government to make decisions on the measures as soon as possible and to inform those affected about this.
Business owners showed care and solidarity in the period following the earthquake in Petrinja, and by working out in the field and donating goods and money, they came to the aid of the victims, but soon they will have to start thinking about their own survival again,'' reads the letter from the aforementioned association.
"We hope that the Croatian Government has an agenda and that in the next few months it will make sure that business owners and entrepreneurship don't enter even more troubled waters, and that the proper conditions for survival in this situation are provided. Legal changes, write-offs of taxes and contributions for the affected areas and the abolition of VAT payments for donated goods are necessary. Instead, the Croatian Government is proposing new commitments and various unnecessary Regulations on monitoring and reporting on the effects of the coronavirus pandemic and measures to help the economy. In that way, it's merely createing yet more new and unnecessary paperwork, while the number of failing companies and the number of unemployed people is growing unstoppably day by day,'' said Drazen Orescanin, the executive director of the association.
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Croatian Seafarers Seek Urgent Vaccination From Competent Ministries
January the 7th, 2021 - While those who are the most vulnerable to the novel coronavirus and healthcare workers must come first when it comes to rolling out the new coronavirus vaccine in Croatia, Croatian seafarers have also voiced their need to be vaccinated through their union.
As Morski writes, the Croatian Seafarers' Union has sent a letter to the Ministry of Health and MMPI requesting that a sufficient number of vaccines be provided and reserved for Croatian seafarers wishing to be vaccinated as soon as possible, and that they be publicly informed about the organisation and the possibility of vaccination when the conditions are right for that.
For now, vaccination against COVID-19 is conditional on the availability of the vaccine at any given time, but there is only a matter of weeks left before the vaccine will become a condition for seafarers working in various places across the globe to board vessels.
It's worth mentioning that when it comes to the work of Croatian seafarers, and indeed any seafarers, the new coronavirus vaccine is not classified in the group of recommended vaccines, but necessary vaccines, and it is well known that about 16,000 Croatian seafarers and sailors sail on vessels engaged in international navigation in various locations across the world.
Given their precarious employment status (as only a few Croatian seafarers actually have permanent contracts), seafarers might easily lose their jobs and as such their income if they don't have the opportunity to be vaccinated against the new disease in a timely and appropriate manner.
In its letter sent to the competent ministries, the Croatian Seafarers' Union has emphasised the possibility of issues arising as a result of them failing to get vaccinated and they have insisted on voluntary vaccination against the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, as soon as possible.
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New Year 2021: 6 Times More Croats Than Foreigners in Croatian Hotels
January the 7th, 2021 - Despite the fact that Croatia's current coronavirus measures prohibit the entry of foreign nationals unless they hold lawful residence in Croatia or can prove that they have pressing personal, family or economic reasons to be here, there are still foreign guests in the country. Croatian hotels, however, recorded far more Croatian guests than they did foreigners over the New Year period.
As Marija Crnjak/Poslovni Dnevnik writes, although the epidemiological profession urged Croatian hotels to refrain from any New Year programmes due to the increase in the number of people infected with coronavirus, there were still Croatian hotels that, primarily symbolically, rang in 2021.
According to data from eVisitor, a total of 5,249 guests stayed in Croatian hotels on New Year's Eve, ten times less than on the previous New Year's Eve, with a significantly different structure of guests than last year.
Namely, while at last year's celebrations there were three times more foreign guests than there were Croatian ones, this time, there were more than six times more Croatian guests than foreigners staying in Croatian hotels.
Nevertheless, domestic tourist traffic was two thirds lower in terms of overnight stays than it was on New Year's Eve previously, with 4,556 overnight stays recorded, while 693 foreign guests were accommodated in Croatian hotels across the country at the turn of the year.
However, only a handful of Croatian hotels were actually open for the New Year, which in normal years is mostly dominated by hotels in Zagreb, Kvarner and Istria. Only 193 hotel facilities out of about 1,200 recorded overnight stays on New Year's Eve, and they recorded an average of about 21 percent occupancy.
Despite the above, there were exceptions in terms of occupancy, and full occupancy, according to eVisitor, was recorded by one facility in Buje and one facility in Karlovac County, but the Croatian Tourist Board isn't revealing which hotels are in question. Otherwise, 7270 guests were recorded as having stayed in private accommodation facilities on New Year's Eve.
Although a number of Croatian hotels announced back during October that they intended to organise a New Year's Eve party with live music and dancing, their plans soon failed with the deteriorating epidemiological situation and the introduction of new anti-epidemic measures.
Although they didn't actually specifically include the closure of Croatian hotels and hotel restaurants, the maximum number of outdoor and indoor gatherings was cut, and in the meantime, passes between counties were introduced one again, although it was possible to travel with confirmation of having previously booked accommodation. Meanwhile, passes after the recent Petrinja earthquake were lifted, but there are question marks surrounding just how much that affected traffic in this regard.
After the appeal of epidemiologists, Croatian hotels certainly gave up on the idea of live music and similar ideas in the meantime, and the celebrations surrounding the ringing in of the New Year was reduced enormously.
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