ZAGREB, Nov 17, 2020 - Veterans' Affairs Minister Tomo Medved was presented with a funding agreement on Tuesday for a project to digitise archival documents from the Homeland War, with PM Andrej Plenkovic, who attended the event, saying that it is necessary to preserve the past in order to build the future together.

The project, valued at HRK 81.5 million, will be financed for the most part with EU funds, and it is important because it will make procedures enabling veterans and war victims to exercise their legal rights faster and more efficient, but will also preserve historical facts for coming generations, Minister Medved said.

PM Plenkovic said that the project was launched following a government decision in August 2017 in an effort to make material that had existed for years available in one place in digital format.

Important message ahead of Remembrance Day: EU is funding the project

Underscoring that the project is being financed from the European Social Fund with the assistance of the Ministry of Labour and Pension System, Plenkovic said that the European dimension of the project was a strong message ahead of Homeland War Victims Remembrance Day and Vukovar and Skabrnja Remembrance Day.

This latest project needs to be put in the context of veterans' centres which will also be financed with European funds in the amount of almost HRK 330 million, he said.

This shows that the government is not only showing respect symbolically and working on reconciliation and coexistence but has also managed to obtain funds for important components of our collective memory, the PM said.

He added that the draft National Development Strategy has clearly pointed out the importance of preserving the values of the Homeland War and the culture of remembrance, as well as the importance of protecting veterans' interests, which was why efforts would be made to improve the system of psycho-social and health care for veterans and their families.

Documents may be ruined if not archived properly

Presenting the agreement to his colleague, Minister of Labour, Pension System, Family and Social Policy Josip Aladrovic said that material related to the Homeland War is still dispersed in army barracks and police stations around the country and that if not archived properly, it could be ruined and lost.

This project will enable the data processing of two million units and the digitisation of 100,000 units of archival material, as well as building an IT system to manage the material as well as a data base on the status of veterans and their rights. It will require training for 120 staff to work in the system.

The project was launched in September 2017 and is foreseen to last until June 2023. So far, more than 52% of the material has been processed. The project also clearly shows the benefits of Croatia's membership of the European Union, Medved said.

ZAGREB, Nov 17, 2020 - The SDP parliamentary group has put forward a bill on a moratorium on debtors' loan liabilities to protect citizens' standard of living and stop the decline in consumption, asking the government to regulate the debt collection market and the supervision of debt collection agencies.

"We are proposing a year-long moratorium on loan repayments, regulated by law and binding on banks, allowing debtors to decide on their own whether or not to ask for a moratorium, during which interest would not be charged. Considering the state of the debt and the increase in bad loans, there is a serious danger banks will sell non-performing loans," said SDP leader Pedja Grbin.

He noted that that market was not regulated and called on the government to finally put forward a bill to regulate the collection of debts and loans, to introduce supervision over debt collection agencies as well as measures to ban them from intimidating citizens.

Recalling that at the start of the coronavirus crisis the party had proposed the introduction of a moratorium on loan repayments, Grbin said the government failed to do anything in that regard, leaving citizens to negotiate moratoriums with commercial banks on their own.

According to the latest statistics, at the end of September, there were 50,000 fewer workers than in September 2019 and from the end of February to November 8, the number of receipts dropped by 25% and their value by 17%, which shows that consumption has dropped significantly, said Grbin.

He cited an estimate by a commercial bank saying that after the expiry of the moratorium, 20% of loans that were subject to the moratorium would become bad loans.

Commenting on the fact that only seven of the 75 measures form the national reform plan had been implemented, Grbin said that this is discouraging.

"We need a reform of public administration. It has transpired during the coronavirus crisis that the system of e-passes can be established quickly, but after that, the government continued behaving as it had until then," he said.

As for the relationship between the prime minister and the president, Grbin said it was clear that the prime minister, who has refused a meeting with the Opposition on the coronavirus crisis, did not want to share the political stage with other political stakeholders.

He described a decision by Deputy Prime Minister Boris Milosevic of the Independent Democratic Serb Party (SDSS) to attend events on the occasion of Vukovar Remembrance Day as good because it continued the process that started in August this year.

November 17, 2020 – Croatia receives another gastro recognition as the gastro portal Chef's Pencil has declared it as one of the best undiscovered gastronomic destinations in the world.

As Večernji list reports, it is a competition named "The Most Underrated Foodie Destination in the World" conducted among 250 renowned chefs and culinary experts, who singled out under-exposed gastro destinations that can stand alongside popular gastro destinations such as France and Italy.

They selected the top 10 countries that can boast of their gastronomic offer and wealth but are not widely-known as gastro destinations. Croatia took a high fourth place on this list, behind the Philippines, Vietnam, and Mexico. It is followed by Thailand, Peru, Australia, Jamaica, Portugal, and Norway.

Screenshot Chef's Pencil

"Croatia has become a really popular place to holiday over the last few years. And who can blame all those holidaymakers for reaching for pristine Adriatic waters, spectacular beaches, sublime Mediterranean climate, atmospheric Roman ruins, incredible national parks, and soaring mountains… Have I mentioned the food yet? And maybe that’s why it’s an underrated foodie destination – the country has so much going for it, the food has to fight for attention," they say from Chef's Pencil about the Croatian cuisine, noting that it's hard to pinpoint it as it varies from region to region.

"Dalmatian food is typically Mediterranean with lots of fish, veggies, and olive oil. Istrian cuisine is similar although they have their own special approach to beans and pasta here. In Zagreb there’s more of a European vibe with meat and a special attachment to cabbage, while in Slavonia its pork and more pork and lots of paprika," they explain, naming some of the best Croatian food such as sheep's cheese, cured ham, black risotto, octopus salad, brudet, sarma, and more.

Octopus salad / Copyright Romulić and Stojčić

Although Croatia is already recognized for its gastronomic excellence, offering unforgettable gastronomic experiences for all food lovers, chefs, and experts who participated in the survey believed that our country deserves additional international recognition.

"Recognitions like this give us an additional incentive to continue the development of our gastronomic scene and to continue to promote ourselves as an attractive and quality gastronomic destination, which we really are," said Croatia National Tourist Board director Kristjan Staničić.

Recall, in 2020, the Croatian National Tourist Board presented Croatian gastronomy on this renowned portal, as well as Croatian chefs and regional gastronomic specialties.

Kvarner was presented by the youngest Croatian chef with a MICHELIN star, Deni Srdoč, who shared with readers a recipe for a lamb dish "Heritage lamb". Marko Gajski, the chef of LD Terrace in Korčula, who was also awarded a MICHELIN star this year, presented the Dalmatian region through his original recipe for Komiža bread, while chef Bruno Vokal from Noel, Zagreb's first MICHELIN star restaurant, shared his original recipe for "Deconstructed štruklji". Marina Gaši, chef and owner of the family restaurant Marina in Novigrad, presented the flavors of Istria via sardine tartare. The story of Croatian gastronomy was concluded by Tomica Đukić, chef of the Osijek Hotel and official chef of the Croatian national football team, who presented the rich flavors of Slavonia with a flavored fillet of a black Slavonian pig with pumpkin and beetroot.

Rich gastronomic offer from Slavonia / Copyright Romulić and Stojčić

November 17, 2020 – After an absence of one season, Croatia music festivals return in 2021. Tickets for some of the biggest events are now on sale and, in today's media, it's suggested Croatia could even host 2021's Exit Festival as it is forced to move from Novi Sad, Serbia. Exit is the biggest music festival in the region.

At the Croatia music festivals site near Tisno, Murter island, 2020 was the quietest summer in almost a decade. Since 2012, the sprawling accommodation and beach complex has played host to Croatia music festivals running consecutively throughout the summer. Each attracting upwards of 5000 international visitors, summers on the beach at The Garden Tisno were one long party of dancing, drinking, partying and music. But, in 2020 everything fell silent.

As reported earlier in Total Croatia News, the festival hosts in Tisno took the opportunity to make improvements to the site in preparation for the return of events. That return is now almost certain to be 2021.

Tickets for the 2021 editions of all the major brands of international Croatia music festivals taking place in Tisno are already on sale. With the full calendar of 2020 Tisno festivals having been cancelled, many attendees have simply held onto their tickets. These tickets are now valid for 2021's rescheduled events. Dimensions, Hospitality On The Beach, Love International, Suncebeat, Outlook Origins, Defected Croatia and Dekmantel Selectors are the festivals already announced for summer 2021 in Tisno.

And far from being a modest return, could 2021 be Croatia's peak year as a host nation? In today's Jutarnji List, it is suggested that Croatia might become the new home for Exit Festival, usually held in Novi Sad, Serbia.

Provisions for workers within the events industry during the pandemic have been met differently across individual nations. In Croatia, the industry-wide crisis was highlighted earlier in 2020 by many famous event venues being lit in red. In Serbia, Exit Festival has incurred debts due to its cancellation and, according to Jutarnji List, the event is faced with losing its workforce due to a lack of financial support.

Exit Festival is the largest event of its kind in the region. It is currently held in Novi Sad, Serbia. In 2021, could it become one of the Croatia music festivals? © Exit Festival

One route available to the event organisers is relocating Exit. As its organisers already hold one of the successful Croatia music festivals in Umag, Istria, Jutarnji suggests that Exit could possibly move to Croatia. Before fans of Croatia music festivals get too excited at the prospect, it should be noted that Exit also hold successful events in Montenegro, which is also a very viable alternative host site. And, it should be remembered just how much Exit Festival puts into the local economy - Jutarnji report that, since Exit started, 200 million Euros in tourism has been gained by Serbia from this one event. The article also suggests that Montenegro values Exit 2021 being able to put a potential 30 million Euros into its budget, with the attached value of Montenegro tourism promotion being over one hundred million Euros. It is difficult to imagine such a cash cow so easily being allowed to leave Serbia without financial assistance to Exit being readdressed by Serbian authorities.

A fresh sense of optimism has emerged in recent days, as news of successful COVID-19 vaccines now places the end of the pandemic within sight. However, it could be autumn or winter 2021 before enough people are successfully vaccinated for us all to relax, especially when considering mass gatherings like music festivals. But, as was proved by Croatia music festivals in Sibenik during summer 2020, a template does exist for the successful hosting of large events and music festivals, regardless of the progress of vaccination by summer 2021.

The Martinska site for Croatia music festivals hosted over 10, 000 people at events during summer 2020, creating a template by which large scale events can successfully take place while adhering to strict epidemiological guidelines © Seasplash / Pozitivan Ritam

As reported in TCN at the end of this summer, the Martinska music festival site near Sibenik welcomed over 10, 000 festival-goers across their 2020 season. Adhering to the strictest epidemiological guidelines, the festival site recorded zero cases of COVID-19 from its attendees. Whether or not everyone has received a vaccination shot by next summer, and regardless of whether Exit Festival is among them, fans should confidently expect the welcome return of Croatia music festivals in 2021.


Organisers of the Suncebeat festival visit the Croatia music festivals site in Tisno during summer 2020 to see new improvements awaiting those who attend 2021's events

ZAGREB, Nov 17, 2020 - Over the past 24 hours, Croatia has registered 1,945 new cases of coronavirus infection and there have been 31 related deaths, the national COVID-19 response team said on Tuesday.

The number of active cases stands at 15,371. There are 1,827 COVID patients in hospitals, of whom 196 are on ventilators.

Since February 25, when Croatia registered its first case of the infection, a total of 87,464 people have contracted the novel coronavirus, 1,113 of whom have died.

A total of 70,980 persons have recovered, including 2,242 in the last 24 hours.

There are currently 36,175 people in self-isolation.

To date, 631,655 people have been tested for coronavirus, including 7,262 in the last 24 hours.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marta Duic writes on the 16th of November, 2020, Tina Jurjevic, operative director of Bipa Croatia, talked to Poslovni dnevnik about Bipa Croatia's business results, the state of the drugstore market and the further expansion of the company's sales network. She also revealed what their plans are for the period until the end of this year and what key changes have taken place on the Croatian market since Bipa has been operating here.

Tina Jurjevic has been a member of the Bipa Croatia team since back in 2010, she spent nine years as the head of the human resources department and almost two years as the head of the sales department, and a few months ago she took over the position of operational director for the entire company.

What kind of business results marked last year, and how has the business of drugstores done in 2020?

Last year was extremely successful for Bipa Croatia in terms of positive business, significant growth in turnover and an increasing market share, through the opening of as many as 17 new stores and refurbishment of 12 of them and the employment of more than 120 employees more than in 2018.

This year started off well, in the first three months of 2020 we recorded double-digit growth in traffic when compared to 2019. However, with the appearance of the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown in the spring we had to adapt to new circumstances and focus on increasing traffic through changing marketing approach and promotional activities.

We stopped distributing leaflets and focused on digital communication and television, and in approaching customers we put more emphasis on health and the household, and less on products from the beauty segment. Through the optimisation of costs and working hours (which wasn't a positive measure at first), we managed to provide jobs to our employees and we're extremely proud to have avoided mass layoffs, and through agreement with external partners we've reduced some costs.

We also worked a lot on building trust through strict adherence to epidemiological measures, which we insisted on, and this approach proved to be the best for preserving the health of our customers and employees. We're extremely pleased with the results - In the first six months of 2020, none of our employees were infected with coronavirus, and so far only two employees in the stores have fallen ill, and fortunately only with mild symptoms. What I can sum up as a conclusion is that, although the summer season paled in comparison to that of 2019, we achieved results above our expectations and recorded a 1.2 percent increase in market share. We plan to continue along this path.

What is the state of the drugstore market after the temporary ''closures'' of spring? Where do you see room for improvement?

The biggest change we could summarise is that customers come less often, but they do buy more, and their preferences have also changed - health, the household and family care has become first on their list of priorities. In top of that, they're less motivated to do their shopping in more places, meaning that one-stop shopping has become an important element of the strategy towards the customer. It's here that we can see the greatest room for improvement - to offer customers everything they need in one place.

Can you make a comparison of the market from back when Bipa Croatia just started doing business and the situation of today, what were the key changes?

From a small drugstore on the market, Bipa has become a drugstore that everyone knows about. Both back at the beginning and now, we're known for great actions, and we're increasingly recognisable as an association with fashion and beauty. Year after year, step by step, we've grown into a serious company that wants to continue to support women (as our main target group) in every new role in life.

One of the main changes is that customers have recognised drugstores as a place where they're able to buy much more than just perfumes and cosmetics. This trend of ''switching’' from food chains is something that makes us happy but not surprising, because we've made a targeted effort to make part of the drugstore assortment more interesting when compared to classic chains. The shopping experience is something that is at a high level in our country, and this especially applies to our employees and the very arrangement of points of sale.

How many employees do you have today and in how many branches? Do you plan to further expand your sales network?

At the moment we have 763 employees and 122 branches, and by the end of the year we plan to open six more. Bipa Croatia's plans for next year include opening ten new branches and increasing our number of employees by about ten percent, thus continuing to be available to our customers and provide them with a wide range of products from our offer, from hygiene supplies to cosmetics.

What are your expectations and plans for the period until the end of the year, do you have any projects, openings, novelties in the works?

We're not just going to sit back, we're planning further business expansion by the end of the year and one interesting benefit for our customers, which we will realise as a surprise in November. For December, as a month dominated by the Christmas holidays, gatherings and family dedications, we want to help our customers express care for their loved ones through a series of promotions and benefits. In general, we intend to end the year in a positive atmosphere, both in the context of revenues and in thanking and supporting our employees for all the efforts and challenges they faced throughout the year we're about to leave behind.

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 Poslovni Dnevnik/Lucija Spiljak writes on the 16th of November, 2020, the Croatian-American company Sportyn INC presented the free Sportyn application (app) in Zagreb. By exchanging video content, as the main medium, the app enables the promotion of athletes on a global level, changes the image of sport scouting and financing the development of athletes, using all aspects of modern social networking concepts.

Experts in the field of developing new technological solutions from Sportyn are otherwise experienced entrepreneurs and world-famous sport ambassadors, and they consider this application a kind of revolution for the sporting community and redefining the path of young athletes to success.

Sportyn, they say, wants to become a platform to promote athletes globally, and is the first on the market to offer real benefits to those who are serious or amateurs in sport, such as athletes, spectators, coaches or scouts. It is the first and only platform in the world that, by the use of an advanced algorithmic search engine, enables agents and scouts, but also all sport lovers, to quickly find any athlete, amateur or professional, regardless of their age, country or sport, even if the athlete's name is completely unknown.

''Millions of talented athletes face the same problem today - insufficiently targeted visibility and connectivity with desired audiences, sport recruiters and organisations. YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok are massive channels that offer fast, unfiltered and typical content for viewing by the general population, but they lack the special focus needed for athletes, especially younger people, for competitions and sporting entertainment that is only served casually. This means that there are no real and functional filters, and the videos are scattered around and virtually invisible to the target audience for which they were created. Sport recruiters therefore don't rely on these channels as reliable resources or talent search platforms. We saw space for Sportyn there,'' said Ivan Ilecic, the founder and CEO of Sportyn Inc.

With the help of the special Sportyn algorithm, it is possible to rank and compare athletes according to different criteria. The platform will also contain detailed biographies of the athletes, their athletic characteristics, achievements, statistics, club history, contract and agency status. It is easy to use, available at sportyn.com/app/, and the main communication tool is video clips lasting up to 60 seconds, which are archived and easily accessible, even if the data was published in the application as long as a few years ago. Special emphasis is also placed on data security.

"No matter what part of the world you live in and in what conditions you train in, Sportyn helps you show off your talent to a global sporting audience and those who, recognising your potential, can change your life literally overnight," said Ivan Rakitic, an ambassador of Sportyn.

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/Gojko Drljaca writes on the 16th of November, 2020, any raise in a credit rating in a situation where much of Europe is sliding towards a new recession carries with it some extreme weight. This is Moody's message that comes with the fact that Croatia has managed to improve its unenviable previous position. What does this raise say, or not, about Croatian economic success?

Since Moody's kept Croatia at Ba1, which is the highest so-called non-investment rating, one should remain realistic and say that this rating improvement is not a message that the country has suddenly become an investment paradise in which it is wise to invest huge money. Croatia remains a country with a rating level that indicates very high risks for investors, but improving that outlook at the hands of a very conservative agency is a sign that Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic's government has weighed up key public policies quite well. That's excellent, but in fact ,nothing significant has happened yet where it should have, and that is with the economy.

Persistence in joining the Eurozone, joining the European Exchange Rate Mechanism, announcements of reforms, preparations for the banking union, followed by a few more announcements about reforms… doesn't sound particularly exciting, but it is important proof that the Croatian authorities haven't lost their orientation in this unexplored territory of increasingly difficult economic challenges. Croatia has been a part of Europe struggling with low growth potential since the 2008-2009 crisis. The crisis caused by the 2020 pandemic has only exposed the structural problems of a number of European economies that have been accumulating over the last 20-30 years. If, from these perspectives, you get a thumbs up for current economic and financial policy, it means that, fortunately, we live in a country that will remain manageable even after the pandemic enters the history books.

It seems, and let's emphasise it again, that the improvement in Croatia's rating shouldn't be attibuted so much due to some sort of concrete Croatian economic success but to the fact that two Croatian institutions, the Ministry of Finance and the Croatian National Bank, have garnered a critical level of expertise over the years which has allowed us, if nothing else, to sell a sustainable story about Croatia's plans for the future to the European Commission, all relevant bodies of the Union, as well as credit agencies. However, the persuasiveness and professionalism of the Ministry and the CNB is not in itself a guarantee of success.

The second wave of the pandemic has already stopped any economic recovery in a situation when the country's GDP in the first nine months is a huge 8.3 percent lower than it was last year with general government debt of 82.5 percent of GDP, which, for a country like Croatia, is simply too much.

Although the Croatian Government expects huge sums of money from the EU's recovery fund, as well as from the medium-term financial framework, the consequences of the crisis caused by the pandemic will be a challenge we have not yet faced. Many forget that our European environment has changed dramatically and that in 2021 we could see a fierce struggle for economic survival. In such a situation, a high level of professionalism in the Ministry and the CNB will not be enough for agencies and investors to look favourably upon a small country with some kind of perspective.

For example, if Greece is currently preparing amendments to its tax laws that will make it a more attractive destination for living and investing, Croatia can no longer afford to maintain the misconception that we can count on high growth rates with this level of tax pressure.

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.