HZZ: 154,168 Jobless in Croatia at End of October
ZAGREB, Nov 10, 2020 - A total of 154,168 jobless people were registered with the Croatian Employment Service (HZZ) at the end of October 2020, an increase of 6,734 people or 4.6% on the month and an increase of 26.8% or 32,571 on the year, the HZZ said on Tuesday.
Daily figures show that the number of unemployed persons is growing in November, given that 154,461 people are currently registered with the HZZ, or 293 more than at the end of October.
A total of 7,380 vacancies are currently advertised.
Year on year, the number of job-seekers has continued to rise albeit at a little slower pace after increasing in May by 35.5%, 34.3% in June, 32.4% in July, 32.2% in August and 31.2% in September.
In October there were 23,867 newly-registered unemployed, which is 7.7% more than last October.
Of those 154,000 jobless Croatians, 21% that is 32,308 of them, were on the dole in October.
This October, the HZZ continued implementing the job-retention measures in the business sectors worst hit by the epidemic of coronavirus. The scheme covered 38,683 workers employed by 13,525 employees in September.
Minister Says Number of Local Officials to be Reduced
ZAGREB, Nov 10, 2020 - Justice and Public Administration Minister Ivan Malenica said on Tuesday that a set of bills on local and regional government units, designed to reduce the number of local officials, had been put to public consultation.
The legislative set also reduces the number of members of representative bodies.
"The Justice and Public Administration Ministry has put to public consultation a bill on local and regional government, a bill on local elections and a bill on the City of Zagreb," he said.
618 fewer officials at local elections
Malenica recalled that so far 1,321 local officials were elected and that following the adoption of the proposed amendments, their number would drop to 703, and that 618 fewer officials would be elected.
The number of members of representative bodies would be reduced by 10% and their allowances will be capped, he said.
The amendments introduce an obligation for local government units to publish information on how budget money is spent while the Budget Act will provide more specific regulations.
The ministry will see to it, through digital platforms, that this change is as cheap as possible for local government units, Malenica said.
He noted that that way participatory democracy was being strengthened as was citizens' participation in decision-making at the local level.
The amendments also harmonise terms for running in local electons to introduce the obligation for both candidates for leaders of local government units and those running for members of representative bodies to have at least six months of registered residence in a given unit of local government at the moment when elections are called.
The minister said that this rule had existed until 2009.
Ministry cannot control system of hiring at local gov't units
As for public criticism that the amendments were only cosmetic changes and that most deputies in local government units would be hired as advisors or department heads, Malenica said that his ministry could not control the system of hiring in local government units.
He added that based on the law on salaries in local and regional government units, the outlays for salaries must not exceed 20% of those units' revenues.
Gov't Official Says COVID-19 Team Should Adopt Measures for Vukovar Procession
ZAGREB, Nov 10, 2020 - The head of the Office of the Prime Minister, Zvonimir Frka Petesic, said on Tuesday that the national COVID-19 response team should define measures for the Vukovar Remembrance Procession to be held on November 18.
Asked about the statement by the Croatian Association of Hospital Doctors (HUBOL) that the remembrance procession could become a new hotspot of the disease, Frka Petesic said that exactly because of that the COVID-19 response team should adopt measures, which would then be discussed.
"The team should define measures, and we will then discuss them because we all want the commemoration to take place as well as find a way for it to be held in line with epidemiological measures," Frka Petesic said.
Inquiry Launched into EC Over Croatian Police's Treatment of Migrants
ZAGREB, Nov 10, 2020 - The European Ombudsman has said that she has launched an inquiry at the request of Amnesty International into the European Commission's response to the Croatian border police's treatment of illegal migrants and the EC's failure to establish a supervisory mechanism.
The inquiry focuses on what the EC is doing to make sure Croatian authorities respect basic human rights in their border protection operations, the Ombudsman said in a press release.
The Human rights watchdog Amnesty International (AI) and media outlets have been expressing concern for some time about violations of human rights in the treatment of migrants on the Croatian border, allegations which the Croatian authorities have resolutely dismissed.
According to the ombudsman's statement, Croatia should establish a supervisory mechanism in the context of European funds it has been receiving for border operations to make sure its work on protecting its border is in line with basic EU rights and laws.
AI doubts there exists such a mechanism and claims that the EC has not confirmed that Croatian authorities have established such a mechanism or investigated how the allocated funds were spent.
The EC gave Croatia money for the supervisory mechanism in 2018, envisaging participation in it by civil society organisations and the country's public ombudsman.
Members of the European Parliament from the European Green Party, who sit on the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs have said this year that there is no such mechanism because there is no access to the green border, border police or their documents.
The Guardian reported in June that the EC had concealed from members of the European Parliament that the Croatian government did not spend the money allocated for the supervision of border police.
The EC has until January 31, 2021 to answer a number of questions by the European Ombudsman on the supervisory mechanism and ways the EU's exective authority has determined that it has actually been established.
The EC will also have to say how it guarantees that basic human rights are respected on the Croatian border.
AI has welcomed the launching of the inquiry.
"Over the years, Amnesty and other organisations have documented numerous violations, including beatings and torture of migrants and asylum-seekers by Croatian police, whose salaries may have been paid for by EU funds," AI's European institutions director Eve Geddie said.
She described the launching of the inquiry "a significant first step" towards addressing allegations of human rights violations.
"By continuing to fund border operations and giving a green light for Croatia's accession to the Schengen area, the commission abdicated its responsibilities to monitor how EU assistance is used and sent a dangerous signal that blatant human rights violations can continue with no questions asked," AI said.
Croatian Speleologists Discover a Cave System Longer Than 52km Below Velebit
November 10, 2020 – The speleological department of the Croatian Mountaineering Association Željezničar from Zagreb reported that in speleological research of the Crnopac underground on the southern Velebit, the connection between the Crnopac cave system and the Muda Labudova Pit was found. With this discovery, the length of the Crnopac canal exceeded 52 kilometers and 236 meters.
As the Croatian Mountaineering Association reported, until this weekend, the Crnopac cave system, located in the area of southern Velebit near Gračac, was 43 kilometers and 570 meters long. By merging with the Muda Labudova pit, it grew to 52 kilometers and 236 meters.
In this weekend's action, a team of speleological department members, Nikola Hanžek, Stipe Maleš, Tomislav Kurečić, and Sara Anđela Perić, with their colleague Dino Grozić from the Estavela Speleological Association connected the Crnopac cave system with the Muda Labudova pit through the entrance named Oaza. The team burst into the Pi canal in Muda through the Pisoar canal.
"This is one of the greatest successes of Croatian speleology. Because of its length, the system has moved from 89th to 68th place in the world and that’s a big deal. This is just proof of the dedicated work of Croatian speleologists, who are at the top of the world in terms of systematic research. This system has been under investigation for the last 16 years, since Kita Gaćešina, the largest cave system in the Dinaric Karst, was discovered. Now there are a total of four entrances," said Damir Janton, head of the Commission for Speleology of the Croatian Mountaineering Association for 24sata.
By the way, by merging the Oaza with the Kita Gaćešina cave system (or Draženova puhaljka, how it is also called), speleologists recently decided to change its name, so the longest Croatian speleological system is named after the mountain under which it is located – the Crnopac Cave System (Jamski Sustav Crnopac – JSC).
"It is easier to remember that name, it is more recognizable and shorter. The system has three entrances (Kita Gaćešina, Draženova puhaljka, and Oaza), and the name changed because its dimensions expanded significantly over the ridge of Kita Gaćešina further below Bijeli kuk and the plateau below the ridge of the top of Crnopac," speleologists wrote before the historical discovery in Croatian miraculous underground.
This is another in a series of exceptional successes of Croatian speleologists organized in the Croatian Mountaineering Association. The research is carried out within the project "Speleological research of Croatian karst" of the CMA Speleology Commission.
Therefore, the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Croatian Mountaineering Association "Željezničar", despite all the global adversities, was marked in the best possible way!
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Plenkovic Hopes for Compromise between Bulgaria and North Macedonia
ZAGREB, Nov 10, 2020 - Addressing an EU enlargement summit in Sofia on Tuesday, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic reiterated that Croatia will support Western Balkan countries on their journey towards the European Union.
The heads of six Western Balkan countries and EU representatives met in Sofia on Tuesday to discuss EU enlargement as part of the Berlin Process, which is being jointly chaired by North Macedonia and Bulgaria.
According to the European Commission, the Western Balkan countries could adopt their action plans on a common regional market at the summit.
Plenkovic expressed Croatia's "sincere ambition" to help countries in the region to implement reforms and come closer to EU membership.
He thanked German Chancellor Angela Merkel for placing great importance on the issue of enlargement during Germany's presidency of the EU, just like Croatia did during its presidency in the first half of this year.
Plenkovic said that he hopes that leaders in North Macedonia and Bulgaria will reach a compromise over a dispute relating to national identity.
Sofia had earlier announced that it could veto the start of EU negotiations with North Macedonia if Skopje did not admit that its identity and language are of Bulgarian origin and if it did not stop claiming that a "Macedonian" minority exists in Bulgaria.
That has presented a new obstacle for Skopje after it conceded to adding "North" to the country's name ending a decades-long dispute with Greece which unblocked its pathway to the EU and NATO. North Macedonia joined NATO earlier this year.
5G Technology Opportunity for 700,000 New Jobs in EU, Says Croatian MEP
ZAGREB, Nov 10, 2020 - The green and digital transition and strengthening the competitiveness of European industry provide an opportunity for 700,000 new jobs by 2030, Croatian MEP Suncana Glavak said addressing a panel discussion on competitiveness and 5G technology organised by the European Parliament office in Croatia on Monday.
The panel discussion was attended by industry experts and a representative of the Croatian Regulatory Agency for Network Activities (HAKOM).
Glavak, who is the rapporteur for the European Parliament's Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI), explained what the new EU industrial strategy envisages.
"The strategy will be the driver of Europe's competitiveness and its strategic autonomy. It means three changes that will transform industry in the EU, strengthen small and medium-sized enterprises and enable Europe to become sustainable and competitive: green and digital transition and global competitiveness," Glavak said according to a press release from the EPP public relations office.
The strategy aims at a dual transition towards climate neutrality and digital leadership. It will mobilise €100 billion for a fair transition of regions that are largely carbon-intensive.
Applying the principle of a circular economy will provide 700,000 new jobs throughout the European Union by 2030 and in the next five years 120 million European citizens will need to undergo additional training.
Such progress is expected to create more than one million jobs by 2030. According to the European Commission, already now in Europe there are one million unfilled vacancies for experts in digital technology.
Studies show that the application of 5G technology could increase productivity by an average of six percent in agriculture, the public sector and production and that is particularly important for Croatia. That is a huge task in the field of communications for those who will provide that technology on the market.
Glavak underlined the need to coordinate information to inform citizens about 5G technology to avoid misinformation about it which has resulted in anti-5G movements in the EU, including Croatia.
Croatia Registers 1,467 New COVID Cases, 33 Deaths
ZAGREB, Nov 10, 2020 - Croatia has registered 1,467 new cases of coronavirus and 33 fatalities in the past 24 hours, the national COVID-19 response team said on Tuesday morning.
There are currently 1,513 COVID patients in hospitals and 167 are on ventilators.
At the moment Croatia has 14,524 active cases of the disease and 29,179 people are in self-isolation.
A total of 572,489 tests for the virus have been conducted to date, including 7,803 in the past 24 hours.
Since 25 February, when the first case was registered in Croatia, there have been 70,243 registered cases of the novel coronavirus and 865 people have died.
A total of 54,854 people have recovered from the virus so far, including 1,852 in the past 24 hours.
Croatian Premium Wine Imports Marks St. Martin's Day with Zoom Wine Tasting
November 10, 2020 - A few days ago, Croatian Premium Wine Imports (CPWI), a company based in Boston that distributes and promotes boutique Croatian wines in the US – organized a ZOOM event to remember.
In order to mark St. Martin's Day, since Saint Martin is a protector of wine and 'Martinje' is cheerfully celebrated in many towns in Croatia, with the help of the Croatian Embassy in Washington, DC, they hosted a virtual wine tasting and meeting of the winemakers from Croatia, wine connoisseurs, wine influencers and the general public.
The Ambassador of the Republic of Croatia, His Excellency Pjer Šimunović, opened the ZOOM celebration welcoming the speakers as well as guests including the US Croatian diaspora who joined from across the country - from New York, Maryland, Virginia all to way to the West Coast via Texas, California, and Washington state. Guests also included American wine lovers who fell in love with indigenous wines while visiting Croatia. Ambassador Šimunović underscored that - Croatian winemaking stretches back in history and, the US might become a market where quality Croatian wines will find its place, particularly since some of the Croatian wine makers impacted winemaking in the US, such as legendary Mike Grgić.
"With more than 80 people registered for this celebration, it is clear that there is interest in boutique Croatian wines across the US, which is why we created an online store that ships to most US States," explained Mirena Bagur, co-founder of Croatian Premium Wines.
"In the US, we started a pre-holiday marketing campaign for a push for gift orders, and in Croatia we are in conversation to expand our inventory with wines from Slavonia and Danube region."
Siniša Lasan, a three-time Croatian National Champion Sommelier, and a sommelier at the Rixos Libertas Hotel in Dubrovnik led the tasting, and the conversations with the winemakers from Međimurje, Istria and Dalmatia. Greg Lambrecht, the inventor and founder of the Coravin System, a wine preservation system allowing to access one glass of wine at a time, also joined the tasting. Greg, as a serial entrepreneur in medical devices, has worked with the Croatian hospitals in Zagreb when he was first introduced to Croatian wines and fell in love with both Croatia, the coast and the wines.
Sanja Muzaferija, journalist and founder of WOW Women-on-Wine Organization in Croatia, was also present and she welcomed all women participants in this tasting, especially Ana Ritoša from Istria, and Tea Dvanajščak, of Dvanajščak-Kozol winery and Tatjana Hažić of Izletište Vinska Kuća Hažić. These two young women introduced Wines of Međimurje, an association of winemakers from Štrigova – a team of neighboring wineries who work together in marketing their wines. The participants tasted Pušipel and Graševina, while the winemakers talked about the importance of Martinje and the way it is celebrated in their area.
Ana Ritoša, the winemaker for the Ritoša Winery, from Poreč, spoke about the Istrian wine region and wines in general, while participants tasted Teran.
In the end, participants asked many questions – the most repeated one was when the future wine tastings will take place. Lara Romano, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of the Republic of Croatia to the United States of America, expressed hope for more events like this one in the future, and, situation allowing - hopefully even in person at the Embassy, and then closed the evening celebration.
***The company’s online store ships wines to most US states including its expanded wine portfolio from the Komarna region, Dubrovnik county, to the larger Dalmatia, Istria and Uplands. Currently, the wines in stock, almost 50 labels, from Croatian Uplands, Istria and Dalmatia, include Malvazija, Pušipel, Graševina, Pošip as well as Teran, Babić, Zinfandel and Plavac Mali.
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Croatia's Real Sector Sees Increase in Activity in 2019
ZAGREB, Nov 10, 2020 - The real sector of the Croatian economy saw a nominal increase in activity in 2019 compared with 2018, with turnover growing by 6.2%, added value by 9.5% and the number of employees by 4.6%, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics (DZS).
The DZS has published basic annual structural and business indicators for the non-financial sector including the manufacturing industry, construction, trade and non-financial services.
A total of 157,154 businesses, employing 1.08 million people, operated in the real sector in 2019, generating HRK 739.1 billion in total sales revenue and HRK 202.9 billion in added value.
According to the DZS, the majority of real-sector businesses, 80,925 or 51.5%, operated in the non-financial services sector, while 34,719 businesses, or 22.1%, operated in the trade sector.
Slightly more than two-thirds of employees worked in two sectors - 404,161 or 37.4% in non-financial services and 318,887 or 29.5% in manufacturing.
Trade companies had the largest share in total turnover, generating HRK 289.2 billion in sales revenue or 39.1%. They were followed by manufacturing companies (HRK 224.5 billion or 30.4%), non-financial services companies (HRK 166.3 billion or 22.5%), and construction companies (HRK 59.1 billion or 7.9%).
Last year real-sector companies generated HRK 202.9 billion in added value, an increase of 9.5% on 2018. Non-financial services companies generated HRK 76.6 billion (37.7%), manufacturing companies HRK 65.9 billion (32.5%), trade companies HRK 44.4 billion (21.8%), and construction companies HRK 16 billion (7.9%).
(€1 = HRK 7.549)
