ZAGREB, July 18, 2020 - It would not be good to water down the idea of a strong and quick response to the economic consequences of the coronavirus crisis, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic told reporters before the continuation of the EU summit in Brussels on Saturday.
EU leaders were meeting on Saturday in renewed efforts to reach an agreement on the next seven-year budget and the coronavirus recovery plan after negotiations hit a deadlock on Friday because the Netherlands insisted that payouts from the recovery fund should be decided unanimously.
Plenkovic said that the Dutch position was bad.
"The whole meaning of the idea of €500 billion in grants and €250 billion in loans was to provide a strong and quick response immediately in order to accelerate the economic recovery. If for some reason this is watered down, then it's not it anymore," the Croatian PM said.
He said he expected a new proposal from the European Council president and a new start to negotiations.
"I believe a majority of member states will make an effort to reach an agreement. I cannot say with certainty whether some countries will stay firm in their positions," Plenkovic said.
July 18, 2020 - The Split-Makarska Archdiocese announced on Saturday that the Saint Domnius Cathedral bell tower reopened to the public after being closed for two years.
Slobodna Dalmacija reports that the bell tower was closed due to the reconstruction of the staircase and conservation and restoration works. The process of reconstructing the staircase inside the bell tower and consolidating the stone took a long time. The statement reminds us that the preparatory works began in 2015 when an architectural survey of the existing condition was made.
In addition, conservation and restoration works were carried out inside and outside the bell tower of the Saint Domnious Cathedral.
"The event that preceded may not have received as much attention as it deserved due to this year's circumstances, and that is the return of the old bells of the Split Cathedral after a full sixteen years. The bell tower has long been and is the visual and spiritual identity of our city, so these last interventions on the interior and exterior of the bell tower go down in history," said the Archdiocese.
The bell tower renovation project was financed by the Split-Makarska Archdiocese, Kaptol, the home parish of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Croatia.
After the final inspections, the bell tower was handed over in the presence of Msgr. Miroslav Vidovic, Vicar General of the Split-Makarska Archdiocese, Canon of the Split Primary Chapter Don Ante Mateljan, and finally, Pastor Don Tomislav Cubelic, who supervised and monitored the entire project from its beginnings to the very end, the statement concluded.
To read more about lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.
July 18, 2020 - The Rovinj Tourist Board has designed its own protective canvas face mask that will be distributed to catering staff and registered private renters.
HRTurizam writes that these masks with the message "Carry me" and the logo of the Rovinj Tourist Board can be picked up in the Rovinj Tourist Board office, and a total of 1,000 masks were made.
Creatives from the Rovinj studio LC Studio are responsible for the design of the masks, and as the Rovinj Tourist Board points out, thanks to its interesting design with the Rovinj tourist logo, it will also be an attractive souvenir for many guests.
In addition to the masks, the Tourist Board has prepared a leaflet or brochure titled "Info COVID-19" which is intended for guests and renters and is available in 4 languages (Croatian, Italian, German and English). It is designed to inform guests about what to do if the coronavirus infection occurs during their stay at the property.
According to the eVisitor system, over 18,000 guests are staying in Rovinj, which is 57 percent compared to the same period last year. The tourists are mostly made up of Germans (33%), followed by Austrians (14%), Dutch (8%), while Slovenians, Italians and Czechs took fourth place. Guests are mostly staying in campsites (47 percent), followed by private accommodation (22 percent) while hotels and resorts make up 12 percent.
To read more about lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.
ZAGREB, July 18, 2020 - Residents of Marcelji and communities close to the Mariscina waste management centre, located north-east of Rijeka, gathered outside the entrance to the facility to protest against the stench and pollution that make their lives difficult.
One of the protest organisers, Davorka Simcic, said that the people of the surrounding communities had been enduring the stench from Mariscina for years and that it was particularly intense in summer.
"Our patience is running thin," Simcic said, adding that workers at the waste management centre were exposed to poisoning just as much as local residents.
She said that this time they had invited politicians to their protest to fight for the rights of the local population. "We want them to raise their voice for us in the Croatian parliament. We want parliament to become a frontline in the fight against Mariscina," Simcic said.
The protesters called upon the environment minister to shut down the Mariscina waste management centre as soon as possible.
ZAGREB, July 18, 2020 - Croatia's Minister for Foreign and European Affairs, Gordan Grlic Radman, on Friday called for "a more European Europe" instead of "withdrawing into oneself" at the time of the global coronavirus pandemic, the crisis of multilateralism and trade disputes, the ministry said in a statement.
Grlic Radman was in the German city of Hof to attend Paneuropean Days organised by the Paneuropean Union, the oldest movement for European unification.
During a discussion on challenges to European unity at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, Grlic Radman cited as an example the coordination of diplomatic efforts in repatriating European citizens to their home countries.
"We are facing numerous challenges, but they are the reason for a more European Europe and not for withdrawing into oneself," the Croatian minister said.
"Europe should move on despite the challenges to world peace, the crisis of multilateralism, and trade disputes. It is a solidary and united Europe, firmly relying on the common democratic values, that can embrace the future," he stressed.
Despite the fact that the Croatian presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of this year took place in unprecedented circumstances, Grlic Radman said that the decision to open accession talks with Albania and North Macedonia, and the decision to open the last negotiating chapter with Montenegro were a great success.
"We believe that the integration of Southeastern Europe is a guarantor of long-term European stability, while at the same it is also our duty and our interest," Grlic Radman said.
"We need to keep our door open to the countries of Southeastern Europe aspiring to membership, subject to fulfillment of all the criteria and implementation of the necessary reforms, as confirmed at the Zagreb Summit," he added.
The meeting was also attended by the deputy speaker of the Bundestag, Hans-Peter Friedrich, former Bavarian minister for science and the arts Bernd Sibler, and the chairman of the European People's Party group in the European Parliament, Manfred Weber.
ZAGREB, July 18, 2020 - Most of the EU member states want a deal on the next seven-year budget and a coronavirus recovery plan to be reached on Saturday or Sunday, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic told reporters during the EU summit in Brussels on Friday evening.
The leaders of the 27 member states gathered for their first physical meeting after five months to reach an agreement on the Multiannual Financial Framework and the plan for a recovery from the consequences of the global coronavirus pandemic.
The meeting started at 10 am on Friday and showed great differences among the member states, as well as the readiness of the majority to compromise.
"As far as I can feel the atmosphere, the majority of colleagues would want a deal to be reached tomorrow or on Sunday," Plenkovic said during a break in the summit. "Most of the members, including big ones such as Germany and France, are ready to support a compromise," he added.
Among the major obstacles to reaching a deal on the whole package are efforts by the Netherlands to ensure that approval of national projects and payouts from the recovery fund is decided by all member states unanimously.
Plenkovic said that most of the member states were against this and that the proposal did not make sense. "That would mean that a small country can tell Germany or France 'we don't like this in your programme and we wouldn't want it to pass,'" Plenkovic said, adding that in his opinion this job should be done by the European Commission.
The PM said that any delay of an agreement would only put this whole business on a tight schedule. "For Croatia, it would be ideal if an agreement was reached now so that we can have a clear situation at the start of the work of the new government and that know what we can count on."
Croatia is trying to secure more than €20 billion in the EU budget and the recovery plan, twice as much as in the first seven years of its membership.
Plenkovic said that his new government, which will be formed next week, wanted to use EU funding for the necessary reforms.
"These seven years ahead of us are crucial for our speedy economic development, transformation, balanced regional development and rural development in all parts of Croatia affected by the problem of depopulation, the problem of job creation," Plenkovic said.
Summit to resume on Saturday
The first day of the summit ended inconclusively as the Netherlands continued to insist that payouts from the recovery fund be decided unanimously.
European Council President Charles Michel proposed that decisions on the approval of national plans be taken by a qualified majority, while decisions on payouts would be made by the Commission taking into account the opinions of the member states.
Even some countries from the group of nations known as the Frugal Four considered the Dutch position unacceptable.
The Netherlands and the other "frugal" countries also demand that the proposed amount for grants be reduced from €500 billion to at least 300 billion.
After Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte rejected the somewhat modified proposal, Michel adjourned the summit until 11am on Saturday.
July 18, 2020 - At Friday's City Council session, Trogir City Councilors unanimously adopted a decision that marks a historic moment for HNK Hajduk and paves the way for the construction of the long-awaited football camp at the barracks of Trogir's Divulje.
"We have repeated many times so far and I believe that you are all aware that the construction of the football camp is Hajduk's capital project, our most important infrastructure project in the 21st century and a solid foundation without which the Club cannot develop and progress. Therefore, we can proudly confirm that today, we are at the starting point of a great story that has been worked on for a long time and in silence, and which will ensure the continuity of education and production of elite players, talented footballers and quality people, which throughout history has adorned the Croatian football club Hajduk and our Academy "Luka Kaliterna"," said the President of the HNK Hajduk Management Board Marin Brbic after the City Council session.
"We are especially pleased that the future football camp will be in Trogir, a city that has always lived with its heart and soul for Hajduk. We are also extremely grateful to the City of Trogir for recognizing this moment and the importance of building a football camp, and I am sure that the entire local community will reap many benefits from our future cooperation. In the end, I will emphasize that this is not a project of Marin Brbic, or any individual who has been or will be in the Club. This is a project of all of us, all of Hajduk, this is a project of Hajduk's future. We are just at the beginning, we have a lot of work ahead of us, many stages that we have to go through, but together we will reach the goal," said Brbic.
The mayor of Trogir, Ante Bilic, did not hide his satisfaction with the city councilors' decision.
"On behalf of the citizens of the city of Trogir, I can say that I am happy that Hajduk will have its camp, its second home, in our city. We are realistic, we think sustainably and that is why the project is conceived realistically, phased and financially sustainable. This is not a project of Ante Bilic and Marin Brbic; this is a project of the City of Trogir and HNK Hajduk that will be developed and used to benefit the institutions we represent for much longer than the duration of our mandates. I had no doubt that the councilors would support our agreement, because who in Dalmatia would not want such an honor, but also a development opportunity from which both of us benefit exclusively? This is an initiative of Hajduk, which we accepted, and together, we quickly completed all the steps so far, both between us and towards the state. Hajduk will have a partner in us, and the city services will be maximally efficient in terms of changing the spatial planning documentation required for part of the project, issuing permits and other steps so that the planned dynamics of the project is not endangered," said Bilic and added:
"Such content, at this location and with us as partners, is a prerequisite for creating sports content without competition in this part of Europe. After the agreement on business cooperation that was signed a little more than a week ago between NK Trogir and Hajduk, I would mark today as an important point for Trogir football and Trogir sport. After the renovated field on Batarija, our children and seniors will get a new field, additional sports facilities and the opportunity to develop with the best that Dalmatia has. We have a lot of work ahead of us, but I consider this one of the most important steps in the recent history of Hajduk and a great opportunity for Trogir," concluded the mayor of Trogir.
To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.
July 18, 2020 - The tourist boards on the island of Pag continue to work together on joint projects during this year's tourist season. This time, they have launched Pag Outdoor Summer Weekend, or active weeks that will be held with licensed and experienced trainers in various forms of active tourism.
HRTurizam writes that since COVID-19 closed festivals on the famous island, so the usual summer party destination had to be quickly and deftly reoriented into a sports-recreational or active holiday destination.
Kristina Alaburic from the Kissa Association and Berislav Sokac from Run Croatia devised the concept of active weekends on the island of Pag, which include six sports (running, cycling, Nordic walking, SUP, kayaking, mountaineering).
Training is adapted to age groups with carefully selected concepts that will be offered by coaches and are adapted to current conditions concerning the current situation. All participants pay the registration fee in order to have complete control and security at the training and the registration of members.
Five years ago, people in Croatia laughed at Sokac when he suggested that a running race be held on Zrce, and today, the island of Pag is the first island in Croatia to have sports activities throughout the summer.
”In one day, only one sport can be held in one place on the island. In this way, active tourists are encouraged to explore the island, and they are encouraged to take a dynamic vacation. This means that on Sundays, Mandre has a run, you can kayak in Pag, SUP in Metajna…. Run Croatia has provided a registration platform where tourists can register for training for 70 kn. For that money, they get refreshments after training in local gastronomic centers, such as Boškinac or Na Tale. In this way, the gastronomic exploration of the island with local quality refreshments is encouraged. We also keep records of who trained where, so that we can react in time in the event of COVID," said Berislav Sokac from Run Croatia. By the way, the Run Croatia platform is one of, if not the best, racing platforms in the world. And it is Croatian.
Thus, on weekends during July and August, a handful of sporting events will be organized throughout the island, such as cycling, Nordic walking, trail, sea kayaking, SUP (windsurfing), windsurfing, running, walking, and quad riding.
Namely, last month, an Agreement on the project association of local tourist boards on the island of Pag was signed. It can be said that this is a historical moment in which all the island's tourist boards have signed such a multi-year joint project for the first time, which is important for tourism and quality offer of the entire island of Pag.
And that the synergy is not only on paper, but the proof is in Pag Outdoor Summer Weekend!
The island's tourist boards are satisfied with joint projects, especially this year, when almost all events have been canceled, but opportunities have been opened for an ideal active vacation for which the island of Pag has phenomenal prerequisites.
Pag Outdoor Summer Weekend is a logical continuation of cooperation of all communities of the islands and arrives at the right time, when safety and the natural environment are first on the list of priorities of today's guests, says Marina Rizner, director of the Tourist Board of Novalja.
"Five years ago, we started the Life on Mars, Pag Island Trail, in the meantime developed kilometers of new trails along the island, educated guides, organized a series of races, gained long-term sports partners such as Run Croatia, Kissa, Trekking League, extended the pre and post season and jointly involved other tourist stakeholders of the destination. It is time to discover all the faces and backs of the lunar island of Pag this summer and choose an active stay in nature," said Rizner.
Sara Cemeljic, director of TZO Kolan, has the same opinion, emphasizing that this is the beginning of recognizing the island of Pag as a sports island.
"Given that the island of Pag is known for its numerous gastronomic events, this is a unique project that reveals all the diversity of the island, with an emphasis on sports activities. We believe that this is the beginning of recognizing the island of Pag as a sports island, where every guest eager for recreation can find something, either sport on land or in the sea, and introducing guests to many undiscovered beauties," said Cemeljic.
"The island of Pag has a specific shape with many bays, fields, karst, freshwater lakes, ancient olive groves. Povljana is surrounded by rocky karst, along a fertile field, near the lake and separated from the main island road and has ideal areas for sports activities such as Nordic walking, running, cycling, and due to the western winds it is extremely suitable for surfing, sailing," said Neven Ticic, director of the Tourist Board of Povljana and concluded:
"That is the reason why we got involved in the project, hoping that as soon as possible, the sports component will gain importance on our beautiful and contrasting island."
Irena Trcol, director of TZM Stara Novalja, pointed out that Pag Outdoor Summer Weekend project was created for their island, which is so different, and yet unique that they can offer every guest a rich selection of outdoor activities. From the program itself, you can see how many organized activities are offered with licensed guides so that everyone will choose something for themselves for an unforgettable vacation on the island.
July 18, 2020 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for flights to Croatia with updates from Split and Zadar.
Croatian Aviation reports that Russian Aeroflot has announced the launch of its seasonal line between Moscow and Split. There are currently no announcements about the start of traffic on the line between Moscow - Zagreb.
The Russian national airline, which normally operates throughout the year between Moscow (Sheremetyevo Airport) and Zagreb, and between Moscow and Split in the summer flight schedule, has announced it is resuming traffic to Croatia.
From August 1, the direct line between Moscow - Split will be re-introduced, which will be in traffic every day, with the A321 aircraft, which has a capacity of 183 seats in the fleet of this airline.
At the moment, there are no announcements for the line between Moscow and Zagreb, and all flights that were supposed to take place in August have been withdrawn from sale and are not in the announcement.
Aeroflot has announced a significant change in its business in which the company will focus on intercontinental flights, while subsidiaries Pobeda (a low-budget company) and Rossiya Airlines will take over other routes from the destination network. At the moment, there are no announcements about a change of carrier on the line to Zagreb, but it is likely that Aeroflot will soon implement its plan.
Recall that until the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, Aeroflot operated daily between Moscow and Zagreb, both in summer and in winter, while flights to Split operate only in summer.
Furthermore, Ex Yu Aviation reports that Jet2, the low-cost carrier which was supposed to launch services from London Stansted and Manchester to Zadar this summer, has delayed the service until 2021.
Jet2 was initially scheduled to begin on May 21, though it has been delayed several times. Operations from Manchester and London to Zadar should begin on May 23 next year.
Sljeme is a favourite destination for many of Zagreb's residents. From skiing in the winter months to hiking and enjoying the views in the dense forests just above the Croatian capital in the summer months, what you can do on Zagreb's famous hill varies with the changing of the seasons. The Sljeme cable car, a project that was in the works for a very long time indeed, is yet another addition.
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 17th of July, 2020, there will be about eighty gondolas placed at the Sljeme cable car, they will move six metres per second and will be able to carry 1,500 passengers in just one hour. The very first cabins of the Sljeme cable car, mounted on steel cables with which they will slide along, were installed over recent days.
One was photographed at the very top of Medvednica, which is the first time that a gondola has (almost) reached the height of the TV tower itself, given that the new Sljeme cable car route is one hundred metres longer than the old one was. One cabin is ready at the lower station, and the first test rides are along the route, as has been found out unofficially from the construction site, will begin at the end of August.
The opening of the Sljeme cable car itself is planned for All Saints' Day, according to a report from Vecernji list.
The new cabins, on the other hand, are 2.1 metres tall and two metres wide, they will accommodate a maximum of ten passengers at a time who will be able to sit on two folding benches. They will also be adapted for people in wheelchairs, and they will be able to accommodate stretchers for the injured.
Skiers and the like will be able store their equipment in special carriers, but there will be no such facilities for transporting bicycles, which will therefore be able to be transported in the gondola itself. The cabins were delivered by an Austrian company specialising in the construction of the Doppelmayr cable car, where all the equipment comes from. They arrived late, as the borders were closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
For more on the Sljeme cable car and other things to do in the Croatian capital, follow Total Zagreb or check out Zagreb in a Page.
