ZAGREB, July 17, 2020 - The Croatian Tourist Board (HTZ) has launched a website for online payment of the tourist fee for boaters, which until now could be paid only in harbour master's offices, the HTZ announced on Friday.

The website, nautika.evisitor.hr, provides guidance in several languages on how to pay the fee. All major global card brands are accepted.

After paying the fee, the boater is emailed a receipt which they must keep for the entire duration of their stay on the vessel, the HTZ advised.

July 17, 2020 - Former Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic has been elected to the International Olympic Committee with 86 votes in favor and three against.

Vecernji List reports that former president Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic was confirmed as a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Friday through Zoom. Namely, it was originally planned that the ceremony would take place in Switzerland, more precisely in the city of Lausanne, but due to the coronavirus, all trips were postponed, including the ceremony receiving new members.

Grabar-Kitarovic was nominated by IOC President Thomas Bach and was elected by 86 votes to three.

“I am extremely honored to be a member of the IOC. This is not only my personal success but also a recognition of all the achievements of Croatian sport and excellent results of Croatian athletes, who represent our homeland in the world as a nation of great talents and hardworking people, who consistently promote the principles and values ​​of the Olympic Movement," said the former president for Vecernji.

Grabar-Kitarovic added that she has always supported and advocated the values ​​of a positive sports spirit and competition, friendship and Olympism, both in Croatia and on the international scene. “Throughout history, Olympism has played a strong role not only in the development of sport and competition, but also in the field of international peacekeeping and stability. The Olympic truce and Olympic diplomacy have always played an important role and achieved success even where classical diplomacy has failed," she said.

Candidates for membership also included Cuban Marie de la Caridad Colon Ruenes, Saudi Princess Reema Bandar Al-Saud, Battushig Batbold from Mongolia and celebrated athlete Sebastian Coe from the UK, who will take office ex officio as president of the World Athletics Federation.

“I am happy and honored by the nomination! Sport for me is not only a passion but also a great opportunity to promote fundamental human values, positive competitive spirit, but also great athletes - promoters of Our Beautiful," wrote Grabar-Kitarovic on Twitter after the nomination in June.

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

July 17, 2020 – Zagreb's residents have voiced outrage at the removal of a beloved work of art, replaced by nothing. But is this really anything new for Croatia Public Art?

Over the last 24 hours, residents of Zagreb have voiced their outrage at the removal of one of the city's best-loved pieces of street art. 'The Little Prince' had sat in Čulinečka ulica in the Dubrava neighbourhood since 2016. But now it is no more.

Inspired by French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's children's novel - one of the world's best-selling and most-translated books – the mural was placed at the end of a busy underpass. As such, it was a colourful piece of Croatia Public Art, a welcome for motorists entering the drab, grey concrete of the city, stuck in traffic, on their way to another grueling day of work.

Updates to the story have revealed the culprits to be fans of the local football team, Dinamo Zagreb. They had been given permission to paint yet more murals of their logos and slogans on the rest of the underpass, under the provision – according to neighbourhood authorities who granted it – they did not touch the existing artwork. But they did. Where once was placed an inspiring and cheering mural, there now sits nothing.

Representatives of the largest organised group of Dinamo supporters – known as Bad Blue Boys – have, at the time of writing, failed to comment on the affair. Perhaps they weren't aware of the Dubrava sect's actions? They certainly don't appear capable of reprimanding their own members. So much for claiming to be 'organised'. Or perhaps they're just exhausted by all the bad press?

In recent memory, the Bad Blue Boys have repeatedly hit the headlines and, to be fair, not always for such reprehensible, thoughtless behaviour. Following Zagreb's 2020 earthquake, supporters came together as some of the first responders at the scene of a hospital, where they assisted in removing infants from the damaged wards. Bravo! But, then young supporters were pictured with a banner bearing the scandalous words “We will f*ck Serbian women and children”

Representatives from the Bad Blue Boys were quick to denounce the disgusting banner. Bravo! However, they implied the wording was only problematic as it pertained to pedophilia. Eek. And, within 24 hours, the same voices were raging about anti-Croat slogans used by Serbian football fans, in that classically Balkan method of argument where you ignore the issue at hand, point somewhere else and say “But, they are much worse!”

With the removal of 'The Little Prince', this time they seem to have gone too far. All but the most insecure and ardent of supporters have turned on the Bad Blue Boys, labelling them hooligans, idiots and selfish. Comments under news items covering the story are filled with angry criticism for the football fans.

“They like to paint themselves as hooligans who we should all fear,” one angry Zagreb resident who wished to remain anonymous, told TCN, “but really they can only paint their retarded logos. They piss all over the city like feral dogs marking their territory. Their murals are already on walls everywhere, why destroy this art? Everyone loved it! They are not even real football fans, let alone hooligans. They boycotted (attending) because of the club's (allegedly) corrupt management, but as soon as the club released 1 Euro tickets, stadium was again full. For 20 years they shout and spray (paint) fake anger over corruption at the club, but they don't do a thing about it. The same people are still in charge and the stadium is full of these so-called fans. Can you imagine that happening in a football club in your country, in Spain, in Argentina, in Brazil? No. Impossible. Such corruption would not last a year before fans removed them. The corrupt would be assassinated if that's what is needed (to remove them). They are not Bad Blue Boys, they are Big Blue Babies. They are dogs with loud voice but absolutely no teeth”

The anger of Zagreb residents is palpable. But, can we blame the pointless and saddening idiocy of this affair on the Bad Blue Boys? Like the disgusting slogan on the teenage supporters' banner, such rhetoric does not appear out of thin air. Actions like these are sadly learned. And the country has an established history of needlessly destroying Croatia Public Art and replacing it with... nothing.


A photograph of a small section of Ivan Joko Knežević's mosaic in Omiš, the only record in colour remaining of this piece of Croatia Public Art © Knežević family archives

The long-cursed bottleneck on the Jadranska magistrala (Adriatic highway), the Dalmatian town of Omiš, is now fighting to attract the kind of footfall that its neighbours Makarska and Split experience during summer. And, sitting at the mouth of the Cetina river, it sure does have a lot to offer. However, one thing it no longer has to offer is the amazing mosaic created by renowned local artist Ivan Joko Knežević on one of the town's most prominent squares. Today, the square is known as Trg Franje Tuđmana (but, of course it is – it's probably very close to a street called Ante Starčevića too) and where the beautiful mosaic once stood, there sits a blank wall. This piece of Croatia Public Art was removed under a wave of nationalist sentiment following Croatia's war of independence, solely because one of the local scenes it contained depicted Partizan soldiers (who fought to recapture for its inhabitants this very area from the Nazi-allied Italians it had been gifted to). Now, there is no reason for tourists to come to this square other than the drinks on offer. They sit and sip and look at nothing.


The wife of Ivan Joko Knežević and friends, standing in front of the mosaic in Omiš after the unveiling of this work of Croatia Public Art © Knežević family archives

This is not the only time the work of the rather brilliant Ivan Joko Knežević has undergone such a fate. Croatia's only true master of mosaic operating in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, his incredible 'Narod u svojoj težnji k stalnom napretku' mosaic was a proud feature adorning the walls of the former military hospital in Križine, Split until Croatian independence. Thereafter, it sat behind a closed curtain for 15 years until some of the city's more enlightened residents insisted the curtain be removed. Happily, this work of Croatia Public Art is now back on display.


Ivan Joko Knežević standing in front of his Croatia Public Art mosaic at the former military hospital in Split © Knežević family archives

Spomenik narodu-heroju Slavonije (Monument to the hero people of Slavonia) was a former World War II memorial by Vojin Bakić. So gigantic was this stainless steel monolith of gratitude that it took over a decade to build. After completion, it was the largest postmodern sculpture in the world. It took a concerted but incomparable five-day effort by bored soldiers with leftover explosives to destroy it following the end of Croatia's war of independence. Today, such structures of art are recognised and hugely appreciated by many. Fans from all over the world travel to see them. Located in Kamenska, Brestovac, one of the most deprived areas of Slavonia, there is now nothing for the tourists to come and see except the lubenica (watermelon) growing slowly. So, they do not come.

Spomenik narodu-heroju Slavonije (Monument to the hero people of Slavonia) by Vojin Bakić. Built over 10 years, it was the largest postmodern sculpture in the world. It took five days to destroy with explosives © Public domain

Of course, the removal of the latter examples are rooted in a change of regime and political climate. Whether you approve of the recent removal of statues of slave traders in England in response to the Black Lives Matter movement, the famous toppling of Saddam Hussein's statue following the liberation of Baghdad or the destruction of world heritage sites like Palmyra by Isis depends only on your personal perspective and politics. It is all the same thing. The removal of Zagreb's 'Little Prince' just seems like thoughtless vandalism in comparison.

Neighbourhood authorities in Dubrava have promised the return of the much-loved mural, a feat complicated by travel restrictions as its author lives in Novi Sad, Serbia. For now, city residents will look at nothing and curse the shortsightedness of the 'Big Blue Babies' who removed it. But, can they really be so harshly blamed in a country with a history for such wanton destruction of art that is never replaced?

ZAGREB, July 17, 2020 - A total of 98 new coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Croatia in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of active cases to 1,192, the national coronavirus response team said on Friday.

"Today, the 144th day since the appearance of the coronavirus in Croatia, 98 new cases have been registered in the last 24 hours, so that the current number of active cases is 1,192, or two more than yesterday," Health Minister Vili Beros told a press conference.

Since the start of the epidemic in the country in late February, the total number of people infected has reached 4,137 and 2,825 of them have recovered, which is 68.3 percent.

To date, 100,851 samples have been tested, including 1,437 in the last 24 hours. The rate of positive tests is 4.1 percent.

Currently, 137 people are receiving hospital treatment and seven of them are on ventilators, one more than on Thursday. There have been no fatalities in the last 24 hours, with the death toll remaining at 120.

The average age of the people infected with the virus is 47.16 years.

In the last 24 hours, 14 people have been discharged from hospitals, bringing their total to 994, while 1,871 have recovered at home, which is 76 more than on Thursday.

There are 87 active cases among health workers, five more than on Thursday, and 431 health workers are in self-isolation, 46 fewer than on Thursday.

ZAGREB, July 17, 2020 - President Zoran Milanovic said on Friday that it was his duty to point to problems, and described as "utterly uncivilised" some media interpretations of his tete-a-tete talks with PM Andrej Plenkovic as his attempt "to pontificate and lecture" Plenkovic on how to solve the problems.

Milanovic said that attempts by some to retell what he and Plenkovic discussed during their tete-a-tete talks on Thursday were uncivilised and criticised media articles that claimed that during the ceremony of entrusting Plenkovic with the task to form the next government he "pontificated and lectured" Plenkovic on the role of the national COVID-19 crisis management team.

"I did not pontificate on anything," Milanovic said during his visit to an exhibition in Zagreb on Friday.

My behaviour was transparent and concerned a very important topic, the president insisted.

He also said that after yesterday's talks with the prime minister he had not divulged the contents of their talks.

However, there are some people spreading their version and there are media ready to publish all that. Can that be called journalism?" wondered the Croatian president, adding that it was actually bad practice.

As for the topic of the role of the COVID-19 crisis response team, Milanovic reiterated his position that in Croatia there was no place for principles that were valid in the Soviet Union when it came to human rights.

"We a western European country. I must point to that," Milanovic said in the context of his comments on the legislative solutions for the crisis management team.

I believe that the Croatian parliament should definitely set a time frame for how long the government can be authorised to make decisions from the parliament's remit (on the COVID-related problems), Milanovic said adding that he had a very constructive approach towards the government.

He also praised the example of Spain in this context.

On Thursday, addressing the reporters after he nominated Plenkovic as the PM-designate, Milanovic said that he expects a clearer and more precise legal framework from the perspective of the Constitution related to the national COVID-19 response team, such as defining powers for adopting measures and their duration, adding that the current legislation does not define that.

"That can be resolved so that the government or parliamentary majority, pursuant to Article 17 of the Constitution, decides to suspend human rights to a certain degree for a certain period of time in cases like this. That way we would have a clearer legal situation. We are a law-based state. We know what can be done and for how long. Such a decision would make the legal regime we live in a lot clearer and make it easier for the government to do that. I call on all lawmakers to support such a motion if it is put forward," said Milanovic then.

Milanovic hopes that there will be way out of the crisis

In connection with the closing of the Meggle factory in Osijek and announced lay-offs in some companies, Milanovic said that it was on the government to deal with the economic issues.

Possible layoffs loom in whole Europe, including Croatia, and went on to say that the government in Croatia could not be held responsible for the corona crisis.

He said he hoped that the country would be dragged out of the crisis.

"The solace is all are faced with similar problems more or less. I hope that the next year will be a year of recovery and growth," he added

"The European Union is dealing well with the current situation," he said underscoring that this conduct of the EU in the current situation is by rules.

ZAGREB, July 17, 2020 - The Central State Office for Croats Abroad has adopted decisions on the distribution of five million kuna to Croat minorities in 12 European countries this year.

Of the five million kunas, set aside in the state budget for the financial support of ethnic Croats in European countries in 2020, the highest amount, HRK 1.25 million, has been allocated of for the needs of the Croat community in Serbia, and will finance 46 programmes, including the progamme of providing free of charge textbooks to children attending classes in Croatian.

Thirteen ethnic Croat associations and programmes in Slovenia have been provided with HRK 550,000.

Associations of the Croat minority in both Austria and Hungary have been given 500,000 kuna, whereas the amount of  400,000 kuna has been earmarked to local Croats in Montenegro, and of that 145,000 has been set aside for the Radio Dux a radio station which promotes the interests of the local Croat community. Also in Italy, HRK 400,000 is going to be distributed for eight projects proposed by five Croat societies.

In both Romania and the Republic of North Macedonia, local Croat associations will be assisted with 350,000 kuna, and in Kosovo, 300,000 kuna will be sent mainly for humanitarian purposes such as the provision of free meals and food.

Two ethnic Croat associations in Slovakia have been given 250,000 in total for festivals promoting the folklore and customs of local Croats.

The work of the association of Croats in Czechia has been supported with HRK 100,000 and in Bulgaria, the associations of the Croat minority can count on 50,000 kuna from the Office.

(€1 = HRK 7.526037)

ZAGREB, July 17, 2020 - The negotiations on the  Multiannual Financial Framework for 2021-2017 and the recovery package are politically most important for the development of the EU in the next seven years and require a high level of political maturity, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said in Brussels on Friday.

"We will advocate Croatia's interest and seek possibilities of funding our national programme for recovery, including projects that will make sure that Croatia has a balanced regional development. the development of agriculture and also investments in the digital and green economy and all other things in connection with the future and catching up with the 4.0 industrial revolution," Plenkovic said just before the start of the first face-to-face summit meeting in Brussels after several months of virtual conferences due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On 10 July, European Council President Charles Michel presented his new proposal for the long-term EU budget and the recovery package, the so-called negobox.

This proposal serves as a basis for the leaders’ discussions at the ongoing Special European Council. 

President Michel has proposed €1 074 billion to fulfill the long-term objectives of the EU and to preserve the full capacity of the recovery plan. This proposal is largely based on the February proposal, which reflected two years of discussions between member states. As for the size of the recovery fund, the Commission would be empowered to borrow up to €750 billion through an own-resource decision. Of that amount, 500 billion would be in the form of non-repayable grants and 250 billion as loans.

"A deal is essential. Now is the time," says Michel in his invitation letter for the special summit.

The Croatian premiere is hopeful that all leaders of the EU bloc's member-states will show a high level of political maturity "so that we can send a key message to all our citizens, to all members of the EU."

ZAGREB, July 17, 2020 - The General Shareholders’ Assembly of INA, a leading oil and gas company in Croatia, is scheduled for 26 August with the proposal for dividend payment in the amount of HRK 622.7 million on the agenda, that is HRK 62.27 per share, according to invitations sent on Friday for the general assembly.

In late March, INA's management and supervisory boards decided on a dividend payment from the oil and gas company's 2019 net profit which totalled HRK 656 million while the sum to be allocated for dividend payment is HRK 622.7 million, which means HRK 62.77 per share.

The unofficial calculation of the amount earned through dividend payment shows that Hungary's MOL, which holds slightly above 4.9 million shares in INA, can count on HRK 305.6  million, whereas the Croatian government holds 4.48 million shares, and can earn thus HRK 279.2 million.

On 30 April, three major trade unions in the INA group asked Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic to get INA owners - the government and the Hungarian oil company MOL - to give up the payment of the dividend for 2019.

(€1 = HRK 7.526037)