ZAGREB, June 10, 2020 - The financial advisory firm Lazard has presented a due diligence report on the INA oil company to the Council for INA, a final report is expected in about a month, and the first meeting with executives of the Hungarian oil group MOL is expected by the end of this month, Environment and Energy Minister Tomislav Coric said on Wednesday.

"The Council for INA today received the first preliminary report on due diligence from our consultant, Lazard. A final report is expected within a month. What follows is intense communication with the other party and in that context, we expect the first meeting with MOL by the end of the month," Coric told reporters after a meeting of the Council for INA.

He said they were "pleased with the work done." He did not reveal details of the report, saying that INA was listed on the stock exchange and that this "narrowed the government's maneuvering space."

The Council meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, and Lazard's representatives took part by video conference.

The Council for INA is a government advisory body established in January 2017 with the task of providing guidance and proposing measures and decisions for the preparation, implementation, and financing of the possible buyback of MOL's stake in INA.

MOL is the single largest shareholder in INA with 49.1% of shares, while the Croatian government holds 44.8%. The remaining 6.1% is held by private and institutional shareholders.

Prime Minister Plenkovic said in late 2016 that the government had decided to regain control of INA by buying back MOL's entire stake. The decision came after Croatia had lost an arbitration case it had initiated against MOL before the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law in Geneva.

The government selected the Anglo-French investment bank Lazard as a consultant in August 2019.

June 10, 2020 — Zagreb rattled and shook in the early morning, but thankfully the quake was much weaker than its predecessors.

Croatia’s Seismological Service recorded a weak earthquake of magnitude 2.4 on the Richter scale with an epicenter in Zagreb, not far from Markuševac at 4:15 am on Wednesday.

The intensity of the earthquake at the epicenter was grade III of the EMSC scale.

After two strong earthquakes of 5.5 and 4.8 on the Richter scale, which hit Zagreb in the early morning hours of March 22, the city subsequently shook about 1,000 more times, which was expected. A moderate earthquake measuring 3.2 on the Richter scale hit Zagreb on April 23.

#potres (#earthquake) 10.06. u 04:15 kod Markuševca, M2.4. Opširnije na https://t.co/AcfihmSSSv. Ako ste osjetili potres, molimo javite na https://t.co/RJDaIJlwpM

— Seizmološka služba HR (@seizmo_hr) June 10, 2020

“This shook well and things and glasses rang. It’s a terrible feeling,” one person wrote in comments on the EMSC website.

A Jutarnji List reader from Granešina also says that the earthquake woke them up. Another reader from Zagreb wrote:

“Terrible feeling! Fear has been present since that first earthquake.”

“Subsequent earthquakes are a common occurrence and these are exactly those earthquakes,” Ines Ivančić, head of the Seismological Service, told HRT. “Up to half a year later they can be expected. It is not known how many more there will be as well as their strength. We cannot predict when it will happen.

“We know in which area the biggest earthquake can happen, and Zagreb is a seismically active area. Citizens should not panic and they should listen to the instructions of the Civil Protection Directorate.”

June 10, 2020 - Looking for socially-distanced tourism this summer? Take the Road Less Travelled to the Top of Hvar Paradise Pop-Up Bar.

It is never a dull moment when you catch up with Ante Lacman, owner of Hvar's most innovative tour agency, Hvar Tours.  

Normally, we meet and chat about Hvar tourism of his other DMC which covers Croatia, Montenegro and Slovenia, but a couple of weeks ago, the topic was a little different, and a little more pressing. 

My car died on the way out of Split towards the motorway. On a Sunday. The only person I knew who lived nearby and would possibly help was young Lacman. 

And so it proved. Within minutes, we had got to a garage, where his friend was the mechanic, and within 15 minutes of the phone call, he was taking a look at the problem. 

And while we waited for the prognosis, we talked about the season, and what there might possibly be for his agency. 

He was philosophical and positive, determined to enjoy the summer with his family if there were no guests. 

But the thing with Lacman is that there is always something new that he wants to explain, some new idea. 

Hvar Tours was the first agency to do proper wine tours on Hvar, and their range of options now is outstanding, from speedboat wine tours to a winery in a hidden cave to a private tasting with a certified Master of Wine. 

He told me about his new plans, which were extremely interesting for Season 2021, and then he remembered.

"Oh, we got the video done. Remember that private group on the top of Hvar with its own pop-up bar you wrote about last summer?

"Watch this. I think we will call it Taking the Road Less Travelled to the Top of Paradise."

If you can make it to Hvar this summer, I think it will be the season of a lifetime for chilling. 

Looking to learn more about Lacman's tours?

To learn more about Conde Nast's Number 1 islands in Europe for 2019, some digital tools for Hvar from our Virtual Croatia series. 

June 10, 2020 — The head of the National Civil Protection Headquarters and Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic said about 160,000 tourists have submitted paperwork to enter the country, alongside the 65,000 already in Croatia.

“At the moment, Croatia is de facto the only one in the EU with tourism,” Božinović said in an interview with RTL. “We have crowds at the borders. First, they all receive clear warnings at border crossings. As far as local communities are concerned, these services are not accidentally called emergency services. They are always ready to react.”

The minister described how the epidemiological measures would work over the summer, for example, if there were too many crowds on the beaches.

“The Croatian Institute of Public Health prepared instructions for both beach concessionaires and tourist workers,” Bozinovic said.

He said that everyone who deals with tourism has clear instructions that should be followed.

“I am sure that it is in everyone's interest to adhere to them as much as possible and that is a guarantee that we will be as successful this season as we have been successful in the last three months,” he concluded.

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June 10, 2020 - Croatia's islands have some fantastic bargains right now, but few are taking advantage of them. One major factor are the ferry prices. 

The island of Hvar has never been more idyllic.

Or as affordable. 

I have not been to Hvar Town yet (but will be filming there tomorrow), but stories of cocktails at 25 kuna and just 37 registered guests are incredible. 

And apparently true. 

If you have never visited Hvar but always dreamed of doing so, you will have no more enjoyable or affordable opportunity than this summer. 

As I wrote back on March 25, 2020 in Hope v Reality: Will There Be a 2020 Tourist Season in Croatia?,

'Competition for tourists after coronavirus is going to be INSANE.'

Greece, Italy, Spain, Egypt, France, Turkey, Tunisia, Montenegro and many other countries have very large tourism industries, all of which are in a similar situation as Croatia. They will all be trying extra hard to grab whatever they can from the smaller pot of potential tourists. And one of the key weapons they will fight with is one where Croatian tourism is not particularly competitive. 

Price. 

So how are our tourism gurus dealing with the price war? From the official Ministry of Tourism website on May 28, 2020:

That's right. State-owned ferry company Jadrolinija decided to play its part in the fight for Croatia's breathing tourism by not raising prices this year. They did not reduce them either, just kept them the same. 

This was spun on the official ministry website as good news, somehow. 

So how does it look on the ground?

Those hotels which are open are almost empty right now, and there are some quite sensational offers. 8 days on the water in Jelsa, half-board at Hotel Fontana, just 1,680 kuna per adult (about 220 euro each), with one child free, the second child half price. Here is the link if you want to book. 

With such great deals, locals who have a little cash might be able to afford the sunshine island for the first time in years. It will be an incredible summer on Hvar, and I genuinely cannot remember it being so beautiful or tranquil - similar I expect to the first years after the Homeland War. 

Great to see the State ferry company recognising that and making it as easy as possible. That family of four could have the holiday of a lifetime on Hvar, bringing their bikes, for just 4,200 kuna for all four, half board, plus ferry crossings.

Ah yes, the ferry crossing from Split to Stari Grad. A return ticket to costs 2 x 460 kuna for your family car with bikes, 4 x 39 kuna for the adults return, and 4 x 19.50 for the kids. The total price comes to 1,152 kuna, more than 25% of the entire holiday cost. 

With disposable cash very limited for many families, that 25% could be better spent on a similar hotel deal on the mainland coast. The hotels there are also very empty, and there is plenty of space at the beach. 

And spare a thought for the tourism industry on the island of Lastovo. 

The fact that the Ministry of Tourism reports no increases in ferry prices as news worthy of publishing on its website tells its own story. 

Just an idea, but with Hvar and other islands this affordable, how about reducing the ferry prices 50%? You may find that twice as many people come, which would mean no lost revenue for the State company. And it might give some island businesses a chance to survive. 

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June 10, 2020 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for flights to Croatia with updates from Zadar, Split and Dubrovnik.

Croatian Aviation reports that Irish low-cost carrier Ryan air has announced it is resuming lines to many destinations in Europe, including Croatia.

From the beginning of July, the company will start flying to numerous destinations again, and Zadar Airport has been the most frequent host of Ryanair aircraft for many years.

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It will be the same from July, when the company will resume as many as ten lines from Zadar:

Zadar - Vienna, twice a week (Mondays and Fridays) from 03.07.,

Zadar - Brussels, once a week (Thursdays), from 02.07.,

Zadar - Prague, once a week (Saturday), from 04.07.,

Zadar - Berlin, once a week (Thursdays), from 02.07.,

Zadar - Cologne, once a week (Sunday), from 05.07.,

Zadar - Dusseldorf, twice a week (Tuesdays and Saturdays), from 04.07.,

Zadar - Karlsruhe, twice a week (Tuesdays and Saturdays), from 04.07.,

Zadar - Stuttgart, once a week (Sunday), from 05.07.,

Zadar - Milan, twice a week (Mondays and Fridays) from 03.07.,

Zadar - Poznan, once a week (Sunday) from 05.07.

Apart from Zadar, flights from other airports in Croatia have also been announced:

Dubrovnik - Dublin, twice a week (Wednesdays and Sundays) from 01.07.,

Split - Dublin, twice a week (Tuesdays and Saturdays) from 04.07.,

Split - Stuttgart, once a week (Sunday) from 05.07.,

Rijeka - London, once a week (Monday) from 06.07.,

Pula - Berlin, once a week (Saturday) from 04.07.,

Pula - Brussels, once a week (Monday) from 06.07.,

Pula - London, twice a week (Thursdays and Sundays) from 02.07.

Ryanair additionally canceled certain routes to Croatia and significantly reduced the number of weekly flights in July. Dubrovnik remained on one line, just like Rijeka, and several lines from Pula were canceled. Zadar was supposed to have almost 40 lines this summer, but this July, it will have only 10.

Ryanair currently has affordable flight prices, return tickets can be purchased for as little as 23 euro for a trip in July, and the promotion is valid until June 11 this year.

Furthermore, Luxair, Luxembourg's national carrier, has announced the resumption of its scheduled flights to destinations in Europe, according to Croatian Aviation.

Among others, international routes to Croatia are among the first to be launched to three Croatian airports: Zadar, Split and Dubrovnik.

Earlier in the summer flight schedule, Luxair also operated on the Luxembourg - Brač route, once a week, but this route was canceled and is not on sale in this summer flight schedule either.

The company reintroduces the following lines to Croatia:

Luxembourg - Zadar, from June 20, once a week, every Saturday,

Luxembourg - Split, from June 21, once a week, every Sunday,

Luxembourg - Dubrovnik, from June 20, once a week, every Saturday (from July 4, an additional flight is introduced on Wednesdays).

Luxair will operate on all the above routes to and from Croatia with the DashQ400 aircraft, which has a capacity of 76 passengers in the fleet of this carrier. The company also has larger capacity aircraft in its fleet, B737-700 and B737-800, but for now, it does not plan to use them on routes to Croatia.

Finally, Croatia Airlines has announced the flight schedule from June 22, with the addition of international flights from Split airport.

Croatian Aviation reports that Croatia Airlines will introduce five international routes from Split, four to destinations in Germany and one to Switzerland.

Apart from Split, Croatia Airlines will introduce numerous international routes from Zagreb from June 15.

As of June 24, the Split-Frankfurt route will be introduced with two weeks of departure, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, of the A319 aircraft.

From June 27, the Split - Dusseldorf route will be introduced, once a week, on Saturdays, by A319 aircraft.

From the same date, the Split - Berlin route will be introduced, also once a week (Saturdays), by A319 aircraft.

As of June 26, the Split - Munich route will be introduced with two weeks of departure, on Fridays and Saturdays, for the 76-seat DashQ400 aircraft.

From the same date, the Split - Zurich line will be introduced, also with two weeks of departure (Friday and Saturday) by DashQ400 aircraft.

From June 24, the Croatian national airline will operate on five international routes from Split, and one domestic, between Split and Zagreb.

Split Airport currently has the most announcements of airlines in the summer flight schedule.

June. 9, 2020 - A protest was held on Tuesday in Zagreb against police violence and racism, expressing solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and anti-racist protests taking place across the United States over the death of unarmed African-American George Floyd.

"We refuse to participate in the policy of destroying life. We want to be part of the policy of solidarity, the fight for freedom and economic equality and a society that condemns all forms of violence and racist expression and the imposition of supremacy," the initiative said, as reported by Index.hr.

About 400 protesters expressed their solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and anti-racist protests in the United States, which many already call the largest human and civil rights movement in history.

Anka Mrak Taritaš was also at the protest.

"I am glad that a lot of young people gathered today to protest against racism in Zagreb," she wrote on her Facebook page.

Protests around the world are taking place after unarmed African-American George Floyd was killed on May 25 in the American city of Minneapolis.

Floyd died after asphyxiation from sustained pressure by the knee of police officer Derek Chauvin, who kneeled on Floyd's neck.

Protesters knelt in support, and silently paid tribute to all those whose lives were "suffocated and extinguished by racism." The banners had inscriptions such as "stop injustice to minorities in Croatia", "only love", "we are all equal" and shouted George Floyd's name several times, and at one point protesters sang Oliver Dragojevic's song "Believe in Love".

The initiative also wanted to emphasize the fact that "racist policies are present in America, and thus in Europe".

"We are witnessing the criminalization of brown and black lives on our borders, unprecedented violence perpetrated by the Croatian police at the borders and deep into the territory of Croatia. Systemic racism is a feature of our society and is most evident in relations with migrants," said the Initiative.

HND President Hrvoje Zovko, SDSS President Milorad Pupovac, Zagreb SDP President Gordan Maras, Glas President Anka Mrak Taritaš and members of the Možemo platform Tomislav Tomašević, Sandra Benčić and Rada Borić came to express their support for the protest.

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

ZAGREB, June 9, 2020 - Austria will reopen its borders to Italy and lift a quarantine requirement for travellers from over 20 other European countries, including Croatia next week, Reuters reported on Tuesday.

Austria will reopen its borders to Italy and lift a quarantine requirement for travellers from over 20 other European countries next week, officials were quoted by Reuters as saying on Tuesday.

This is the direction in a further easing of restrictions imposed to contain the coronavirus.

"The decision should in particular ease tensions with Italy after Austria singled out its southern neighbour for continued coronavirus-related checks given Italy's high number of COVID-19 infections and deaths," Reuters says.

Austria, which borders eight countries, had lifted coronavirus-induced border restrictions last week for all of them except Italy, which prompted Rome to say such "individualist" solutions risked damaging the image of the 27-nation European Union.

As of June 16 Austria will lift controls on travel from more than two dozen countries including popular holiday destinations Greece and Croatia, the officials said on condition of anonymity, meaning arrivals from those countries would neither have to go into a two-week quarantine nor show a negative test. The Foreign Ministry and Chancellor Sebastian Kurz's office declined to comment., according to Reuters

Earlier in the day Croatia's Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said that he had discussed the matter with Chancellor Kurz.

Plenkovic: Austrian govt to lift restrictions on arrivals from Croatia

The Austrian government will lift restrictions on arrivals from Croatia as of mid-June, Prime Minister Plenkovic announced after speaking with his Austrian counterpart.

"We agreed that tomorrow the Austrian government will adopt a decision on lifting restrictions on movement for people between Croatia and Austria as of mid-June," Plenkovic tweeted after speaking with Chancellor Kurz.

Anyone travelling from Croatia to Austria cannot enter Austria without restrictions whereas Croatia has opened its borders to 10 EU countries, including Austria.

Passengers from Croatia can now enter Austria upon presenting a negative test to coronavirus no older than four days which needs to be issued in either German or English. Croats, resident in Austria, can also enter that country but are required to spend 14 days in self-isolation.

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