ZAGREB, April 26, 2020 - Croatian jurist Ksenija Turković has been elected a Vice-President of the European Court of Human Rights, the Strasbourg-based court has said on its website.

Turković will take office on May 18.

A criminal law professor at the Zagreb School of Law, Turković was elected a judge of the European Court of Human Rights in October 2012.

The number of judges of the European Court of Human Rights is equal to the number of contracting states to the European Convention on Human Rights. Judges perform their duties in an individual capacity and do not represent any country, and they are elected for a non-renewable nine-year term.

More news about Croatia and the Council of Europe can be found in the Politics section.

April 26, 2020 - Beware the Croatian inspector - a new series courtesy of Glas Poduzetnika (Voice of Entrepreneurs), highlighting a Croatian business reality which helps kill growth, profit and entrepreneurship. 

I have seen them operating all over the country over the last 18 years, the most feared visitors to Croatia's cafes, restaurants and other businesses - the Croatian inspector. 

As with many corrupt countries, the role of the inspector should be to make sure that the rules are being adhered to in the particular area they specialise in - sanitary, fiscal etc - but in reality, the prime motivation is to find ways to fill the State coffers, and their own. Allegedly. 

I heard SO many stories of inspections where perfectly run businesses end up paying thousands in fines, some of it justified, much of it grossly unfair. And there is an old truism here:

If the Croatian inspector comes to visit, he will find something, even if there is nothing there. 

It is a subject that I have wanted to cover for years, but I never had quite the right material. Until now. 

Huge thanks to those very proactive chaps at Glas Poduzetnika, who are really becoming a force for change to be reckoned with. A realy great initiative. In one of their latest moves, they have been collecting some of their members' experiences with the Croatian inspector, to highlight the issue, and the realities of doing business in The Beautiful Croatia. 

Let's begin!  

Story #1: Fishing In Muddy Waters

I had a company that was engaged in wholesale, retail, and manufacturing of fishing and diving equipment for 25 years. We were supplying more than 70 stores throughout Croatia. This year we decided to close everything. This decision was quite difficult to make, and it was done with a lot of thinking, whether to continue working in conditions of legal uncertainty, where the inspector creates the fate, not according to the law, but according to his own taste.

Here's an example: An inspector asks me how do we declare diving suits. I answer, "The same way freight forwarder marks them—as sports equipment." He explains that the diving suit can also be described as protective equipment. As such, I should have received materials attestations made by the Bureau of Metrology and Wasting Time (imagine a product that has all European certificates but must be additionally certified).

Then he says that even though he did not manage to find anything, why is it so that each hook does not have its proper declaration if they are sold per piece. I said that the declaration was on the box, as it could not fit on the hook. The inspector writes down the report and a misdemeanor charge, that did not go through at the court, but it took me nerves and two working days to sort out. The other piece of work comes to my warehouse and finds that we did not comply with the minimal technical requirements, as those were in the making.

The guy tells us that we should not have worked without it and that he is sealing the company, taking all the profits from the beginning of the year, and taking all the goods found in the warehouse. It took about 20 days until the case reached court. Imagine what it's like to live in fear for 20 days that everything you've worked for in the last 20 years will be confiscated because of a single paper that is in the process of being created. When we came to the court, the judge couldn't believe the inspector's reason to seal our company. She literally asked him if he was out of his mind and rejected the charge.

This is how our inspectors work. Punishing past laws and regulations because each of these sheriffs can interpret the law in any way they want. Needless to say, no one compensated us for the lost profits, let alone the nerves. I hope this will finally end and that our Association will win for us to stop feeling like criminals and second-class citizens.

Beware the Croatian Inspector is a new daily series (yes, there really is that much material) which you can follow here.

If you have a Croatian inspector story you would like to share with the Glas Poduzetnika team (in English or Croatian), you can do so via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Subject TCN inspector. 

You can follow the 55,000+ others on the Glas Poduzetnika Facebook page. 

April 26, 2020 - Together in Split is a new campaign by the Split Tourist Board that will inspire tourists with quizzes, cuisine, videos, and more.

As we announced earlier this week, the Split Tourist Board launched the #TOGETHERINSPLIT campaign to communicate with a narrative and message according to the current situation - stay home, travel later.

To announce the campaign, the Tourist Board released the first video in the campaign, created by a small team of members of the Split Tourist Board, led by director Alijana Vukšić, who was asked about the campaign and its expectations for the season.

"'Together in Split' is the name of a campaign that will, through creative content, inspire people to fantasize about the moment when they will be able to enjoy the beauties of our city and region again. It sends a message to tourists that we are together even though we are separated, which is just the meaning of the name of our city.

My team and I have been planning this campaign and the right time to launch it since day one of the crisis. With this campaign, apart from the message of community to the tourists, we want to send the message of community to all tourist workers in Split. We invited all our agencies, hotels, museums, travel guides to join the campaign. We aim to increase the visibility of Split through our joint efforts, primarily on social networks and communicate with other digital channels, as this form of communication is currently crucial,” said Split Tourist Board director Alijana Vuksic. 

So, how will the new campaign evolve?

HRTurizam writes that the first phase of the campaign will run until the end of June, while in the second phase, depending on the situation, the emphasis will be on local guests.

“This is a very difficult time for all of us, but together we can turn something negative into a positive. We decided to replace our fears for our own health and the health of our loved ones, insecurity, existence and other fears with community, positive attitudes, expertise, creativity and friendship. The result is the #TogetherInSplit campaign. We invite everyone to join us in this campaign by sharing videos and creating and sharing content that we will publish on our profiles,” said Alijana Vukšić.

Thus, according to the campaign plan, every day, different content will be published on the Tourist Board's Facebook.

Namely, Mondays are reserved for a 'Heritage Quiz', through which the cultural heritage and exciting contents of the Split museums are presented. Tuesdays are for ‘Virtual Split’, showcasing videos from travel agencies to videos about Split and content that shows how to social distance while traveling (through active tourism, nautical tourism, family facilities.)

On Wednesdays, gastronomic tours and gastronomic offers of local restaurants and hotels are promoted through recipes, photos and videos in the ‘Cook O’Clock segment, while on Thursdays, the Tourist Board showcases all services keeping the city safe - like doctors, police officers, traders, and volunteers, through stories about individuals or by posting their pictures and videos (i.e.,  Red Cross workers dancing) for ‘Thank You Thursday’.

On Fridays, ‘Friday Story’ will share interesting stories about Split and its inhabitants.

On Saturdays, the ‘Conference Call’ segment will feature travel guides sharing unique stories about Split.

On Sundays, ‘Take me back to Split’ will ask followers to send their pictures from trips in Split and encourage their daydreams about coming back to Split.

Thus, the Split Tourist Board is the first of all Croatian tourist boards to launch a concrete campaign and communication during the coronavirus crisis. 

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

April 26, 2020 - Promet Split is back in action on Monday. A look at the timetables, ticket prices, and rules. 

According to the decision of the National Civil Protection Headquarters, public transport is back from Monday, and the same applies to Split, where only special lines have been valid until now, reports Slobodna Dalmacija.

As of Monday, Promet Split is almost back to its old ways. Bus tickets will be charged according to the usual price list, all Promet points of sale will operate at regular business hours, and tickets will also be available on buses at the driver's window.

Promet announced that regular public transport came to a halt on March 22, and all passengers who purchased March tickets have the right to ride with his ticket until Sunday, May 10, 2020. All passengers who purchase a May ticket will be stamped with the number four instead of the number five.

Specifically, to reduce operating costs, stamps that were printed for April will be used, but due to the interruption of bus operations, they have not been put on sale. Following the directions of the Headquarters, passengers are requested to use protective masks when using city buses.

Starting Monday, line #1 will run at 5, 6, 7, 8.30, 10, 11.30, 13, 14.30, 16, 17.30, 19, 20.30 and 22 hours. Line 2 from the Airport departs at 6.20, 8.55, 11.15, 13.30 and 16 hours, and from Split at 7.45, 10.05, 12.20 and 15 hours, while line 2A will not operate.

Line #3 from Lovrinac to Brda will operate at 5, 5.40, 6, 6.20, 6.40, 7, 7.20, 7.40, 8, 8.30, 9, 9.30, 10, 10.20, 10.40, 11, 11.20, 11.40, 12, 12.20. 12.40, 13, 13.20, 13.40, 14, 14.20, 14.40, 15, 15.20, 15.40, 16, 16.30, 17, 17.30, 18, 18.40, 19, 19.20, 20.00, 20.30, 21.30, 22 and 23. From Lovrinac, it will depart at 5, 5.20, 5.40, 6, 6.20, 6.40, 7, 7.20, 7.40, 8, 8.30, 9, 9.30, 10, 10.20, 10.40, 11, 11.20, 11.40, 12, 12.20. 12.40, 13, 13.20, 13.40, 14, 14.20, 14.40, 15, 15.20, 15.40, 16, 16.30, 17, 17.30, 18, 18.20, 18.40, 19.20, 19.40, 20, 20.45, 21.15, 22.15 and 22.45.

Line #3 will run at 5.20, 6.20, 7.20, 8.30, 9.40, 10.50, 11.55, 13.10, 14.20, 15.30, 16.40, 17.50, 19, 20, 21 and 22 hours, while line #6 will depart at 5.20, 5.50, 6.15 , 6.45, 7.15, 7.50, 8.15, 8.45, 9.20, 9.50, 10.15, 10.45, 11.15, 11.45, 12.15, 13.15, 13.45, 14.15, 14.45, 15.15, 15.45, 16.15, 16.45, 17.15, 18.15, 19.15, 20.15, 21.15 , 10.15 pm.

Line #7 from Žnjan to the West Coast starts at 5.30, 6.35, 7, 7.45, 8.30, 9.15, 10, 10.45, 11.30, 12.15, 13 and 14.30, and from the West Coast at 6.10, 7.05, 7.45, 8.30, 9.15. 10, 10.45, 11.30, 12.15, 13, 13.45 and 15.10.

Line #8 from Znjan departs at 6, 7.20, 7.50, 8.50, 9.20, 10.20, 10.15, 11.50, 12.20, 13.20, 13.50, 14.50, 15.20, 16.20, 16.50, 17.50, 19.20, 20.50 and 22.20, and from Zvončac at 5.25, 6.45, 8, 8.30, 9.30, 10, 11, 11.30, 12.30, 13, 14, 14.30, 15.30, 16, 17, 17.30, 18.30, 19, 20, 20.30, 21.30 and 22.00.

Line #9 runs at 5.30, 6, 6.20, 7, 7.20, 8, 8.20, 9.15, 9.40, 10.20, 10.40, 11.20, 11.40, 12.20, 12.40, 13.30, 14, 14.30, 15, 15.30, 16, 16.30, 17, 17.30 , 18, 18.30, 19, 19.30, 20, 20.30, 21, 21.30, 22 and 22.30. Line #10 (Japirko - HNK - Japirko) will depart at 5.10, 6.05, 7.10, 8.10, 8.50, 9.40, 10.5, 11.55, 13.25, 14.55, 16.25, 17.55, 19.25, 20.55 and 22.25.

Line #11 (Ravne njive - Pujanke - HNK - Ravne njive) runs at 5.55, 6.55, 9, 10.15, 11.30, 12.40, 13.50, 14.55 and at 15.55.

Line #12 (Sv. Frane - Bene - Sv. Frane): at 5.50, 6.30, 7.10, 7.45, 9, 10.15, 11.30, 12.45, 14, 15.15, 16.30, 17.45, 19, 20.15, 21.30 and 22.45, while line #14 (Brda - Kopilica - Žnjan - Duilovo - Brda) does not operate.

Line #15 (Duilovo - Žnjan - Ferry Port - Duilovo) operates at 5.05, 5.30, 6.05, 7.05, 8.05, 9.35, 10.35, 11.35, 13.05, 14.05, 15.05, 16.05, 17.05, 18.05, 19.05, 20.05, 21.05 and 22.05 and #16 departs at 5, 6, 7.10, 8.45, 10.15, 11.45, 13.15, 14.45, 16.15, 17.45, 19.15, 20.45 and 22.15.

Line #17 (Spinut - Lora - Trstenik - Lora - Spinut) departs at 5.30, 6.35, 7.45, 9.25, 10.40, 11.55, 12.45, 13.10, 14.40, 15.15, 17, 18.10, 19.20, 20.30 and 21.40. Line #18 (Brnik - HNK - Brnik) runs at 5.15, 6.20, 7, 7.20, 8, 8.20, 9, 9.30, 10.20, 10.40, 11.20, 11.40, 12.20, 12.40, 13.20, 13.40, 14.20, 14.40, 15.20, 15.40 , 16.20, 16.40, 17.30, 18, 18.40, 19, 19.40, 20, 20.40, 21.10 and 22.10. Line #20 (Ravne njive -  Zvončac) does not operate.

Line #21 (Sv. Frane - Meje - Sv. Frane) departs at 9.45, 11, 12.15, 13.30, 14.45, 16, 17.15, 18.30, 19.45, 21 and 22.15.

The timetable of the other lines can be checked on the Promet website.

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

April 26, 2020 - Croatia's national carrier, Croatia Airlines, has launched the schedule for domestic flights from Zagreb to Dubrovnik and Split, starting May 11. Tickets are on sale on the airline's official website.

Dalmacija Danas reports that the Government of the Republic of Croatia decided to gradually loosen the measures in force because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and announced that the introduction of domestic air traffic would be possible from May 11. Thus, Croatia Airlines announced on Saturday that two daily flights from Zagreb to Split and Dubrovnik would be in operation from then.

Croatia Airlines will fly two daily flights between Zagreb and Dubrovnik, one each in the morning and evening.

The morning flight departs from Zagreb at 08:00, and the landing in Dubrovnik is planned at 09:05. The aircraft will depart from Dubrovnik at 09:50, and arrival in Zagreb is scheduled for 10:55.

The evening flight departs from Zagreb at 20:20 and arrives at Dubrovnik Airport at 21:25. Departure from Dubrovnik is at 22:10, and arrival in Zagreb at 23:15. Both daily flights will operate on the 76-seat DashQ400 aircraft.

One way tickets start at 430 kuna and return tickets from 780 kuna. Croatia Airlines is currently offering four daily flights between Zagreb and Dubrovnik from May 18.

From May 11, the service between Zagreb and Split will also operate. The aircraft will depart from Zagreb at 08:10, arriving at Split Airport at 09:00. Departure from Split is planned at 09:45, and arrival at Zagreb Airport at 10:35.

The evening flight departs from Zagreb at 20:20, while the landing in Split is scheduled for 21:10. The return to Zagreb is planned for 21:50, and arrival in the Croatian capital at 22:40.

The Zagreb - Zadar - Pula line is on sale from May 18, and the Zagreb - Brač line from May 19.

The national carrier saw bookings declined 95% in April compared to last year, as it canceled 3,200 flights in March and April. In addition to the services from Zagreb to Split and Dubrovnik on May 11, the airline will maintain its single daily service from Zagreb to Frankfurt.

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

April 26, 2020 - The latest Glas Poduzetnika (the Voice of Entrepreneurs survey in Croatia focuses on the level of debt its entrepreneurs. 

One of the puzzles of the Croatian entrepreneurs' image is also the exact information about the risk they take on, and on the level of exposure, they endure for their companies. On the outside, you will most often see income and profits, but the public rarely has a clear perception of their financial model and about what do they have to comply with for the company to function successfully. One of the interesting criteria, although somewhat complicated, is the level of debt that each entrepreneur has. We wanted to get the information about this segment, even imperfect, so we asked them, "How would you assess the level of their company's debt?"

We collected the following answers:

Slightly less than the meager 8% said they are not in debt and that they have enough private property. Another 18.7% believe that if this situation continues, they will be in debt, although this is not currently the case. This segment stands a little bit better. In addition to them, we have more than 23% of entrepreneurs whose debts are average, and their liabilities are valued at half of the properties that they mostly financed themselves. To these, we add just under 7% of participants who say they are in significant debts and that most of the property was debt-funded. In addition to these all together 30% of entrepreneurs with debts (to a greater or lesser extent), we also have the largest category of more than 43% of participants who say that they are not in debt, but that they risked almost all private property for the business.

The level of entrepreneurs’ debts

I am not in debt, but I risked almost all private property for the company
I am in medium-sized debt
I am not in debt, but if this continues I will be
I am almost completely free of debt, and I have enough private property
I am in significant debt 

We believe that this analysis gives a good idea of the realistic state that entrepreneurs are in. 43% of them risk that if this crisis drags on and there are no short-term quality measures, as well as long-term changes that will make business more manageable, they will lose everything they have. And 30% are already in serious debts, and any significant disruption and obstacle in business can push them over the edge. That data is consistent with all others, which warn that the already challenging state of the private sector is now even more compromised and that the consequences of inappropriate responses will be, as some have put it—of a biblical scale.

For the latest from the Glas Poduzetnika initiative, follow the dedicated TCN section. 

You can also join the 55,000+ people in the Glas Poduzetnika Facebook group.

April 26, 2020 - Did you know that Homer drinks Zuja? The Croatian connection to hit show The Simpsons for Hvar and Brac.

One of the things that I love about writing about all things Croatia is that it is a constant journey of discovery. Croatians are serial overachievers in general, and their contribution to the world is disproportionately larger than the size and population of the country. 

We all know about Nikola Tesla, the ethnic Serb born and raised in a village in modern-day Croatia, the necktie, and Penkala's pen, but the more you look, the more you find Croatian excellence. I only recently discovered, for example, that diazepam has its home in Opatija, the suitcase on wheels was invested decades ago by a Polish-Croat, and that laminate flooring is the brainchild of a Croat in Sweden. 

But the discovery that Homer drinks Zuja? Wow, that explains a lot. 

I was sent this VERY Croatian sketch of The Simpsons recently, as well as an explanation as to why the Croatian colours and symbols adorn a scene in the iconic hit American show. 

It is, apparently, thanks to one very talented colourist (or perhaps that should be colorist) from California called Dominique Blaskovich, who is of Croatian origin. 

The surname is familiar to me, being an adopted Hvar son-in-law, and it is one of the main surnames in the next village, Vrboska - Blaskovic. 

And, according to the information I was sent, that looks quite likely as the ancestral home of the Croatian connection, as Dominique's parents both apparently hail from Dalmatia's gorgeous islands - her father from Hvar and her mother from Selca on Brac. 

And Homer drinks Zuja... 

If anyone has more information on this, I would love to hear from you, especially if there are any family members on Hvar. Contact me via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

April 26, 2020 - While dolphin sightings are quite common in the Adriatic, something less common for two Makarska fishermen - wild boar. 

The only sound I hear these days in Jelsa on Hvar is birdsong. It is wonderful. 

And with human activity largely restricted to the confinement of their own homes, some rather unusual sights are happening around the world in the animal kingdom. Goats walking down the high street in Wales, a deer in a city centre in (I think it was) Australia, and a whale spotted off the island of Solta. 

And while it is a common site for a couple of dolphins to be swimming playfully in the pristine waters of the Adriatic, two Makarska fishermen, Mario Radojkovic and Slobodan Batinic from Makarska, were treated to another type of animal swimming show, reports Morski.hr - wild boar. 

The two boar swam strongly, presumably from the island of Brac, before arriving safely to the mainland and disappearing into the forest in the bay of Promanja. 

Jurica Gaspar from Morski.hr wrote a very interesting article (and with a lot more photos), in which he explained that wild boar can swim for up to 12 hours and 15 nautical miles, and it is not uncommon for them to do so in search of new habitats. There is also precedent for them swimming to the islands, most notably when they did in large numbers to the island of Krk during the Homeland War, as they were escaping the ravages of war in Lika. 

Wild boar are a relatively common sight on Hvar where I lived for 13 years, both on the menus of Hvar restaurants and on the roads and fields. As they are omnivorous, they can - and do - cause damage to agricultural plots of land. In my case, my only run-in with a wild boar which did not involve a restaurant was several years ago on a late-night drive home from the Sucuraj ferry to Jelsa, when my car was hit by one of three boars running across the road, causing considerable damage, both to the car and presumably the wild boar. 

For more from the TCN Lifestyle section, click here.