March 18, 2022 - Renowned Croatian jazz singer Ines Trickovic will hold a voice workshop in Santa Monica, California called ''Liberate your Voice''. In the workshop, the participants will learn along Ines to use their voice to express themselves freely through singing.

Julia Quena Kavi, a famous holistic life coach presents “Take control of your voice to take control of your life” by Ines Trickovic.

This workshop is designed for singing amateurs and enthusiasts with no prior training. It is 4 hours in duration and includes practical hands-on breathing and singing exercises that train your diaphragm, lungs, and vocal cords. The ''Liberate your Voice'' workshop will help you open up, speak and sing freely, release yourself from fear and inner criticism. At the end of the process, you will be empowered and confident as you learn to take control of your voice and master your life.

Ines Trickovic enjoys a very rare kind of success. With no formal training, she managed, not only to find her unique voice but to become a professional jazz singer and tour some of the most interesting corners of the planet. From the upscale venues of Hong Kong to Carnegie Hall in New York City, she has been wowing audiences for more than two decades. Her rich international career has seen her taking center stage in over 3000 concerts. Aside from this, she is a respected voice coach and voice therapist.

Take this opportunity to learn directly from her as shares some of her skills and insights.

For this workshop, Ines will be joined by Julia Quena Kavi, the award-winning professional opera singer, and vocalist. It was at the invitation of this famous holistic vocal coach, retreat facilitator, and spiritual coach that Ines decided to bring this workshop to California in the first place.

The workshop will take place on Thursday, March 31, from 12:30 pm to 4:30 pm, at Power Yoga East, 522 Santa Monica Boulevard in Santa Monica. The price of the tickets for the workshop is $90 and you can purchase them HERE.

For more, check out our lifestyle section.

ZAGREB, 18 March (2022) - Croatia has registered 1,939 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours and 18 COVID patients have died, the national COVID-19 crisis management team said on Friday.

There are currently 11,186 active cases, including 691 hospitalised patients, 39 of whom are on ventilators.

Also, 8,046 people are self-isolating.

Croatia has registered a total of 1,081,336 cases of COVID-19 since its first registered case in Zagreb on 25 February 2020 and 15,410 people have died as a consequence while 1,054,740 have recovered from the contagion.

To date, a total of 2,235,641 people have been fully vaccinated, which is 65.64% of the adult population.

For all you need to know about coronavirus specific to Croatia, make sure to bookmark our dedicated section and select your preferred language if it isn't English.

March 18,  2022 - Luka Modrić and Mateo Kovačić will meet in the Champions League quarterfinals as Real Madrid and Chelsea face off next month. 

The draw for the Champions League quarterfinals was held today at the headquarters of the European Football Federation (UEFA) in Nyon.

The draw was open and there were no seeded teams or “protected” pairs. Any team could be drawn against any other team.

Certainly one of the most interesting pairs is the clash between the current European champions Chelsea and the most trophy-winning European club Real Madrid. It will be a clash between two of Croatia's best footballers - Luka Modrić and Mate Kovačić. Last season, Chelsea and Real Madrid met in the semifinals and the English club advanced with a 3:1 aggregate. 

Manchester City will play against Atletico Madrid, Villarreal will meet Bayern, while Benfica will play against Liverpool.

The semifinal pairs were also drawn immediately. The winner of the Manchester City - Atletico Madrid match will play against the winner of the Chelsea and Real Madrid match. 

In the second semifinal, the winners of Benfica - Liverpool, and Villarreal - Bayern Munich will play.

England (Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea) and Spain (Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, Villarreal) will have three clubs in the quarterfinals, and Germany (Bayern) and Portugal (Benfica) will have one each.

Five Croatian footballers remain in the competition - Luka Modrić (Real), Mateo Kovačić (Chelsea), Šime Vrsaljko (Atletico Madrid), and Bayern's reserves Josip Stanišić and Gabriel Vidović.

The first quarterfinal matches are scheduled for April 5 and 6, and the return matches are on April 12 and 13. The semifinals are on April 26 and 27, and the return matches are on May 3 and 4. The final is on May 28 at the Stade de France in Paris.

After the Champions League draw, the draw for the Europa League quarterfinals and semifinals follows from 13:30.

The eight best clubs in the Europa League are from Germany (Eintracht and Leipzig), and Italy (Atalanta), Spain (Barcelona), Portugal (Braga), France (Lyon), Scotland (Rangers), and England (West Ham) will have one representative each in the quarterfinals.

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

ZAGREB, 18 March (2022) - The average net pay in legal entities in Croatia in January 2022 was HRK 7,378 (€975), which is a nominal increase of 5.7% compared to January 2022, while in real terms the pay remained the same, data from the national statistical office (DZS) indicate.

Compared to wages in December 2021, the average net wage for January was up by 1.3% in nominal terms and up by 1% in real terms.

The median net pay in January was HRK 6,175 (€816), which means that half of the people employed earned wages below that amount and half earned wages above that amount.

The highest average monthly net pay in legal entities in January was reported in air transport, amounting to HRK 11,569, while the lowest was paid in clothing manufacturing, HRK 4,856.

(€1 = HRK 7.570296)

For more, check out our business section.

ZAGREB, 18 March (2022) - PM Andrej Plenković said on Friday after talks with opposition MPs on the situation in Ukraine and last week's crash of an unmanned aerial vehicle in Zagreb that they seemed to be satisfied with the information presented at the meeting, and that he suggested holding such meetings on an as-needed basis.

A special item on the agenda of the meeting, held in the government offices, was information on last week's crash of an unmanned aerial vehicle near a student dorm in Zagreb.

"We believe our colleagues from the Opposition have obtained valuable new information that will help them take a position when making comments, in political debates and when assessing the seriousness of the situation," Plenković told reporters after the talks.

He said that opposition politicians were mostly satisfied and that the information they obtained today would be useful to them when making public statements.

"(We need) the greatest possible amount of responsible behaviour, responsible statements, politics that is on the right side of both law and history... in the circumstances that have been anything but normal since 24 February," he said.

The PM said the opposition MPs were provided with reliable and verified information that the drone was armed, that an explosion occurred and that the device in question was most probably an aerial bomb that exploded on impact.

A fuse and bomb fragments have been found and it has been established beyond doubt that the drone, normally intended for reconnaissance, was adapted to carry a weapon, he said.

For more, check out our politics section.

ZAGREB, 18 March (2022) - Croatia will develop a fact checker network as part of its efforts to curb fake news in the media space, and this project, worth 45 million euros (€6 million), will be financed with EU funds as part of Croatia's National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP).

"We have noticed that there is a need for such an investment for several reasons. We have been flooded with disinformation over the past two years, marked by the coronavirus pandemic, the (2020) quakes and unfortunately the recent launch of the aggression against Ukraine. It is difficult to distinguish between true information and disinformation, which can be really dangerous nowadays," the Croatian culture and media ministry's State Secretary, Krešimir Partl, told Hina.

The idea about building a fact checking network is a result of cooperation with the media sector, including journalists and publishers, he said.

It is also in accordance with the recommendations made by the European Commission to fight fake news, he added.

There are several targets of this EU funded project, such as the reduction of disinformation to the lowest possible level and the encouragement of professional journalism, Partl said.

Two weeks ago we had meeting with the European Commission, and they told us that there were a few more countries that had launched projects of establishing networks for checking media facts, Partl said.

The whole investment will be implemented the Electronic Media Agency, as an independent media regulator.

At the first stage, standards and criteria for the fact-checking system will be elaborated.

The agency's head, Josip Popovac, has said that this "is a challenging project", to be developed based on the best international practices.

"Fact checking is at the core of journalism," Popovac underscored.

For more, check out our politics section.

ZAGREB, 18 March (2022) - While the gas crisis is shaking Europe, Croatia is increasing its domestic production of that energy source, the Večernji List daily reported on Friday.

According to the Croatian Hydrocarbon Agency, Croatia produced 0.78 billion cubic metres of gas last year, which satisfied 30 percent of the domestic gas demand which amounts to 2.7 billion cubic metres.

With the production from new sources this year with an additional 285 million cubic metres of gas, total domestic production will exceed 1 billion cubic metres and will cover 40% of domestic demand.

The agency notes that the new production of hydrocarbons in Croatia will come from the Pannonian basin where exploration is currently being conducted by the INA oil company, Vermilion Zagreb Exploration and Aspect Croatia Kft. This is the result of exploration that the government and the companies agreed upon in 2016.

The Canadian Vermilion company is expected to start producing new quantities of natural gas in the next period from the exploitation fields in Berak and Cerić in eastern Slavonia with an estimated initial amount of 250,000 cubic metres a day from each well.

The agency also expects new reserves of gas discovered by INA with an estimated initial quantity of about 55,700 cubic metres a day. In addition, contracts are expected to be closed with Aspect Croatia Kft. and Vermilion Zagreb Exploration in fields in central Croatia and that they will be just as successful.

The agency added that there is still great potential in the northern Adriatic for several successful development wells that are expected to produce new quantities of gas for the domestic gas system. Last year in cooperation with the Edison company, INA drilled a well called "Irena 2 South" and discovered new gas reserves.

INA on Thursday reported that it has launched production of natural gas from its Ika B-1R DIR well and that it has been connected to the IKA B production platform. The well is located in the Ika gas field which is part of the northern Adriatic exploitation field. It has secured the entry of a new 150,000 cubic metres of natural gas a day for Croatia's gas system, the Večernji List reported.

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18 March 2022 - If you are a digital nomad, visitor, or resident, long-term accommodation in Croatia can be notoriously difficult to nail down. Here are some ways to help with your search for long-term accommodation, as well as some additional advice on what you can come to expect in the Croatian rental market.

Are long-term rentals even available? Why are they so difficult to find?

Croatia is a tourism heavy country, making up almost 20% of its GDP with the trend continuing to increase year-on-year. As such, tourism has heavily influenced the real estate industry throughout Croatia, especially for cities along the coast where short-term tourist rentals are often a significant source of income for locals.

This may explain why certain ads for rentals often stipulate a move-in period after September, but a firm move-out date by 1st June/July, in time for the peak tourism season. After all, revenues from tourist season rentals are often equal, if not more, than what landlords are able to make from a year-long rental.

In 2019, almost 1.5 million tourists visited the city of Dubrovnik. Image: Pexels.

For example, a landlord may charge €400/month for a two-bedroom, 50 square meter apartment during the ‘off-peak’ season, but will easily be able to charge the same amount per week during the tourist season.

Taking this example further, during the 4 months of ‘peak’ season (June-September), the same landlord can, in the best-case scenario, make a maximum of €6,400 (€400/week X 16 weeks) which is more than if they charged €400/month for the entire year (€4,800).

Another possible reason for the lack of longer-term options may be that prior to the introduction of the digital nomad visa, there were limited avenues for non-Croatian residents to reside long-term. This would make the long-term rental market softer and less prevalent compared to tourist rentals.

What types of accommodation are available for long-term rentals?

Options 1 and 2 are fairly typical, while number 3 may be novel to some.

1. Standalone house or villas - These are quite self-explanatory although villas tend to come with a pool. Though I have personally come across houses and villas for long-term rent, they have been few and far between.

2. Apartments in an apartment building - Similar to blocks of condos or flats that are clustered together within a compound. These types of apartments can commonly be found for rent starting at around €350/month for a one-bedroom apartment in Split during off-peak season.

3. Apartment in family house - These are essentially 3-4 story houses where each floor is its own self-contained apartment with separate entrances. Typically, families of different generations will live together, albeit on different floors. Since more Croatians have left over the years, more such apartments are available for long-term rent.

Where is the best place to look for long-term accommodation?

1. Bookmark Njuškalo as one of your go-to sites and ideally, your first point of reference. The site is a local version of craigslist or eBay, where you are literally able to find anything and everything from domestic produce, to used cars, clothes, and multi-million euro villas for sale. You’d want to focus on the real estate section (nekretnine) for rent (iznajmljivanje).

A heads-up, if you rent a place through a real estate agent (they are often behind the ads on this site), you as the renter have to pay for their services, not the landlord. The price tag for their services is often one month's rent, so if you’ve found an apartment to rent for €450/month, you’ll have to pay the agent a service fee of €450.

Your first port of call. Image: Njuškalo.com/screenshot

2. Facebook groups/marketplace are another excellent source for long-term rental accommodations. Try searching for groups in your city of choice with keywords like “trazim/iznajmljivanje stan/kuće” (looking for an apartment/house for rent).

While there may be fewer options compared to Njuskalo, you will more likely be able to work around the real estate agent’s fees by renting directly from a landlord.

An example from a social media group based in Split, Croatia. Image: Facebook.com/screenshot

3. Through sites such as Booking.com and Airbnb. Although I have yet to experience this myself, some have managed to negotiate a long-term stay with their landlords after booking short-term accommodation from one of these sites.

There is no harm in trying to work something out if you’ve enjoyed your stay and are looking to extend it longer-term, but I would advise against relying on this strategy since the priority for most landlords is still short-term tourist rentals.

What else do I have to be aware of when renting in Croatia?

Before signing on the dotted line, clarify if your monthly rent includes amenities such as water, electricity, and internet. If you’re renting an apartment in a family house, there should be separate water and electricity meters for each apartment where you pay for your own usage.

For a couple with a 70 square-meter apartment in Split, you can expect to pay about €10/month for water, €30/month for internet, and €80/month for electricity. The exact breakdown of electricity prices can be found on the HEP website.

Most rental apartments tend to be furnished and if not, will include larger appliances such as refrigerators, stoves, TVs, beds, and washing machines, so a damage deposit of 1-month’s rent is standard.

Fully furnished apartments are common here. Image: Pexels.

Once you’ve decided on a place, ensure that your landlord prepares a rental contract for your stay and if possible, have it notarized. Though few and far between, there have been horror stories of landlords kicking long-term tenants out during tourist season, so you’ll find more security with a rental agreement. You’ll also need the notarized copy of the contract for your Croatian paperwork.

Some landlords may also insist that you pay your monthly rent in cash. This can be inconvenient since you will have to figure out how to withdraw large sums of money without incurring heavy fees and conversion rates. If this happens, try to negotiate a bank transfer but if this fails, look into opening a multi-currency bank account with a local, or online bank.

For more, check out our dedicated lifestyle section.