ZAGREB, 1 Feb 2022 - Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Tuesday met with British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, the government said in a press release.

Their talks focused on the continuation of Croatia's strategic cooperation with the UK in defence and security as well as on strengthening the political dialogue.

They exchanged views on the situation on the Ukraine-Russia border as well as in Southeast Europe, with emphasis on Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The two officials reaffirmed the wish to deepen Croatian-British relations and the joint commitment to strengthening European security.

ZAGREB, 1 Feb 2022 - Croatian Foreign and European Affairs Minister Gordan Grlić Radman, who visited Chisinau on Tuesday, expressed support for the territorial integrity of Moldova which is faced with threats of pro-Russian separatists in the east of the country.

After meeting his Moldovan counterpart Nicu Popescu, Croatia's foreign minister reiterated Zagreb's support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Moldova within its internationally recognised borders.

The negotiations on Transnistria are being held by Chisinau and pro-Russian separatists as well as by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Russia, Ukraine, the European Union and the USA.

Grlić Radman expressed support for Moldova's efforts to be integrated in Europe.

Currently, Moldovan President is Maia Sandu, a leader who has put this 3.5-million-strong country on a pro-European course.

Moldovan Minister Popescu thanked Croatia for being a great advocate of the European integration of Moldova, and stressed that Zagreb and Brussels had always been with Moldova during its challenging times, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the energy crisis.

Commenting on Transnistria, Popescu said that the current situation was complicated and that without the European support, it would have been even more complicated.

Popescu said that his country would like to join the Tree Seas Initiative.

The two ministers signed a memorandum on cooperation between the two ministries' diplomatic academies.

The two countries established diplomatic relations 30 years ago.

ZAGREB, 1 Feb 2022 - Roughly a hundred people on Tuesday gathered in front of the headquarters of the Croatian Institute of Public Health (HZJZ) in Zagreb to protest against COVID-19 protocols and testing in schools, and an estimated 60 people protested in Split.

Similar protests with just a score of protesters were registered in Zadar and Rijeka.

During the rally in Zagreb, protesters carried banners with the messages "Stop Terror against Children!", "No to COVID passes!", "Stop to Uniformity!", and the most vocal protesters criticised politicians, epidemiologists, educational workers and journalists.

The entrance to the HZJZ headquarters was guarded by riot police officers, while the protesters demanded a meeting with the HZJZ leadership to hand in their requests.  At the end of the protest, one of the representatives of the rally was let in the building to hand in their demands.

During the rally, Andrija Klarić, who also led anti-vaxxers' protests in recent months, said that COVID certificates should be abolished as they were useless and he was also against the testing of healthy people, insisting that this would only be an irresponsible loss of money.

Marin Miletić of the parliamentary Opposition Bridge party, and MEP Ivan Vilibor Sinčić of the non-parliamentary Human Shield party called via Facebook on opponents to the COVID certificate to hold rallies. 

A Religion teacher, Ivan Pokupec, told the Zagreb rally that not enough protesters had gathered, adding that the opponents should continue fighting for their cause in a silent manner until more protesters could turn out at rallies.

In Split, about 60 opponents rallied outside the county headquarters to criticise the plan for weekly testing of school children for coronavirus.

They declined to give statements to the press and some of them only expressed anger at media outlets.

HZJZ: Protests against COVID rules just put pressure on health workers

Ahead of protests against COVID rules, officials from the HZJZ said this morning that the protestors are just feigning care for the health of children and are in fact just putting pressure on health care workers.

"These undeclared organisers are just feigning care for children and their health and in fact are just using them as an instrument to achieve some other objectives they consider to be important," officials from the HZJZ said.

HZJZ said that the protests, which have been announced via social media by the "Free together" group, would just put pressure on healthcare workers and epidemiologists who have been doing their job in the best of faith for the last two years, adding that their recommendations are based on scientific evidence of the need for vaccination against coronavirus, in particular of the elderly.

“Protests, swearing, threats and everything else associated with that will not resolve the problems we have all been faced with during this epidemic," HZJZ officials said.

ZAGREB, 1 Feb 2022 - President Zoran Milanović has met with representatives of the Dutch company Green Trust who presented the Lički Medvjed wind park project, the president's office said on Tuesday.

Green Trust is preparing the project together with the German partner Enercon near Otočac.

This wind park is the biggest such project in Croatia at the moment and the investment is planned at €500 million, Green Trust executives said.

The wind park's capacity will be 425 megawatts and annual production one terawatt-hours of green energy.

Besides creating jobs, the wind park plans to assist local sustainable projects and initiatives, Green Trust representatives said, adding that they plan to set up a fund which will support, with €200,000 a year, sustainable local projects aimed at improving economic, social and ecological conditions.

The construction of the wind park will help to improve the infrastructure in the Otočac area as the implementation of the project requires building 25 km of road and investing in a new high-voltage grid.

An ancient custom on Krk island involves planting a kiss on a wet rock on the side of the road. Looking into the curious ethnological phenomenon on February 1, 2022

Many holidaymakers have discovered the charms of Baška, a picture-perfect town on Krk island. There’s plenty for this dreamy destination to boast, including a 1800m long pebble beach ideal for those who love to soak up the sun, and adventure trails for visitors who prefer an active vacation.

Visiting Baška wasn’t such a simple feat back in the day, judging by an ethnological phenomenon described by Alan Žic-Teklin of KrkDiscovered. When arriving in Baška for the first time, one was obliged to kiss a wet old woman on the way to town. No, this doesn't sound any more enticing nor any less wrong in Croatian: poljubiti mokru babu.

(Baba stands for old woman, crone or grandma, depending on the context. In this scenario, it falls somewhere between the first two, but we’ll go with the more respectful option to avoid upsetting any ancient spirits. You never know.)

Thankfully, this particular baba was simply a common nickname for stone monoliths scattered over the island. Always located in damp spots near water springs - hence the wet part of the name - the rocks were referred to as babe and the custom dictated to give them a kiss when passing by.

Where did this come from? Legend has it that St Jerome (4th century AD) was visiting the bishop of Krk and got thirsty while traversing the island. He hit a rock with his staff, causing water to spring from stone.

Since one would have to lean close to the rock and press their lips against the surface to get a drink of water, this would have resembled kissing the rock, and so the saying was born.

Legends aside, the local custom of kissing the stone baba has long been a subject of interest of historians and ethnologists. Jelka Vince-Pallua, PhD proposed a theory that the custom originates from ancient fertility cults that were practised before the monoliths, while ethnologist Nikola Bonifačić-Rožin considers that the ‘old women’ stem from an ancient superstition that the rocks will prevent the floods from washing away precious fertile soil.

The best known baba on Krk island used to be located on the side of the road at the locality Žanac near Baška. The ancient rock isn’t there anymore and has been replaced with another one, but to keep up with tradition a pipe has been installed on the location, allowing passersby to get a drink of cold water.

And the new rock that stands in place of the old monolith? It’s part of the Baška Glagolitic Alphabet Trail, a series of 35 stone sculptures displayed on a trail meandering through the Baška Valley, each bearing a different letter of the Glagolitic alphabet.

Glagolitic letters Ž and E are carved into this particular stone, standing for Žanac est! Loosely translated, it means ‘Here is the Žanac spring!’ pointing to the wealth of water resources in the area. As early as the Stone age, people inhabiting Krk island first settled in Baška Valley precisely for its many water springs.

Even though it’s not the original baba, the sculpture allows travellers in passing to respect the ancient custom and give baba a peck on the cheek if they so decide. Don’t find the prospect that enticing? You can simply mark the sculpture on your Glagolitic Trail guide - every monument has a small plaque with raised letters you can copy into the blank pages in the guide. (Copy them all as proof you visited all the locations on the trail, and you get a little gift.)

The letter L, sculpture by Ljubo de Karina / visitbaska.hr

The Glagolitic Trail project was devised by the Sinjali Association for culture, tradition and ecology from Krk. Each sculpture was sponsored by a different town; four were created by the renowned Croatian sculptor Ljubo de Karina, the rest were made by fifteen art academy students from Croatia, Slovenia, Austria and the Czech Republic.

The trail was created to highlight the rich cultural heritage of Krk island and to serve as a reminder of the importance of the Glagolitic alphabet in Croatian history. The Baška tablet in particular - perhaps the most distinguished attraction in Baška, at least where Croatian culture and history are considered.

Discovered in the church of St Lucy in Jurandvor and dating to 1100, the limestone tablet is a legal document bearing an inscription where the Croatian name (hrvatski) is mentioned in writing for the first time in history, in Glagolitic script.

You can learn more about the Baška Glagolitic Trail in this pdf guide, and follow Krk Discovered on Facebook.

February 1, 2022 - An agreement was reached to once again connect the English capital with the third-largest city in Croatia, and EasyJet returns to Rijeka airport after 15 years, with two weekly flights between May and October.

Rijeka airport announced the return of the English low-cost airline to the island of Krk. After fifteen years of absence, EasyJet will connect the third largest city in Croatia with London Gatwick.

The airline also confirmed the news, adding that it will operate between May and October 2022, with two weekly flights on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

"EasyJet deserves record airport traffic"

Rijeka airport welcomed the news that after announcing the return of Ryanair, Condor Airlines, and AirSerbia, the well-known company EasyJet will also join them this year. It is one of the most important low-cost airlines in the British market, and in 2006 and 2007 it was responsible for a large part of the international air traffic at Rijeka airport.

As EasyJet returns to Rijeka airport, the city expects this year the recovery of international traffic in the region, and also a record number of passengers arriving between May and October.

More tourists from the UK are expected

They state that after many years of negotiations between Rijeka Airport and EasyJet, a consensus was reached and that in talks with representatives of the relevant ministry, county, local units, hotels, and tourist boards, support and guarantees for promotional activities in the region were provided.

These activities are necessary to better position Kvarner in the British market, so it is planned to encourage and increase the number of arrivals of guests from that market, which now accounts for less than 1 percent of overnight stays in Kvarner, said Rijeka Airport.

The city of Rijeka considers it necessary to reinforce its tourist offer and its strategy to attract international guests, after a couple of years of a pandemic that affected the development of the activities planned for Rijeka 2020: European Capital of Culture and the traditional carnival of the city being canceled in both 2021 and 2022.

Source: Index.hr

For more on flights to Croatia and other travel announcements, make sure to check out our dedicated travel section.

February 1, 2022 - The 7th WineOS event was held last weekend with over 100 exhibitors from Croatia and its neighbors. 

The 7th edition of the international fair of wine, delicacies, and pleasant living was held in Osijek last weekend. Ninety exhibition spaces with over a hundred exhibitors from Croatia and neighboring countries were set up on more than 1,900 square meters of the City Garden hall. Several guests and exhibitors once again had the opportunity to meet new people, old friends, learn something new, make business contacts, and enjoy wine and various delicacies.

During the fair's official opening on Friday, January 28, the speakers expressed satisfaction that this event is being held despite challenging times.

"We had a very short deadline to prepare for the fair, and I am very pleased that we are all here today and that we managed to prepare everything on time," said Boris Ocić, president of the Decanter association, which organized the event. He also thanked the partners and sponsors, especially all the Organizing Committee colleagues who managed to make a miracle in just a few weeks.

Speakers pointed out that the Croatian wine scene is living life to the fullest, even in difficult times. Thus, the president of the Graševina Croatica association, Josip Pavić, reiterated that WineOS is currently the largest event of its kind in our wine region and that he has a great desire soon to become the largest in the whole of Croatia. He was followed by the Deputy President of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce, Dragan Kovačević, who emphasized the quality of our wines, illustrating this with the fact that the average price of Croatian wines in exports is three times higher than the average price of imported wines. He especially emphasized the exceptional quality of Graševina as the essential variety of our wine region.

The President of the City Council of Osijek, Vladimir Ham, commented on the importance of WineOS as a top tourist event. He pointed out that this fair is an essential piece in the mosaic of promoting Osijek as a destination in which one lives comfortably according to the name of the event. The fair was officially opened by Osijek-Baranja County Prefect Ivan Anušić, who praised the organizers' efforts from the stage. He also sent a message to all those involved in promoting eno-gastro tourism that the county will support them as a true partner.

"Osijek-Baranja County is here and will always be there with the event organizers who promote everything we have set as development goals, primarily the economy, agriculture, excellent food and wine, and the overall tourist offer," said Anušić. 

With the promotion of wine producers and delicacies from eastern Croatia, other Croatian wine regions, and neighboring countries, the two fair days also featured professional wine workshops and a cooking show in which local chefs prepared excellent snacks. Those present could see and try how Tomica Đukić, Igor Vlatković, Saša Vojnović, Mateo Meković and Nebojša Rajković cook. In addition, it should be noted that the evening before the start of WineOS, a gala dinner was held at the Waldinger restaurant where guests could enjoy top-quality bites prepared by our famous chef Goran Kočiš. His gastronomic creations were accompanied by the wines of the wineries: Krauthaker, Belje, Iločki podrumi, Apolitico, Kalazić, and Erdutski vinogradi.

Wine workshops have always been in demand and well attended, and this time too, there was no lack of interest from the audience. There was not enough space for everyone who wanted to hear great stories and try top and rare wines every year. A total of eight wine workshops were held where visitors had the opportunity to enjoy the wines of the wineries: Sauska, Gross, Josić, Krajančić, Krauthaker, Grabovac, Aleksandrović, and Brkić. It should also be reminded that the entire WineOS program started two weeks earlier when the famous master sommelier Eric Zwiebel held a masterclass at the Waldinger Hotel on Graševina Slavonia and the Danube and Riesling in the famous French region of Alsace.

After all, the organizers sent special thanks to all those who helped make this event a success: Osijek-Baranja County, the City of Osijek, Croatian Chamber of Commerce, Graševina Croatica, tourist boards of the city and county, Catering and Tourism School, Viniti Winery, Waldinger Hotels, and Lug, the city companies Sports facilities and the Osijek Fair, and the company All4Wine.

See you in January 2023 at the 8th edition!

All photos by Decanter Association

For more, check out our lifestyle section.

ZAGREB, 1 Feb 2022 - Croatia and the United Kingdom stand side by side in supporting the right of sovereign states to choose their destiny, the visiting Secretary of State for Defence, Ben Wallace, said in Zagreb on Tuesday.

During his official visit to Zagreb, the U.K Defence Secretary and his host, Croatian Defence Minister Mario Banožić, discussed the security situation against a backdrop of growing tensions in Ukraine and the build-up of Russian troops along the Russian-Ukrainian border.

Croatia and Great Britain stand side by side in defending the right of sovereign states to choose their destiny, said Wallace during a news conference in Zagreb on Tuesday while U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson travelled to Kyiv for an official visit to Ukraine.

What is chosen is of secondary importance in relation to the sacred right of choice a sovereign state is entitled to when it comes to its security, Wallace added.

This is a value and right worth advocating, said Wallace, admitting that in the last 18 months he only had a brief four-day holiday and spent those four days on the Croatian island of Korčula.

NATO, the EU and the U.K. are absolutely united in the support to Ukraine's sovereignty, and the Russia-Ukraine crisis must be solved through dialogue, he said.

Banožić said that Croatia could fully understand the current situation of Ukraine, and in this context he recalled Croatia's recent struggle for its independence and its territory.

The two officials signed an agreement on strategic partnership between their departments and the deal regulates the strengthening of the relations within NATO, in the Western Balkans and in coping with the hybrid threats as well as on cooperation in upgrading the interoperability of the two countries' armed forces.

The two ministers called for the continuation of dialogue in the Western Balkans and also pointed out the importance of reforms and the further integration of that region in the EU and NATO.

Wallace reiterated British support to efforts of those two alliances to help restore stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina and address the problems bothering Croatia, Serbia and other partners.

Wallace was also received by Prime Minister Andrej Plenković.