Wholesale Costs Higher as Croatian Food Prices Continue to Cause Issues
February the 17th, 2023 - Croatian food prices have been causing issues for some time now, partly due to inflation and partly due to the introduction of the euro as the country's official currency on the first day of 2023. There have been a lot of ups and downs, and wholesale prices have increased quite significantly indeed.
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, when compared to back in January 2022, the prices of bananas, tomatoes, onions, carrots and potatoes rose the most across the country, and over the last two years, the highest price growth was for potatoes and onions. Wholesale prices grew considerably in comparison to January 2021, with potato prices shooting up by 120 percent and onion prices by 77 percent, said Agriculture Minister Marija Vuckovic.
When it comes to grains and oilseeds, compared to the end of 2022, there's either been price stagnation or a slight decline in the most important grains in wholesale - wheat by nine percent, and corn by 15.5 percent. Compared to the year before (January 2022/January 2023), the prices of wheat are higher by 11.11 percent and corn by 12 percent, while the prices of soybeans are now lower by 4.76 percent.
The wholesale prices of flour in the fifth week of 2023 have been higher compared to what they were back at end of 2022, and for smooth (finely ground) flour by 1.89 percent, and for hard flour by 14.75 percent.
''During January and the beginning of February 2023, the purchase prices of pork and beef did not differ significantly from what they were back at the end of 2022,'' Vuckovic said, adding that ''in the fifth week of this year, the wholesale price of beef was higher by 15.09 percent when compared to one year before, and approximately the same compared to the end of 2022, while the purchase price of pork has been 50.36 percent higher on an annual basis.''
If the wholesale prices in the fifth week of this year are compared with the EU average, it can be said that the wholesale price of beef is lower by 4.31 percent, while that of pork is almost identical. The prices of lamb are slightly higher, while the prices of chicken are decreasing and according to the EU average, they're now lower by 1.15 percent in the fifth week of this year.
The highest growth when it comes to Croatian food prices, as Vuckovic said, has been recorded in the wholesale price of eggs and those prices have been altering continuously since back in March/April 2022 and are currently at record high levels.
In the fifth week of this year, the wholesale price of A-class eggs is lower by 1.05 percent compared to the last week of 2022, and significantly higher compared to the year before, she said, noting that Croatian wholesale egg prices are otherwise higher than the EU average.
For more on Croatian food prices and inflation, make sure to check out our dedicated news section.
A Week in Croatian Politics - Healthcare Woes, Laws and Building Permits
February the 17th, 2023 - This week in Croatian politics, we've had everything from building permit issues for politicians and yet another change to the Law on Reconstruction (years after the earthquakes of 2020) to calls for Health Minister Vili Beros to step down in light of yet another alleged HDZ-fuelled healthcare scandal.
Lovro Kuscevic's former adviser is now the head of the Conflict of Interest Commission
Index reports that Aleksandra Jozic Ilekovic has become the new president of the Conflict of Interest Commission, and the previous chief, Natasa Novakovic is leaving that body. The above was decided via a secret vote of the Croatian Parliament.
Jozic Ilekovic received the votes of 78 deputies, her opponent Natasa Novakovic, the former president of the aforementioned commission, received 50 votes, while Nike Nodilo-Lakos and Ines Pavlacic failed to receive a single vote. Novakovic didn't compete for the position of a member of the Commission, which is why she's totally leaving that body.
Before joining the Commission, Jozic Ilekovic held a number of different positions, for eight years she was a member of the State Election Commission (SEC), adviser to the Minister of Justice, senior administrative inspector of the Ministry of Justice, and deputy head of the Government Office for Legislation. In addition to all of the above, Jozic Ilekovic spent two years as an adviser to no less than Lovro Kuscevic, Andrej Plenkovic's former minister and political secretary of HDZ, who is (rather unsurprisingly) a multiple-time USKOK (Office for the Suppression of Corruption and Organised Crime) suspect.
She allegedly showed leniency in cases involving members of the government
We mustn't forget that Lovro Kuscevic was indicted at the end of the year before last, having been accused of a series of embezzlements regarding some land on Brac from the time when he was in charge of the Municipality of Nerezisca, and he was also accused of preventing evidence coming to light.
In her four years already spent with the Commission for Conflict of Interest, Jozic Ilekovic showed what has been described as ''exceptional leniency'' in cases involving members of the current government.
This third convocation of the Commission will have weaker powers than the previous two, led by Dalija Oreskovic and Natasa Novakovic, and will also have a worse composition. Namely, Jozic Ilekovic is the only member of the current composition who is remaining within the Commission, while all the others have left that body.
Vinkovci's local administration is trying to avoid saying whether or not it granted Minister Mario Banozic a permit for the construction of a house there
Defence Minister Mario Banozic (HDZ) is currently in the process of building a house in Vinkovci. Index toured the parcel and found in the land registers an allegedly clear statement that there's no construction permit issued for it.
Andrea Topic reports that in order not to make a mistake and immediately conclude that Banozic is building his house there illegally, Index contacted the City of Vinkovci, more precisely the Administrative Department for Spatial Planning, Construction and Environmental Protection, which is the office that deals with issuing building permits. On Friday morning, Index sent an inquiry asking for information on whether construction is being done illegally on that lot.
But instead of providing a concrete answer like "yes, it's being built illegally, we didn't issue permits to the investor", or writing "no, everything is being done according to the law", the head of the office, Davor Mecanovic, decided - just five minutes before the end of his during working hours might we add - to copy and paste an excerpt from the Construction Act, send that, and then ignore any calls.
Here is the answer to the very specific question asked of the local authorities:
"Regarding your request about the issuing of a building permit and data on said building permit, we refer you to Articles 115 and 120 of the Construction Act'' before going into further details specified by those articles, which I won't go into now. They're readily available for those who want to read them, and it seems a strange, around-the-houses (quite literally in this case) response to a very straightforward question.
It should also be added that an inquiry was also sent out to the State Inspectorate. Maybe the City of Vinkovic will reveal the secret of Banozic's construction permit to them instead.
SDP wants Health Minister Vili Beros to step down from his position following recent scandals
SDP recently cited the tragic case of Lina Budak, a lawyer from Zagreb, who is claiming that she wasn't told that she had cancer for seven months. They are calling for the dismissal of Minister Vili Beros, who has been silent for two months now about the Budak case.
"We've been saying for a long time now that the healthcare system is falling apart, all because of the incompetence of Minister Vili Beros. The latest case in which an unfortunate woman was diagnosed with a malignant disease long after the acceptable time limit in which she should have found out further confirms this.
Ministers of health in HDZ Governments systematically ignore serious problems, they shift responsibility to other bodies and ignore all of the warnings, both from healthcare workers themselves and their patients. How many more situations like that of Mr. Matijanic and Mrs. Budak are needed for Minister Beros to realise that his policy of inaction is irreversibly leading to the collapse the once powerful Croatian healthcare system?" asked SDP.
"Cancer treatment outcomes are catastrophically bad, patients end up entering the system too late..."
"Less than two weeks ago, we warned of all the difficulties related to the treatment of oncological diseases across Croatia: treatment outcomes are catastrophically bad, patients are put into the system too late, making their prognosis even worse, and the treatment is much more expensive.
The Republic of Croatia has all the necessary documents to improve its level of oncology care, but Minister Beros isn't doing anything to improve it. Indeed, on the occasion of World Cancer Day, he said that he's painfully aware of the problems being faced within the oncology care system. Unfortunately, being "painfully aware" is insufficient comfort for all cancer patients, as well as for the healthcare workers trying to treat them.
The Croatian healthcare system is financially completely destabilised, and that's even without mentioning the lack of staff and continuous staff issues within a system in which an HDZ membership card is more important than expertise. Let's remind you that during the first year of Vili Beros' administration, public hospitals had a deficit of around 682 million kuna, and the total liabilities at the end of 2021 amounted to around 11.8 billion kuna. The mismanagement of the healthcare sector's finances just keeps on being repeated every year, and it seems that this is the only concrete health policy they implement," SDP writes.
"The time has come for Vili Beros to step down"
"The time for Minister Beros to step down came along time ago, and his media appearance recently only proves that he's completely incompetent for this position. The damage that HDZ has done to the healthcare system is absolutely enormous and will be felt by an increasing number of people every single day.
Healthcare cannot be managed by the enthusiasm and altruism of hard working medical professionals who continually try to replace the organisational mess by running around and putting out fires. It's perfecrtly clear who is responsible for the mess – Vili Beros and HDZ,'' concluded SDP's Health Council.
Croatian Parliament passes a new Law on Reconstruction, years after the Petrinja earthquake of December 2020
With a majority vote, the Croatian Parliament successfully passed the new Law on Reconstruction, which should simplify and speed up the reconstruction of the areas affected by the earthquakes (yes, those from back in 2020), with objections from part of the opposition to the reconstruction process carried out so far. 99 parliamentarians voted for the new Law, according to which the Reconstruction Fund and the Central State Office are attached to the Ministry of Spatial Planning, Construction and State Property, 15 were against, and 16 abstained from voting entirely.
HDZ's amendment was accepted, which simplifies the procedure for removing destroyed buildings that have lost their mechanical resistance and stability to such an extent that their restoration is not possible, and reduces the number of participants required during the procedure for removing said destroyed buildings.
Before the vote on the Law on Reconstruction, part of the opposition repeated its objections to the previous renewal and to the Law itself. "Until now, there's been no political will for the reconstruction to take place, it simply wasn't Andrej Plenkovic's political priority," said Sandra Bencic. She believes that the new Law finally provides a normal framework for the reconstruction to be carried out if there's political will to do so.
"Now there can be no more excuses, the only thing that can stop the reconstruction is the prime minister himself and you who hold the majority for him. If we see that the reconstruction isn't going forward, you must all resign," Bencic told the ruling party. "Four ministers, four laws, and you treat people as if they were mere potatoes," said Anka Mrak Taritas, who also added that the new Law could be called a law of self-renewal or self-deception, or of mere temporary care.
Predrag Stromar (HNS) said that the Law is extremely necessary and will speed up all processes. "The funds at our disposal of one billion euros need to be spent urgently," he pointed out.
Marija Selak Raspudic (Most/Bridge) told the authorities to stop renewing the law and actually start restoring people's homes in the affected areas. Nikola Grmoja called on the opposition not to lend their hands to such a law again. "It's bad enough that we're treating the people of Banovina this way, but this government and the majority are simply not able to restore Banovina," Grmoja said.
A new approach to reconstruction and a simpler procedure
With the new approach to reconstruction, people will be paid the entire amount needed for the renovation or construction of a replacement house before the works on it begin. The creation of an analysis of the current state of the necessary renovation, the obligation to create a removal project for family houses, the technical and financial control of the project, and the need to meet special conservation conditions for structural renovation of buildings within a cultural-historical unit have now all been abolished.
The model of replacement of ownership rights instead of renovation and construction of replacement houses has been introduced, and the circle of persons with the right to renovation has been expanded to include relatives, spouses, common-law partners and life partners. The Agency for Legal Traffic and Real Estate Brokerage has been given the authority to build multi-apartment buildings and acquire real estate for temporary accommodation
Those affected will be given financial assistance for the removal of all destroyed buildings, including auxiliary and commercial ones, as well as assistance for project development costs. A more efficient and appropriate public procurement process is being introduced, and the highest prices for services and works will be determined by bodies that will be decided by the government. The transparency and visibility of the renovation process will be strengthened by creating a complete interactive online GIS application.
For more on Croatian politics, make sure to follow our dedicated section and keep an eye out for our Week in Croatian Politics articles which are published every Friday.
Central Croatia Earthquake: 4.8 on the Richter Scale, No Damage Reports
February 16, 2023 - A central Croatia earthquake of magnitude 4.8 on the Richter scale could be felt this morning, all the way from Istria to Zagreb. Firefighters report no damage.
"Today, February 16, 2023, at 10 hours and 47 minutes, the seismographs of the Seismological Service of the Republic of Croatia recorded a strong earthquake with an epicenter near Bašćanska Draga on Krk. The earthquake's magnitude was 4.8 according to the Richter scale, and the intensity at the epicenter was estimated at the VI-degree EMS scale. The earthquake was felt throughout the Croatian coast," announced the Seismological Service, as reported by Index.
As they learned from the firefighters from Krk, there are no reports of damage.
"It lasted a long time, and there was a lot of shaking," says the resident of Viskovo. "Slight shaking," describes one resident of Krk on the EMSC application. "It shakes near Malinska on the island of Krk," adds a third.
Citizens' reactions
Here are some of the reactions of Croatian citizens to the earthquake.
"Swaying in the north-south direction. A little cracked window. New building. Trešnjevka" reported someone from Zagreb. "There was a strong earthquake that lasted for 3-4 seconds. The furniture rattled," a reader from a skyscraper on Kantrida in Rijeka reported.
"You could really feel it in Baška, first, there was thunder, and then it shook for a few seconds. There was a little dust in the house, but there was no damage."
"Garešnica, Hotel Garić, rocking the bed for a few seconds. An unpleasant feeling".
"I'm sitting on the couch, and suddenly I started shaking left and right. Greetings from Krapina"
"It also shook Rab. It lasted about 15 seconds; at first it felt very weak, then for about 5 seconds it shook fairly strongly. Vases fell, some items ended up on the floor in shops. All in all, a very unpleasant feeling."
"I was sitting at the kitchen table when the table and the chair I was sitting on started shaking. It lasted a few seconds, I would say 5-7 seconds," says a reader from Labin.
"An earthquake was also felt at the Faculty of Philosophy in Rijeka (campus in Sušak). The screen on my desk shook, which was not a pleasant experience"
"It was shaking in Pula, my mirror was banging on the wall, it was going on forever."
For more, make sure to check out our dedicated News section.
Croatian Infinum Company Opens New Office in Amsterdam
February the 16th, 2023 - The Croatian Infinum company has opened a brand new office in the Dutch capital of Amsterdam as part of their wider expansion plans.
As Josipa Ban/Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the Croatian Infinum company has opened an office in Amsterdam, and in total, it is the seventh office in six countries of this domestic company that deals with software design and development. This is part of their strategy to get closer to their wnd customers, which is reflected in the opening of offices in strategic locations, as explained by Infinum.
They decided to open an office in the Netherlands, namely in Amsterdam, because this Benelux country is considered one of the strongest European technology centres of all.
In the top three markets
"The Netherlands is in the top three digitised countries in the European Union (EU) according to the European Commission's estimate for the year 2022. The companies operating there have a high level of digital literacy and recognise the value of digital products for business development regardless of the type of activity," explains Goran Kovacevic, the vice president for the dusiness Development of Infinum.
He also added that they aren't starting from scratch in the Netherlands because they already have clients there with whom they have been cooperating for a long time now, such as Philips and Signify. He also noted that they aren' limited to certain sectors in any market.
Martijn Spek, an experienced manager with more than twenty years of experience in the technology industry, will be responsible for business success over in Amsterdam. He comes to this position with the Croatian Infinum company from the IT company DevOn, where he worked as a commercial director for three years.
"Infinum was founded 18 years ago, this is the company's seventh location, but we're starting something new on the local market. In my experience, in this market it's really important to put your words into action, i.e. always deliver what you promise. Infinum has shown an enviable quality of work so far, and we can offer our Dutch clients additional value", emphasised Spek, who has a very responsible role because he is in charge of positioning the Croatian Infinum company well on the Dutch market.
The markets of Western Europe are their main focus, and Kovacevic pointed out that they include the Netherlands, Germany and Austria. "Last year, the United Kingdom also joined these markets, where we achieved very good results and we're continuing in that direction. Of course, there are also countries outside of Europe like the USA, which maintains stability and continuous growth", says the vice president for business development of Infinum. Before this office in Amsterdam, the last office that the Zagreb IT company opened was the one in the British capital of London back at the end of 2021. Kovacevic explained that it was opened due to an increase in the volume of work on the British market.
"We wanted to be available to our existing clients in the United Kingdom. This live contact means a lot to clients, when they can talk about work over coffee or lunch, and not via Zoom. The opening certainly resulted in new clients and contributed to the growth of that market. The motivation for opening an office in Amsterdam came partly because of the successful results we achieved in London. We want to create a similar setup in Amsterdam,'' Kovacevic stated.
Their team exceeded 400 people
The opening of that office certainly had an impact on last year's business results, as the Croatian Infinum company's revenues were 24 percent higher than they were back in 2021 and they achieved consolidated revenues of an impressive 23 million euros. Their number of employees and external associates at the same time exceeded 400 people.
The new office, along with those in Zagreb, Ljubljana, Skopje, Podgorica, New York and London, should contribute to the IT company's ambitions to achieve organic growth of 20 percent this year. Kovacevic stated that the special focus will be on expansion, and the opening of an office in Amsterdam is an important part of that strategy.
For more, check out our business section.
Croatian State Bonds to be Issued Soon, Here are the Details
February 16, 2023 - Croatian citizens will be able to register for Croatian state bonds from February 22 to March 1 with a minimum deposit of 500 euros. The state plans to raise one billion euros by issuing bonds, as announced at the government session.
Registration for citizens first
Presenting the proposal for a conclusion on the acceptance of the information on the planned launch of the issuance of government bonds with the active direct involvement of the citizen sector, Finance Minister Marko Primorac said that the final preparations are being made, announcing that the bonds will be registered in two rounds, the first of which will be open to citizens from February 22 at eight o'clock until March 1 at 8 p.m., writes Index.
After that, registration for citizens will be closed, and on March 3, it will be open for institutional investors and will only last one day. Everything that citizens do not register for will remain for institutional investors. The registration will be done in bank branches, which will be the leading agents of the issuance and co-arrangers.
Maturity period of two years, minimum deposit 500 euros
The maturity of the bond will be two years, and the state plans to raise one billion euros. The minimum deposit will be 500 euros, while at this moment, it is not yet possible to say with certainty how much the coupon interest will be, but it will be above three percent, said Primorac.
"The bond will have a two-year maturity with an annual interest yield of over three percent, and the goal of the shorter maturity period is to provide citizens with the opportunity to invest in line with their previous preferences with the maximum limitation of negative market risks," the government's conclusion reads.
Primorac also mentioned that citizens would receive information about the minimum interest achieved at issue before the actual registration.
The Ministry will publish the offer document today, which will contain a general set of information. On February 20, a public invitation will be published on the pages of the Ministry of Finance and the Zagreb Stock Exchange, with more details about the issue itself, as well as about the places of registration, along with defining precisely specified bank branches, of which there will be around five hundred in the territory of the Republic of Croatia.
Citizens who will hold the bond until the maturity date are invited first
Primorac explained that the bond is a financial instrument that guarantees the buyer the payment of the coupon interest at the scheduled rate and the amount of the principal at the end of the bond's maturity.
Bonds in general, and government bonds in particular, are among the safest forms of investment. The risk associated with investing in them is primarily reflected in the possibility of a change in the price of the bond during the maturity period.
"We can say with certainty that those who buy government bonds will achieve the expected yield if they hold the bonds until the maturity date," said Primorac.
On the other hand, citizens who cannot hold the bond until maturity and want to sell it on the secondary market may be faced with price changes. In that case, there is a certain minimal risk that they will not receive the amount they initially invested.
"Once again, I would like to encourage all those citizens who plan to participate in this issue to do so if they plan to hold the bond until the maturity date," said Primorac.
Considering the interest rates on deposits that are currently in banks, Primorac said that the benefits for citizens from investing in this type of bond are quite clear.
Plenković: A practice that exists in many other countries
Prime Minister Andrej Plenković pointed out that this issue aims to dynamize the domestic capital market, as well as send a message of confidence in government bonds, in domestic public finances, and everything that has been done through systematic work and responsible management of public finances in the past years.
"Now, as a member not only of the EU but also of the euro area and the Schengen area, with a very strong credibility, we want to enable our citizens to invest their funds, their savings, in government bonds," said Plenković.
He also said that something is being initiated that has not been a practice in Croatia until now, although such a practice exists in a number of other countries, such as Ireland, Portugal, Italy, Poland, Malta, Cyprus, and Hungary.
For more, make sure to check out our dedicated News section.
Slovenian VC Fund Silicon Gardens Has Eye on Croatian Startups
February the 16th, 2023 - The Slovenian VC fund Silicon Gardens has its eye on Croatian startups, and Split Tech City has entered into an agreement with them.
As Josipa Ban/Poslovni Dnevnik writes, Split Tech City, the first association of the Split technology community, has entered into an agreement with the Slovenian VC fund Silicon Gardens. The fund will invest between 50 thousand and 1 million euros in Croatian startups, providing a spring in the step of many.
It goes without saying how important this agreement is for the Croatian and more specifically the Dalmatian technology scene. Toni Trivkovic, the founder and president of Split Tech City, explained that Luka Abrus, one of the founders of the Five agency, initially connected them with the Slovenian Silicon Gardens.
A fund with a different mission
"After the first contact was initially made, we soon realised that we share many values. We also like the fact that Silicon Gardens is about smart capital, i.e. capital with which the startup also receives mentoring," Trivkovic points out. The agreement, as he explained, is that Split Tech City proposes interesting Croatian startups to the Slovenian VC fund, that is, it connects them.
"After that, the Slovenian VC fund will evaluate a startup, and if someone doesn't pass, they'll receive guidelines on what needs to be done in order to make it more attractive to investors. Regardless of the outcome, the startup makes the best of the situation," said Trivkovic, adding that this cooperation will significantly improve the Split technology scene, where there weren't very many opportunities to get bigger investments in the recent past.
Cooperation with Silicon Gardens will change that. And we're talking about a different fund that was designed by the founders of startups with successful exits, that is, that were sold out of the ownership of the companies they founded. Their slogan is ''founders for founders'', and in addition to capital, they offer mentoring and contacts to startups, which gives the investment added value, i.e. smart money.
The first Silicon Gardens fund, SGF I, was founded back in 2014 by 20 private investors, who invested 300,000 euros in it. The value of the second fund, SGF II, which has existed since the pre-crisis year of 2019, stands at a whopping six million euros, and they're also about to establish a new, third fund, which will have about 30 million euros of capital in total.
That third fund, according to Kristian Asani, the head of community and programmes at Silicon Gardens, should be ready for investment this June. With its launch, as he pointed out, they're turning to larger investments across the entire region, which includes Split. "The ecosystem for Croatian startups is still in its development phase, and I'm sure that there will be good opportunities for investment," Asani points out.
Split as a tech Mecca
Trivkovic says that he hopes for the first investments in 2023, but he doesn't want to speculate when it comes to how many there will be in the end. Everything will depend on the quality of ideas and projects of Split's local startups, he says. In addition to that, he doesn't want to reveal yet whether they already have potential candidates to propose to the fund.
Split Tech City, a community that has existed since 2015, has successfully gathered together 85 companies. The founder of this technological community added that, in addition to investments, they have also agreed on other collaborations with Silicon Gardens, such as workshops for Croatian startups. "It will be a dynamic collaboration and we'll have at least two activities on an annual basis," announced Trivkovic.
With this cooperation, he also hopes to attract young technology companies from all over the Republic of Croatia, as well as the wider region, to Split. And while fifteen years ago the situation in the second largest Croatian city was such that young people moved away and even abroad due to a lack of opportunities, with the change in work trends, i.e. the possibility of working remotely, this is also changing. Split is thus becoming an increasingly common choice for a place to live. Split Tech City has heavily contributed to this turnaround.
For more, make sure to check out our business section.
Sustainable Zagreb: Everyone is Invited to Vrbani Clothing Exchange Party
February 16, 2023 - The Vestigium association in Vrbani in Zagreb has an interesting tradition - eco day Saturday. As part of this weekly event, they sell ecologically produced food and have an exchange party for books and clothes.
"The association was created out of necessity for mothers from the neighborhood about ten years ago because we did not have any social and cultural facilities for 15 thousand inhabitants. We decided to create this space where the things we needed could happen. We have a free exchange of books, a small library where you don't need to write down who borrowed what, but people simply take books out and bring some of their own. There are various workshops and lectures, and on Saturdays we organize an eco market, clothing exchange, and socializing events for people in the neighborhood and beyond", said Irena Borovina, president of the Vestigium Association for HRT.
She pointed out that they did not invent the exchange party, but that it has been happening as a movement in the world for a long time, and "in fact, it is a response to what is happening in the world."
"There used to be fashion collections that came out spring/summer, autumn/winter, so twice a year, and these days new fashion collections come out every week and because of that, a lot of clothes end up in the trash. We all know that a lot of resources are spent to produce new clothes, and this is our answer to the problem of fast fashion - we don't buy clothes, but exchange them among ourselves", said Irena.
"On Saturday mornings, we organize a clothing exchange in Vestigium; everyone can bring up to ten pieces of used clothing in good condition and choose something from our collection, something they like. We have women's, men's, and children's clothing; we have everything you need depending on the season - coats, t-shirts, shoes, and bags. I would also like to mention that our volunteer Vanja refreshes used clothes by adding some of her creative work to the clothes we receive and creating some original pieces from used clothes", said Sonja Nerat Eppert, a volunteer at the Vestigium Association.
"This exchange was already happening here among the members of the association spontaneously all the time - for example, something we would outgrow, we would exchange for a piece of someone else's clothing, especially for children, and when we made it into an open event which other people could join, we were surprised that a lot of young people came. So it's great for young people - they like that they can find something maybe retro, or vintage, or they don't have to pay a lot of money for a piece of clothing with an expensive brand on it, but they can find something different. You can build your style. Older people also come, a lot of families as well, but we are delighted that we regularly have young people over", said Irena.
In addition to the Vrbani space, clothing exchanges also take place in the Green Action Association in Frankopanska, and the movement is becoming a hit in all of Zagreb.
For more, make sure to check out our dedicated News section.
Croatia Above European Average for Childhood Cancer 5-Year Survival
February 16, 2023 - The five-year survival rate of children with malignant diseases in Croatia is above the European average, and according to data, in 2021, 16 children under the age of 19 died from malignant diseases in the Republic of Croatia, according to the announcement of the HZJZ on the International Childhood Cancer Day.
As 24Sata / HINA writes, according to the latest data from the Cancer Registry of the Republic of Croatia, in 2020, 159 children under the age of 19 were diagnosed with malignant diseases in Croatia, out of which 67 were female.
In the past ten years, an average of 157 children under the age of 19 were diagnosed, and 27 died of malignant diseases.
At the national level in Croatia, out of a total of 159 children with a newly diagnosed malignant disease in 2020, 49 were under the age of 4, 27 were between the ages of 5 and 9, 34 were between the ages of 10 and 14 and 49 between the ages of 15 and 15. up to 19 years.
The most common diagnoses of malignant diseases in children were leukemia, lymphomas and malignant brain and spinal cord tumors.
In treating malignant diseases, it is difficult to define a cure, but it is common to take five-year survival as a measure of cure. Data from the extensive global observational study CONCORD-3 published in the Lancet journal show that five-year survival from malignant diseases in children in Croatia is above the European average. It is 95 percent for childhood lymphomas, 85 percent for acute lymphatic leukemia, and 73 percent for brain tumors.
Malignant diseases in childhood have significant social and medical consequences. The diagnosis and the changes in everyday life due to the new situation represent a significant stressor for the child and their family. To overcome the daily difficulties they face in caring for their child, it is necessary for parents to have help: equal access to care and modern treatment procedures and, just as importantly, families need psychological support in a timely manner, the Croatian Institute of Public Health (HZJZ) points out.
They also emphasize that support is needed even after the end of therapy because patients and their families can face the physical and psychological consequences long after a diagnosis of a malignant disease and the often very intensive treatment.
International Childhood Cancer Day is celebrated on February 15 with the aim of raising awareness about malignant diseases in children and providing support to ill children and adolescents, as well as their families and survivors.
Based on the decision of the Croatian Parliament, since 2006, February 15 has been celebrated in Croatia as National Childhood Cancer Day.
For more, make sure to check out our dedicated News section.
10 Things Croatia Does Better Than Anywhere Else
February 15, 2023 - It is a small country which consistently overachieves in many different ways. 10 things Croatia does better than anywhere else.
Croatia.
A tiny country of less than 4 million people.
But a country which punches above its weight on the global stage on SO many levels.
Having lived here for 20 years, I am constantly astounded about how much this small country has achieved in so many areas of life. Here are 10 things that - at least in my opinion - Croatia does better than any other country in the world.
Do you agree? Are there any other things? Answers in the comments below the video, please.
You can read the original article, 10 Things Croatia Does Better Than Anywhere Else on Total Croatia here.
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Priča o Jednoj Lopti by Marta Huber: Story of First Football in Croatia
February 15, 2023 - In the packed hall of the Multicultural Centre in Županja, there was a promotion of a special picture book, an educational museum publication for children and young people, "Priča o jednoj lopti" by Marta Huber.
As Glas Slavonije writes, Marta is a curator at the Regional Museum, and her book is about the first time football was played and the first time a ball was even held in Croatia. It is about a segment of the past of the city on the river Sava, about the time from the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, when industrialists from England arrived in Županja and built a tannin factory there because of the rich oak forests. And with the English, the first football arrived. The picture book tells the story of love between the industrialist Fred and Šokica (traditional local lady) Katarina, as well as the story of life in a Slavonian village about a hundred years ago.
The promotion guests were greeted by Hrvoje Tkalac, director of the "Stjepan Gruber" Museum, asserting that his colleague Marta had decided to show the city's past in a charming way with her excellent work. The author of the afterword, Katarina Bušić, museum advisor from the Ethnographic Museum in Zagreb, said that, both as a museum worker and as a Županja native, she is proud of the local team that decided to prepare a picture book, the first museum publication of its kind in Croatia. The story is told in a straightforward, understandable, and suitable way for children, providing a lot of data and information. She concluded that this small, truly local picture book contains all the topics a story must have. Nothing in it is made up; all the events really happened in Županja.
The collaborator on the picture book, professor Katarina Berać Vuić, is the author of the glossary that appears on each page, as well as the quiz at the end of the picture book. She presented the picture book through a conversation with Marta Huber and academic painter Mislav Lešić - Đurakov. The author admitted that she had been carrying the idea of writing for a long time. In the Museum, she often meets kindergarten and school children, so she tries to adapt the historical narrative for their age. She thought that with good visualization, all the events, years, and circumstances would be more understandable to children. She succeeded in this, thanks to vivid illustrations with a multitude of local natural and ethnographic peculiarities and details hidden on the pages, which were brought to life by Mislav. Congratulating the authors, an excerpt from the picture book was read by Mayor Damir Juzbašić at the end of the promotion.
The book can be purchased in the Stjepan Gruber Museum in Županja.
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