November 5, 2021 - After it was believed that they had to pay an additional cost due to being considered sub-concessions, this raised a series of concerns, but in the end, there will be no additional taxation for Marinas in Croatia, as it was all a misunderstanding, points the Croatian Chamber of Commerce.

As reported by HrTurizam, the announcement that ancillary activities in marinas will be treated as sub-concessions raised a real storm among members of the HGK Marina Association, but after talks with representatives of the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure (MMPI) it was determined that there was a misunderstanding and that the concession fee remained unchanged and no additional taxation for Marinas will be done, reports the Croatian Chamber of Commerce.

"We remind you that in early September, members of the Association of Marinas of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce received a notification on the calculation of concession fees for concession holders who have concluded contracts on sub-concessions, informing them that all sub-concession activities will be additionally taxed. 

Therefore, the Association of Marina HGK at its last session, held as part of the Biograd Boat Show, hosted Nina Perko, Director of the Maritime Administration at MMPI, to warn the relevant institutions of the serious consequences for the entire nautical sector if such a method of calculating the concession or sub-concession fees. Representatives of the marinas pointed out that they are already paying a fixed and variable part in the name of the concession on the maritime domain.

“The fixed part is paid on the basis of the occupied area, and the variable part on the basis of income. All this is included in the total income, of which the marinas pay a certain percentage in the name of the variable part ", explained the president of the HGK Marina Association Sean Lisjak, adding that after talks with director Perko they found that the disputed letter was misinterpreted. in no way does it refer to ancillary activities such as catering, charter, and various services performed on the premises of marinas, but exclusively to those activities with which marinas have concluded Sub-Concession Agreements. 

In the end, it was concluded that the calculation of the concession fee for concession holders in relation to ancillary activities remains unchanged", reads the statement of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated lifestyle section.

November 5, 2021 - The largest Croatia fan procession ever is expected ahead of the Croatia-Russia World Cup qualifier at Poljud Stadium in Split on November 14. 

All available tickets for the match between Croatia and Russia have been sold. A packed Poljud of about 33,000 fans will cheer on Croatia in an attempt to win first place and secure a spot in Qatar for the 2022 World Cup. That is, assuming Croatia wins in Malta three days earlier. 

Tickets went on sale October 25 at 1 pm, and hours later all tickets for the west and east stands were claimed. In the following days, tickets for the remaining sectors in the north and south stands were taken, sold from 80 to 200 kuna.

HNS announced that there will be no ticket sales at the box office and that in the coming days some free tickets may appear on the Internet if the customers who ordered them do not pay on time.

Fans who come to the match are invited to the Riva waterfront, where the largest Croatia fan procession in history, with between 20,000 and 30,000 people, is expected in honor of the 30th anniversary of Vukovar. Fans will head towards the stadium from 12:30 on November 14. Kickoff at Poljud is scheduled for 3 pm. 

All fans coming to the stadium must have an EU digital covid certificate with a valid QR code to be checked at the entrance. Certificates of vaccination or illness or various test results will not be recognized.

Children under the age of 12 do not have to have a certificate if they are accompanied by a parent or guardian who has a valid certificate and a ticket, and HNS will provide rapid antigen testing to fans who do not have a digital certificate.

Tickets for the match in Malta, which will be played on November 11 at 8:45 pm at the Ta'Qali National Stadium, went on sale from Thursday at the price of 80 kuna.

In Malta, however, only people with full vaccination against the coronavirus or those who have recovered from Covid AND have received at least one dose of the vaccine are allowed. This does not only apply to children aged five to 11, who need a negative PCR test not older than 72 hours.

Source: 24 Sata

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

ZAGREB, 4 Nov 2021 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Thursday opened the exhibition "Freedom is Called by Its Name", staged by the National and University Library (NSK) in Zagreb to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the fall of Vukovar.

Plenković said that every time that emotions and events from 30 years ago are mentioned there is no better word that embodies the idea of Vukovar than the word 'freedom', which the authors of the exhibition pointed out well in its title.

The exhibition reminds us of the city that suffered the most unimaginable and cruel destruction after the Second World War in Europe, the prime minister said, adding that for every Croatian citizen, Vukovar is a place of identification with the suffering of all victims, with the courage and sacrifice of Croatian defenders and the process of gaining Croatian independence and sovereignty.

He said that the exhibition was a contribution to the numerous activities marking the 30th anniversary of the fall of Vukovar.

We will try, he said, to pass, through support and patronage, the meaning, value, and symbolism of Vukovar on to young generations.

The exhibition "Freedom is Called by Its Name" pays tribute to the hero city of Vukovar on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the fall of Vukovar in the Homeland War, said NSK director Ivanka Stričević.

Stričević stressed that in addition to offering insight into the materials about the Homeland War in Vukovar, the exhibition also offers insight into the materials of all library collections.

The exhibition features photographs, books, manuscripts, newspaper articles, and other materials that the NSK and partner institutions keep in their collections -- materials that testify to the suffering of Vukovar, as well as to its rich culture.

The central part of the exhibition consists of texts by historian and curator of the exhibition, Vlatka Filipčić Maligec, which provide insight into the battle for Vukovar, especially the events at the Vukovar hospital, Ovčara, the barracks, Borovo Selo, and Borovo Naselje in 1991.

The texts are accompanied by photographs by Croatian photojournalists and covers of Večernji List daily, which are testimonies of the war in Vukovar and the fate of Vukovar citizens during the Homeland War, as well as by library materials on the war in Vukovar from the NSK collection on Homeland War.

For more on politics, follow TCN's dedicated page.

ZAGREB, 4 Nov 2021 - The defence ministry on Thursday refuted President Zoran Milanović's claims that the early retirement of Colonel Elvis Burčul was an act of abuse of the minister's powers, saying that in this case, it was the cessation of active military service with the right to a full age pension.

It is in the remit of the defence minister and not the armed forces' chief-of-staff to define the needs of the service for active military service personnel, in compliance with the law.

Responding to President Zoran Milanović's letter which he sent to Prime Minister Andrej Milanović accusing Minister Mario Banožić of wrongdoing, the ministry's statement says that the President cannot appoint a military commander without the consent of the defence minister.

The ministry also points out that sending Colonel Burčul into retirement is not within the jurisdiction of the Armed Forces' Chief-of-Staff, and proposals to that effect need not be made by the army chief-of-staff, and retirement is within the powers of the defence minister.

The explanation for the cessation of the service of Colonel Burčul as the commander of the Honorary and Protection Battalion cited the plan for the cessation of the active service of personnel in 2021 and not a list, as claimed by the president.

The plan is a document based on the law regulating service in the armed forces, the ministry says.

The plan was adopted unanimously at a college meeting chaired by the defence minister, and in attendance were the Armed Forces Chief-of-Staff and his deputies, says the ministry, adding that this plan also specifies a law-based criterion under which Colonel Burčul's active service ceased.

Concerning the President's objections to the poor equipment of the armed forces, the ministry recalls that the revised budget for 2021 increased defence outlays by HRK 2.387 billion.

The current financial plan has increased from HRK 4.8 billion to nearly HRK 7.2 billion, according to the statement.

The president accused Banožić of attending ministerial meetings in NATO and the EU without informing him "as the President of the Republic and Commander in Chief of the Croatian Armed Forces, and without obtaining consent for the positions he is presenting there on behalf of the Republic of Croatia."

The minister responded by saying that he had attended the EU and NATO ministerial meetings in accordance with the Constitution and laws.

The statement also dismissed the allegations about irregularities in the employment of staff at the Defence Ministry and countered that there were irregularities at the Office of the President.

Minister accused President of nepotism

Earlier on Thursday, Banožić reiterated his claims that Milanović had insisted on a specific officer to succeed Burčul, although the man concerned had no qualifications, that is necessary ranks, for that position.

Banožić elaborated that he had been asked to promote the officer concerned in an extraordinary procedure so that the candidate could meet the requirements for the new commander of the Honorary and Protection Battalion, which he refused to do. The minister described this as a pure example of nepotism on the part of the president.

He went on to say that he could forget all that had happened in recent days provided that all the activities are back within the framework of the Defence Act.

For more on politics, follow TCN's dedicated page.

November the 5th, 2021 - Dubrovnik, known today (at least before the pandemic) as Croatia's tourism Mecca plagued by crowds and cruise ships, was once under threat by something much more sinister - Serbian-Montenegrin aggression. Back in the 90s, it wasn't the flashes of cameras striking the famous UNESCO protected city, but hundreds of grenades. Miso Mihocevic is often referred to as a war hero, and this former translator/interpreter and negotiator's emotions towards those difficult times haven't dulled even 30 years on.

As Dubrovniknet/Lidija Crncevic writes, not for one second did Miso Mihocevic consider packing his bags, abandoning his city and removing his life from danger as Dubrovnik began being attacked, even though the smell of war was very much lingering in the air.

He could have quite easily left the city, he had his connections and ties. He could have gone anywhere and continued living a safe and quite normal life. He didn't. He stayed. He got involved in defending the country and city from the marauding Serbs in the best possible way he knew how. He was a negotiator, a translator, an interpreter... he often had to store away his emotions and wrap them tightly in a thick proverbial piece of rope in order to retain composure and behave in a diplomatic way when dealing with various representatives of the aggressor army.

''You know what you need to say'' Commander Nojko would tell him when they were heading towards occupied Cavtat, the southernmost town in the country. When the Croatian team of negotiators went down to Cavtat to engage in negotiations, they could never know for sure whether they would return to the City of Dubrovnik or whether the Serbs would "redirect" them to the infamous Morinj. We look back 30 years ago in Dubrovnik's history with Miso Mihocevic, going back to the beginnings.

You made your choice to stay in the city, although, objectively speaking, you could have gone elsewhere, perhaps abroad, and continued with life as you'd known it...

Actually, I'd returned to Dubrovnik a few years before any of these dark times began. after a dozen or so very easy years spent abroad in high fashion and of course mingling among fashion circles. I was young, I had my health, and I was good looking. Could it be better?! Well, actually... Yes, it could! What was missing? Something was... something very big. An invisible piece of me. A piece of a more complete and fulfilled version of myself where I'm not a stranger, not foreign... in a place where despite all the good times, you'll never really fully integrate, not completely.

"The sun of another's sky" is a terribly thorough and precise conclusion and description of that feeling. It's a well-known ''condition'' for which we have a very nice and accurate word: homesickness. I mean, I lived quite well, but the sun still didn't warm my bones up like the one which beats down on Banje beach does, allegorically and in reality. Being complete, fulfilled, recognising and understanding your society and its forces is the true kind of most often totally unconscious type of love. It's immeasurable. It was easy for me because I had the most beautiful lover - Dubrovnik.

A career or love? I was lucky as I had both, I expressed myself relatively quickly through the Dubrovnik Summer Festival (where I spent all my summers from the age of fifteen). That's how much love there was. With another extremely important element, I'm the type of person you can say anything to, but to insinuate that I'm not a Croat or, even worse, that I must be ashamed of being one... I'd never been able to stand that, even from a very young age. The reaction in me when I hear something like that is instant rage.

To escape meant only an escape from oneself, not from those toothless Chetniks. Not only to be left without everything, but also to be left with some eternally unhappy room under someone else’s sun that doesn’t warm me up in the same way.

Today, 30 years after the start of the war in Dubrovnik, you're not in the city, where are you now, what are you doing, why did you decide to go?

I'm in Zagreb, quite happily and comfortably retired, I work in translation on my own watch when I feel like it, I recently finished translating a very interesting book into English, I write articles from time to time for Total Croatia News, I haven't been in any commercials lately as was the norm until the world changed, coronavirus isn't really allowing for any of that. But what's the most important thing of all - I'm the master of my time. I read, I browse the web, I like to be sarcastic on Facebook… Of course, there's always briskula (briscola). The days are short but never tiring or boring, because after so long, there's no dictation.

Why did I move out of the city? That's a good question. Back in 2010, Vlahusic, when he had freshly become Dubrovnik's mayor, kicked me out of the theatre (literally!) overnight (literally!) and left me on the street, so to speak, which I only found out about when reading a local portal the next day. Now, when hearing that, you'll surely think I'm furious, right? Quite on the contrary. I'd like to thank him because he saved me from the type of city it had become to allow such a mayor to ''take the throne''.

And a theatre, and I honestly do have to say this, for whom the first play after my removal - was a fantastic piece called ''Orchestra'' located in a Bosnian turbo cafe... Well, it isn't worth talking about. The worst sacrilege Bond experienced from 1862 to the present day. So... off I went to Zagreb, and I got a big role in a film, then in some commercials, etc.

So, Mr. Vlahusic, thanks again! I had been trying to do something in Dubrovnik as well, of course. For example, my friends and I raised about 2 million kuna over in England to return the opera to the Summer Festival after years - which they dropped the following season, and not because it was bad... There is an ever-present shitty ego, that shitty Croatian jealousy that many have come into contact with. It is all actively manifested through malice and meanness. Unfortunately, I had the opportunity to experience all of that even after Vlahusic. An employee of his, with all his internal issues and malice concluded that I'm angry and offended because I'm no longer the main cultural face of the city. The problem isn't in any kind of insult, but in the desperate fact that there's no other ''first person'' after me.

Behind you is a respectable war record… you were a negotiator, you were a translator, you had a lot of contact with foreign envoys in Dubrovnik. When it became clear to the international community what was happening in Croatia, that it wasn't merely a civil war, but the aggression of one country against another, was it difficult for you to deal with your nerves and emotions, to stay calm in the negotiations with the Yugoslav Army? What was the most demanding part of it all?

''There were certainly plenty of demanding tasks and demanding moments. Translation wasn't a problem, in fact, I asked a few of ''theirs'' to please step aside because I'd corrected them and asked them to please translate accurately, so I never saw some of them in those meetings again. At the legendary meeting on the ''Avenger'', the Serbian translator got something completely wrong, I insisted on a correction, he, logically, totally lost his mind about it, so one of their generals asked me to translate for them as well. The job of a liaison officer, on the other hand, often requires the need to try to cope in a very complicated situation on the spot. My dear Commander Nojko always said goodbye to me with ''you know what you’re going to say'', which sometimes made my head spin, from the effort and the awareness of the responsibility there was. It's a war, not a theatrical play.

The negotiations, almost until the recognition of the Republic of Croatia as an independent country, were the ultimate tests of the nerves, amplified by external factors such as burned down houses in Konavle, contorted faces and local Croatian people's eyes full of hope, waiting to see if they were allowed to be out on the waterfront in Cavtat when we came, and possibly then again when we left. You had to wrap your emotions up in a tight rope even when you felt like you were going to explode, then, self-control must be at its strongest. It doesn't come out of fear, when you're angry you aren't afraid, but out of the pure awareness that you have to be controlled in order to possibly get some result. Those first few months when they were quick, unstoppable and unruly, used to be just a ''test''- with the objective possibility that you would end up in Morinj that day instead of going back home.

What is your most traumatic experience from the war?

Overall, and at its core, everything is a huge trauma. It was a terrible school of life in which, however and despite all of the awful things, one can learn a lot about empathy and love for others. War is a struggle for life and death is built into its basic settings. Death was in the air when that psychopath, Captain Milan Zec, wanted to kill us in Cilipi near the airport runway, the upper edge of which was surrounded by with bearded, toothless Chetniks.

One's first encounter with what might come to be their own death is certainly not an empathic experience. Everything else I experienced from them would fall mostly into the "service life" and nothing more would be thought about it. By all accounts, I am an anti-Rambo guy who surprised himself when he realised, in the first days of the spread of Serbian culture, that the Chetniks weren't something he was afraid of at all, because of the reasons mentioned above, because I was furious. So, one cloudy day, some ununiformed people, who this time had a few more teeth between them, took us to the Hotel Epidaurus (Cavtat). And there in some big hallway, or some form of storage room for beach equipment, were our grandmothers, aunts, local Konavle women in costumes, lined up like logs next to each other on summer deckchairs. I ran outside, and I cried and cried. "They" must have rejoiced over the crying ''Ustasha''. No one had shot at me, but I had been hit in the heart.

How did you experience the recent departure of the representatives of the Dubrovnik and Konavle authorities to Morinj, and what are your feelings about the memorial plaque to Milan Milisic in Zupska street?

This visit to Morinj does make sense as a memorial and a little attention comes with it, perhaps as a small hope that a true historical memory could come to life there. We need to wait another generation, then we'll see. The memorial plaque to my friend Milan Milisic is, according to the Serbs, the worst monument of Serbian fascism.

The news from Croatia's surrounding countries is becoming more and more concerning and more and more aggressive - Montenegro and the swimming pool named after one of the villains from Morinj... Dodik wants to separate Republika Srpska, in nearby Trebinje Serbia is building an airport with Bosnia and Herzegovina…. where is all of this going to lead and are there any answers Croatia can provide in response to that?

I have the same impression I had from the census carried out back in 1991 when it seemed that there were at least 40 percent of ethnic Serbs in Croatia, as loud as they were, so it seems to me that this is the case in Montenegro today, that it is as dangerous as it was for us back then. I don't see a way out for them, even if they remember that they were ''brothers'' back in the 1990s, or even if they forget about it.

The Serbian obsession with their celestiality is of a genetic nature. They're much more alone than they seem and are constantly advancing in this. Because almost every day they have something for the public that in its essence serves to keep the government in power, all of them, including that irritated peasant from Banja Luka. The Serbian world, while the major of the Greater Serbia celestial armed detachments has a salary of a mere 400 euros, is busy building an airport in another country. The question is, what is this other country doing? Croatia can do a great deal if it gets rid of crime, corruption and other local phenomena, in order to become a respected EU member state, as well as one of NATO, and not be considered a ''poor Balkan territory''.

When you look back, what do you see as Croatia's biggest missed opportunity? Given the current situation…

''There perhaps hasn't even been a ''biggest missed opportunity'' because the people have never been offered one. The repeal of the Property Origin Act in 1990 was the last, not the first nail in the coffin, though.

Did you perhaps stay in touch with people, foreign envoys, friends of Croatia during the war?

Not too much, there are a few '‘Merry Christmas’' greetings here and there and mostly, some are no longer among us, as in everything, time changes us, opportunities take us away. And the war itself, as a factor of our acquaintances and friendships, is fading in active memory.

Have you ever told or revealed everything you saw or heard during the war in Dubrovnik, during the negotiations? Have you succumbed to the "temptation" that you might write a book. If you did write one, what genre would it be?

If I were to reveal literally everything, I'd need some very extensive format. I tell my friends when something reminds me of something from the war, without hesitation, it’s been harmless to me emotionally now for a long time. As for the book, I have a few people in my closest circle who keep nagging me to write a book. One of them would even sponsor a typist. I guess it’s worth it, that experience of war from that little-known standpoint, one from a non-combat angle. Maybe in some way I'm obliged to leave a mark in such a way and I do think about it here and there. I should enjoy this retirement-induced freedom a little less, it seems, and maybe start that famous "one day" project.

For more from Miso Mihocevic, you can follow him here and watch an interview between him and Borna Sor here.

November 5, 2021 - The first delta plus case in Croatia was detected in Čakovec on Thursday, revealed Krunoslav Capak's deputy Ivana Pavić Šimetin. 

Krunoslav Capak's deputy Ivana Pavić Šimetin confirmed on the HRT show Otvoreno on Thursday that the first delta plus corona strain was recorded in Croatia, reports Index.hr.

"Today, the first delta plus case was recorded in Čakovec. We knew it was at the door. From experience with delta and alpha strains, it will be seen how dangerous it is. What is known so far is that it is somewhat more contagious than the delta strain," she said. 

“It is precisely the smaller proportion of vaccinated people that is conducive to the spread of these new strains,” she added, confirming that the new epidemiological measures will be learned today at a session of the National Headquarters. 

"Among the delta strains that are dominant as causes of infection, the delta strain of variant AY.4.2 is sequenced, which means that the more virulent strain is in our environment and is much faster and easier to transmit," said the director of the Međimurje Institute of Public Health, Marina Payerl-Pal.

She added that the only option for all of us is vaccination, saying that Međimurje is a relatively well-vaccinated region, over 60 percent, but that is still not enough to prevent the spread of the virus in the way we are currently witnessing.

As Index found out last night, the Headquarters will introduce a significantly wider use of Covid-certificates, which are currently mandatory only in health and social care.

But at the moment, well-informed sources reveal that there will not be an extensive application of certificates issued for vaccinations, illnesses, or negative tests, which would include cafes, restaurants, and shopping malls, as announced by some media.

Instead, according to Index, Covid-certificates will be introduced at this stage in all state and public services for employees and users of their services. This means that everyone who works in some state or local institutions will have to have a Covid-certificate to work. Still, citizens who come to public institutions will also have to have this certificate.

Delta + is probably 10% more contagious than Delta

A variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus called delta is one of the most contagious viruses we know. It is as infectious as chickenpox and is more contagious than the viruses that cause MERS, SARS, Ebola, colds, flu, and smallpox. Delta is also significantly more virulent than the British version known as alpha, which is more contagious than the original Wuhan strain.

As this super infectious variant spreads, it continues to mutate. SARS-CoV-2 is a single-stranded RNA virus, and they mutate faster than double-stranded RNA viruses and DNA viruses. In addition, research has shown that genome size is generally negatively correlated with mutation rate - the larger the genome, the fewer mutations.

In this sense, it is good that the SARS-CoV-2 virus has a large genome composed of about 30 thousand base pairs, so it mutates relatively slowly for single-stranded RNA viruses, slower than the flu. The correlation between genome size and mutation slowness is logical because a virus with a large genome must have a well-ordered check on the accuracy of copying its code. If it did not have that, too many errors would occur in the large genome, and the virus would not be effective - too many viral particles would be created in reproduction that would be scrapped. On the other hand, the flu virus, which is much shorter in RNA, can afford the luxury of being less accurately transcribed and more mutated, and the same is valid for hepatitis C and HIV viruses.

On the other hand, the delta is spreading and replicating so massively due to high infectivity that transcription errors still occur in large numbers. The likelihood of new variants increases, especially in unvaccinated populations.

One of the last variants that caught the attention of health professionals is a variant called AY.1, or delta plus. The reason for the interest is that the Indian Ministry of Health classified it in June as a “variant of concern”. This label indicates that it appears to be more contagious, bind more easily to lung cells, and be potentially resistant to monoclonal antibody therapy, meaning it could break through acquired immunity.

Delta plus has a spike (S) mutation K417N on the protein that delta does not have. This mutation was previously found in some subvariants of the alpha that dominated before the delta and in the beta variant.

James EK Hildreth, executive director of Meharry Medical School in Nashville, told the Washington Post that public health leaders should pay attention to the experiences of other nations, pointing to the devastating effect of the delta in India and the country's decision to label delta plus as a concern.

“We have already seen what happened to the delta in India and how fast it has spread,” he said.

"Why would we think the delta plus variant would be different?" he added.

One reason for concern is the possibility that delta plus would break through the protection created by getting sick or getting vaccinated. So far, we have no explicit confirmation of this concern.

The delta plus variant in Europe was first recorded in March 2021. It has since been discovered in several countries worldwide, including South Korea and the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it currently accounts for only a small 0.1% share of the causative agent among those infected with Covid-19. However, the delta strain is now the cause of 93% of all infections in the United States.

Whether it is more contagious than the delta will be shown over time if its share grows, that is, if it proves to displace the delta. This will take some time because the delta itself is highly contagious, so the advantage of the delta plus variant in terms of contagion is probably not great. For now, it is assumed to be 10 percent more contagious than delta.

For all you need to know about coronavirus specific to Croatia, make sure to bookmark our dedicated COVID-19 section and select your preferred language.

November the 5th, 2021 - The much loved Interliber, which has always been traditionally held at the Zagreb Fair (Zagrebacki Velesajam), is finally back after being banned under coronavirus-induced epidemiological measures. The Zagreb Fair also played and still plays host to those coming to be vaccinated against the novel virus. What does Interliber 2021 have in store?

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, this year's 43rd International Book Fair, Interliber 2021, will be held from November the 9th to 14th at the Zagreb Fair, as was announced on Wednesday by the president of the Association of Publishers and Bookstores (ZNK), Slavko Kozina.

The three pavilions will be filled by about 230 exhibitors from 14 countries for Interliber 2021, to which many book worms are looking forward. Kozina pointed out that two years without the fair would have set the entire book and publishing industry backwards, and he assessed that the current situation is significantly better than it was four years ago, when there was a big problem with the collapse of the Croatian publishing and bookstore network.

He also mentioned that the number of points where you can buy books has been reduced at Interliber 2021, as a small number of publishers gave up on the idea of showing up physically.

Assistant Director of the Zagreb Fair, Zoran Usuric, emphasised that admission to the fair for Interliber 2021 will be free of charge and possible only upon presentation of a valid Covid certificate proving the holder's vaccination status, recovery, or a valid negative PCR test result (no older than 72 hours), or a negative rapid antigen test result (no older than 48 hours).

Entrance to Interliber 2021 at the Zagreb Fair will be possible at the box office at the South Entrance with the presentation of the aforementioned Covid certificate, and visitors will receive a disposable bracelet and a ticket with which they'll pass through mechanical barriers and enter the space itself.

The wearing of masks and maintaining social distancing will be mandatory on the premises for the duration of the fair.

For more on events in Zagreb and across the rest of the country, check out our lifestyle section.

November the 5th, 2021 - RBA analysts are more cautious when it comes to predicting Croatian economic recovery or the growth of domestic GDP as the instability of the ongoing global coronavirus pandemic still remains a huge issue.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Ana Blaskovic writes, contrary to the optimism of the central bank and the government about the dynamics of Croatian economic recovery in 2021, ranging from between 8.5 and 9 percent, Raiffeisen Bank analysts are still somewhat more cautious with the expectation that GDP growth will stop at 7 percent.

"Our estimates are significantly lower than those provided by the government because we expect a slowdown in the last quarter of the year," said RBA chief economist Zrinka Zivkovic Matijevic at the presentation of this, the latest RBA research.

The summer quarter, due to the-then good epidemiological situation and a surprisingly good tourist season that brought in 8.5 billion euros (85 percent of pre-pandemic 2019's level), could end with a double-digit growth rate.

However, on the side of the rapid deterioration of the epidemiological situation as the end of the year approaches, the withdrawal of the ''parking brake'' in terms of optimism is a reflection of the uncertainty of energy and raw material prices, as well as disruptions in supply chains. Nevertheless, real Croatian economic recovery and indeed growth throughout 2021 will remain strong, primarily driven by growth in the export of services, ie tourism and personal consumption.

Next year, domestic economic growth should pull in investment on the wings of using European Union (EU) money under the much talked about National Recovery and Resilience Plan.

"From a macroeconomic point of view, investments are a desirable generator of growth," said Zivkovic Matijevic, explaining that the benefits of a generous European Union cash injection are wider than the availability of the money itself, because its withdrawal depends on measures and reforms that will work to reduce the weaknesses of the domestic economy in the long run, and whose outlines are slowly emerging.

The news about Croatian economic recovery and the acceleration of economic dynamics has recently been overshadowed by inflation, which accelerated to 3.3 percent in Croatia back in September (as opposed to 4.1 percent in the Eurozone), which is expected to peak in the first quarter of next year.

"Inflationary pressures continued to strengthen, dominantly caused by strong growth in energy prices, thus reflecting developments in world crude oil exchanges. Since the second half of the year, energy prices have been joined by rising food prices,'' they added from RBA.

Assuming global supply chain disruptions subside, they added, the price jump should slow down in the second half of 2022, but with the caveat that uncertainty, longer supply-side disruptions and steeper transport costs could suggest that inflation could last, not only in Croatia but also in the Eurozone, which Croatia is soon set to join.

That such a scenario will not materialise is strongly assured by central banks, including Croatian ones, from which messages are coming that inflation is only a passing phenomenon.

The refreshed picture of public finances, precisely in the parliamentary debate, wasn't overly surprised by the increased inflows from VAT or the deepening of expenditures, due to which the general government deficit increased to 4.5 percent.

With the cost of the coronavirus crisis totalling a staggering 40 billion kuna so far, in the first half of next year, it is to be expected that the state will actively borrow on the capital markets in order to meet increased financing needs. These activities, together with good market conditions of high liquidity and low interest rates, will be positively marked by the process of introducing the euro, a drawn out process which is entering its final phase.

"The set goal of joining the Eurozone on January the 1st, 2023 is achievable and strong political support across the European Union is important," said Zivkovic Matijevic, believing that it is very likely that Croatia will meet the Maastricht criteria on public debt, deficit, interest rates, exchange rate and inflation.

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