Youth Day Marked in Kumrovec
ZAGREB, 22 May 2021 - Delegations of Krapina-Zagorje County, the town of Kumrovec, associations honouring Josip Broz Tito and the Alliance of Antifascist Fighters and Antifascists (SABA) on Saturday marked Youth Day by laying wreaths and lighting candles at a monument to Josip Broz Tito in his birthplace Kumrovec.
SABA leader Franjo Habulin said that this year, due to the coronavirus epidemic, people gathered in Kumrovec spontaneously to remember Youth Day as it had been and to agree on how it should be marked in the future.
"Youth Day is inextricably linked with Josip Broz Tito because it is marked on the day when Tito's birthday was officially celebrated and because Tito had a special relationship with young people, who had borne the brunt of the national liberation struggle in World War II as well as the burden of the post-war reconstruction of the country," Habulin said.
He added that the attitude to young people today was not as it should be, which was why they were looking for a future outside of Croatia, stressing that the current as well as future governments had the responsibility to create conditions for young people to stay in the country.
Jovan Vejnović, president of the alliance of associations honouring the Yugoslav communist revolutionary and statesman, said that it was frequently forgotten that in Tito's time the then Yugoslavia had changed from a backward country with a large share of illiterate people to "a serious European state."
"Before WWII 80% of Yugoslavia's population was illiterate and over a period of 25 years they were all made literate, we educated a cultural and technical intelligentsia that was on a par with intellectuals in the rest of Europe. That is something that made not only Tito's status as a leader of the Non-Aligned Movement important for this region, it made the country he represented important as well," said Vejnović.
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PM Says Satisfied with Fitch Rating, Gov't Working on Creating Conditions for Growth
ZAGREB, 22 May 2021 - PM Andrej Plenković on Saturday expressed satisfaction with Fitch rating agency's having maintained Croatia's rating at BBB- with a stable outlook, saying his government was working to create conditions for economic growth so that this and next year its growth rate could be among the highest in the EU.
Fitch Ratings on Friday affirmed Croatia's rating at 'BBB-', with a stable outlook, saying that pressure on state finance linked to the pandemic should be neutralised by economic recovery on the back of tourism and EU support.
"We are very happy. The... rating confirms what we have been doing in the past 15 months," Plenković told reporters while visiting Crikvenica and Rijeka in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, where he met with candidates of the local branches of his HDZ party ahead of the second round of local elections set for 30 May.
Plenković stressed that Fitch had sent a message that Croatia had maintained political stability.
"We had parliamentary elections last year, we quickly formed the government, continued working, fought against the pandemic while at the same time keeping the stability of public finances," he said, adding that owing to public finance stability it was possible to secure funding for healthcare, wages, pensions, and job-keeping support.
"The coronavirus crisis has cost us so far HRK 32 billion, the damage caused by the earthquakes in Banovina and Zagreb amounts to HRK 125 billion. But despite that, we have managed to make sure everyone continues receiving their wages, we have secured job-keeping support in the amount of HRK 10.5 billion, 680,000 workers have received wages owing to the government's political decision to compensate employers for their workers' wages, and we have introduced measures for shorter working hours, various forms of support for liquidity in numerous sectors, and the coverage of fixed costs," he said.
"With a timely entry into the domestic capital market and access to international sources of financing, clever agreements with the Croatian National Bank and the European Central Bank, we have managed to maintain our reputation with credit agencies and all international institutions," he said, adding that apart from functioning normally and heading towards the euro area, Croatia was also in the European Exchange Rate Mechanism II.
"A budget revision will be on the agenda soon, in early June, and we will try to maintain, this year as well, the framework that will make it possible for our growth in 2021 and particularly in 2022 to be among the highest in the EU," said Plenković.
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He put this in the context of vaccination against COVID-19, calling on Croatians to get vaccinated.
Plenković believes that as regards reputation, Croatia has a very stable position and that with vaccination it is also creating conditions for an excellent tourist season, which, he says, together with the green digital certificate and the pandemic subsiding, will enable economic growth.
"Croatia is on the right track and I am encouraged by the assessment of those who have an unbiased and very precise judgment of our performance in the current crisis, it is very encouraging in my opinion," said Plenković.
In its latest rating, Fitch has upgraded the projection for Croatia's economic growth in 2021 from 3.8% to 5.5%.
Fitch forecasts GDP growth to accelerate to 6.1% in 2022 before averaging 4% in 2023-25, driven largely by investment and notes that Croatia will receive around €6.3 billion in grants from the Recovery and Resilience Facility, in addition to €1 billion from the EU Solidarity Fund for earthquake reconstruction and €12.6 billion in the 2021-27 Multi-Annual Funding Facility.
Checking In with Dubrovnik Digital Nomads-in-Residence – Vanessa Anderson Interview
May 22, 2021 – We caught up with another digital nomad in Dubrovnik and the career of this one is not what you would expect from someone working remotely. Meet Vanessa Anderson!
Vanessa Anderson is a digital nomad and a lawyer. Two things that hardly seem compatible. Yet, she is making it work. COVID-19 changed the way she and her colleagues do their work and it made being a digital nomad lawyer possible. She knows Croatia well having been here before and running a travel website Balkan Eyes specialising in this region. When she heard about the Dubrovnik Digital Nomads-in-Residence program, she applied. Originally, she just missed out on the opportunity to join the program, but due to some last-minute changes, we've got to see her in Dubrovnik, joining the other digital nomads in the group. Vanessa hails from Portland, Oregon, and is now enjoying her working and living experience in Dubrovnik.
DNiR Program
The Dubrovnik Digital Nomads-in-Residence program is a creation of Saltwater Nomads in partnership with Total Croatia News. The program is a collaboration between the City of Dubrovnik and the global digital nomad community it hosts, all done with great help from the Dubrovnik Tourist Board as well. The DNiR program is producing interesting and valuable results that could have a real impact on the local community
The Interview
In our short video, we asked Vanessa about her experience with Dubrovnik. Regardless of the fact she visited this area many times, this is her first working experience in the city. It changed her outlook on the city.
„Now I've been here for a longer period and it's pushed me to look outside of the walls as well. Before I had done more of the tourist things. You know, the walls are beautiful and I love just walking around, but also seeing other neighbourhoods has really expanded my view of Dubrovnik.“
She finds it easy to work here having adapted her work to constant travel.
„I have my practice mostly online so I don’t carry around binders of documents which is key to being a digital nomad. I can talk to my clients over the phone, on Zoom. With the pandemic, there's been more of an expectation that that's how things are going to go. Right now, the court hearings are still done over Zoom as well, so my presence is not needed in Portland.“
Make sure to check out the full interview with Vanessa below and hear her advice on making Dubrovnik a digital nomad-friendly place.
Saltwater Nomads' Tanja Polegubic on Dubrovnik Digital Nomad-in-Residence Program
Dubrovnik Mayor Mato Frankovic on Digital Nomads, US Flights, 2021 Season
Winners announcement video:
Learn more about the Dubrovnik Digital Nomads-in-Residence program.
Croatia Marking International Day for Biological Diversity, Nature Protection Day
ZAGREB, 22 May 2021 - The United Nations in 1993 proclaimed May 22 the International Day for Biological Diversity, this year occurring under the slogan "We’re part of the solution", and since 2003 this day is observed in Croatia also as Nature Protection Day.
In terms of biodiversity, Croatia is near the very top in Europe, with about 40,000 species officially recorded, although they are estimated to range from 50,000 to 100,000, the Economy and Sustainable Development Ministry says.
Croatia also has a considerable number of endemic species, including more than 380 in flora alone. The Dinaric karst has a particularly high level of biodiversity because of its specific biogeographical position.
Croatia also has a considerable number of species endangered at European level, while its natural wealth is reflected also in the number of protected areas - 20 national and nature parks.
The current health crisis has shown that despite the technological progress, we are completely dependent on healthy ecosystems, which are the prerequisite for preserving people's health, drinking water, quality air, quality and healthy food, medicines, clothes and an effective response to the climate crisis, the ministry says.
"Nature protection absolutely contributes to economic development," it adds.
Speaking to Hina, Hrvoje Radovanović of Green Action recalls that the European Commission's EU biodiversity strategy until 2030, presented last year, envisages investing €20 billion annually in nature protection, but notes that the ambitions shown by the member states so far do not leave much room for optimism that the targets will be accomplished.
With 0.5% of funds envisaged (€32.65 million out of 6.3 billion), Croatia is among the more ambitious member states, Radovanović adds.
The World Wide Fund for Nature notes that annually 1.3 billion tonnes of food is thrown away (€700 billion) globally, 88 million tonnes in the EU (€143b) and 400,000 tonnes in Croatia.
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Croatia Marks 29 Years of UN Membership
ZAGREB, 22 May 2021 - Croatia is marking the 29th anniversary of joining the United Nations, which occurred on 22 May 1992 and is considered the culmination of the international recognition process and the crowning achievement of Croatian independence and statehood, the Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.
The first years of membership were marked by diplomatic efforts to bring the military aggression against Croatia to an end and then to ensure the peaceful reintegration of occupied territories and full territorial integrity and sovereignty, followed by affirmation on the world's political scene.
As a young state, Croatia succeeded in ensuring relatively quickly its participation in the work of all key UN bodies through membership of the Security Council and the Human Rights Council, and several times of the Economic and Social Council and the Peacebuilding Commission.
Croatia is an active participant in many important processes, from the UN reform, including the work of the General Assembly and the model for the election of the secretary-general, the adoption of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, to the recent coordination of global efforts in dealing with all aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Croatia intends to continue contributing to UN activity, from the keeping of international peace and security and the strengthening of international law, to the promotion of international cooperation in dealing with economic, social, cultural and humanitarian challenges, including the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms, the ministry said.
All that is confirmed by Croatia's current applications for membership of the Economic and Social Council (2022-24), the Peacebuilding Commission (2026-27), the Security Council (2030-31) and the Human Rights Council (2032-34).
For more about politics in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.
Croatia Logs 518 New Coronavirus Cases, 27 Deaths
ZAGREB, 22 May 2021 - In the past 24 hours 518 coronavirus cases and 27 COVID-19 deaths have been registered in Croatia, the national COVID-19 response team said on Saturday.
The number of active cases is 4,361 and 1,217 patients are hospitalised, including 123 on ventilators, while 15,804 persons are self-isolating.
To date 1,965,385 persons have been tested for the virus, including 6,497 in the past 24 hours, and 353,735 cases of infection have been registered, including 7,883 fatalities and 341,491 recoveries, of which 763 in the past 24 hours.
To date 1,549,368 vaccine doses have been administered, with 1,157,655 persons receiving the first and 391,713 both doses.
For all you need to know about coronavirus specific to Croatia, including travel, border and quarantine rules, as well as the locations of testing centres and vaccination points up and down the country, make sure to bookmark our dedicated COVID-19 section and select your preferred language.
American Demand for Dubrovnik and Croatia Increases by 205%
May 22, 2021 - The relaxation of measures to combat the pandemic, given the decrease in infections and the current vaccination campaign, is one of the reasons why the American demand for Dubrovnik and Croatia as travel destinations for this summer season has increased considerably.
Dubrovnik undoubtedly stands out as one of the most popular destinations to visit in the summer. And although the city has a lot to offer twelve months of the year, and this is something that has recently been worked on through the digital nomads project as an ideal destination to work remotely, it cannot be denied that its beaches, islands, history, and nightlife place it at the top of the rankings made by hundreds of prestigious tourism and travel magazines and portals each year.
As hrturizam.hr writes, Croatian destinations are increasingly being searched on the US market, so the well-known American magazine Forbes published data that the search and American demand for Dubrovnik on online search engines are continuously growing, said the director of the Croatian National Tourist Board in the USA, Ina Rodin.
Credit: Mario Romulić
A Forbes article states that on the popular KAYAK travel search page, the American demand for Dubrovnik as a travel destination for this summer season has recorded a search jump of as much as 205 percent, followed by Zurich with a growth of 167 percent, Prague with 144 percent and Reykjavik with a growth of 143 percent. The article states that the growth of search is directly related to the easing of passenger restrictions in Croatia and Iceland, and mentions that Croatia and Greece are currently the most sought-after destinations on the Click & Boat boat rental site.
The well-known American television network CNBC states that Croatia's Internet search is growing by 31 percent and Iceland's by 22 percent. Although Americans are expected to travel the most in their own country in 2021, airline searches rose 47 percent after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's optimistic statement hinted that vaccinated Americans could travel to Europe this summer. The renowned American newspaper The New York Times also writes about the conditions of arrival and stay in Croatia, as well as the measures that are currently in force.
The American The Wall Street Journal also makes recommendations for European travel, and the list includes, in addition to Greece, Croatia, and Dubrovnik, which were mentioned as perfect destinations for this year's American vacation.
According to the CNTB, 70,000 overnight stays from the US market have been made in Croatia so far this year, which is an increase of 38 percent compared to the same period last year.
You can learn more about what the ‘‘Pearl of the Adriatic’’ can offer you on your next trip, in Total Croatia’s Dubrovnik on a page, HERE. Total Croatia’s articles are now available in your language!
For all you need to know about coronavirus specific to Croatia, including travel, border, and quarantine rules, as well as the locations of vaccination points and testing centers up and down the country, make sure to bookmark our dedicated COVID-19 section and choose your preferred language.
For more on travel in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.
COVID-19 Rules for MSC Cruise Ship Guests in Croatia
May 22, 2021 - Which rules will MSC Cruise Ship guests in Croatia need to follow once they first arrive in Dubrovnik in June?
Jutarnji List reports that while other shipowners are still calculating or choosing cruises within national borders with the line of least resistance, the Geneva-based company MSC Cruises was the first to clearly and loudly confirm the flow of floating hotels in the port of Gruž this season. The arrival of the first cruiser has been agreed to for June 2021, and approved by the Dubrovnik Port Authority.
In the management of MSC Cruises, Jutarnji inquired about the safety protocols that Dubrovnik passengers need to follow this summer.
"Passengers must be tested before the cruise, but also in the middle of the cruise, with an antigen test before departure to cross the Italian border. The crew will not leave the ship just yet, they are being tested once a week, and the company has started a comprehensive crew vaccination program," points out Darija Semiz from MSC's marketing department.
There are also new rules for guests on cruise ships:
"Food and drinks are served only at the table. In addition to the standard menus, guests can view them on their mobile phone by scanning the QR code," says Semiz and explains further details of the itinerary:
"Destinations during the cruise are visited only as part of organized excursions of MSC Cruises, which means reduced vehicle capacity, testing of guides and drivers before starting work, and face masks are required, and passengers must not be separated from the group during the trip," said the Dubrovnik MSC Cruises representative.
"Passengers are required to wear masks in common areas, MSC has also provided smart bracelets that serve as a means of payment onboard, a cabin key, and to identify close contacts if necessary," Semiz said.
The MSC center reports that the vaccination program against COVID-19 for all crew members is becoming a vital element of the company's health and safety protocol, which has been in place since last August when the first ship began sailing regularly.
In the initial phase, MSC Cruises prioritized prevention to crew members, with ten ships announced in the cruise program for the summer of 2021 in the Mediterranean and Northern Europe. Priority is also given to the crews of the white fleet, which should re-sail the Caribbean from American ports and others that are preparing to re-sail.
The latest travel updates and COVID-19 news from Croatia HERE.
For more on travel in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.
Fitch Affirms Croatia at 'BBB-', Outlook Stable
ZAGREB, 22 May 2021 - Fitch Ratings on Friday affirmed Croatia's rating at 'BBB-', with a stable outlook, saying that pressure on state finance linked to the pandemic should be neutralised by economic recovery on the back of tourism and EU support.
The 'BBB-' rating balances strong structural features, the agency says, singling out better indicators of human development and governance in comparison with countries with a similar rating and higher GDP per capita.
The rating is restricted by a high public debt and periods of weak economic growth, in part due to the slow adoption of structural reforms.
The stable outlook "weighs large short-term downside risks related to pandemic developments against stronger medium-term growth prospects linked to substantial EU fund support and our fiscal consolidation and debt reduction baseline that is underpinned by the authorities' commitment to fulfilling convergence criteria under the Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERMII)."
"Fitch expects the economy to expand by 5.5% in 2021, from a combination of base effects (growth was stronger than expected in 2H20), the resilience of sectors such as construction and goods exports, and a gradual recovery in consumption," the agency says.
"Our forecasts rest on an improved tourism sector outlook (at around two-thirds of 2019 levels), assuming a pick-up in summer tourism as the health crisis in Europe continues to abate. However, renewed travel restrictions due to the still uncertain evolution of the pandemic, including the spread of new variants, cannot be discounted."
European support
Fitch expects the economy to grow this year, "even if tourism levels remained at 2020 levels (50% of 2019), but the weaker recovery could increase the risk of longer-term scarring and put pressure on public and external finances."
Fitch forecasts GDP growth to accelerate to 6.1% in 2022 before averaging 4% in 2023-25, driven largely by investment and notes that Croatia will receive around €6.3 billion in grants from the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), in addition to €1 billion from the EU Solidarity Fund for earthquake reconstruction and €12.6 billion in the 2021-27 Multi-Annual Funding Facility.
Work force problem
According to those projections, Croatia will likely reach pre-crisis output in early 2022, "limiting the risks of labour market hysteresis and corporate sector bankruptcies."
Rapid labour tightening in sectors such as construction could delay some of the investment momentum, as could the need to pass a large number of reforms, in a short timeframe in order to get RRF fund disbursement.
"Croatia's absorption capacity lags the EU average and the sheer size of funds accentuates the implementation challenges."
"If the authorities are successful at adopting long-standing reforms, this could mitigate major growth challenges such as adverse demographics. According to the EU Commission, the working age population could contract by 26% by 2050."
Deficit forecast raised
Fitch raised the public deficit forecast from 3.5 to 4% of GDP in 2021 and forecasts a fall to 3% in 2022, up by 0.8 percentage points from the forecast made last December.
"The authorities put in place relatively generous and effective pandemic support measures that are gradually being wound down, with very limited direct budget costs expected beyond 2Q21."
That will help bring public spending/GDP down from a record 55.4% of GDP in 2020, while revenue should benefit from strong nominal growth, but recovery in certain segments could be jeopardised if tourism activity disappoints.
Eurozone entry in 2024
Public debt/GDP should fall to 82.7% of GDP in 2022 from 88.7% in 2020, Fitch said, reducing the forecast from December by 2.8 percentage points.
Croatia benefits from favourable financing conditions and deposits, reducing liquidity pressures.
"Over 75% of public debt is foreign currency-denominated (almost all in euros), but there are few concerns about exchange rate stability and this long-standing vulnerability will dissipate once Croatia joins the eurozone."
The authorities continue to target euro adoption by early 2023, but the biggest challenge remains fulfilling the public finance convergence criteria targets, as the government deficit and debt reduction strategy could face challenges in the near term if macroeconomic conditions do not improve as expected.
Fitch maintains its forecast that Croatia should enter the eurozone in 2024.
Consolidation
The agency says that it could upgrade Croatia's rating if near-term macroeconomic risks dissipate and if criteria are met and eurozone accession goes as planned. A stable reduction of the public debt and budget deficit through budget consolidation would also have a favourable effect.
The rating could be downgraded in case of failure to reduce general government debt over the medium term, "for example due to a more pronounced and longer period of fiscal loosening and economic contraction," as well as in case of deterioration in macroeconomic prospects, for example through a setback to the tourism sector.
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Pula Arena Muay Thai Spectacle: Battles Return to the Roman Amphitheater Today!
May 22, 2021 - A Pula Arena Muay Thai spectacle will be held inside the famous Roman amphitheater today!
Glas Istre reports that today, the Roman Amphitheater in Pula will become the center of spectacular fights in Thai boxing. In the main, evening program, renowned fighters from several countries will fight, while in the daytime, the younger age groups will fight in the Croatian Championship and measure their strength around noon.
In the evening, spectators will be able to attend the five most interesting finals of the Croatian Championship, both men's and women's in the category up to 65 kg. The final four tournament of fighters up to 73 kg, however, comes with even more incentive, as the winner will receive a trip to Thailand, where they will be able to train twice a day with local fighters, have a paid fight against one of them, and enjoy free food and accommodation.
Senad Ramakić, Denis Vojniković, and renowned Istrian fighter Teo Mikelić are part of the organizational team, and the president of the Croatian Thai Boxing Association, Mario Franić, also commented on today's fights.
"We also visited some of the clubs that operate in Istria County; we are very pleased with what we saw. All that is happening in Istria is a big step in the development of Thai boxing. And the Croatian championship in the Arena itself will be an unprecedented spectacle and an important criterion in choosing a national team to go to big competitions. Everyone has a chance, and only the best will be in the national team," said Franić.
Although the citizens of Pula are still used to watching him inside the ring, this time, Teo Mikelić found himself organizing the tournament.
"Pula really deserves this, and we are proud. The organization was harder than we expected, yet the Arena is outdoors, and we’re still not sure if it’s going to rain. In addition, one fighter from Serbia was forced to cancel his performance today; he was not allowed to enter Croatia at the border and had to return. We had to find another fighter at noon, but luckily we managed to combine something. That fighter will have to correct his weight a bit, as he has a bit overweight but has enough time available.
Organizing really isn’t a joke; I think it’s a lot easier to fight than to organize a tournament! Still, I think everything will be fine if time is on our side. In case of rain, our alternative was the Home of Croatian Veterans, but we spoke to various meteorologists and, as things stand, it should not rain tomorrow after 10 am. The ring is folded and covered with a tarpaulin," Mikelić said and continued:
"The event was supposed to start at 10 am - we have about seventy registered fighters, which would mean that the first part would end after about six hours, so around 4 pm. A break of four hours is to follow, until 8 pm when the main program of the evening begins. This way, we will start with the first part somewhere between noon and 2 pm, and then without a break or with a short break, we will continue with the main part of the evening," Mikelić said yesterday at the House of Croatian Veterans, where the fighters officially weighed.
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