Wednesday, 21 April 2021

Croatian Tennis Federation Rejects Established Croatia Player for Brother's Social Media Posts?

April 21, 2021 - An avid member of the Croatian tennis community and organizer of the Croatia Bol Open, Feliks Lukas announced on his Facebook page that the Croatian Tennis Federation (HTS) rejected the request of his sister, Tena Lukas, to play at the ITF Zagreb Ladies Open. 

His Facebook post transmitted from 24 Sata:

"The Croatian Tennis Federation rejected the request to invite the seven-time senior national team member and #268 WTA tennis player of the world to the ITF Zagreb Ladies Open, explaining it to Tena as follows:

'Because of your brother's Facebook posts, you are not a candidate for an invitation to the tournament!'

There is no question that the tournament organizer can invite whoever they want, which is justified, and there is no dilemma. In fact, I don’t think it’s exciting at all, nor sportsmanlike to comment on. It should be accepted that each organizer has their own vision and program, and that is ok. And I use this opportunity to wish the tournament in Zagreb a lot of luck, and I am convinced that it will be a successful and strong tournament with many good tennis players. I hope it will be around for many more years and grow.

My comment refers exclusively to the given reasoning and the North Korean methods of “education” and “proportional punishment” of athletes, which once again show the superior competence of the pedagogical quality of the HTS leadership itself. I can only say touché to the umbrella association of Croatian tennis," wrote Feliks on his personal Facebook profile. 

After the post, Lukas explained to 24 Sata why he was so angry: 

"Of course, every organizer has the right to invite whoever they want; I told my sister that she has to work on her own ranking so that she would not even need an invitation. We are a sports family, and we do not want to whine, and it was not the rejection of the invitation that prompted me to publish, but the way of communication and explanation. Obviously, the HTS is in a kind of "fight" with me because of my statements and provocations; this is nothing new, but, sadly, they are dealing with my family like this through me. Two years ago, my other sister, Tajna, was fired from HTS," Lukas said and added:

"These are your "Croatian jobs," they are trying to eliminate me as a hindrance in various ways because I called them out because of incompetence. Our tennis is generally in chaos, most clubs don’t work, and I say that publicly. Since I am not politically engaged and networked, that I come from a family of educators, and I organize a big tournament, it is obvious that I am a threat to them. But it's one thing, it's not a topic, the topic is the way of communication, the topic is how they treat one player completely non-pedagogically, and what kind of message they send to her and everyone else. It bothered me a lot, and that's why I reacted," he concluded. 

The Croatian Tennis Federation gave their reason for not inviting the tennis player 24 Sata.

"As a member of the Croatia national team, Tena Lukas was certainly among the candidates for an invitation to the Zagreb Ladies Open because she deserved this opportunity with her performances in the former Fed Cup (now the Billie Jean King Cup) and on an individual level. However, her latest results were crucial not to be shortlisted this time: she played seven tournaments this year and she was eliminated in all seven in the first round, either in the main event or in the qualifiers. Therefore, other Croatian tennis players got the advantage, so the claims that comments on social media were crucial for not giving Tena Lukas a chance really have no basis," HTS spokesman Igor Rajković replied.

Lukas followed HTS's statement by outlining on Facebook every reason why HTS was wrong in what they did:

"Regarding my previous Facebook comment, which was transmitted in the Croatian media, HTS had to comment with its official press release, and it just confirmed how uneducated and inexperienced they are in the development of Croatian sports, specifically tennis.

Namely, in its defense, HTS stated that the mentioned tennis player Tena Lukas did not get a wild card because she has practically not been able to beat anyone lately. 

Their announcement to anyone in the educational system would be a reason for dismissal. Physical and health education teachers, together with tennis coaches, need to change their way of educating and approaching the development of athletes, as HTS imposes new innovative standards in the development of mental strength and preparation of athletes. 

And if you are still a layman when it comes to educational methods, imagine the following situations and put aside the fact that the HTS accused the tennis player of lying, and imagine the following situations:

1) Imagine that you are a 25-year-old tennis player who is currently in a game crisis, but who also performed at the state senior tennis championship organized by HTS a record number of times with a title, 7 times in a row, and that the same HTS sends you a message through the media that you are incompetent and that you can't beat anyone, and that you didn't deserve an invitation from them for the tournament qualifiers.

2) Now imagine the situation that you are the #274 tennis player in the world in the WTA rankings, and that the WTA is the strongest "brand" in women's sports globally, and that Croatia, along with Martic and Vekic in the top 100, has 4 girls ranked 200th to 300th in the world (Konjuh, Mrdeža, Fett, Lukas), but HTS thinks that you can't beat anyone lately, and they list every painful defeat with which they explain to you pedagogically.

3) Imagine a situation where you played 13 times for the Croatia tennis FED CUP team and achieved 6 victories for the same. That you accepted a performance for that FED CUP when no one wanted to play (obviously due to the great reputation of HTS), and that with your performances that year, you ensured that Croatia remained in the Euro-African group. Imagine that when HTS needed to save the day, you responded and were there, and you never got anything from HTS, not even an appointment for training in Zagreb. Imagine the humiliation when HTS retaliates with a roll call for lying and the media "shit" on you as you lost in the first round of seven matches. Even in the qualifiers. I would guess that they would motivate you to play better and that they are there for all Croatian tennis players. Surely many will still dream of playing for HTS, Davis Cup, and Billie Jean King Cup, i.e., Fed Cup. After all, if you think that Pera and Tomljanović play for the USA and Australia because HTS is really worked on them, let this story serve as an example.

If all the above reasons were not enough for Tena to get a wild card for the quality of the ITF tournament in Croatia, then they must have been enough so that her self-confidence and pride are not spat on by those who would have to take care of her career to live in a more developed society. They easily accused her of lying and covered up the explanation they gave her in the phone call, but what they told the media is even 100 times worse and more miserable. And that says it all about what kind of people manage Croatian tennis.

Now imagine for the end the situation that Ana Konjuh did not get a wild card for the Australian Open and Miami Open with this explanation. How much the Miami Open and Croatian tennis would have been missed because of that if they had characters from HTS as "decision-makers."

Fortunately, HTS does not organize the WTA tournament in Bol, which is silent suffering for them, because Petra Martic would never get a wild card, as she did in 2016 at the WTA Croatia Bol Open when she was the 420th tennis player in the world, and when no one but family and a few connoisseurs of sports believed that Petra would be in the top 100 again very soon. Petra won the doubles trophy at that edition of the tournament and soon began her journey to the top.

As the organizer of the tennis tournament, I did everything despite all obstacles to help young talented tennis players from all over the world, so today, the young ATP lions Casper Ruud and Jordan Thompson and countless Croatian tennis players played in Bol at tournaments organized by me. World media would never know that Bol was the best place in the world for Nadia Podoroska, who played in the semifinals of the RG this year, if HTS had been asked.

But I am most proud that in 2019, for the first time in the history of Croatian women's tennis, as many as 4 Croatian tennis players performed in the main tournament of a WTA tournament. This never happened before the WTA tournament in Bol in 2019, and the invitations that Martic, Konjuh, Boskovic, Fett, Biskic, and others received in Bol, and of course Lukas, they did not receive at the request of HTS, nor did HTS ever ask for invitations for those girls, nor did they care. But good luck for the WTA Croatia Bol Open and for Croatian tennis that HTS does not grant invitations in Bol.

Namely, I never received a letter of support or a positive comment from HTS. Still, I received an official e-mail after the mentioned edition of the 2019 tournament, where 4 Croatian tennis players had a safe entrance to the main tournament, that I harmed the Croatian Tennis Federation by not inviting senior board members of HTS. And I can't lie about that because there is written evidence. And at the same time, their employees, the then executive director, and sports director slept in Bol at the expense of the WTA tournament. But HTS obviously wanted the bus to come to them; they devour them and spend money on someone else's account.

Tajna Lukas Recic was fired upon returning from maternity leave because they were redistributing their jobs (after that, they hired new people because there is no place for a master of kinesiology and a former state tennis champion) and not because her last name is Lukas. And it seems that Tena did not receive an invitation either, because with seven titles in the senior competition, a few in the junior competition, and a #268 world ranking, she still doesn't know how to play tennis enough according to HTS - and not because her last name is Lukas.

P.S. The organizer, I note, has the right to assign a wild card to anyone, and that is their discretion. Being a tennis player without a single point or top 100 does not mean that they need to play a toilet of a tournament. But the point of this story is how the umbrella association of a sport in a democratic country communicates with the athletes who represent that same country.

Because it was a phone call, I don't have a written trace ... The fact is that Tena played for HTS when everyone rightly rejected them, and the same is the fact that HTS beat the same tennis player through the media, accusing her of lying publicly, and added that she lost the last 7 matches in the first round and in the qualifiers. Therefore, as I said in a previous comment transmitted by the media, TOUCHÉ HTS."

To follow the latest sports news in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

To learn more about sport in Croatia, CLICK HERE

Wednesday, 21 April 2021

What's Next for United Airlines in Croatia? New York-Zagreb Flights Possible

April 21, 2021 - After announcing it would introduce the New York-Dubrovnik line this July, will United Airlines consider New York-Zagreb flights? 

TCN announced the big news on Monday that United Airlines will introduce the New York - Dubrovnik - New York route in July this year. 

The first flight to Dubrovnik will take off from New York to Dubrovnik Airport on Thursday, July 8 (in 80 days) at 19:20 local time. The night overseas flight to Dubrovnik will take approximately 8 hours and 55 minutes, with the expected landing in Dubrovnik after 10 am. 

The B767-300ER aircraft, of which United Airlines has 38 in its fleet, will stay in Dubrovnik for two full hours. Departure from Dubrovnik is scheduled at 12:15 pm. The flight to New York will take a little over 10 hours, with the expected landing in New York at 16:25 local time.

The first departure from Dubrovnik is planned for Saturday, July 10, so the United Airlines plane will stay at Dubrovnik Airport for more than 24 hours.

From the beginning of July to the beginning of October, this well-known American carrier will land in Dubrovnik every Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday morning (taking off the day before from the USA).

On 38 return flights between Dubrovnik and New York, United Airlines has 16,264 seats on sale, of which 2,280 seats are available in business class. The cabin configuration in economy class is 2-3-2, while in business class, the seat layout is 2-1-2. You can read more about the new service HERE.

But this isn't the only United Airlines flight to Croatia in the works. 

Namely, United Airlines confirmed to EX-YU Aviation News it is “seeking additional opportunities in Croatia”.

"According to global data provider OAG, in 2019, 298.136 passengers flew indirectly between Croatia and the United States, with a further 17.782 on the Philadelphia - Dubrovnik service, which has since been discontinued. The busiest unserved route was Zagreb - New York, which accounted for 10% of all traffic between the two markets. It was followed by Dubrovnik - New York, which is being launched this summer, then Zagreb - Chicago, Split - New York and Zagreb - Los Angeles," explained EX-YU Aviation News, and provided the following graphs: 

Screenshot_2021-04-21_at_10.30.12.png

Almost three decades have passed since the New York-Zagreb route operated, and if we hadn't gone through the coronavirus pandemic, we may have seen this connection already last year, as former Tourism Minister Gari Capelli said two years ago:

"Following the arrangement with American Airlines between Philadelphia and Dubrovnik this summer, which will act as a trial run, we are already in advanced talks for the introduction of a nonstop service from New York to Zagreb. I hope that we will have this route operational next summer". 

So, will United Airlines launch New York-Zagreb flights next? We will have to wait and see. 

Follow the latest on flights to Croatia HERE and the latest travel updates and COVID-19 news from Croatia HERE.

For more on travel in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

Wednesday, 21 April 2021

Split4Cats App Wins Hack4Split Competition

April 21, 2021 - At the two-day Hack4Split competition, the first prize for the best-elaborated solution went to the Split4Cats team, which presented an application for finding and caring for city cats, while the second-best design solution went to the Second Style Around the team, which presented a personal stylist platform. 

Slobodna Dalmacija reports that DonatQR, an app to develop a transparent, reliable, and easy-to-use donation system for those in need, won the award for the most valuable team and teamwork, 

This social hackathon was held on April 17 and 18, organized by the Student Entrepreneurship Incubator, which operates at the Faculty of Economics, University of Split. It was held in the SPINIT incubator in three spaces, respecting epidemiological measures and using the MS Teams platform.

The event was organized by members of the Student Entrepreneurship Incubator, mentors Lana Ugrčić and Jelena Čulić with a team of volunteers that included Ljubica Nazor, Lucija Baranović, Lora Močić, Blanka Kelava, Ivan Marin, Marin Jurić, and Andrej Marić in collaboration with Michael Freer from of Ensoco.

The competition aimed to find and implement socially beneficial solutions for the well-being and progress of the local community using the advantages of modern technology. This year, the emphasis was on solving problems in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

"This year's hybrid Hack4Split gathered 6 teams with 30 competitors of many nationalities who worked in a cheerful and proactive atmosphere on various social issues such as the problem of waste textiles ending up in landfills and encouraging reusing old clothes, to the problem of city cats and their disposal from city streets,  monitoring the quality of the marine environment, disposing of discarded or unused household goods, developing a transparent and reliable donation system, and energy (in) efficiency of urban housing areas," said the organizers, thanking the sponsors for their support, namely 45 Degrees Sailing, Hotel Krilo, Ensoco, Break Time, Jaman Art, Oracle, The Works Coworking, Calypso Snack Bar and Daltonist Bar.

For more about lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page

Wednesday, 21 April 2021

City of Split Bike Path from Tourist Palace to Trstenik (PHOTOS)

April 21, 2021 - The new City of Split bike path from the Tourist Palace in the center to the neighborhood of Trstenik has been revealed. 

"As announced, marking the bicycle route from Trstenik Bay to the Tourist Palace, about four kilometers long, has begun. We would like to remind you that the consents of the Ministry of the Interior and Hrvatske ceste have been obtained previously, and the traffic signs have been made according to the detailed design. Given the spatial conditions and the previous spatial planning documentation that did not provide for the construction of this type of communal infrastructure, the arrangement of traffic signals will contribute to increasing the safety of bicycle traffic in this part of the city," said the City of Split on its Facebook page Tuesday. 

The works are co-financed by the European Union within the strategic project "Choose a bicycle!" - "URBAN MOBILITY - Development of public bicycle system in the Urban Agglomeration of Split (UAS)", implemented by the Service for International and EU projects with funds provided through the ITU mechanism of the Urban Agglomeration Split. In addition to the mentioned cycling route, as part of this project, the City of Split will prepare an analytical basis - a study of the development potential of bicycle roads for the establishment of an integrated system of bicycle roads, which will achieve one of the prerequisites for the development of bicycle roads in Split and Split.

Recall, the total value of the project "Choose a bike!" amounts to HRK 13,609,435.83, with HRK 10,893,396.68 in grants. In addition to the aforementioned activities within this integrated project, the City of Split and 7 partners - cities and municipalities from the Urban Agglomeration of Split (Solin, Trogir, Kaštela, Podstrana, Klis, Dugopolje, and Dicmo), will receive 41 new stations with a mixed contingent with a total 242 bicycles and a bicycle road will be established in Trogir (in the area of ​​Brig-Lokvica). The project implementation period is from March 6, 2020, to July 6, 2022.

For more about lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page

Wednesday, 21 April 2021

Croatian Guests Kept Terme Tuhelj's Head Above Water in 2020

April the 21st, 2021 - Terme Tuhelj in continental Croatia has always been extremely popular with domestic tourists, and with the pandemic still continuing to reign strong, it is precisely domestic tourists which kept the facility's head above water over the past, dire year.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes, just like everything related to tourism, doing business in 2020 was extremely challenging for Terme Tuhelj, which in the last few years has invested a lot in raising its overall quality and creating added value for the entire destination of Hrvatsko Zagorje.

Despite the less than favourable circumstances, they managed to generate slightly more than 60 percent of their revenue when compared to the record year of 2019, which was revealed by Terme Tuhelj's director.

What are Terme Tuhelj's plans for this year?

Due to the very uncertain situation, planning for 2021 remains a great challenge for Terme Tuhelj. But since the hotels, swimming pools and other services we offer are mostly in operation all the time, we've already gained some experience of how the market reacts in this type of situation.

Due to all of the above and based on many years of experience, historic data and past trends on the one hand and the events of last year's crisis year and good business in the first months of this year on the other, we've estimated and plan approximately 15 percent lower income realisation when compared to revenues in 2019.

Have you maintained financial stability?

With the great help of our parent company last year, due to the positive results in the first three months of 2021 and the use of support and subsidies by the state, we managed to preserve our financial stability and if there's no total lockdown or some drastic measures, the company isn't endangered.

What was the composition of the guests who came to Terme Tuhelj last year, and can the spas survive solely on the custom of Croatian guests?

The structure of guests in 2020 didn't reflect the usual situation in a normal business year. Namely, after the reopening after the spring 2020 lockdown, the epidemiological situation in our main emitting markets changed greatly during the year. Despite reservations and inquiries from certain markets, guests were forced to cancel or shorten their trips due to the measures of their own countries.

In the autumn, in the end, everything resulted in a total lockdown and the arrival of foreign guests was prevented. Therefore, we recorded a decline in the number of overnight stays from foreign markets by as much as 66 percent, while the decline seen from the Croatian market wasn't so great thanks to individual guests who partly replaced a holiday abroad by visiting spas precisely because of the closed borders.

At the end of the year, Croatian overnight stays accounted for slightly less than 66 percent of the total structure of all overnight stays realised, while in the year before the coronavirus pandemic, they amounted to only 47 percent.

What kind of results did the hotel have?

Hotel Well realised slightly less than 72,000 overnight stays, which is a decrease of 45 percent when compared to the record year of 2019. When we look at business in 2020 from the perspective of sales channels, we're able to see that the number of overnight stays of MICE activities decreased significantly.

In this segment, the number of overnight stays decreased by as much as 82 percent when compared to 2019, which is completely understandable since the measures that didn't allow the gathering of a larger number of people in one place were in force all that time. There was also a big drop in organised foreign groups staying here, and in 2020 we had a 89 percent drop in overnight stays in that regard. Namely, only 2380 overnight stays were realised, while in 2019 there were 22,353 overnight stays achieved.

Overall, the drop in overnight stays from organised groups is high, standing at 83 percent. On the positive side, the decline for individual guests is still much smaller and amounted to 22 percent, which shows that we managed to mitigate the consequences of the coronavirus crisis with a flexible approach and quick reactions.

In which markets are you advertising now?

Due to the current difficult epidemiological situation in our main emitting markets, we haven't yet launched advertising campaigns in foreign markets, except for a minimal presence and communication on social media. The majority of our promotion is still done here at home on the domestic market, but we believe that this will soon change and that we will slowly start with the promotion on the neighbouring Slovenian market, and before the season, in other markets of the European Union as well.

What insights from the pandemic year will you apply in 2021?

From this situation, we've learned that it's necessary to closely monitor the development of the market situation, the changing demands and the requirements of guests, as well as changes in various measures and recommendations by all of the relevant institutions and the need to accept these changes as the only fact over which we have no influence.

However, we have full influence on our actions and therefore we should focus all our energy on adapting to the situation instead of commenting on it. We're going to continue to adapt all of our sales and promotional activities to the situation and direct them to such a way of working and doing business in order to achieve the best results. This has been a well-established practice in the last crisis-dominated year and only with maximum flexibility on the side of promotional and sales activities can we maximise the results in this uncertain year of 2021 as well.

You even had crowds this winter that were written about, do you have any information if there were any infected people at your pools?

Crowds during the winter holidays are a subjective term talked about by some visitors under the influence of fear of infection or dissatisfaction with certain measures, but I'd like to note that in Terme Tuhelj we strictly adhere to all of the anti-epidemic measures and recommendations of the CNIPH and accordingly always respect the fact that there are only a certain number of visitors permitted in individual facilities, including in the swimming pools and saunas.

Due to compliance with these measures and a larger number of guests staying at the hotel, at certain times we're forced to close the entrances to the pools, although this causes dissatisfaction among our daily visitors. However, the health of our guests and our employees will always come first and we aren't going to deviate from that. Owing to this, we can state that we haven't had any cases of infection recorded among any of our employees or guests.

Is it a good time to invest?

As I mentioned, in the first place business needs to be stabilised first and we need to return revenues to pre-crisis levels. It's clear to us that the global pandemic has not only caused problems in our company, but has affected the world's economy, and it was the tourism sector that felt the biggest drop in traffic.

Despite that, we aren't going to give up on our development plans, which we proved last year when we successfully completed the investment in Glamping Village Terme Tuhelj in the middle of the public health crisis, but we will certainly move the deadlines for our strategic investments in the future.

For more, make sure to follow our business section.

Wednesday, 21 April 2021

Slavonian Family Farm's Slavonsko Zlo Hot Sauce Sales Grow 50%

April the 21st, 2021 - Despite the fact that little good economic news ever comes out of the Eastern part of the country, one Slavonian family farm's Slavonsko zlo hot sauce has gone from strength to strength with its sales.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marta Duic writes, behind the Slavonsko zlo hot sauce brand is a line of hot chili sauces and products produced and marketed by the Matko Maltar Family Farm.

According to Maltar, their goal is to offer fans of spicy food supplements something new, innovative products based on natural organic ingredients. They've been developing the brand since back in 2018, the business is a family business, and their chili pepper plantation is next to Petrijevci, a village halfway between Belisce, where the family farm is headquartered, and the City of Osijek. There are also greenhouses in Belisce in which Slavonsko zlo hot sauce is produced.

"In less than a couple of years, we've become available and recognised throughout Croatia, and through our web store, we've had numerous orders from abroad. This whole story with the line of Slavonsko zlo sauces didn't actually even ever arise as a business idea, but out of pure enthusiasm, and only quite a bit later on it did it turn out to have market potential.

How much I can earn isn't really my primary motive because I'm still employed in the family printing house, I have a secure existence, so I practically do two jobs; one in the morning and the other in the afternoon and on weekends. My mission is to redefine the view of most people when it comes to spicy stuff, to profile, present and popularise hot sauce,'' explained Maltar.

The Slavonian family's Slavonsko zlo hot sauces are made with a variety of substances, including gin, hemp oil and more.

In addition to the four basic products; Original, Smokehouse, Jamaican and Candy, they also offer hot Habanero sauce with ginger and pineapple. They also work with other small producers. Behind them is a series of special editions of products created in collaboration with renowned chefs, such as Zlarissa hot chili pepper paste - harisse in the Slavonian way created in collaboration with a member of the Croatian culinary team and chef of the restaurant Lipov hlad Ivan Djukic.

“New products, investments and innovations are our continuity. It all started as an experiment and we're constantly combining things with new peppers, aromas, flavours. As for the ongoing coronavirus crisis, I practically didn't even feel it in terms of doing business, and the primary reason for that is our orientation to the web store distribution channel. The web store achieves brilliant results, and our sales are growing progressively.

As much as 90 percent of our sales take place online, and this year our sales increased by 50 percent compared to the same period last year. Often our main problem is that we don't have enough products, but we started dealing with that by agreeing to buy peppers with two other family farms,'' explained Maltar.

In addition to the Internet, they also sell their products on the doorstep and in a number of restaurants and shops. The family cooperates with about twenty restaurants and street food vendors from all over Croatia. Most of their customers opt for their boxes or stretchers with multiple types of sauces, meaning that more or less all of their products are equally in demand.

"Soon we're going to start with the production of ajvar, and since ajvar is a relatively mild product when it comes to spices, we'll place it on the market not under the name Slavonsko zlo, but instead under a sister brand. We recently agreed for our products to be made available at the Romberg restaurant, which will soon open in Belisce. This is a very ambitious project that aims to showcase Slavonian gastronomy in a much more modern way,'' concluded Matko Maltar.

For more, follow Made in Croatia.

Wednesday, 21 April 2021

Croatian Company Monestiq Develops ATMs for Small Businesses

April the 21st, 2021 - The Croatian company Monestiq has developed an innovative solution for small businesses such as cafes, restaurants and boutiques. Now, they can all have their own ATMs.

As Darko Bicak/Poslovni Dnevnik writes, with the innovation designed and created by the Croatian company Monestiq, which created the first franchise license for ATMs in all of Europe, everyone will be able to become an ATM owner should they so wish.

As explained by the Croatian company Monestiq, the activity that was previously reserved only for banks and other financial institutions thanks to their solution is now open to everyone: from those in the catering and hospitality industry and similar business owners to entrepreneurs interested in having stronger involvement in this domain of financial operation.

The price of the ATM itself is between eight and fifteen thousand euros, and the situation on the market where the owners of attractive spaces, mostly in tourist centres, could rent their facility out for an ATM and the price of a thousand euros a month shows that it is a profitable business and that many are interested in getting a slice of that proverial cake.

There is interest from the Hungarians and the Germans

Ivan Dusevic, the director of the Croatian company Monestiq, pointed out that this is a financial-technological solution that combines all of the necessary protocols and rights for processing transactions and connects ATMs with global card schemes such as Visa and MasterCard.

"This allows ATMs to do what they do: accept cards and pay out money. At the same time, it enables entrepreneurs to easily become owners of one or more ATMs and join an exclusive company of service providers in the financial industry,'' explained Dusevic, who built his career in various international consulting companies and has now decided to use his knowledge to transform the financial sector here in Croatia.

He added that this year, Monestiq will start with the Croatian market, after which the company plans to expand across Europe. As no other similar possibility currently exists here on the Old Continent, the company said that they already have inquiries for franchise rights from both Hungary and Germany.

Their ultimate goal, as they pointed out, is to build the largest ATM franchise chain in all of Europe.

''In short, the Croatian company Monestiq serves as a link between small businesses and the titans of the financial industry such as Visa or MasterCard which are the basis of global payment transactions. We connect the owners of shops, stores or other business premises with complex card schemes and enable them to manage their own ATMs,'' concluded Dusevic.

For more Croatian innovation, check out Made in Croatia.

Tuesday, 20 April 2021

Friends of Croatia: New TCN Series On All Things Diplomatic

April 20, 2021 - Check out the newest TCN series "Friends of Croatia", dealing with all things diplomatic, by TCN reporter Ivor Kruljac

December 22, 1990, the Croatian parliament known as Sabor brought its first independent constitution, known as „The Christmas Constitution“. After that, the same parliament officially declared Croatia as an independent country and no longer part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia on June 25, 1991. Then followed the Ex-Yu War known in Croatia as a Homeland War, which lasted until 1995.

While this war is one of the foundations of Croatian independence, noted by the modern constitution as well as on other grounds of historic events, the dedication of soldiers, tactics, weapons, force and combat skills weren't the only cards Croatia had to achieve its sovereignty. It was also the communication with the international community and international recognition. This allowed Croatian citizens to not end up in the trap of Transnistria, a sovereign state officially recognized as part of Moldova, where Moldova does not rule due to the army and force monopoly by the Transnistrian government, but whose passports have no benefit for its citizens and despite being a state, in official maps does not exist.

Iceland was the first sovereign country to recognize Croatia as a sovereign state on December 19, 1991, followed by Germany in whose recognition took effect on January 15, 1992. Slovenia technically did recognise Croatia first, the same as Croatia was the first to recognise Slovenia, but neither country had international recognition at the time, which is the reason Iceland counts first. Floored by Iceland and Germany, other countries started to recognize Croatia and the new-found Republic joined the UN on May 22, 1992. The international status was then additionally boosted with joining Nato on April 1, 2009, and the EU on July 1, 2013.

Today, Croatia has 176 diplomatic relations; and for TCN writers, reporting on diplomacy is nothing new. Diplomatic relations can be viewed, in layman terms, like friendships, and this is why this series is called „Friends of Croatia“. As stated by the E-International relations site, diplomacy has existed as long as the human race. It can be viewed in the first negotiations amongst individuals before graduating to the level we know today.

„Among the many functions of diplomacy, some include preventing war and violence and fortifying relations between two nations. Diplomacy is most importantly used to complete a specific agenda. Therefore without diplomacy, much of the world’s affairs would be abolished, international organizations would not exist, and above all, the world would be in a constant state of war. It is for diplomacy that certain countries can exist in harmony“, writes the E-International relations site.

And indeed, shutting down diplomatic relations is a final step before potential war escalation and the spread of violence. Even with certain diplomatic tensions, Croatia has with Slovenia around Piranski Bay, or with Serbia regarding uncleared questions from the Homeland War, the fact there are diplomatic relations both with Serbia and Slovenia ensures that these tensions can be solved by peace and not violence.

But what exactly are the details of Croatian diplomatic relations with other countries and international organizations? This is precisely what this series strives to bring by explaining the history of Croatian diplomatic relations by talking to diplomats, embassies, and representers of international communities, with an informative, unique approach to each specific relation. The series wants to inform of the ups and downs of Croatian international collaboration, how to make them better, what benefits are there in these relations for Croatia, and what benefits are there for other countries. Keep your eyes open for articles in these series with more details and interesting facts about diplomacy in general too.

If you are working in the embassy or in an international organization in Croatia, feel free to reach out to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..  

To read more from the series "Friends of Croatia", follow TCN's dedicated page.

For more about politics in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

Tuesday, 20 April 2021

Voices of the Diaspora: Meet Croatia Swimmer Ema Rajić From The States!

April 20, 2021 - Introducing a new series, Voices of the Diaspora, highlighting stories and success of Croats abroad, we meet Ema Rajić, a member of the Croatia National Swimming team and a true lover of palačinke! 

So how did you end up in the States? 

My parents immigrated here in their 30s, as my dad was pursuing a Ph.D. at the University of Illinois. I was born in Illinois (have an older sister by four years) and have lived there till I was 18. Then we moved to Austin, Texas where we live now when I’m not at school. 

How was it growing up in the States as a Croat? Did you learn Croatian? 

Yes! My parents made sure that I learned Croatian. I’m not the greatest speaker but I can read, write, and understand pretty well. I often get shy I will make a mistake, then not want to speak in front of others. Still working on this every time I go back so that hopefully can keep the language in my life!

What language do you speak at home? 

My parents speak Croatian but my sister and I speak English 90% of the time. There are some phrases my sister and I use a lot in Croatian but it’s mostly English. We speak Croatian in public with our parents if we have anything to say in private (going to the bathroom, not feeling well, this person is rude, etc).

Did your parents ever tell you about where they come from? 

They do however I often have to ask them; they don’t really share much unless they are prompted to. I’ve learned more about my mom’s background during the war especially this past summer living with her in quarantine. It’s really fascinating to me but my parents often don’t go into a lot of detail because their past can be hard to talk about. 

Any Croatian traditions you have at home? 

We make a lot of Croatian food and celebrate big holidays with Croatian staples (palačinke are a must!). We have a lot of traditions during the holidays like Christmas and how we decorate our tree. This isn’t a tradition but we have a lot of Croatian pictures and paintings of Croatia up around our house. 

What place feels like home the most? 

I think as I’ve grown up and have had to move out of Illinois, my home base is honestly wherever the family is. So I feel at home in Texas but also I feel at home a lot when I’m in Croatia. My mom is from Velika Gorica and has a house there where my aunt Sanja lives. My dad is from Imotski and I have a ton of great memories there where it feels like home. We also have an apartment in Makarska and usually eat at the same places too there. Makarska feels like home too.

How often do you come back to Croatia? 

Growing up, we tried to go visit family in Croatia every other summer but when school and swimming got hard, it turned into whenever it was possible. The last time I went was the summer of 2019 but I’ll be going back this summer (in a month!!).

Do you feel like a tourist in Croatia? How does it feel to come back?

I don’t really feel like a tourist but sometimes I feel a little misplaced because I can’t drive over there and I get so shy speaking. I’ve been there enough times to know each place we go to very well, and we’ve been to Split, Dubrovnik, and several other places as well. If someone needed a tour guide, I could definitely do it! 

The biggest difference between Croatia and the States? 

The people and the culture. You can walk more around in Croatia and just see the rich history everywhere which is so cool. The people are nice but also are firm in their own ways, they won’t say something if they don’t mean it which I really respect. People in Croatia are much more honest than people in America. Growing up with Croatian parents has really shown me the difference too and that’s something ingrained in my life now. 

What are your favorite things about Croatia? 

Again, the culture is so rich and beautiful. I love learning about history and just seeing it in cities or the countryside. My favorite thing is to drive or walk around and just sightsee. The food obviously is the best ever and I really really miss eating palačinke by the beach in Makarska, or čevapi, and pizza. The seafood is amazing too and you really can’t replicate that here. 

Are there any Croatian communities in the states that you've lived in? 

When I lived in Illinois, we had a Balkan group of different Balkan families where we would always celebrate holidays and birthdays together. We would get together maybe once every two weeks. There wasn’t much in Illinois in terms of Croatian markets or restaurants.

Have you met many Croats abroad? 

I have met a lot! The swimming Croats I met first in Croatia but then obviously see them around here. I’m seeing a Croatian teammate this weekend in Southern California for a swim meet so I’m really excited about that. I’ve met some random people who have Croatian background like at the airport or in class, which is still pretty cool. 

So how did you get into swimming? 

My sister actually started swimming first then my mom threw me in there as well. I didn’t like it much at first but then I made some good friendships and wanted to continue swimming for them. When I was 10 I started getting better and then I got more competitive at it as well.

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Cal Swimming: Marija Dodik, Kristina Miletić, Martina Andrašek, Amber Baldani and Ema Rajić

What are some differences when it comes to swimming in Croatia and the States? 

Croatia, or Europe in general, do a lot more yardage than the States or at least the places I have been to. I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing but it's just a little bit of a transition between the two. The amazing coaches I have at Dubrava are always in constant contact with me and making sure I’m getting the best support from them at any time. I’m so grateful. 

How did you decide to swim for Croatia? What was the process like? 

My sister was the first one thinking about swimming for Croatia but never really got around to it. I thought about it as well but I wasn’t sure how to start the process to do that. One day during practice at Cal, Croatian and Cal legend Duje Draganje walked through the door, and soon enough, he was giving me advice on how to transition into Croatian Swimming. I filed for a different Sport Nationality through FINA and got it pretty soon after. That summer I made the national team and the world's team as well. I wouldn’t have gotten into Croatian swimming without Teri or Duje especially. My family has been incredibly supportive as well, my mom especially. She was the one driving me around in Zagreb to practice and always being a shoulder to lean on. My aunt Sanja has been so supportive too. She’s always just a text away and always cooked my favorite food whenever I’m over. My entire family has just been so supportive. They came to watch me swim when I was trying to qualify for Worlds and actually watched me qualify too. We had a nice coffee afterward and it meant the world to me. I’ll never forget going home and just start crying from joy and relief.

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Irena Rajić, Sanja and Branko Fabijančić, Ema Rajić, Ana Fabijančić, Josip and Vesna 

Can you describe how it is living in California? 

Going to Cal has been the best decision I have ever made. For school, it’s one of the world’s leading programs in genetics and genomics (my major). For swimming, it’s obviously one of the best swimming schools not only in the country but has so much success internationally as well. This really gave me the confidence to come here and not only just make it thru such a rigorous program, but succeed way beyond my imagination. Obviously couldn’t have done any of this without my coaches and my team, they’ve always been so supportive and always there to cheer me on. 

So you've been swimming for a while now, what is your biggest achievement? 

Making Worlds as part of Team Croatia in summer 2019! It was an amazing experience where I met so many great people and will always cherish the memories. I didn’t swim too great, but being part of Team Croatia and building those relationships was the best experience.

What is the next step in your swimming career? 

Hopefully the Olympics in Tokyo! First, have to go to Europeans in Budapest then Croatian Nationals. This summer will be a big one and I’m super excited to train in Zagreb with Team Dubrava and Coach Igor Berislavic.

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Ema with her coach, Igor Berislavic.

Finally, do you see yourself visiting Croatia more often now that you're part of the national team? 

Yes. I love Croatia and traveling so will definitely keep coming back. I want to move to Europe so hopefully will at least only be a drive away from Croatia. 

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We are excited about Ema's future and wish her the best at the Olympic trials! 

Are you part of the Croatian diaspora and would like to contribute your voice and experiences to this series? If yes, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the subject "Diaspora."

To learn more about sport in Croatia, CLICK HERE

Tuesday, 20 April 2021

Zagreb Stock Exchange Main Indices Down

ZAGREB, 20 April, 2021 - The main Zagreb Stock Exchange indices decreased on Tuesday, the Crobex by 0.12% to 1,879.46 points and the Crobex10 by 0.23% to 1,175.07 points, while regular turnover was HRK 5.8 million.

Only one stock crossed the million kuna mark, the Adris tourism and insurance group, turning over HRK 1.1 million. It closed at HRK 408 per share, up 0.25%.

Forty-one stocks traded today, with 18 going up in price, 11 going down and 12 staying the same as on Monday.

(€1 = HRK 7.560764)

For more about business in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page

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