March the 19th, 2021 - The Croatian ferry Jadrolinija is continuing its search for used vessels, and not brand new ones, across the globe. This move has resulted in irritation for some, including the competent ministry.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Brnic writes, last week, the well known Croatian ferry Jadrolinija strengthened its fleet with the new ship, Losinj, and according to unofficial announcements, the purchase of another large vessel is now in its final phase, which, according to sources from that shipping company, should be a worthy replacement for the temporary Lastovo ship.

However, in both cases, as in all procurements which have taken place by the book over recent years, these are purchases from the second-hand ship market, which completely deviates from the previously proclaimed policy of rejuvenating the Croatian ferry Jadrolinija's fleet with new vessels, and the state's desire as the shipping company's owner for such projects to also open up opportunities for activating enfeebled Croatian shipyards.

The Losinj ferry, which transports passengers along the Lopar-Valbiska line, was built back in 2010 in Greece and sailed in the area of ​​Greece and the Black Sea until now. With its accession, Jadrolinija's fleet now numbers 54 ships, and its average age has been slightly improved, to 28.5 years.

The Jadrolinija Management Board hasn't answered any questions about the procurement of a new ferry that would replace the Lastovo vessel. This case was added to by the fact that the Novo Lastovo project was obtained on two occasions through tenders, for the first time from the Polish company Remontowa Marine Design & Consulting, and a little over a year ago with a new one for a slightly smaller ship, which was designed by the Split-based company Classis.

With all of that being said, it needs to be stated that the Croatian ferry Jadrolinija is not going to be the one to have anything to do with the constrction of Novo Lastovo, for which domestic shipbuilders were very interested at the time. At Poslovni's request, the company's management board, headed by David Sopta, provided an interesting explanation as why the purchase of used ships is a better solution for Jadrolinija than buying new ones would be.

“The construction of new ships consists of several long phases and a whole process, from design development to construction, it all takes a minimum of three years. Therefore, the choice to buy used ships is not only more economical, but has a great advantage due to the speed of project implementation and the introduction of those purchased ships into the fleet," reads the response from the Croatian ferry Jadrolinija, with special emphasis placed on used ships with proven maritime capabilities, and the fact that their procurement ensures operational stability.

They also state that Jadrolinija is always looking for ships of a "younger" age and compliance with all international standards, but also the needs of each respective line.

"If a potential used vessel fits into the defined strategic goals of the company, is economically viable and with its capacity and speed of navigation and can meet all technical, economic and other regulatory requirements, but also ensure increased service quality and the rejuvenation of the fleet, then Jadrolinija decides to invest," they repeated from Jadrolinija.

The Croatian ferry Jadrolinija's vessels are otherwise very regularly maintained at annual overhauls at various Croatian shipyards and must pass the very strict controls of the Croatian Shipping Register, but also meet all current international environmental standards. As a confirmation of quality in the company, they stated that they won tenders on the liberalised EU market.

The oldest vessel in operation in their fleet is the motor boat Tiat, built back in 1955 in Brodosplit, sailing on the line Sibenik-Zlarin-Prvic Luka-Sepurine-Vodice. Premuda is a couple of years younger, which sails in the waters of Mali Losinj, followed by Postira from 1963, which sails in the waters surrounding Dubrovnik.

Another old ferry is the already mentioned Lastovo, built in 1969, operating on the line Split-Vela Luka-Ubli. The famous Marco Polo is also considered old for inter-Adriatic traffic on the Split-Ancona line, it was built in 1973, and the youngest ferries were built in 2014 - Brac, Kornati, Krk and Mljet, while the oldest catamaran is Karolina (Vis-Split) from 1989, and the youngest of them, which is also the youngest ship in the entire fleet, is the catamaran Jelena, which connects Lastovo, Korcula, Hvar and Split - it was built in 2018.

The Croatian ferry Jadrolinija doesn't actually communicate publicly about its procurement plans in this and the coming years. It has recently been announced that despite that, it is in communication with the relevant Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure regarding the preparation of projects that could require applications for access to money from the Recovery and Resilience Fund.

These would be ships requiring renewable energy sources. If they are allocated funds for such projects, they will turn to a greener future in accordance with the strategic direction of the EU.

When asked about these projects, the Croatian ferry Jadrolinija received only a principled position on how to consider and apply for certain EU projects in order to find money for the further development of their fleet, and that in the last couple of years, in cooperation with the relevant ministry, they've been looking for ways to prepare and develop EU shipbuilding projects, and that these would exclusively involve ships powered by alternative fuels.

In recent years, Maritime Affair's Minister Oleg Butkovic has expressed his great dissatisfaction and publicly criticised the policy of procurement of ships practiced by Jadrolinija, and has openly advocated for the construction of new ones. He hasn't yet commented on the latest purchases of used vessels.

The construction of new ships would also mean the possibility of new jobs in Rijeka, as well as for other shipbuilders, such as Brodosplit, and possibly the new Uljanik 1856, which has been struggling since long before the current coronavirus crisis struck the country.

"Croatian shipyards continuously show that they can build ships that meet customer requirements and they do have the capacity to do so, and we're convinced that they will apply for a tender for new ships if Jadrolinija decides to announce it," said Coric.

The Croatian ferry Jadrolinija, on the other hand, still isn't hiding that the investments it makes in its fleet are based on the purchase of used ships, for which they continuously monitor the situation across the global market.

"Along with fast ships, we want to renew the fleet in the segment of ships for remote islands, ferries for local 'short lines', but also to replace the oldest ships in the fleet," said the company, whose catamarans carry over 900,000 passengers per year.

The pace of this fleet renewal, they added, is dictated by both time and market trends, and on the other hand additional pressure regularly comes from competition that is intensively renewing its fleets.

"We're on the lookout for the best opportunity on the market to find ships that match the lines maintained by Jadrolinija, including the specifics of our ports and the required capacities on each line," they said, concluding that due to the pandemic and the dependence of their business on tourism, activities for some new projects remain under consideration only.

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March the 19th, 2021 - Over one thousand brand new traffic cameras are due to grace Croatian motorways, adding an additional deterrent to those considering speeding or reckless driving.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, driving in the wrong direction, pedestrians or a stopped vehicle on the road are just some of the traffic hazards about which the state-of-the-art automatic incident detection system (AID) procured by Croatian Motorways will alert HAC employees working in traffic control centres in just a few seconds, according to a report from Vecernji list.

Subsequently, additional cameras will be installed for this purpose on Croatian motorways, more specifically on the sections of the Rijeka - Zagreb and Rijeka - Rupa motorways, given that the company ARZ has been merged with HAC.

The total value of this procurement is estimated to stand at approximately 55 million kuna. The AID system detects when an incident happens and generates an alarm just a few seconds after the incident occurs, allowing the operator to do what is needed to prevent a secondary incident.

The AID triggers an audible alarm in the event, automatically displays the scene of the incident on the road to the operator and records everything happening, and the cameras also cover a minimum of three traffic lanes and one stop lane.

In addition to the incidents already mentioned, AID warns of traffic congestion, slow vehicles and any loss of normal levels of visibility. An alarm sounds in the tunnel when the loss of visibility of the cameras is detected by the appearance of smoke due to a fire having broken out somewhere nearby.

The system set to be placed along Croatian motorways can also collect data on vehicle classification, average speed, travel time, vehicle distance and more. The new traffic cameras will have a motorised varifocal lens, an IR reflector, and will have the ability to minimum 25 frames per second.

HAC has a Central Centre for the Supervision and Management of Motorway Traffic connects all regional Croatian motorway traffic control and management centres (RCNUPAC).

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March the 19th, 2021 - Volkswagen's boss has spoken out about the information which has been circulating for months now about the alleged Rimac Bugatti purchase. Rumors have been doing the rounds for some considerable time, and speculation has been rife.

As Novac writes, rumours about an alleged Rimac Bugatti purchase, more specifically that Rimac Automobili would take over Buggati, have been flying around for a while now. The main body of these rumours was how Volkswagen could restructure the business of its entire concern by merging Rimac, Porsche and Bugatti into one unit which would work together to produce supercars. Now, for the first time since the proverbial rumour mill began operating, Volkswagen's Herbert Diess has spoken out, writes Seebiz.

He explained the fate of this reorganisation in a conversation during the annual VW press conference. Currently, Bugatti is in the phase of moving under the cap of Porsche, which will become its umbrella company. At the same time, Porsche increased its stake in Rimac Automobili from 15.5% to 24%. Both moves go in the same direction, and that is the creation of a separate unit specialising in advanced technologies and supercars that would take advantage of the synergistic effect of all those involved.

After the merger of Bugatti with Porsche, in the form of a partnership, talks will begin with Rimac, which will also be taken care of by Porsche, explained Diess, confirming that the VW group had absolutely no plans to "sell Bugatti to Rimac".

Instead, the responsibility for Bugatti will be shifted to Porsche, which could then form a joint venture with Rimac, in which Porsche will hold a minority stake. That joint venture could include Bugatti, so Rimac Automobili and Bugatti could indeed be merged.

These were roughly the expectations when the information about the merger of Bugatti Rimac with Automobili first appeared in Croatia, and now it has been officially confirmed for the first time.

The exchange of ownership shares, the transfer of control to Porsche and then the creation of a new joint venture - this is what is set to follow if Diess' plan ends up being realised. Nothing has been confirmed or agreed on yet, but now at least the direction in which Volkswagen's department for supercars and modern sports electric vehicles will develop is known.

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March the 19th, 2021 - The UK and Croatia both want the rapid return of British tourists to the country, hoping for pre-pandemic levels as soon as possible. The British market, one of the most important European markets for Croatia, will be one of the keys to the return of the level of tourism the country is used to.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes, Croatia is ready to receive tourists from the United Kingdom as soon as the epidemiological rules in the United Kingdom, which is currently under a lockdown, allow for that, said Minister of Tourism Nikolina Brnjac at a recent meeting with the Ambassador of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the Republic of Croatia, Andrew Dalgleish.

At the aforementioned meeting, Ambassador Dalgleish and Minister Brnjac exchanged information on the current epidemiological situation, the importance of continuing tourism trends, and discussed the European Commission's proposal to introduce Green Digital Certificates, as well as positioning Croatia as a desirable destination for digital nomads. Minister Brnjac informed Ambassador Dalgleish that the Croatian Government regularly coordinates positions regarding the conditions of crossing the border, having in mind the epidemiological situation in Croatia, but also within the borders of surrounding countries.

Ambassador Dalgleish expressed satisfaction with the presented Safe stay in Croatia project, which provides additional safety standards in the tourism sector, and expressed his hope that the United Kingdom will soon open once again for tourist travel. It is extremely important for Croatia to ensure the conditions for the number of British tourists in Croatia to return to pre-pandemic levels as soon as possible, in which good vaccination and the return of tourists' confidence in air travel will play a very important role. Clear and predictable rules for the entry of non-resident British citizens into the Republic of Croatia will also be properly regulated.

The Minister pointed out that a dialogue between the UK and Croatia on travel facilitation was opened recently, and that Croatia would be ready to receive tourists from the United Kingdom as soon as epidemiological rules on that Northern European island nation allow it.

According to the currently available data, Croatia is still perceived in the United Kingdom as a "high value" destination, and UK tour operators and airlines still have great interest in continuing to fly here. At the beginning of November 2020, Croatia was included in the top three world destinations in the category "Best Country Award 2020" awarded by one of the most prestigious UK newspapers, The Times & The Sunday Times, with over 16 million readers per month.

"We're pleased with the fact that the destination of Croatia is still perceived in the United Kingdom as high quality, desirable and safe. A dialogue has been opened with the British side on the modalities of travel facilitation between the UK and Croatia. Croatia will be open to British tourists as soon as they're able to travel, bearing in mind that the starting point for all tourist trips is the epidemiological situation in both countries," said Minister Brnjac, adding that the UK and Croatia will continue to nurture and strengthen their already very close cooperation in the fields of both tourism and sport.

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March 19, 2021 - The Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia, Andrej Plenković, received the President of the European Football Federation, Aleksandar Čeferin, and the President of the Croatian Football Federation, Davor Šuker, at Banski dvori in Zagreb to discuss football infrastructure in Croatia. 

HNS reports that Prime Minister Andrej Plenković was accompanied by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Zdravko Marić and the Minister of Tourism and Sports Nikolina Brnjac. The HNS delegation was accompanied by the Executive Director Marijan Kustić and the Head of the International Department and Licensing Ivančica Sudac.

HNS

The meeting topic was primarily further investments in the development of football infrastructure in Croatia, and support for plans for the construction of a national stadium and the renovation of existing football stadiums in Croatia was also emphasized.

Prime Minister Plenković reminded that his Government in the last term adopted the National Sports Program 2019-2026, increased allocations for sports by more than 100%, and several projects were launched in the sports sector. He also added that the Government had launched investments in local sports infrastructure for the first time, and 15 football infrastructure projects in the total amount of HRK 5.7 million were co-financed through a public tender for co-financing the renovation and construction of sports infrastructure in 2019.

In addition to job preservation measures, the government has expanded support measures to mitigate the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic that have also affected the sports sector.

"I thank Prime Minister Plenković for organizing this meeting with Minister Brnjac and Minister Marić, which I consider extremely important for the further development of football, especially football infrastructure in Croatia. I am glad that the Government of the Republic of Croatia has shown an understanding of many economic, health, and other benefits that football brings to society and interest in the challenges we face as the most massive sports organization in the country. With the support of UEFA and FIFA, HNS has done a lot in the development of infrastructure in recent years, and of course, we wish more state assistance in this segment," said HNS President Davor Suker, adding:

"I have the impression that the current government led by Prime Minister Plenković, despite all the current challenges, has the hearing, desire, will, and strength to return to football what football, as the most successful Croatian 'product,' deserves. I am proud that in UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin, we have a great friend of Croatian football, and I thank him for showing today with concrete examples and figures that any investment in football is many times more profitable; for society as a whole."

Šuker also expressed satisfaction with the agreement reached on the establishment of a joint body of the Government, UEFA, and HNS:

"I believe in the effectiveness of a joint body composed of representatives of the Government and the Ministries of Finance, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, HNS and UEFA's independent experts, and the city of Zagreb to jointly prepare a sustainable project to build a new stadium."

UEFA president Čeferin also reported on UEFA's plans to organize the European Football Championship, given the epidemiological situation in Europe.

At the initiative of UEFA President Čeferin and HNS President Šuker, a humanitarian match between Slovenia and Croatia was played in Petrinja on 13 March. On that occasion, President Čeferin, on behalf of UEFA, handed over a donation of 50,000 euros to the Croatian Red Cross. At the same time, HNS donated 200,000 kuna to the Sisak-Moslavina County Football Association to reconstruct football infrastructure.

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March 19, 2021 - At the 6th Family Accommodation Forum, Split-Dalmatia County COVID-19 testing points were announced for the season. 

HRTurizam reports that the 6th Split-Dalmatia County Family Accommodation Forum was held earlier this week, which brought together Split-Dalmatia County representatives - the County Tourist Board, the Split Tax Administration, the Split Airport, and the County Teaching Institute for Public Health.

The Forum aimed to offer renters answers to many questions related to the season ahead. The main topic of discussion was safety, i.e., focusing on the fact that compliance with epidemiological measures will be the main prerequisite for the season.

”For six years now, the Croatian Chamber of Commerce - Split County Chamber has organized regional Family Accommodation Forums to gather and support this important and growing segment of our tourist offer. Namely, micro-entrepreneurs in family tourism give a great deal of effort in achieving significant results of Croatian tourism, so in 2019, private accommodation in Split-Dalmatia County participated with almost 60 percent in overnight stays and proved to be extremely flexible in the past, challenging year," said the president of ŽK Split Jozo Tomaš.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the number of private renters in Split-Dalmatia County decreased by 11 percent, and in the city of Split by almost 15 percent.

"That is why preparing for another specific season is very important to us, and that is why we organized the Forum so that renters, who are in direct contact with guests, get clear and current information," said Gordana Piteša, head of the Family Tourism Association - Split County Chamber.

The President of the Family Tourism Association of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce, Martina Nimac Kalcina, emphasized how important such events and the work of the Association and professional associations are to achieve common solutions and joint measures that will be the goal of all of us.

"This year, we are not talking about the promotion of our beauties, but about the promotion of safety, simplicity of procedures and travel, good organization. By mid-May, when the trips should start, we have time to prepare as well as possible, but we have to put it in fifth gear," said Nimac Kalcina.

Director of the Split-Dalmatia County Teaching Institute for Public Health, Dr. Željka Karin, and epidemiologist Diana Nonković, once again appealed for respect and adherence to all epidemiological measures.

"Testing points will be on Brač, Hvar, Vis, Makarska, Imotski, Trogir, Sinj and Split. A testing point of the Teaching Institute for Public Health is always open in Split; in a month, we will have to relocate the testing point that is now in the ferry port because of cruisers, and we are also talking about a testing point at Split Airport," said Karin.

The director of the County Tourist Board, Joško Stella, said that this year, as well as last year, they are ready to co-finance testing points for tourists.

"However, it is essential to be a green zone, that is, to have as few infected as possible and then to do strong marketing. The problem is partly that our major markets, primarily the Czech Republic, Poland, and Germany, are in a difficult epidemiological situation. Still, I hope that this will change for the better in the next two months," said Stella and announced Split-Dalmatia County Tourist Board training and projects.

Pero Bilas from Split Airport confirmed that the Airport is ready for the season, that they are in continuous contact with all carriers, and that all companies are interested in flying.

"We have announcements for many airlines for April, but we will see which of them will be realized. In any case, the whole industry is ready for the season and is waiting for a low start," said Bilas.

As much as their areas of activity were different, all participants agreed that there is still time until the beginning of the season for the numbers to improve. The situation to calm down, and for that to happen, the basic cooperation and personal responsibility of each of us, i.e., adherence to epidemiological measures which will paint Split-Dalmatia County as a green destination.

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ZAGREB, 18 March, 2021 - In the fourth quarter of 2020, hourly labour costs rose in the EU and euro area at rates that were almost twice as high as in the previous quarter, while Croatia was again among the countries that recorded declines, a Eurostat report shows.

In the 27-member EU, hourly labour costs increased by 3.3% in the fourth quarter of 2020 compared with the same period in 2019. In the third quarter, they increased by 1.8%.

At the same time, hourly labour costs in the euro area were 3.0% higher than in the last quarter of 2019, following a 1.6% increase in the third quarter.

The higher labour costs reflected a rise in the costs of hourly wages and salaries, while the non-wage component moderated the growth in hourly labour costs, in particular due to the tax reliefs and subsidies granted by EU governments to support enterprises affected by the coronavirus crisis.

In the EU, the costs of hourly wages and salaries increased by +3.7% in Q4 2020, following a 2.4% rise in Q3. In the euro area, the costs of wages and salaries per hour worked grew by +3.5%, after a 2.2% increase in the third quarter.

In the EU, in the fourth quarter of 2020 compared with the same quarter of the previous year, the economic activities that recorded the highest increases in wage and salary costs were "Arts, entertainment and recreation" (+11.0%) and "Accommodation and food service activities" (+10.2%)

The non-wage component increased by 1.8% in the EU and by 1.5% in the euro area, following stagnation in the previous quarter.

The largest increases in hourly labour costs were recorded in Austria (+11.6%) and Bulgaria (+10.0%), while the lowest increases were observed in Hungary (+0.7%) and France (+0.3%).

Croatia, along with Ireland, Malta and Finland, had lower hourly labour costs in the fourth quarter of 2020 than in the same period in 2019. Ireland observed the largest decrease in hourly labour costs, of 4.8%.

in Croatia, hourly labour costs in Q4 2020 were 1.1% lower than in Q4 2019, while in Q3 they fell for the first time in four years, by 0.6%. In the fourth quarter, wage and salary costs fell by 0.2% and the non-wage component shrank by 6.3%, the largest decline since Q2 2016. In the third quarter, wage and salary costs rose by 0.3%, while the non-wage component fell by 5.8%.

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ZAGREB, 18 March, 2021 - The government on Thursday decided to extend its loan guarantee programme for enterprises in the field of culture and the creative industry until 30 June this year.

The programme foresees HRK 300 million in loans with guarantees of 100% of the principal and a maximum amount of €800,000 per applicant. The shortest period of the guarantee is one year and the most five years, which includes a one-year grace period.

Minister of Culture and Media Nina Obuljen Koržinek recalled that the government adopted the guarantee programme for enterprises in culture and the creative industry in July last year, which was the first time in history.

Considering that the pandemic situation has continued, the government has decided to extend the guarantee programme until 30 June, said the minister and added that preparations are underway to extend the programme until the end of 2021.

The loan guarantee programme is earmarked for SMEs in the field of culture and creative industry affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

The programme is aimed at securing additional liquidity for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in culture and the creative industry at a decreased interest rate and/or fewer collateral required.

The programme is based on the European Commission Temporary Framework to support economy in the context of coronavirus outbreak. It was approved by the Commission on 17 June 2020 and adopted by the government on 2 July 2020.

Following amendments on 13 October 2020, the Commission enabled member states to extend the duration of state support until 30 June 2021, the government explained.

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