ZAGREB, 12 February, 2021 - Several guilds in the hospitality sector on Thursday commented on the government's announcement that it will allow the sale of coffee to go, saying that it is a psychological rather than a financial measure and will not help them as measures designed to maintain their business operations would.

Commenting on the government's decision to allow hospitality businesses to sell coffee to go as of 15 February, which restaurants were allowed to do until now but cafes were not, Žaklina Troskot of the Independent Association of Hospitality Businesses, which is part of the national association, told Hina that there is nothing much to say about the decision and that it would have a psychological rather than a financial effect.

"This corrects a certain injustice and we believe that now all hospitality businesses will be able to sell coffee to go but we do not know the details until they are officially released and we have read them. The decision does not mean much financially for hospitality businesses but it could have a psychological effect," said Troskot, underlining that the most important thing was to secure finances for them to continue operating.

"We expect the government to adopt measures to maintain business operations because even when we do open, we will not have anything to work with, just like we don't have now. Last year we worked for a total of six months with a limited turnover and six months without any income, and if the government does not introduce any measures, it will be difficult to save businesses," stressed Troskot.

For more on the coronavirus crisis in Croatia, follow the dedicated TCN section. 

February 12, 2021 – Marija Cafuk, who successfully lead the campaign to have Varazdin cabbage protected by the EU, has been shortlisted for the award of Most Innovative Woman in European Agriculture. She used the opportunity to voice her concerns for Croatia's small producers under proposed new changes in the laws on seeds

Inexpensive and packed with nutrients and vitamins C + K, the humble cabbage is a staple part of the Croatian diet. One of its most famous varieties is Varazdin cabbage (Varaždinsko zelje), which is protected at a European level as distinct in coming from its point of origin.

Varazdin cabbage's successful entry into European protection is in no way thanks to the efforts of Varazdin resident Marija Cafuk, who is the custodian of Varazdin cabbage seeds and the only person in Croatia who is licensed to sell them. For her efforts, she has now been shortlisted by the European Association of Agricultural Producers Copa Cogeca for the award of Most Innovative Woman in European agriculture.

According to Copa Cogeca, the award aims to highlight the contribution that women make to rural development and the development of new models of food production in the context of climate change and environmental protection.

“Of course, I was pleasantly surprised by the nomination, which I think is a recognition of the long struggle to preserve our Varazdin cabbage seeds in conditions when we lost the last companies that were engaged in seed production and (had to) depend on imports,” Mrs. Cafuk told journalist Zlatko Simic in a recent interview with Jutarnji List. “You know how many conditions we had to meet in order for our seeds to be on the variety list! Let the EU see that there are people in our country who want to preserve their indigenous varieties for future generations.”

The latter part of her comment to the journalist refers to the proposed changes in seed registration laws that are looming on the horizon at both a national and an EU level. Small producers and family farms in Croatia are concerned about the loss of traditional seed varieties and their abilities to grow from them under the conditions of the changes in legislation.

Varazdin cabbage (Varaždinsko zelje) and its seeds © Varazdin County Tourist Board

“The problem is not only in paying the large costs we have in controlling the sowing of our certified seeds,” Mrs. Cafuk told the journalist, expanding on the matter of the changing seed laws, “but also in increasing the costs we may have if we had to deliver all the seeds we produce for processing, as (will be) required by law.”

Mrs. Cafuk told the journalist she hopes that the ongoing and popular protests and petitions of associations that keep domestic seeds will lead to a positive outcome in regards to the proposed national changes. Of course, she was speaking on behalf of seed custodians and small producers all over Croatia. Having attained its European protection already, Varazdin cabbage and Mrs Cafuk's enterprises are already safe.

Varazdin cabbage is one of two kinds of Croatian cabbage protected by the EU

There are in fact two types of Croatian cabbage protected at the European level – Varazdin cabbage and cabbage from Ogulin. But, whereas Varazdin cabbage is protected in its raw, unprocessed form, the cabbage from Ogulin is protected as a product after its fermentation (it is made into what is sometimes called sauerkraut).

In 2015, when the application was made to European authorities to protect Varazdin cabbage, a notice of opposition was lodged from nearby Slovenia. Slovenia had added new cabbage varieties to its national variety register in 2012 under the names ‘Varazdinsko 2’ and ‘Varazdinsko 3'. Varazdin is a centuries-old town in northern Croatia.

The notice of opposition was discounted. The EU office responsible for protecting new varieties did not consider Varazdinsko 2 and Varazdinsko 3 to be appropriate names, as they suggested a link to a geographical area with which they had no direct connection and to that extent were confusing to consumers. With this impasse of international cabbage recognition finally overcome, Varazdin cabbage was granted its European protection.

February 12, 2021 - The organizer of the Ultra Europe music festival, Joe Bašić, revealed to Enter Zagreb the plans for this year's Ultra Europe in Split. He also admitted that he expects an explosion of fun after we're on the other side of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thousands of partygoers from all over the world did not meet last year at Ultra Europe in Split, as the festival was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. We are still waiting for an official decision on this year's festival, as well, reports 24 Sata. 

"It is certainly too early for conclusions now; I believe that in 60 days we will be in a better situation and that we will be better able to assess the circumstances related to COVID and the possibilities of organizing the festival," said Bašić.

"As responsible organizers, we monitor events, work closely with the authorities, all those responsible for making decisions for the safety of visitors and the festival. Internationally, we work with several groups of people trying to find a solution for the festival's future, from Covid passports to rapid tests. I’ve been to more of these conversations, trying to find a solution, but unfortunately, it’s hard to be smart there. Every day something changes, and we, as serious and responsible organizers, cannot confirm anything. We also cannot make decisions without an official decision from the state and the city," Bašić believes.

Speaking generally about the future of the festival, Bašić is optimistic.

"As for the music industry, I think it is an industry that will be proactive and find a solution for the future. Music is an integral part of life; people will always find an opportunity to enjoy it. I think that psychologically it is an important factor, young people can't wait to go out, they are waiting for socializing. At the moment when it is possible to return to festivals and events, I think it will be one big show," he concluded.

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

February 12, 2021 - Croatian start-up ETF Airways (Easy to Fly) will launch on Croatia's coast in April if all necessary permits are received. 

TCN revealed back in January that ETF Airways, a new Croatian start-up registered in November last year, had plans to launch operations in 2021 with charter flights from the Adriatic coast to destinations around Europe. 

“ETF Airways is a new Croatian charter carrier that wants to improve the connectivity of Adriatic coastal cities with European and other destinations. At this point, we are looking for new members of our flying family,” ETF said back then.

While we weren't exactly sure of the start date then, ETF had begun the hiring process for cabin crew, meaning it was only a matter of time.

According to Ex Yu Aviation, that time is April. The aviation portal reported that after the delivery of its first Boeing 737-800 next month, leased from AerCap, ETF could launch in April if all permits are acquired. 

ETF will focus mainly on servicing the competitive Croatian coast during the summer months, with a network of destinations, including Dubrovnik, Pula, Split, and Zadar, to airports in France, Germany, and the UK.

Ex Yu Aviation adds that the new carrier's fleet should contain two B737s this summer, and if all goes to plan, three jets early next year and up to seven aircraft in 2025. Since ETF will have Croatian registration, it will be able to fly within the EU. Now that the airline has completed its hiring process, it is searching for partners, ACMI companies and brokers, and the like. 

The new start-up has been well received in Croatia thus far, and Ex Yu Aviation adds that private investors and investment funds in the country support the airline. 

ETF investor, Deputy President of the Supervisory Board, and economic analyst Velimir Šonje said: 

“ETF does not aim to become a big scheduled carrier. Our main goal is to utilize the opportunities which we expect in the coming years through charters and similar arrangement, primarily on the EU market, through flexible and reliable service”.

He added that there will be many opportunities in the post-COVID world.

You can find more about ETF Airways here. 

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

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February 11, 2021 - This year, the Croatian National Tourist Board is launching a series of 30 virtual presentations and workshops titled Croatian Virtual Get2Gether, which will be held in the 16 most important markets.

The first in a series of presentations, which will be held via the online platform due to current market circumstances and prescribed epidemiological measures in the country and the world, was held in the Polish market in cooperation with Dubrovnik-Neretva County, Korčula, and the municipality Župa Dubrovačka, reports HTZ.

"Along with the main goal, which includes the promotion of Croatian tourism and the overall Croatian tourist offer, we want to gather the most important foreign partners and agents in one place in the markets and convey the current security situation in the country and Croatia's readiness for the upcoming tourist season," said the director Croatian National Tourist Board Kristjan Staničić.

Most of the Croatian Virtual Get2Gether workshops and presentations are planned for the first half of the year. In addition to the promotion of destinations and tourist products, they will also discuss epidemiological measures, the safety of Croatian destinations, and protocols during future tourist trips.

In Poland, in addition to today's presentation, an additional seven presentations and workshops are planned for June, within which Split-Dalmatia and Šibenik-Knin counties, Kvarner, Zadar, and Lika-Senj counties, the city of Zagreb, and Krapina-Zagorje County, the Slavonia Cluster, and the County of Istria will be presented, and a business workshop is planned for Polish and Croatian entities.

"Through virtual workshops and presentations to Polish tour operators and travel agents, we want to present Croatian regions, and the first in a row is the Dubrovnik region. All 50 available online places were filled in record time, which is proof that this activity has been well received by the Polish tourism industry. We hope and believe that Poles will come to Croatia in large numbers this year to show that they are true friends and lovers of our country," said Agnieszka Puszczewicz, Director of the Croatian National Tourist Board in Poland.

Croatian Virtual Get2Gether workshops, in addition to the already mentioned Polish market, are also planned for the markets of Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Italy, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, the Netherlands, France, Great Britain, Belgium, Sweden, Russia, China, and the USA.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

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February 11, 2021 - Change may be around the corner, but watching Croatian bureaucracy in action in 2021 is quite the thing. 

I have a very serious suggestion - an application should be made for Croatian bureaucracy to be given intangible UNESCO heritage status.

Before it is too late.

As parents, we look at the lives of our children in their gadget-infested worlds, and the things that were mainstream in our lives just a decade ago are already alien to them. 

And so, too, it seems, in the world of Croatian bureaucracy. 

Against my better judgment - and definitely against a promise I made to myself years ago - I opened a sole trader company in Croatia today, the so-called jdoo. And I have to report that things had certainly moved on since my last company formation. The whole procedure at the public notary took under an hour, my startup capital requirement was just 10 kuna, and I was only charged 547 kuna for the entire procedure. 

A complete bargain. So much so, that I almost went back to start another. 

But I was truly shocked at the response to one of my questions.

"Regarding the stamp, do I have all the paperwork to get it now, and where is the closest place to buy one?"

"This is 2021. You don't need a company stamp anymore."

What?!? How will this company function? And how can the next generation of Croatian entrepreneurs truly enjoy the Croatian experience without the joys of the company stamp to add to their daily frustrations. 

If we don't document this moment in time soon, I mused, as I headed over the financial agency FINA to register my shiny new company. UNESCO could protect this gem before all was lost to posterity. 

The security guard chap at FINA was very friendly and helpful. Once I had put my hand in the temperature check device, receiving a dollop of sanitiser with my temperature reading, I was sent to the very efficient gentleman assigned to my case. 

Lots of documents to sign, and then I was given four payment slips (uplatnice), which covered various fees - one for 60 kuna, one for 37.50, my startup capital of 10 kuna, and - fabulously - a separate payment and bit of paperwork with a fee of 1 kuna, which I learned was to pay for the confirmation of my payment of 10 kuna startup capital. A 10% fee to confirm a payment may sound steep to some of you, but it was a bargain when I saw the amount of effort it entailed to generate the solitary kuna. 

Before continuing, I should note I was a little disappointed that my 37.50 kuna came with a shortening of my names. All the other payments were registered to a Paul David Raymond Bradbury, but 37.50 seemingly covered only enough ink for three of my four names. 

I reached for my wallet to pay, but was directed to another department, which handles the cash transaction, then told to report back to this desk with proof of payment. Ten minutes of queuing brought me to a very efficient lady, who took my four payment slips and expertly typed the details into the system. My 1 kuna payment had now taken two effort from two employees, and I was rewarded with a confirmation stamp with my returned slip. 

But the 1 kuna journey did not stop there. Having returned to my efficient first staff member, he announced that he had to photocopy each of the four slips, one page each, for the records. Which he duly did with aplomb. I also got a photocopy of one, along with my four original slips. Croatian bureaucracy in action - this little kuna was definitely being earned by the State. 

But then... 

Having paid my bill of more than 120 kuna for services which I had calculated at less than 110 kuna, I went to check the little slip that had been returned to me.

My 1 kuna had become 3 kuna, as I was charged a transaction fee which was double the amount being requested. Suddenly, my 10% confirmation fee seemed a real bargain.

I am possibly the only person in the country who quite enjoys watching Croatian bureaucracy in action for its total absurdity. But with these forces of change, shall I lament the fact that it will soon be reduced to tales of an older generation in the name of 'progress'?

ZAGREB, 11 February, 2021 - Health Minister Vili Beroš said on Thursday that owing to the favourable epidemiological situation, hospitalisations at Zagreb's KB Dubrava were decreasing and the number of beds in intensive care for COVID-19 patients was reduced.

Consequently, the need for medical staff has also decreased and conditions have been met for those temporarily assigned to KB Dubrava to return to their hospitals, he said at a cabinet meeting.

The Health Ministry has launched a series of activities to care for post-COVID patients, including the establishment of an expert commission for the treatment of patients with pathologies resulting from COVID-19, Beroš said.

The commission's task is to draft guidelines for treatment, care, prevention of all COVID consequences and the organisation of post-COVID inpatient and outpatient capacities, with emphasis on respiratory rehabilitation, psychological and psychiatric support.

As for vaccination, 107,080 doses were administered by 10 February, with 44,344 people receiving the second shot, including 54,483 doses administered in hospitals, 41,544 in care homes and 6,418 in earthquake-hit Sisak-Moslavina County.

"The second vaccination stage has begun and 4,635 doses have been administered, primarily to people with chronic conditions and older people," Beroš said.

By 10 February, Croatia received 156,450 doses - 122,850 of Pfizer's, 16,800 of Moderna's and 16,800 of AstraZeneca's vaccines. Suspected side effects have been reported 699 times, mainly mild and passing reactions.

Beroš said that according to the Croatian Institute of Public Health, there was no upper age limit for the AstraZeneca vaccine, reiterating that all three vaccines were safe and highly successful in preventing serious illness.

Speaking of the British virus mutation, he said Croatia was developing its own sequencing capacities and that it had agreed to send 200 samples weekly to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, with the first 200 sent yesterday.

"With certain oscillations, the number of new infections is falling by the week. We are monitoring the evolution of fast-spreading variants. They are the reason for increased caution. They are a new threat but we have the chance to be proactive," Beroš said, adding that vaccination and complying with the measures were the tools for success.

Today is World Day of the Sick which has special significance in the context of the epidemic and special emphasis has been put on emotional support to those who are sick, he said, thanking medical staff for their dedicated work.

ZAGREB, 11 February, 2021 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Thursday that as of 15 February bars would be allowed to sell everything on their menus but that their terraces, if they had them, would not reopen, the concept being that customers would order a beverage to go.

Speaking to the press after a cabinet meeting, he said the details of the mild easing of COVID restrictions as of next Monday would be provided by the national COVID response team tomorrow.

Plenković said the sale of coffee to go, which bars would be allowed to sell as of the 15th, did not mean the sale of coffee alone.

"It's a synonym for the opening of completely closed establishments. It means they will be able to sell tea, some other drink or beverage. They will be able to sell what they have on the menu. It's just that there will be no sitting on terraces. You take it to go and walk."

As for compensation for bar and restaurant owners, Plenković said it was too early to say if it would be paid after this month. "If it is possible for them to work, they will work. If the epidemiological situation still isn't good enough, we'll continue with the aid."

He said gyms and fitness centres would reopen on 15 February with epidemiological measures, without crowds, and that betting shops and casinos would have to comply with the same measures.

The opposition keeps politicising

Asked about the opposition's dissatisfaction with the easing of the restrictions, Plenković said he had no message for them.

Two months ago, he said, the opposition demanded the closure of everything and now they are demanding the opening of everything. "That's politicising that doesn't surprise me. If they won't be responsible, we will."

He also commented on the participation of Alemka Markotić, a member of the national COVID response team, in a religious service in the open with more people attending than the 25 allowed under COVID restrictions.

Plenković said it was an outdoor service and that he was confident everyone present took care of distancing. "We have to be realistic in such situations, if they are in the open, distance is kept, people don't stay there," he said, adding that there had been many such gatherings and that the restriction of 25 people still applied.

Plenković said that event could not be compared to a restaurant in Zagreb which worked recently despite a ban. "Restaurants weren't allowed to work at all. Being outdoors and indoors is not the same."

The government won't interfere in decisions on Zagreb University rector

Asked if Zagreb University rector Damir Boras should go because he received a COVID vaccine despite not being in a priority vaccination category, the prime minister said such decisions were in the remit of the university, which was autonomous, and that the government would not interfere.

He said the vaccine was primarily being administered to health workers and patients, adding that if any was left in a vial, it was given to someone else so that it did not go to waste.

Plenković reiterated that those who needed it the most would be vaccinated en masse and that the AstraZeneca vaccine was as effective as Pfizer's and Moderna's.

"It's important that we have faith and trust in the decisions of the World Health Organization, the European Medicines Agency and experts who have assessed that all three vaccines circulating in Croatia as equally effective for what is important. It's important to be vaccinated so as not to die of COVID-19."

Plenković said a decision was made to ease restrictions this month because it was estimated that the epidemiological situation allowed it. He added, however, that if there was a deterioration, the restrictions could be tightened.

"The goal is to go through the winter months with as few consequences as possible so that during the spring, notably in the two remaining months of the first quarter and the three months of the second quarter, we vaccinate as many people as possible."

Plenković said he would insist on the fastest delivery possible of all vaccine doses so that Croatia could be as protected and safe as possible by summer.

"If we are protected and if other countries vaccinate, and all intend to vaccinate as many people as possible, then the arrival of tourists will be safe. Few will come somewhere they don't feel safe and others don't want to import people who could be contagious," he said, adding that the EU would continue talks on this to find a common solution.

Filipović is HDZ's first and only choice for Zagreb mayor

Asked about his party's candidate for Zagreb mayor, Davor Filipović, Plenković said he expected him to win and that he was the HDZ's first and only choice for that post, adding that the party had talked about but that it had not negotiated with Damir Vanđelić, the temporary director of the post-earthquake Reconstruction Fund, about being the HDZ's mayoral nominee.

Asked to evaluate President Zoran Milanović's first year in office, Plenković said "Everyone does their job their own way."

Plenković did not wish to reveal how much Croatia had offered Hungary for energy group MOL's stake in Croatia's INA.

He said the procurement of fighter jets was continuing. "There is no long-term delay with the aircraft, just a logical, reasonable non-adoption of a decision in the month behind us."