February the 5th, 2021 - A new Zagreb urban living settlement is being constructed in a very desirable and attractive location within the Croatian capital, and it will likely do well in attracting more people back to city living following the earthquake of March 2020.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, given how much potential this new Zagreb urban living area has to truly become a very large settlement, city district leaders are enthusiastic about turning 30.35 acres of shrubs and vegetation into the perfect place for family life for about 1,500 new residents.

There are three primary schools located nearby the new settlement, the middle one is about ten minutes away on foot, and to the very centre of Dubrava, and thus to shopping centres, banks, post offices and medical facilities, it would take residents a maximum of five or six minutes by car. Although they would have everything they might need in the area's immediate vicinity, they'd still have the luxury of living in one of the greenest parts of Zagreb, right next to the Cucerska river stream, writes Vecernji list.

This new Zagreb urban living area should be located in an area called Branovecina II. What the new zone bordered by Branovecina street to the east, the edge of the settlement of the same name to the north, the stream to the south and the extended Klin and Rudolf Kolak streets to the west and south will look like has been described in the urban development plan (UPU) adopted by the City Assembly this past summer.

''It will be a quality urban settlement. We also had a public debate and the idea was well received. Everyone likes it, and the owners of the plots in the area of ​​the future settlement can hardly wait for the construction to start. Particularly he road through the settlement, because they'd also build shopping centres there,'' said Damir Onisko, president of the Gornja Dubrava District Council. He hopes, he added, that the projects for the extension of Klin street all the way to Lektrscica, as well as Kolakova, will be realised sooner, because in this way, large parts of the Gornja Dubrava and Sesvete districts will be even better interconnected.

''I'm pushing for Klin street to be extended even before the construction of this new Zagreb urban living settlement begins. The road isn't a prerequisite for the project, but it will certainly help things along,'' Onisko pointed out.

What precisely will be built in the new city settlement? Residential and commercial buildings mostly, as well as houses, up to the height of four floors. But here and there, in addition to the main roads, seven-story buildings will be dotted around. In the very centre of the new area, a social facility such as some sort of home, medical facility or church should spring up, and next to it a kindergarten intended for 200 children. Both facilities will be positioned so that they can be reached from any part of the neighbourhood within just five minutes.

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February the 5th, 2021 - Croatian epidemiologist Goranka Petrovic has discussed the situation with the ongoing pandemic in Croatia, as well as the current state of vaccination against the novel coronavirus across the country.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, new strains of coronavirus are threatening not only Croatia but all other countries which are yet to register any cases of the typically more infectious strain, and new doses of the vaccine are frustratingly still not arriving as planned. What exactly is the vaccination rate in this country?

Epidemiologist Goranka Petrovic said that confirmation came from AstraZeneca a couple of days ago that the first shipment of their coronavirus vaccine, which comes in the amount of a little less than 9,000 doses, should be received by Croatia during the next week, most likely on February the 9th. They also confirmed further doses - a total of about 150,000 doses of the vaccine coming throughout the month of February.

"At the moment, the first coronavirus vaccinations are underway, not the second dose of vaccination. About one and a half percent of the population of Croatia has received one or two vaccine doses, and a total of about nine thousand doses of vaccine were used,'' she told HTV, stressing that further vaccination will go more quickly because deliveries will stabilsze, Pfizer vaccines are set to come even in larger quantities during March.

Asked whether the AstraZeneca product would be used to vaccinate the elderly in that case, Goranka Petrovic replied that the European Medicines Agency had approved and registered the AstraZeneca vaccine for people aged eighteen and older and had not given an upper age limit.

She only mentioned that there is not enough data on the effectiveness of this particular vaccine on people over the age of 65, which doesn't mean that it is not effective, but that there was simply a smaller share of those people in the research.

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February the 5th, 2021 - Croatian business owners have had their say, but many believe it will be ineffective. The recent protest was covered across the country, but what will actually come of it?

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes, several thousand protesters, mainly Croatian business owners, gathered on Wednesday at Zagreb's Ban Jelacic Square to attend a rally organised by the Voice of Entrepreneurs Association (UGP) over dissatisfaction with the Croatian Government's measures to stop the spread of the pandemic and properly compensate business owners who have been banned from working, such as gym, sports centre, cafe and restaurant owners.

The main demand of the gathered Croatian business owners, who were mostly from the catering and hospitality sector, as well as gym owners who have been banned from working since November, is fair compensation for the ban on their work, but the protesters are also bothered by discrimination in the imposed measures. Most of them are also asking for the re-opening of cafes, which have not been confirmed as places where the virus has spread more rapidly or more efficiently, but a decent number of those protesters still don't expect the move to bring about the changes they're asking for.

"Our action is not directed against the epidemiological measures, we just wanted to show that we're dissatisfied with the economic measures that aren't sufficient or adequate. Measures to preserve jobs of 4,000 kuna are intended for employees and can't be a measure of assistance for business owners. We aren't living, we're simply surviving. We want quality economic measures and a plan for how the government will help the economy. We're seeking compensation for all Croatian business owners who have had to close their doors.

We believe that it's now high time to think about the activities that are closed almost all year round. The event industry, travel agencies and the occasional transport of passengers are recording huge losses, and there's no help for them,'' said Drazen Orescanin, Executive Director of UGP. He added that Croatian business owners need clear announcements of any new or altered measures in time, and that they don't want to hear about the new measures in the media and wonder what they're going to be as if it's a lottery.

Andrija Klaric, the owner of a Zagreb gym who was arrested on Monday after opening it that morning, also addressed those gathered. Marin Medak stepped in as the former president of the National Association of Caterers, now a member of its supervisory board, saying that the state is treating those in hospitality and catering as if they're mere third-class citizens. At a press conference held almost at the same time, members of the National Civil Protection Headquarters told the protesters that the measures would be eased when the conditions were met, which is something that is being monitored continuously.

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February 4, 2021 - Organised by the Voice of Entrepreneurs Assocciation (UGP), a protest against what are allegedly discriminatory epidemiological measures was held yesterday on Ban Jelačić Square in Zagreb. Through loud chanting, thousands of people supported the abolition of parafiscal levies and mandatory membership fees. They even demanded the departure of Economy Minister Tomislav Ćorić. However, as I talked to the protesters, I realised those were not the only reasons people showed up on Zagreb's main square yesterday. Here's what I learned at yesterday's UGP entrepreneur protest in Zagreb.

As I was at a protest for the first time, I expected it to be more organised, moreover due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. But since I can’t compare this protest to any other, I just continued to watch what happened.

Protesters with the banner saying "Let us work" / Donatella Pauković

In the first few minutes, after the first speaker started to talk, it was clear to me that the protest was not only about entrepreneurs being deprived of work during the coronavirus pandemic, but a lot of people used the opportunity to gather and show their dissatisfaction with many other problems that Croatia faces.

"Why can't Croatia be economically strong?" read one of the most significant banners of this protest, which indicated that Croatia has all the conditions to be a prosperous country, but it is not. The epidemiological measures owing to which entrepreneurs (most of them caterers) are at risk were clearly just a trigger for expressing dissatisfaction that goes much further.

Banners saying "We are entrepreneurs, and you?", "It's enough", "Entrepreneurs are partners, not a burden!", "Why Croatia?" / Donatella Pauković

A historic day?

I met a young and energetic guy. Is he a young entrepreneur, a caterer? I wondered. I was interested in what brought him to the protest.

"I came to say that I don't agree with the direction in which this country is going. I don't agree with the Government's economic and social policies. I don't agree with what the Government, the ruling majority, and the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), led by Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, are doing," said 21-year-old David Lisica, a computer science student at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing in Zagreb.

He doesn't plan to leave Croatia. However, he wants us all to build Croatia together, and I identify with him. Therefore, one of the motives for his coming to the protest was the hope for a better tomorrow.

"I think it's bad politics and I think I have the right to say it. I'm not here to cause destruction but to say that something is wrong. When something is wrong, it should be said that it is not right, and it should be changed," this young student clearly pointed out.

He was bothered by the discrimination towards entrepreneurs and the private sector, which has only been deepened by this coronavirus crisis. In addition, he couldn't believe that there was so much contempt for the opposition by the ruling party, and he considered it shameful.

That's why he made a banner saying "Andrej, it's enough." As David said, the famous banner, seen on many photos from the protest, will even be included in the historical material of the Croatian History Museum!

Student David Lisica with his banner "Andrej, it's enough" / Donatella Pauković

According to some estimates, the protest gathered five thousand people, if not more. Given what Croatia needs, said David, every protest that has been organised in Croatia so far has attracted too few people.

"We don't need a rebellion, a revolution. No anarchy, no demolition! We need people who will say 'It's not right - change this and that!' Economic policy, uhljebljivanje, mandatory membership and contributions to the Croatian Chamber of Commerce and the Tourist Board – we do not need that. Entrepreneurs and craftsmen should not be whipped with parafiscal levies – these are not taxes, they are levies," David says, pointing out that it would be fine if that money would be invested in something useful, but it isn't.

I watched the gathered crowd. Both older and younger people were all protesting. At one point, social distancing fell into the background and then I got a little scared for my health. I was surrounded by people shouting, and some of them didn’t even wear masks, against which the organisers explicitly warned, but without much success. Luckily, I quickly got out of the way.

Expectedly, there were even some drunk people, using the situation to relax at least a little and thus experience the "old normal." Gathering at the protest was even an opportunity for some to see each other after a long time, which, understandably, they took advantage of. So, for example, maybe some fellow caterers from Slavonia and Dalmatia finally saw each other and chatted.

Apart from chanting and whistling, applause even broke out for a man breaking through the crowd with a tray in his hand, offering protesters coffee to go in cups designed specifically for the occasion. "It's enough," read the inscription on it.

Symbolic coffee to go with the inscription saying "It's enough" / Donatella Pauković

'Instead of law, justice must be introduced'

When those gathered had already begun to disperse, and the most persistent continued to protest, my attention was drawn to a sympathetic and seemingly accommodating man with a large banner. However, what he told me has specially taken me aback.

Tomislav Vukorepa, an entrepreneur from Šibenik, besides coming to Zagreb to support all entrepreneurs who are in a very difficult situation, came to point out one big problem.

"We lost five citizens in a shooting in Šibenik, our citizens of Šibenik," Vukorepa began his story, explaining his banner that read "Pleković, enough of the harrowing, kill me now."

Entrepreneur Tomislav Vukorepa with his banner "Plenković, enough of the harrowing, kill me now" / Donatella Pauković

"I wrote this because the direct cause of the shooting in Šibenik, in which five people were killed, is a catastrophic judiciary. Who knows how many more such cases are 'cooking' in the whole of Croatia! We have to open our eyes because there's no point in being brutally warned in such a way every now and then. Something urgently needs to change here. Instead of law, justice must be introduced. And that’s a big difference, because the one who is stronger always takes the right to himself and oppresses the one who is weaker. Therefore, justice and truth should come to power in Croatia," Vukorepa said.

He believes that it's time for the citizens of the whole of Croatia let it be known that this is not the way to go.

"Those in power should listen a little better to what the citizens tell them, because this country exists because of the citizens, not because of them," concluded Vukorepa, whose business of sound systems for concerts and festivals has died out in the last six months.

UGP entrepreneur protest in Zagreb / Donatella Pauković

As I have already said, and in the few minutes of talking to this man I confirmed, this was not only a protest against epidemiological restrictions, but also against a system in which the voice of the little man is hardly ever heard.

After two hours on the main Zagreb square, I thoughtfully left the protest. What seemed at the beginning to be an inarticulate presentation of views on the current situation in Croatia, actually proved to be well-founded. What seemed like a protest against the impossibility of drinking coffee for hours, which is the Croatian national sport, has, unfortunately, a much deeper foothold.

I realised that if you want to warn someone about something, a protest is one of the few places where someone will hear or notice you, if you have a banner with a good inscription. You might end up in the headlines as well.

All in all, the real effects of the Croatian entrepreneurs' protest in Zagreb will only be seen in the coming months. We're waiting for new steps to be made by those in power, hoping that this time the majority will be satisfied. And that we will soon be able to sit down and have coffee somewhere, which may, at least for those few hours, ease our souls.

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February 4, 2021 - After a six-year drought, the Croatia women's basketball team will take part in the European Championship after beating Germany 80-66 (18-23, 23-11, 24-11, 15-21) in the decisive qualifying match played on Thursday in the Latvian capital Riga. 

Gol.hr reports that Iva Slonjšak, who scored 23 points with 10 rebounds, and Ivana Dojkić, who played all 40 minutes and finished with 23 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and three steals, played the best for Croatia. The experienced Marija Režan dominated under the basket with 17 points, six rebounds, and two blocks. Lea Miletic recorded 10 points.

Luisa Geiselsoder was the best for Germany with 21 points and nine rebounds.

Croatia did not open the game well, even though a lot weighed on their victory - it would bring them to the European Championship for the first time since 2015. Germany took a 6-0 lead and maintained the advantage until the middle of the first quarter when they led by 12-points (21-9) in the 6th minute.

However, by the end of the first quarter, Stipe Bralić's team significantly raised their defensive aggression, allowing Germany only two more baskets. With a few steals and successful counterattacks, Croatia was only behind by five points (18-23).

Croatia continued to dominate in the second quarter, and in the 13th minute, they caught up to Germany for the first time (25-25). In the 16th minute, they reached their biggest advantage yet (34-27). Entering the last minute of the first half, Croatia was up by 9 (41-32), but Germany went into halftime just seven points behind (41-34).

Just as was the case in the second quarter, Bralić's side was powerful in the third quarter, again limiting Germany to only 11 points. The defense worked flawlessly, and Iva Slonjšak, Ivana Dojkić, and the experienced Marija Režan were excellent in the attack. Croatia entered the last ten minutes of the game up by 20 (65-45).

Germany threatened in the last quarter, reducing Croatia's lead to only seven points (73-66) two and a half minutes before the end. Ivana Dojkić sealed Croatia's victory and a spot at the European Championship, held from June 17 to 27 in Spain and France.

On Saturday, Germany will fight against the host Latvia for second place, which could bring them to the final tournament. The five best second-placed national teams from nine groups will play at EuroBasket.

To read more about the Petrinja Earthquake, follow TCN's dedicated page.

ZAGREB, 4 February 2021 - By 28 January, Croatia has agreed on the financing of €12.17 billion worth of contracts from the European structural and investment funds (ESIF), exceeding by 13.4% the amount allocated for the period from 2014 to the end of 2020, the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds said on Thursday.

Minister Nataša Tramišak presented a report on the absorption of EU funding by Croatia at the closed part of today's cabinet meeting, which was then adopted.

Croatia was allocated €10.7 billion from the ESIF for the 2014-2020 period. By 28 January 2021, it had agreed the financing of €12.17 billion, or 113.4% of the allocation. A total of €5.06 billion was disbursed, or 47.6% of the allocation, and €4.39 billion, or 40.89%, was certified.

In the period from 2013 to 28 January 2021, the difference between the amount of money received from the EU budget and the amount paid into the EU budget was HRK 38.59 billion in favour of the Croatian state budget.

The Competitiveness and Cohesion operational programme has the highest contracting rate, of 124.71% of the total allocation, while the Rural Development Programme has the highest disbursement rate, of 63.60% of the allocation, the statement said.

ZAGREB, 4 February 2021 - A new shipment of coronavirus protection equipment, worth $207,000, has arrived in the northern Adriatic port of Rijeka from China, the government said on Thursday.

The ship Rabelais, sailing under the Maltese flag, brought about 14 tonnes of protective gear, including 590,000 surgical caps and 80,000 suits. The equipment was purchased from the Chinese companies MEHECO and Sinopharm.

ZAGREB, 4 February 2021 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Thursday that former economy minister Martina Dalić could make a quality contribution as the newly appointed CEO of the Podravka food manufacturer and that he does not see how she, who has a PhD in economics, could possibly have poor references.

During a press conference after a cabinet meeting, Plenković said that he was sorry over the death of former CEO Marin Pucar, and that Dalić was available in these extraordinary circumstances.

"We spoke about several options considering her experience and the fact that Podravka is a large company, the state has its interest in it, the company is important for Koprivnica-Križevci County and the food industry. We considered that she could make a quality contribution in that role," said Plenković, adding that this was the assessment of a co-owner.

Asked to comment on the negative perception of Dalić in public due to the Lex Agrokor episode, Plenković said that he has managed to gain quite a bit of experience regarding perception and reality and that, when looking in the long term at how much the government has contributed to the economy's stability, it will be seen that it made a move that saved that conglomerate and jobs.

"I don't see anything bad for her to be in that position. In fact, I see that as an opportunity for Podravka and the objectives the co-owners desire, and that is greater profit during the time she will run the company," he said.

Asked what her references for that job were, Plenković said that he cannot see how someone who has a PhD in economics and is at a mature phase in their career has poorer references than former Koprivnica mayor Zvonimir Mršić, who too was a CEO at Podravka at one stage.

As soon as epidemiological circumstances permit, everyone will be allowed to work

Plenković went on to say that the epidemiological restrictions were based on recommendations by experts and appealed for responsibility and common sense, adding that all options would be put on the table on 15 February to see if the measures can be relaxed or not.

Referring to yesterday's protest rally by entrepreneurs where protestors called for better aid for businesses forced to close due to COVID, Plenković said that everyone will be allowed to work as soon as the epidemiological circumstances change.

"There is no political will in any of us nor are we happy that someone cannot work. In fact, we are sorry and that is a burden for all taxpayers and for the sustainability of public finances. Concrete demands are continually being considered by the competent ministers with representatives of various associations," he said.

With regard to expanding reliefs for entrepreneurs, he recalled that more than HRK 1 billion in parafiscal fees had been abolished and that will continue.