ZAGREB, 28 January 2021 - Generally speaking, mandatory membership in the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK) has a negative impact on Croatia's competitiveness, shows an analysis by Dagmar Radin for the Lipa taxpayers' association, in which the author says that a reform of the HGK is an increasingly likely prospect.

Radin believes that mandatory membership in the HGK negatively affects competitiveness by increasing the regulatory burden on businesses, possible corruption and greater conflict of interest in the chamber's work and that it reveals an inability to amend the legislative framework and lack of a long-term vision. Also, mandatory membership increases administrative terms of doing business, including operating costs.

Radin believes the first argument in favour of abolishing mandatory membership in the HGK refers to the mandatory membership fee since Croatia is one of only three EU member states where the membership of the chamber of commerce is mandatory (the other two are Austria and Germany) while all other post-Communist countries have switched to voluntary membership.

The second argument concerns the HGK's efficiency.

"Since one of the HGK's main goals is promotion of domestic exports, its work can be measured by success in increasing exports. However, when analysed in the context of other post-Communist countries, Croatia not only has a relatively low value of exports but their growth is much smaller than in those countries," she says.

She adds that the third argument has to do with the HGK's legitimacy in representing businesses' interests and the way it was established.

The 1991 HGK Act declared the HGK as a body with public authority and the law guaranteed its sustainable financing through the collection of a mandatory membership fee. Since the HGK was established by a legal decision, its further operation and existence (as well as financing) can also be changed or it can be abolished, the author concludes, noting that the HGK would have to undergo a radical reform.

January 28, 2021 - This year's Sinj Museum Night event will be held on Friday, January 29!

The program at the Sinjska Alka Museum, which will be available from 6 to 11 pm, will be completely virtual. During its duration, two video games and a quiz will be promoted, a virtual walk around the Museum will be organized, as well as a quiz prize game, in which the winner will be chosen from those who answer most questions.

The information will be posted via Instagram and Facebook.

Museum Night Program 2021

The virtual game 'In the middle' is a simulation of the Alka competition. The player rides a horse and tries to hit "in the middle" and collect as many points as possible.

More info HERE

Battle of 1715 is a strategic game for several players, one of whom is on the side of the Ottomans, and the other on the side of Alkars. Through clever strategy, players try to incapacitate the enemy or conquer the Fortress.

More info HERE

Koliko punata? is an online quiz in which players can test their knowledge of the history and culture related to the Sinjska Alka with friends, acquaintances, and others on the Internet!

More info HERE

Virtual walk - On the www.alka.hr website, with a large number of photos and information about Sinjska Alka, the Alka Knights Society Sinj and the Sinjska Museum, you can take a virtual walk through the Museum.

More info HERE

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ZAGREB, 28 January 2021 - The Dukat dairy producer has donated HRK 500,000 (approx. €66,670) for residents of Sisak-Moslavina County, hit by a 6.2 magnitude earthquake on 29 December.

The financial donation was paid into a government account opened for that purpose.

The company said that it had been also regularly donating food products as well as cattle feed and protective sheeting to its subcontractors in the area.

Dukat also announced the launching of a special, socially responsible project to provide long-term assistance to the earthquake victims and help them return to their homes as soon as possible.

ZAGREB, 28 January 2021 - Over the past 24 hours, Croatia has registered 619 new cases of the coronavirus infection and 30 deaths linked to COVID-19, the national COVID-19 response team said on Thursday.

The number of active cases now stands at 3,173. Among them are 1,326 people who have been hospitalised, including 128 on ventilators.

Currently 15,505 people are self-isolating.

To date 1,175,831 people have been tested, including 5,994 in the last 24 hours.

Since 25 February 2020, when Croatia registered its first case, 230,978 people have contracted the novel virus, 4,943 of whom have died.

A total of 222,962 people have recovered, including 466 over the past 24 hours.

ZAGREB, 28 January 2021 - The Croatian Employers Association (HUP) said on Thursday the measures to help the economy should be extended for as long as the consequences of the coronavirus crisis were felt.

HUP said in a press release it would continue to negotiate with the government on new measures given that the current ones were in place until the end of February, adding that the uncertainty was not good either for employers or their workers.

The shorter working hours measure was adopted at HUP's initiative and is in place until the end of the year, which provides for "transparency and predictability in doing business," the press release said, adding that it was "a good example of adopting measures in agreement with the business sector" and that it "saved tens of thousands of jobs."

In upcoming meetings, HUP will ask for the existing measures to be extended after February, for as long as the economic consequences of the coronavirus crisis are present, as well as for support to all with drops in turnover and revenue, regardless of whether they are formally not allowed to work, the press release said.

January 28, 2021 - The latest news for flights to Croatia as Windrose operates to four Croatian destinations this summer. 

Croatian Aviation reports that Windrose Airlines, a Ukrainian airline that has made a major expansion in the region in the past few months, has announced a summer flight schedule for Croatia.

Windrose will operate at four Croatian airports this summer, connecting Kyiv directly with Pula, Split, Dubrovnik, and Zagreb.

Kyiv to Pula
The Kyiv - Pula - Kyiv line will operate from June 5 to September 25 this year. Three flights a week will be available on this route every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday from mid-June. On Tuesdays and Saturdays, A321 aircraft will operate between Kyiv and Pula, while on Thursdays, the two mentioned cities will be connected by smaller capacity aircraft - E145.

Kyiv - Split
On the same date, the line to Split will start operating, and as the line to Pula, it will operate three times a week, on the same days (Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays). A321 aircraft have been announced on Thursdays and Saturdays, while E145s will operate on Mondays.

Dubrovnik only once a week
In the summer of 2020, Windrose launched the Kyiv-Dubrovnik line, which will continue to operate this summer. The first flight is announced on June 18, once a week, every Friday. E145 aircraft will operate on the route.

There is no increase in Zagreb
The Kyiv - Zagreb line was introduced in the winter flight schedule 2020/2021. The company currently operates on this route twice a week, and although it had announced an increase in the number of weekly flights, it never came to fruition. The company has temporarily given up on that plan and will continue to operate between Zagreb and Kyiv twice a week, on Wednesdays and Sundays, this summer as well. On the route to Zagreb, Windrose will use E145 and ATR75 aircraft.

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ZAGREB, 28 January 2021 - Croatia's Seismological Survey registered a magnitude 3.0 earthquake near Petrinja at 0038 hours on Thursday.

A magnitude 6.2 quake struck the area on 29 December, killing seven and causing enormous damage.

ZAGREB, 28 January 2021 - Over 30 sexual harassment cases, more than are reported in a year, have come to light in Croatia recently as victims of sexual abuse, rape and harassment have begun sharing their painful experiences as part of the regional Me Too movement.

Ever since Serbian actress Milena Radulović publicly said she was raped by her acting professor Miroslav Aleksić, anonymous testimonies from victims of sexual violence are spreading on social media as part of the "I didn't ask for it" and "You are not alone" initiatives. Many have shared their experiences of sexual harassment, including rape, by stating their full names.

The "I didn't ask for it" Facebook page was launched by four former Sarajevo Academy of Dramatic Art students - Ana Tikvić, Nadine Mičić, Asja Krsmanović and Matea Mavrak.

Mičić has told Hina the decision to create a platform for anonymously sharing such traumatic experiences came after Radulović's testimony.

Shocking numbers, time for red alert

She says that a week ago they "naively thought this isn't widespread in such numbers," yet their page has brought together 40,000 people who, she adds, have the same goal, to read something that reminds them of their story and go public with it.

"What we see, and what its perfectly clear to the public too, is that the numbers are shocking," Mičić says, adding that 1,200 posts were made in one day alone.

Although only a week has gone by since the page was created, Mičić says the testimonies from persons in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Croatia "must raise the red alert" in everyone.

"It's unbelievable what persons who experienced sexual abuse, rape, harassment go through and how many women thought some things would just pass," she says, adding that there is evidently an error in the system and appealing for changing the system.

Sexual harassment complaints still coming

In Croatia, the regional Me Too movement has also launched a wave of complaints of sexual harassment in educational institutions and the workplace.

The Academy of Dramatic Art in Zagreb has received 27 complaints of sexual harassment and molestation, while two professors at Zagreb's Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences and Faculty of Veterinary Medicine have been suspended.

Earlier this week the border police commissioner in Gruda, Matko Klarić, was fired for sexually harassing his female subordinates.

According to Interior Ministry statistics, 35 sexual harassment cases were registered in 2019 and 30 in 2018.

Gender Equality Ombudsperson Višnja Ljubičić says over 30 cases of harassment are publicly registered. "We still don't have the exact data for the past week with regard to sexual harassment complaints. The complaints are still coming," she has told Hina.