January 1, 2023 - At midnight, Schengen Croatia marked its entry into the Schengen area with the symbolic removal of the plaque at the Bregana border crossing, the lifting of the ramp, and the green light for free passage at the site of the former border control, which is now going down in history. "We opened the door to a Europe without borders," said Minister of the Interior Davor Božinović in Bregana. "Tonight, he added, we celebrate a new day, a new year, a new Europe with Croatia in Schengen."

As Index writes, at the beginning of 2023, Croatia became a new member of the Schengen zone, the largest area of free movement of goods and people in the world, which includes all the members of the European Union, except for Bulgaria and Romania, Cyprus, the Republic of Ireland and four other non-EU countries: Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway.

On this occasion, on New Year's Eve, special ceremonies were held at numerous border crossings with Slovenia and Hungary, including one of the largest crossings on the Croatian-Slovenian border, Bregana-Obrežje.

Borders have stood there for too long

Minister Božinović hosted Slovenian Minister Sanja Ajanović Hovnik, while Acting Chief Director of Slovenian Police Boštjan Lindav joined Chief Police Director Nikola Milina.

"There are no more borders that stood between our neighbors and us for too long, the natural environment to which we belong both as a people and as a country," Božinović said.

He assessed that last night's act is more than the abolition of border controls: It is the final affirmation of our European identity, for which generations of Croats fought and ultimately won. He thanked the Slovenian minister and delegation for sharing moments of joy and pride. "Happy new year in Schengen to all of you!"

The Slovenian minister considered it a historical event. "Just as we symbolically set borders about 30 years ago, we are removing them now. However, this does not mean that security will decrease since we have thoroughly prepared for this moment in both countries," said Ajanović Hovnik.

After a short meeting of the ministers, at midnight, a ramp was simultaneously lifted on both sides of the border, which enabled free passage between the neighbouring countries. The lifting of the ramp on the Slovenian side was followed via a video wall.

Five minutes before midnight, the police officers at Bregana carried out the last border control, along with an appropriate gift - a teddy bear dressed in the uniform of a Croatian policeman.

In addition to the ramp, the sign with the inscription "Bergana Border Police Station" was removed, but just before that, the last report of the station chief was recorded, in which he informed the police officers to stop implementing border controls and move on to the tasks of compensatory measures.

The two countries' delegations then headed to the Slovenian side, to the area of the former Obrežje border crossing, where the chiefs of police stations and police officers thanked each other for their cooperation so far, with the symbolic removal of plaques from the police building in Obrežje. In the first 15 minutes after midnight, a dozen cars entered Slovenia without control from Croatia, greeting the assembled police officers with the sound of their horns.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated Travel section.

December 32, 2022 - Though it has been visited by more than half a million visitors from Croatia and abroad since its opening in 2015, the Vucedol Culture Museum remains one of Europe's most underrated museums. The stunning architecture, unique location, the modern exhibition and exciting events deserve all the attention. A place with a soul like that, though, will no doubt go a long way.

As Glas Slavonije writes, the archaeological site of Vučedol is one of the most significant archaeological sites in Europe. For visitors of all generations who want to experience something new, beautiful, and interesting, the Vucedol Culture Museum offers a new universe of discovery and inspiration, with an incomparable and unrepeatable combination of location, architecture, pleasant atmosphere, and, above all, archaeological and historical values presented in a contemporary way.

It is not surprising that from the day it opened, the museum became an important place in the tourist offer of Vukovar, so many domestic and foreign tourists who visit the city on the Danube do not miss the opportunity to learn something about the locality itself and the history of the area. The museum employees help with their knowledge and presentation of the exhibition. Furthermore, they pointed out that a few changes await the citizens in the first days of 2023 and shared some good news for the residents of Vukovar.

"From 1^st January, entry to the museum will be free for all Vukovar residents. It is enough to present an identity card as proof of residence. During the seven years since the museum's foundation, many fellow citizens have visited us, so we would like to thank them for supporting us. Also, the people of Vukovar visit the museum together with their guests and remain the best promoters of their city", pointed out the head of marketing Darko Bilandžić.

Since its opening on June 30, 2015, the museum has been visited by more than half a million visitors, making Vucedol one of the most visited museum institutions in Croatia.

During that period, it received several awards for its work and many activities in Croatia and abroad. Not so long ago, the first international scientific and professional conference on the meaning of Vučedol culture was also held in Vukovar.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated Lifestyle section.

December the 31st, 2022 - The Croatian kuna is set to enter the history books tomorrow, after being in use since May 1994 in its modern (current) form. As we prepare to bid farewell to the Croatian national currency, let's look back on its history.

Subdivided into those irritating little lipa coins, 100 of them to be exact, the Croatian kuna (coded as HRK) is minted at the Croatian mint and sent out into the country by the Croatian National Bank (CNB). The design of the Croatian kuna banknotes were by Vilko Ziljak and Miroslav Sutej, and the first series of these banknotes were dated on October the 31st, 1993. There was once even a five kuna note, which has been withdrawn since 2007.

Meaning marten (a mink type creature), the kuna's roots go back to the exchanging of marten pelts (furs, skins) back in medieval times as a form of payment for goods and services. Lipa, those small silver and golden coins which end up in everyone's back pockets and left on cafe tables because nobody really knows what to do with them, draw their name from the linden tree. These trees were planted in and around Croatian market places during the early modern period.

A brief look into the deeper history of the kuna reveals the importance of martens and their pelts back during, you guessed it, Roman times, where these pelts were collected as a form of tax. These pelts were sought after and carried a very high value, and the Croatian word, marturina, comes from precisely this. Foreign currencies and means of trade and payment were in use across Croatia for many years, but by the time 1939 rolled around, the Banovina of Croatia planned to introduce its own currency alongside Yugoslavia's dinar. A couple of years later in 1941, under Ustasa rule as the Independent State of Croatia, the Croatian kuna was born, then called the Independent State of Croatia kuna. This was the means of payment in Croatia until 1945, when it was replaced with the dinar.

Fast forward to the turbulent 1990s, Croatia was engulfed in the strife of the breakup of the well and truly failed experiment of Yugoslavia and the Croatian War of Independence broke out (Homeland War/Domovinski rat). Back then, the Croatian dinar, a somewhat short-lived currency was in circulation here, introduced in 1991 and lasting only until the final month of 1994. Then came the Croatian kuna as we know it, tied to the German mark from the very beginning.

Of course, there were those who weren't fans of calling it the Croatian kuna because the name was coined (no pun intended) by the Independent State of Croatia and was in circulation during 1941-1945, a time many people preferred to try and forget. Other names were suggested as a result, including the banica (the wife of the viceroy) and the kruna (crown). The idea that the kuna would echo back to Ustasa rule and as such be a controversial name was dismissed, and the Croatian kuna remained with its rightful title. 

The CNB's policy was keeping the Croatian kuna's fluctuations with the bloc's single currency stable, as the initial expectations for Croatia adopting the euro officially, which was four years after joining the EU in July 2013, didn't come to fruition.

Croatia adopted the Croatian kuna as we know it today in May 1994, and it has remained in circulation ever since. It will continue being permitted as legal tender until mid January, 2023, but it is officially being scrapped tomorrow, on the 1st of January, 2023, making way for the euro as the country's new currency. Croatia fulfilled all of the many requirements for Eurozone entry this year, being given the green light not only for Eurozone accession but also for Schengen entry. No country has ever managed to enter both at the same time, on the very same day.

For some, the loss of the Croatian kuna marks a loss of identity and hard-won monetary independence, and for others, the introduction of the euro means more financial and economic stability, less people who have taken out loans being victims of exchange rate fluctuations, and more protection during crises. Whichever camp you fall into, Croatia abandoning the kuna for the euro is certainly an enormous moment in history for the little country that not only could, but consistently has, in the face of whatever has been thrown at it.

For more, check out our politics section.

December the 31st, 2022 - Croatian hospitality establishments, particularly bars, restaurants and cafes have been airing the last minute concerns as we are set to introduce the euro as Croatia's official new currency tomorrow. Will they all end up being more or less exchange offices for the next two weeks or so?

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, will Croatian hospitality establishments double up as unwilling exchange offices during the first half of January? Who will have enough euro coins and cents and who won't? How will cash registers be closed on New Year's Eve? These are all questions currently troubling Croatian hospitality establishments, as with store closures, they'll be the first port of all for all euro transition confusion.

Cash problems

Dalibor Kratohvil, the president of the Croatian Chamber of Trades and Crafts (HOK), said that the state was asked, considering that on New Year's Eve there will be a lot of pressure on Croatian hospitality establishments, to continue making it possible to return the difference when giving people change in kuna.

"The Ministry answered saying that it is clearly written in the Euro Act, in Article 40, Paragraph 2, which says that in the first two weeks of January, in exceptional cases, they can return kuna, if there are no euros available to them at that moment in time,'' said Kratohvil, noting that this is only in exceptional cases such as a shortage of cash in euros.

When speaking about the concrete adaptation of the hospitality sector to the introduction of the euro, Hrvoje Margan, vice-president of the Catering Guild at the Croatian Chamber of Trades and Crafts, said that as far as the technical part is concerned, anyone who is a little more serious about things is ready for it and can do it.

"I think we're all somewhat ready and have a vision of how we'll work, and the biggest problem was that, in order to take some kind of advance supply of money, you had to have enough money in the bank account, and it's not like we're sitting on millions," he stated.

Closing the cash register

He added that IT experts did a good job and prepared the software for the transition to the euro. Thus, if and when a guest pays in kuna, the difference that they must return will be automatically converted into euros. Explaining what will happen at midnight from December the 31st (today) to January the 1st, he stated that, in order to be able to start anew on January the 1st, Croatian hospitality establishments would have to close their cash registers on December the 31st, make a calculation in kuna and then start working again. They'd then have to close all open items until then. The state, he added, came to the rescue and raised the cash limit from 10,000 kuna to 40,000 kuna for this purpose.

Clarifying what could be problematic when the euro comes into force, the vice president of the Catering Guild said that it isn't really a problem if a guest has a bill of 15 euros and pays it with a 200 kuna note, but when someone pays for a coffee of 1.60 euros with a 500 kuna note or more, then issues will arise.

"We're all afraid, not only cafe, restaurant and bar owners, but others as well, of becoming exchange offices," he stated, and when asked what about rounding up of prices and expected price increases, he added that he doesn't expect that to happen because in this situation, when people are looking at every single kuna, there isn't really much room for that.

"I don't know if any of my colleagues touched their prices at all, or if there's been price rounding, I don't expect that there will be any big price increases. Specifically, if we take for example coffee, which is now 12 kuna, it will cost 1.60 euros, or 12.07 kuna, from the New Year onwards, so there won't be a significant difference," he concluded.

For more, check out our dedicated news section.

December the 31st, 2023 - The City of Split has updated its prices in anticipation of the introduction of the euro in Croatia tomorrow, and while public transport may be cheaper, parking isn't...

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, with the introduction of the euro as this country's official currency, Split's local authorities, or more precisely two of its utility companies, decided to "round up" the prices of some utility services and, as they claim, in such a way as to benefit the end users themselves. Let's make that more simple: city car parks are now more expensive, but public transport is cheaper.

As confirmed to tportal, the prices of Split's car parks will be adjusted to higher amounts with the introduction of the euro, and the winter regime going forward will be similar to what it is currently, one euro in the first zone, while in the summer period, one hour of parking will cost 1.5 euros. A special item on this particular list is the car park on the Riva (promenade) itself, which will be significantly more expensive: from the current 15 kuna (equal to about two euros) for the first hour and 20 kuna for each subsequent hour to slightly more in the winter period (two euros for the first hour, and three euros for the next hour).

However, from the months of May to September, parking on Split's famous Riva will cost 4 euros for the first hour and as much as 5 euros for each subsequent hour.

"However, most of the other prices have actually remained the same: parking in public garages isn't going to increase in price, the price of tenant subscriptions won't change either," they explained to tportal from "Split parking". They then once again announced the intensification of the construction of new public garages in different Split city districts: one has just kicked off as far as construction is concerned, another is due in about three months, and several more are planned throughout the year.

In parallel with the increase in the price of parking, public transport in Split is becoming cheaper: a monthly ticket for the first zone, which until recently cost 290 kuna, will cost the people of Split 30 euros in the future, equal to around 226 kuna. The difference from the actual price, which is set at 35 euros, so about five euros, will be subsidised by the company "Promet" from Split's own city budget.

It is this company that recently implemented a new ticketing system, meaning it's now possible to buy a ticket for the use of Split#s city buses in several different ways - at card machines, through a mobile application, on prepaid cards and the like. They will be slightly cheaper from the current eight kuna, costing around one euro in 2023.

For more, check out our news section.

December 30, 2022 - Two years ago, the devastating Banovina earthquake struck the Sisak-Moslavina area of Central Croatia. How well has the state done in tackling the consequences? Horrifically poorly, according to many...

The SECOND anniversary of the devastating earthquake in Banija came with the dissatisfaction of the victims, but also of the participants in the reconstruction, which Prime Minister Andrej Plenković called "unbelievably slow," writes Index. Though we briefly covered the complex topic in A Week in Croatian Politics, read along for a more detailed overview.

Two years ago, on Tuesday, December 29, at 12:19 p.m., the area around Petrinja was hit by a devastating earthquake of magnitude 6.2, followed by a series of other earthquakes. The earthquake took the lives of seven people, leaving behind sad scenes of destroyed houses, commercial facilities, and public buildings in Petrinja, Sisak, Glina, and surrounding towns.

Many citizens from all over Croatia came to the aid of the residents who lost their homes in an instant on the same day, collecting and donating food, preparing meals, and clearing the ruins...

Citizens themselves brought food and other necessities in their cars, numerous volunteers and groups of younger people with shovels were seen in the earthquake-affected area helping the local population clear the terrain.

Two years later, the consequences of the earthquake are still apparent in many unrenovated houses in numerous villages and in Glina and Petrinja, where the reconstruction of the city centre has not started, but scaffolding and work on the first of 26 buildings are expected early next year.

In the area of Glina, 700 containers have been placed in which people from houses with red and yellow stickers (poor state of the buildings) are still waiting for structural renovation or replacement houses. Among them are people who do not have their own properties, so they are waiting for some other suitable accommodation.

In the Petrinja area, which has lost 5,000 residents since the last census, many people live in container settlements and containers next to their houses. Currently, about 1,600 of them are in the entire city and 212 in three container settlements.

The residents of the destroyed homes are dissatisfied because most of them are still waiting in containers to return to the renovated houses. The completion of the renovation of the houses is not yet in sight, though, as there are still many bureaucratic windmills left to fight. The government members are dissatisfied because the planned structural renovation of houses and the construction of replacement houses and residential buildings has not gained the expected momentum, despite the amendments to the Law on Reconstruction from October 2021, in which great hopes were placed.

Plenković's recent statement that the reconstruction of Banija "is going unbelievably slowly" fueled speculations about the resignation of Minister Paladina, who took up his post in March after the resignation of former Minister Darko Horvat. However, Paladina claimed that the "unbeleivably slow reconstruction" statement did not apply to him and was misinterpreted. The statement refers, he clarified, to the fact that the structural renovation of houses and buildings and the construction of replacement houses are not progressing at a sufficiently high-quality pace, which he has been saying for months.

"Only when we start renovating 100 houses a month we can be satisfied. I've been saying this for more than three, four months. The Prime Minister's statement refers to that part of the renovation that must be accelerated," he said.

Number of houses built in two years - 6

Only a few were lucky enough to return to their homes because, so far, the state has secured that all of six replacement houses are built in the entire county. Another 109 are currently under construction, while 16 multi-apartment buildings are under construction as part of the competitiveness and cohesion operational program.

Not a single building was renovated in the organised structural renovation, and the Central State Office, responsible for that county, completed the public tender procedure for 50 structural renovations.

According to statements from the area, most buildings were renovated thanks to donations. For example, in the area of Glina, 45 buildings were bought or built from donations, while the state has so far built six houses in the entire county, of which only one is in the area of Glina.

In the Zagreb area, which was hit by an earthquake measuring 5.5 on the Richter scale on Sunday, March 22, 2020, at 6:24, 25 structural renovations are underway, while 14 structural and 2227 non-structural renovations have been completed.

The renovation of public buildings is going better. From the Solidarity Fund, which is open until June 30 next year for the reconstruction of public buildings, 10 percent of the amount was realised in March, and now that share has risen to 40 percent.

Claims were submitted for compensation in the amount of HRK 2.6 billion.

New measures tackling numerous obstacles

Obstacles in the renovation of houses are numerous, from complicated "paperwork" and the application process to the lack of labour, rising prices of construction materials, and property-legal relations.

At the end of July, the Ministry adopted a new Program of Measures for the Reconstruction of Earthquake-Damaged Buildings, which improved the model of financial assistance, i.e., self-renovation, according to which the property owner who opts for the self-renovation model assumes the choice of the contractor and supervision. It also allows the owner to ensure the creation of the architectural design.

The most significant measure is the payment of advances to users who cannot provide their own funds. For example, for the first phase of self-renovation, an advance payment for the costs of creating a project for structural self-renovation of houses, as well as an advance for the execution of works worth 25 percent of the financial aid, is possible, while for buildings, the payment of the entire amount of financial assistance is possible.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated News section.

December 30, 2022 - Looking for a job in Croatia? A new weekly feature on TCN, in partnership with leading job site agency, Posao.hr, who present a selection of weekly job listings.

How hard is it to find a job in Croatia, and what is on offer?

We spoke to Ines Bokan, director of leading jobs site Posao.hr, who kindly took the time for this excellent interview overview.  

Ines has kindly agreed to work with us on a new weekly feature on TCN - a weekly selection of 10 job listings, as chosen by Posao.hr.  Details and links to the job opportunities below in the latest edition of this feature.

Eumetsat is hiring a Remote Sensing Scientist – Hyperspectral Infrared Level-2 Products (m/f) for work in Darmstadt, Germany. The company is offering an excellent salary of up to 7.500 € net per month, flexible working time, private medical coverage, and much more. Apply via this link by Feb 2^nd.

Falkensteiner Hotelmanagement d.o.o. is looking or a Event Marketing Manager (m/f) in Zadar, Croatia. The company is offering a competitive salary, all-inclusive onboarding, an employee discount, and much more. Apply by Jan 20^th by clicking here.

Future HR is hiring a Camping Resort Manager / Technical Supervisor (m/f) in Zagreb, Croatia. If you are familiar with the Tourism industry, have at least 4 years of experience in the relevant areas and proven experience managing social media accounts and websites, this is a great opportunity for you! Apply here until Jan 4^th.

Next Step career network is hiring a Children Animator (m/f) in Austria. The net monthly salary is 1.700 €, with 14 full salaries a year and 48-hour weeks. All the details are available here, and applications are open until Jan 20^th.

Adecco Hrvatska d.o.o. is hiring a German Speaking Customer Service Representative (m/f) for their client for work in Zagreb, Croatia. If you are proficient in English and German, and you know how to use a computer well, this is a great chance for you! Click here for more details about the listing and submit your application by Jan 1^st!

CCPOTER Sp. z.o.o. is looking for a Sales Advisor with Croatian (m/f) for remote work. Other than 100% work-from-home benefits, they are also offering a competitive basic salary with attractive sales bonuses, flexible working hours, and more! Apply here by Jan 24^th.

Workforce Ljudski Potencijali d.o.o. is hiring a Business Analyst (m/f) in Hum na Sutli, Croatia or Vojnić, Croatia. If you have a Master’s in economics or mathematics, strong organizational and writing skills and advances English communication skills, this is a great opportunity for you. Apply here until Jan 5^th!

Gi Group Staffing Solutions is hiring a Junior Architect (m/f) in Zagreb, Croatia, for their client, Paradox Museum. If you would love to create innovative designs in line with the company mission and deliver comprehensive and detailed projects, this is a great opportunity for you! Apply here until Jan 9^th.

Strabag BRVZ d.o.o. is looking for a Linux System-Administrator / DevOps (m/f) for work in Zagreb, Croatia or Belgrade, Serbia. The company is offering a chance to work in a global, multinational working environment with a strong team spirit, a competitive salary, and much more. Apply until Jan 15th by clicking here!

Pfizer Inc. is hiring a Healthcare representative (m/f) in Zagreb, Croatia. You can expect to grow with Pfizer, and to work in an environment which appreciates diversity, equity, and inclusion. Apply by Jan 24^th via this link.

For more career options and job listings, visit posao.hr.

These weekly job listings will appear in the weekly TCN newsletter - you can subscribe here.

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December 30, 2022 - After all Croatian citizens deposit their Croatian kuna and lipa in the banks, there will be enough money in physical form to pave 50 kilometres of road or mark the way from the bottom to the top of Mount Everest. But, of course, the banks will not do that, and this huge physical mass of money will be used for isolation purposes. For reference, the estimate is that there will be 5,200 tonnes of coins, which is the weight of 124 Zagreb trams. There will also be more than 500 million banknotes.

As 24Sata writes, in order not to further pollute the environment by burning banknotes that contain colouring, they will not be burned but shredded into pieces smaller than a millimeter. They will then be used as insulation in public construction works. After 28 years, which is how long the Croatian kuna has served in Croatia, it will be concreted into the country's history, literally. 

"When it's replaced with the euro, there will be the same amount of money in circulation as when the kuna was around. So, for example, the number of 100  Croatian kuna banknotes will be replaced by a proportional number of 10 and 20 euro banknotes", explains Tihomir Mavricek, the executive director of the cash sector of the CNB for Hina.

Fun fact, the Croatian kuna proved to be a fairly safe banknote that was not often counterfeited, as confirmed by the CNB. They explain that 200 kuna denominations were the most counterfeited, about a hundred per year. For example, in 2019, 506 banknotes were counterfeited, 157 in 2020, and 198 in 2021. For comparison, 4,280 euro banknotes were counterfeited in 2019, 237 in 2020, and 228 in 2021. Counterfeit money directly damages the person who receives such a note.

The withdrawal of kuna surpluses began in September. Around that period after each tourist season, surplus kuna is usually withdrawn into the vaults. The amount has increased this year. The kuna will be withdrawn gradually, banknotes can be changed indefinitely, and coins for three years. The CNB clarified that they know how much money they will print and mint each year. The cash cycle of money in the CNB starts from planning the needs for banknotes and coins for the following year. It depends on many factors, such as inflation, expected growth rates, etc.

Then the CNB orders money from printing shops and places where kuna and lipa are minted. From the CNB vault, it is shipped by trucks accompanied by special agents to eight cash centres in Croatia. Banks are supplied with cash from these centres, planning their needs daily depending on client announcements and the needs of the ATM network. Over the past 11 years, the amount of money in circulation has doubled and reached a level between HRK 41 and 42 billion. Mavricek says this was influenced by the increase in the standard and accumulated inflation. In recent months, businesses and citizens have had around HRK 30 billion in circulation. It will all become insulation.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated Lifestyle section.