Business

January the 7th, 2021 - The recent Petrinja earthquake rounded off an absolutely horrendous 2020 for Croatia which was dominated by a global pandemic. Investments in Sisak-Moslavina County, some of them very pressing, have now had keys placed in their locks. As Vedran Marjanovic/Novac writes, the catastrophic Petrinja earthquake stopped investments in their very tracks in the affected areas of Sisak-Moslavina County. This includes those co-financed from European Union funds carrying a total value, according to local leaders, of close to one billion kuna. One of the largest ongoing EU projects in the Banovina region is, for example, the improvement…

January the 6th, 2021 - Last year put the nail in the coffin for many a would-be entrepreneurial venture, but not everything is quite so bleak. The continental Croatian town of Koprivnica, for example, is making quite the name for itself when it comes to stimulating the growth of Croatian enterprises of various types. As Novac writes, the economic crisis caused by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has hit the tourism-reliant Croatian economy extremely hard, there is practically no sector that hasn't been affected, but even in these extraordinary circumstances there are those who have found the knowledge, energy and new…

January the 6th, 2021 - Very few people will remember the utter disaster that was 2020 with fondness. A return to the economic level of 2019 is now not expected until 2022, or even 2023. How is A1 Croatia planning to push economic growth forward, all while maintaining social and environmental responsibility? As Novac writes, as has been estimated, the fall in Croatia's GDP could be eight to nine percent, and the growth in 2021 will be equal to about five percent. The coronavirus pandemic has pushed the telecommunications sector into an unappealing corner much like it has with the…

January the 5th, 2021 - 2020 was the year of an unprecedented global coronavirus pandemic, the Zagreb earthquake, tremendous economic downturn and to mark the end of it, another horrific earthquake in central Croatia which affected a large area. It wouldn't be a lie to say that last year was a disaster for almost everyone in some way or another, but despite the uncertainty and difficulties which continue to reign strong, Osijek luxury construction continues. Eastern Croatia is known for having been seriously neglected for many, many years. Much like central Croatia and the areas which were hit by the…

January 5, 2021 – After a donation of 2 million kuna, A1 Croatia gives its customers 120 GB of additional free internet traffic to make communication easier for earthquake-affected area residents. A1 Croatia provides 120 GB of additional free internet traffic on their A1 mobile lines for users whose homes have been damaged. Also, on Tomato lines, A1 gives a free option of 500 min/SMS. All business users from the affected area will receive 150 GB of free data traffic in January, A1 Croatia reported. Users who cannot use A1 services due to damage can either put it into "sleep…

January the 4th, 2021 - The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has been the topic of endless conversation since it began last year. With measures still in place, could Istria County have plans to get things moving again? As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, since the beginning of the pandemic, those in the hospitality and catering sector have been among the most vocal against the repeated an ever strict anti-epidemiological measures and closures. They say that this crisis has brought them to the very brink when it comes to survival, local portal Glas Istre writes. Recently, the Chief of the Istrian Civil Protection Headquarters…

January the 4th, 2021 - A Hungarian company is set to enter the Croatian gas market through the much talked about Krk terminal. As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the purchase of liquefied natural gas through the Krk terminal will provide the Hungarian company MVM with direct access to new resources and clients and entry into the wider Croatian gas market, the group announced on the occasion of unloading their first shipment. The Krk terminals commercial operations finally began on January the 1st this year with the docking of the tanker "Tristar Ruby", which delivered 155 thousand cubic metres of liquefied gas…

Thanks to a good pre-crisis initial capitalisation, Croatia's banks have enough potential to continue to provide all the services they have provided so far, but should future EU cash injections go to the Croatian private sector for investments? As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 3rd of January, 2021, although the second wave of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic is now at its peak, announcements of an effective vaccine and the expected natural calming down of the spread of infection with the arrival of spring 2021 gives us hope that all of those promises of domestic economic recovery will come true. At…

January 3, 2021 - While 2020 was a terrible year for most, there were plenty of success stories in Croatia. For some, such as the business-friendly Bjelovar Mayor, Dario Hrebak, it was the most successful year in his city's history. It is almost a year since I wrote the most unlikeliest of titles in the modern Croatia - Seeds of Change: My City is Corruption-Free, Claims Croatian Mayor. Bjelovar Mayor Dario Hrebak appeared to be a mayor with a different agenda than the ones I was used to in local politicians - lining their pockets, rewarding party loyalists and cousins with…

January the 3rd, 2020 - The much talked about Rijeka Port Chinese investment has been forced to stop owing to pressure from both the European Union and from across the Atlantic from the United States of America, who do not want the Chinese there for strategic reasons. As Morski/Josip Bohutinski writes, the Rijeka Port Authority has annulled the tender for a concession worth a massive 20.5 billion kuna despite the fact that two binding offers had been received for that tender from global players in the field of port management. The problem was that one offer, and ironically the best one…