News

January the 22nd, 2022 - Boris Vujcic has revealed all of the locations at which the Croatian kuna can be exchanged for the euro as the country edges closer to Eurozone entry. As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and CNB Governor Boris Vujcic addressed the public at a recent session of the Council for the Introduction of the Euro as the Official Currency, held at the National and University Library. Plenkovic: There are many advantages for citizens "Why is the introduction of the euro good? There are benefits for our citizens. Currency risks will disappear. The euro will bring…

ZAGREB, 21 Jan 2022 - Serbian media outlets on Friday cited excerpts from a statement by Serbia's ministry of culture and information which insists on the dual heritage of Dubrovnik's literature, with Belgrade interpreting it as something that does not negate the fact that it also belongs to the Croatian heritage. Serbia recently passed a law on cultural heritage which lays claim to the literature created in the 1358 -1808 Republic of Dubrovnik. The adoption of the law was met with condemnation in Croatia. Today, Foreign and European Affairs Minister Gordan Grlić Radman said that Serbia would suffer in its EU accession negotiations the consequences…

ZAGREB, 21 Jan 2022 - The main Zagreb Stock Exchange (ZSE) indices fell sharply on Friday, weakening for the second consecutive day. The Crobex on Friday declined by 1.86% to 2,164 points, weakening for the second day in a row, and it ended the week in the red, decreasing by 0.31% on the week and ending its eight-week winning streak. The Crobex10 fell by 1.3% to 1,323 points, but it went up by 0.23% on the week. All sector indices slumped on Friday, with the construction index dropping the most, by 4.12%. Regular turnover surpassed HRK 16 million, which is…

January 21st, 2022 - With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, the tranquil coastal town in Croatia is getting featured in international media as a perfect destination for a romantic getaway When it comes to romantic getaway destinations for Valentine’s Day, Opatija sure seems to be on everyone's minds. This time last year, Forbes magazine included the beautiful town in the Northern Adriatic in their list of the most romantic destinations in Europe. With this year’s romantic holiday approaching, Opatija gets a nod from the travel magazine Trips to Discover, making it onto their list of 15 romantic travel ideas for a…

ZAGREB, 21 Jan 2022 - A survey of COVID-19 testing in hospitals shows that tests came back positive almost three times more among the unvaccinated staff and that booster shots provide special protection, the Croatian Institute of Public Health said on Friday. The survey was aimed at establishing the difference in positive PCR and rapid antigen tests between fully vaccinated healthcare workers and those not vaccinated. The survey covered 1,371 workers in 12 hospitals, of whom 831 were vaccinated (60.61%) and 540  were unvaccinated, and 3.95 tests were done per worker on average. Among those vaccinated, 57 were positive (6.86%), while among those not vaccinated, 101…

ZAGREB, 21 Jan 2022 - At the end of the third quarter of 2021 the public debt to GDP ratio in the EU and euro area decreased, reflecting an accelerated economic recovery from the corona crisis, and Croatia was among the most successful in lowering the debt-to-GDP ratio, according to the data provided by Eurostat on Friday. Economic activity in the EU and the euro area picked up strongly last summer thanks to intensive vaccination rollout programs coupled with the relaxation of anti-epidemic measures. Governments stepped up borrowing to finance support measures for enterprises and households and accelerated economic recovery resulted in a lower…

ZAGREB, 21 Jan 2022 - European countries should assume greater responsibility for their own security through NATO and the EU given that the United States "is increasingly preoccupied with the Indo-Pacific and China," Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlić Radman said on Friday. "Because of all that as well as the fact that we no longer live in stable post-Cold War times, the EU can no longer rely only on soft security instruments, but must develop capabilities for independent crisis management, including military ones," he said in a Conference on the Future of Europe debate in Pula. Still, he added, Croatia "clearly sees NATO as the…

ZAGREB, 21 Jan 2022 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković attended a Croatian Island Product award ceremony for 2020 and 2021 in the town of Pag on Pag island on Friday, saying it was a great example of promoting the economy, cuisine, and farm products. The Croatian Island Product designation is awarded by the Regional Development and EU Funds Ministry. For 2020, it was given to 27 producers for 45 products and for 2021, to 23 producers for 78 products. The designation is given to applied arts and design products, chemical products, foodstuffs, and beverages. To date, the designation has been given to…

ZAGREB, 21 Jan 2022 - The Ministry of Culture and Media has approved HRK 410,000 (€54,600) in support of book stores as part of a call to finance public needs in 2022, the ministry said in a press release on Friday. Ten book stores applied for funding for literary programs and the ministry has decided to co-finance nine beneficiaries. The highest grant of HRK 75,000 (€10,000) )will go to the Giardini2 book club in Pula. The funds are granted to help pay for guest appearances by authors and translators, book signing events, programs to promote reading, workshops, and book clubs. Book…

ZAGREB, 21 Jan 2022 - The Central State Office for Reconstruction and Housing on Friday said that it had advertised two public tenders for the construction of a total of 60 standard brick houses, with nine and eight bids have been submitted for them respectively. The office notes that it has received 490 decisions from the Ministry of Physical Planning, Construction, and State Assets and now the situation in the field needs to be determined. Documents are being prepared for 160 family houses and a tender for these should be advertised by the end of February the office said in a press release.…