News

ZAGREB, 27 Aug 2021 - Croatia's GDP growth of more than 16% in Q2 2021 shows that the country's economy is recovering faster than expected, and that confirms that the government has responded strongly to the crisis, ensuring economic stability in the current pandemic, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Friday. The Croatian Bureau of Statistics (DZS) on Friday published its preliminary estimate showing that GDP in Q2 grew by 16.1% from the same period of 2020. This is the first time the country's GDP has grown after going down for four consecutive quarters and it has grown at the highest rate since 1996, when the…

ZAGREB, 27 Aug 2021 - A travelling exhibition on Yugoslav monument art opened at Zagreb's Miroslav Kraljević Gallery on Thursday. Entitled "Architecture. Sculpture. Memory. The art of monuments of Yugoslavia 1945–1991", the exhibition, featuring photos of 33 monuments or memorial complexes from the former Yugoslavia, premiered at the Dessa Gallery in Ljubljana, Slovenia, in 2020. "In the architecture and art of ex-Yugoslavia, the monuments to the victims of the People's Liberation War stand out," the Miroslav Kraljević Gallery said. The authors of those monuments were renowned Yugoslav architects, urbanists and sculptors such as  Bogdan Bogdanović, Edvard Ravnikar, Vojin Bakić, Dušan Džamonja and Zdenko Kolacio. Instead of the regime's symbolism, their creations…

ZAGREB, 27 Aug 2021 - Only one in ten people who have found a job this year have been given permanent work contracts while 90% have found short or fixed-term jobs, Večernji List daily said on Friday, noting that despite the crisis, 2021 saw the fewest dismissals so far. With the present share of insecure and short-term work Croatia has been holding the European record for years. In the first seven months of 2021 permanent work contracts were signed by slightly less than 9,500 previously employed persons while 83,000 signed fixed-term contracts, the daily says. Labour market fluctuations are common but mass-scale…

ZAGREB, 27 Aug 2021 - Cafes will be allowed to reopen their indoor sections as of 1 September, on the condition they comply with epidemiological restrictions to be defined by the public health institute, the head of the national COVID-19 response team, Davor Božinović, said on Friday. Answering questions at a news conference, he said that cafes would continue to work until midnight, but that not all details regarding the reopening of their indoor sections or discos had been defined. Božinović noted that in all talks held so far, cafe owners had presented firm guarantees that their guests and employees would comply…

ZAGREB, 27 Aug 2021 - In the past 24 hours, 596 new coronavirus cases and two COVID-19-related deaths have been registered in Croatia, the national COVID-19 crisis management team said on Friday, noting that 9,532 tests were conducted in that period. There are 372 hospitalised patients, including 47 on ventilators. The number of active cases stands at 3,353 and 7,295 persons are self-isolating. Since 25 February 2020, when the first case of the disease was reported in Croatia, 372,219 people have been infected, of whom 8,318 have died. A total of 360,548 people have recovered, including 494 in the last 24 hours. To date,…

 August 27, 2021 - The miracle town of Ludbreg will be celebrating Croatia's only miracle certified by the Vatican - a look at the rich religious programme for Holy Sunday 2021. Croatia is a very Catholic country, and yet I am constantly surprised at how few locals, even the religious ones, can name the only miracle in the country which has been certified by the Vatican.  As more than a million pilgrims head to the unrecognised Medjugorje in nearby Herzegovina each year, interest in Croatia's actual miracle goes largely unnoticed, apart the first weekend of September.  Having lived in Jelsa…

August 27, 2021 - The Europa League draw was held today in Istanbul, with Dinamo in Group H against Genk, West Ham, and Rapid Wien.  After being relegated from the Champions League playoffs by Moldovan club Sheriff (0-3, 0-0), Dinamo was placed in the first strong group of the Europa League draw and today learned the rivals that stand in their way to a new European spring. The draw in Istanbul on Friday decided that Dinamo will play in Group H of the Europa League. The Zagreb club has thus drawn Group H with Genk, West Ham, and Rapid Wien.…

August 27, 2021 - Croatia will play against France in the EuroVolley 2021 round of 16 in Belgrade on Sunday.  On the brink of defeat, Belarus came to a victory against Slovakia in four sets 3-2 (18-25, 23-25, 25-23, 30-28, 15-12), winning a spot in the European Championship round of 16. Slovakia was thus left without a spot in the knockout phase. Italy easily defeated Switzerland 3-0 (25-17, 25-18, 27-25) and confirmed first place in Group C, which was hosted by Zadar. Croatia won second place in Group C with four wins and one defeat, and will thus play against…

August 27, 2021 - Little free libraries in Croatia are a new way to encourage both locals and tourists to read in their community.  When you came back from a European holiday, you may enthusiastically tell your friends about small nooks, sometimes telephone booths, old lockers, or shop windows that showcase a selection of books. Books that are accessible to everyone. You were likely fascinated by the abundance of books and the variety and quality of the titles, and there were probably more titles available you wished to take with you! Although it started in the USA, thanks to reading enthusiasts,…

August the 27th, 2021 - Croatian festival organisers like those from Ontodei have turned towards the ever-popular beer business as the second year of festivals in Croatia being severely hindered by the pandemic shows no signs of letting up. As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes, Croatian festival organisers have had an enormous amount of time to twiddle their thumbs and sit worrying about their futures as a result of the global pandemic. Some, however, have decided to branch out. The young entrepreneurs involved with the brands Saso Mange and Freemental are not giving up despite the dire circumstances, and this summer they…