ZAGREB, 27 June 2022 - The European Union is trying to slash its gas imports from Russia, and therefore the topic of building the 1,900-kilometre Eastern Mediterranean (EastMed) natural gas pipeline to connect the gas reserves off Israel and Cyprus via Greece and Italy to other EU members is again on the agenda.

Geologist Avraam Zelilidis, a professor at the University of Patras and one of the advocates of this project, has recently told Hina that this project could save the Greeks since the continuation of fuel price hikes might push many citizens into extreme poverty.

For the sake of comparison, Greek companies are the most exposed in the EU to losses and bankruptcy due to the energy crunch, shows an analysis of the European Investment Bank (EIB). In Greece, the EIB’s analysis sees a 27.6% projected increase in the share of firms reporting losses.

Professor Zelilidis told Hina that in his opinion great reserves of natural gas and petroleum are also offshore Greece.

However, so far Greek authorities have seemed reticent about the project. At the first stage of the EastMed project, the EU could cover 10% of its energy needs in this way.

The reasons for reticence seem to be the opposition of Greek shipping companies that currently make a profit on the transport of the imported oil supplies. In addition, there are some environmental fears.

However, the head of the Nicosia-headquartered Isotech Ltd. Research and Consultancy, Xenia Loizidou, has told Hina that every gas pipeline poses a risk to the marine environment but in this case, the issue is no longer environmental but political.

Profesor Zelilidis says that at the later stages this gas pipeline could meet 40% of the EU's needs for gas supplies.

The idea of the EastMed project was supported by the European Commission nine years ago as the Project of Common Interest (PCI).

In 2019, Greece, Cyprus and Israel signed a Tel Aviv agreement on the matter.

The project is being developed by IGI Poseidon, a 50:50 joint venture between the Public Gas Corporation of Greece (DEPA) and Italy's Edison International Holding.

In 2020, Italy confirmed its interest in having a branch of the pipeline passing through its territory.

However, there has been some opposition from Turkey to the project as Ankara complains that the selected pipeline route bypasses the long Turkish coastline to deliver gas from the eastern Mediterranean to Europe. Turkey also alleges that the pipeline project ignores its equal rights over the natural resources in Cypriot territorial waters.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has made all routes that can reduce dependence on Russian fossil fuels topical again.

New geopolitical and energy market reality

In light of the new geopolitical and energy market reality, on 15 June in Cairo, European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson, together with the competent Egyptian and Israeli ministers signed a trilateral Memorandum of Understanding between the EU, Egypt and Israel for the export of natural gas to Europe.

During her participation in the Three Seas Initiative summit meeting in Riga, Commissioner Simson noted that the initial project of the EastMed could be altered, and in this context she mentioned the Aphrodite gas field, the first gas field to be discovered and granted a production license in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, offshore Cyprus.

There is a possibility for the Aphrodite gas field, after it starts operating, to be connected to Egypt and that LNG supplies are then transported to Europe, said Simson in Riga, noting that the construction of the pipeline could take more time. 

Croatia and Cyprus can assist in Europe's energy independence

During his visit to Cyprus in mid-May, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovič met with said that President Nicos Anastasiades, who said that Cyprus can help the European Union achieve energy independence. Plenković underscored that the LNG terminal on Krk Island would have a big role in that.

The two officials discussed the energy crisis in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Anastasiades spoke about energy interconnection projects in the eastern Mediterranean, between north Africa and Europe, and about the EastMed gas pipeline which should connect Cyprus with Europe via Greece.

That island state has in recent years discovered significant offshore gas deposits, and the proposed project is still being analyzed to test its economic feasibility, said Anastasiades.

It can help Europe's energy diversification, he told a news conference.

Addressing the news conference in Nicosia, Plenković underlined that the LNG terminal on Krk Island would have a significant role in achieving Europe's energy security. Thought is being given currently to increasing its capacity and not just for Croatia but for the needs of countries in Central Europe, he said.

Croatia can become an energy hub in the north Adriatic for gas and oil, said Plenković. He underscored on that occasion that Europe has to find a new, long-term sustainable alternative to Russia's energy products at an affordable price.

For more, check out our politics section.

ZAGREB, 27 June 2022 - In the past 24 hours, there have been 31 new cases of coronavirus infection recorded in Croatia and two people have died as a consequence, the national COVID response team reported on Monday.

There are currently 3,452 active cases in the country and 228 patients are in hospital treatment, with 7 of them being attached to ventilators.

Since 25 February 2020, when the first case was identified in Croatia, there have been a total of 1,145,521 cases of contagion registered and 16,052 people have died as a consequence while 1,126,017 recoveries have been registered.

For everything you need to know about coronavirus specific to Croatia, bookmark our dedicated section and select your preferred language if it isn't English.

June 27, 2022 - Croatia beat Georgia 13:7 in the FINA World Championships round of 16 in Hungary on Monday. They will face Serbia next in the quarterfinals. 

The Croatia water polo team met Georgia in the round of 16 at the FINA World Championships in Hungary on Monday. Croatia had no right to make a mistake, as a defeat would leave them without a fight for a medal. Winning this match would also mean a quarterfinal match against Serbia later this week.

Due to the suspension, coach Ivica Tucak could not count on Rino Burić. Georgia was also no easy opponent with several foreigners on the national team. Among them is one Croatian, Marko Jelača.

Match Report

1st quarter

Croatia won the sprint and the first attack of the match, which Bukic scored for 1:0. Georgia equalized for 1:1 with 6:49 on the clock. Kharkov put Croatia ahead for 2:1 30 seconds later. Georgia equalized for 2:2 with 3:20 on the clock. Zuvela made it 3:2 for Croatia with 1:42 to go, which is how the first quarter ended. 

2nd quarter 

Croatia won the sprint again for the first attack, but Georgia equalized for 3:3 with 6:47 left. Kragic put Croatia ahead for 4:3 in the next attack. Kharkov scored a rocket for 5:3 with 5:46 to go. Basic made it 6:3 for Croatia's biggest lead of the game with 3:03 to go. Georgia reduced Croatia's lead to 6:4 with 1:45 on the clock. Krapic scored for 7:4 with 0:27 on the clock, which is how the match went into halftime.

3rd quarter

Georgia won the sprint to start the third quarter but was unlucky in their first attack. Kharkov scored his third goal of the match for +4 Croatia with 6:26 to go (8:4). Kharkov scored a penalty for 9:4 with 5:44 to go. Kragic scored for 10:4 Croatia with 1:45 left in the quarter. Croatia went into the final quarter leading by 6 goals. 

4th quarter 

Croatia won the sprint but was unsuccessful in their first attack. Georgia scored in the next attack for 10:5 with 6:47 left in the game. Georgia scored again for -4 (10:6) with 4:51 left. Zuvela scored for 11:6 with 4:20 to go. Fatovic scored for 12:6 with 3:29 on the clock. Kragic scored a penalty for 13:6 with 2:09 to go. Georgia scored for 13:7 with 41 seconds left. 

Croatia and Serbia will meet in the quarterfinals later this week. 

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

June 27, 2022 - This summer, guests at Marvie Hotel & Health can win an incredible prize by filming and promoting the natural, cultural, and historical beauties of Dalmatia. 

This year, Marvie Hotel & Health in Split has decided to relaunch “Reel Story of Croatia” - its contest of the decade, and just like last summer, its guests have the chance to win an incredible ten years of hotel stays for two people! 

This intriguing prize includes 3 free nights at Marvie Hotel with breakfast for two, each year from 2023 to 2032! From June 1st to September 30th, all guests who spend at least one night at this hotel with the most beautiful panoramic rooftop pool in Split can participate in this exciting contest and win a decade of hotel stays in a Superior Room overlooking the islands. 

Hotel guests become ambassadors of Dalmatia's beauties 

Hotel Marvie has created this contest exclusively for its guests with the aim of promoting the beauties of the Croatian coast and its inland region. The task is simple: aim to capture the most beautiful moments of your vacation in Croatia via Instagram, i.e. via Reel videos - and just like last summer, the best clip, selected by the Hotel Management team, will win a decade of stays in a sea-view Superior room overlooking the islands. Last year's extremely successful contest involved many hotel guests and over 50 Reel videos generated more than 150,000 views from Instagram users all around the world. 

Last year’s winner was London-based Patrick Whelan 

Last year, the Marvie Hotel Management team had the difficult task of selecting a winner among many great videos, and in the end, Patrick Whelan from Britain collected his decade of hotel stays with his creative Reel. 

The lucky Englishman received the official confirmation at his home address in London. The winning video in which he shared his hotel and destination experience in Split in just 30 seconds can be viewed below. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Marvie Hotel & Health (@marvie.hotel)

Although this was not the original plan, Marvie also decided to give out a second prize to guest Aine Webster for her Reel. Aine was awarded 3 free nights in 2022! 

What can we expect this year? 

"This year we expect even more views and Reels of our beautiful Dalmatia," says Marvie Hotel & Health GM Diana Rubić. 

Diana reveals that the guests' response last year exceeded their expectations and that they also fell in love with Dalmatia again while viewing the scenes of natural and cultural beauties recorded for the Reels.

“We are aware that most of our guests come to Marvie because of the beauty that our nature, history, and culture offer them. With this contest, our goal is to say thank you to every guest who has chosen our hotel and the city of Split as their summer home and give them the opportunity to stay with us for the next 10 years," added GM Rubić.

So, how to win 10 years of stays at Marvie? 

You already have and use everything you need to participate in this contest. The #reelstoryofcroatia contest takes place entirely on Instagram! Just grab your smartphone and be creative. To participate, record a Reels or Instagram video post which describes your holiday experience in Dalmatia in an inspiring, honest, and authentic way, then publish it via your public profile with the hashtags #reelstoryofcroatia and #marviehotel. In addition, make sure you follow Marvie Hotel & Health’s Instagram profile. 

Which moments you will choose to capture is entirely up to you - for inspiration, feel free to check out Marvie’s compilation of last year’s entries here. 

The contest lasts from June 1st to September 30th, 2022, and only hotel guests who spend a minimum of one night in the specified period can participate. The winner will be selected by the expert jury of Marvie Hotel, on October 10th, 2022. You can find more about the contest on Marvie Hotel & Health’s website.

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

June the 27th, 2022 - Krka National Park is now richer for electric boats which will work to transport passengers who are visiting this wildly popular national park along the Krka river.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/PD i VL native tim writes, a DNV GL study shows how changes in the use of different marine vessels can contribute to achieving CO2 reduction targets. This will require the use of zero-emission options, such as electricity and biofuels.

Croatia's much loved Krka National Park is heading in this direction and has been constantly working to reduce any pollution produced there. In addition to the Krka National Park administration presenting a new ordinance according to which swimming is prohibited in almost the entire area of ​​the park, at the beginning of last year, they also ordered two hybrid electric boats. This is another step towards sustainability. The capacity of the ships is 50 people, and the vessels are equipped with quality solar PV panels and batteries.

Everything actually works in a fairly simple way with these vessels, when the sun is shining, the solar cells power the drive, and when the sun disappears - the drive is powered by a battery. This means that working conditions will be met at any time of the year regardless of the amount of sunshine hours in the day. Krka National Park's new electric boats operate reliably without producing any emissions, and can withstand a cycle of 8 hours when using the battery and 12 hours when using the energy obtained through the solar panels. The service speed is 5 knots and the maximum is 9 knots.

The boats were ordered with Danfoss technology, whose employees listened carefully to all of the wishes expressed and solved the technical challenges they faced on the way throughout the process, from desire to final realisation. As explained by Danfoss, the technical challenge with these electric boats was to achieve proper functioning between the solar PV panels and the battery within the powertrain system. Nevertheless, they managed to design and deliver the ideal solution in the end.

In doing so, they took into account the understanding of the needs of the ordered ships and the ability to handle advanced technology.

They also cooperated with the system integrator Inmel, providing all the necessary hardware and software for the green hybrid solution, and the ships were built at the Dalmont shipyard in Kraljevica.

A kind of precedent was set with the vessels, ans as such, for the first time, the MPPT software upgrade was transferred to the DC / DC software with the support of the system integrator and successfully tested. They provided maximum power point detection (MPPT) software implemented in DC / DC software. Such cooperation between Danfoss and Inmel enabled higher voltage on the solar panels, using only the highest voltage point, resulting in more energy on a common DC bus.

Krka National Park has thus shown that choosing the right partners is one of the most important moments in achieving sustainability goals.

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

June 27, 2022 - You see them on the street, you see them on your bills, and you hear them on the phone. Who is who among the Croatian public services and institutions? We'll tell you more in this short guide.

If moving to Croatia is one of your short-term projects, or even if you're already in the process of adaptation, you may have heard of or been in contact with one of these institutions. These Croatian public services and institutions will be part of your daily life here, and it is true that sometimes it can be a bit confusing trying to distinguish them from each other.

In this short guide, we've listed some of the Croatian public services and institutions that you will be in contact with most often, and we hope that this will help you when you don't know where to go for a certain task, or when it's time to do your accounts at home.

MUP

If you're working on getting your residency or citizenship in Croatia, you have most likely gone to a local MUP office. It's also likely that they've called you on the phone or have written you an email or two. MUP is the Ministry of the Interior, and it provides services to both locals and foreigners alike. At MUP, you will also carry out procedures to obtain your passport, your driver's license, your Croatian identification card, and more.

HZZO 

HZZO is the Croatian Health Insurance Fund, it's part of the Ministry of the Health and it includes everything that is related to public health insurance services in the country. As you well know, public health insurance is mandatory if you reside in Croatia. If you wish to enroll in the Croatian public health system, you must go to the HZZO offices in your city of residence. There you can also find out everything related to your health coverage, sign up with a family doctor, and more.

HZZ

HZZ is the Croatian Employment Office, and it serves to report your current employment status, whether you've found a job or if you don't currently have one. At the Employment Office, you can also find job openings that match your skills. 

HZMO

The Croatian Pension Insurance Institute (HZMO) is a public institution that is dedicated to the implementation of mandatory pension insurance based on generational solidarity (1st pillar of the pension insurance) and the child benefit entitlement procedure.

Porezna uprava

Porezna uprava is the Croatian Tax Administration, and it's a unique and independent administrative organisation within the Finance Ministry whose basic task is the application and supervision of tax regulations and laws on the collection of contributions. Most of your bills will be issued by Porezna uprava. They'll also issue you with tax rebates.

FINA

FINA, the Financial Agency, is a leading Croatian company in the field of financial and electronic service provision. Although state-owned, Fina operates exclusively on a market basis and cooperates with banks, the Croatian National Bank, numerous business systems, and other similar entities. A multitude of payments can be paid at their offices.

Hrvatska Pošta

Hrvatska Pošta is the Croatian Post Office, and it has locations in every city and town across the country. In addition to being the place where you can send letters and packages throughout the country and even abroad, it's also the place where you can pay for your phone, electricity, water, health insurance, and more.

HEP

A state-owned company, HEP is the Croatian Electricity Company and it is the only energy entity authorised to provide a public electricity supply in the Republic of Croatia. It also performs the activities of electricity production and heat production for central heating systems, in addition to the management, maintenance, construction, and development of the electricity distribution network.

HAC 

Hrvatske autoceste or Croatian Motorways Ltd is a Croatian state-owned limited liability company tasked with the management, construction, and maintenance of motorways in Croatia.

HRT

Croatian Radio and Television (HRT) performs the activity of providing public broadcasting services. On their radio and television channels, they dedicate themselves to the dissemination of news, information, culture and other related content. Even if you don't watch their channels or listen to their radio stations, a bill of 80 kuna from HRT will always arrive at your home.

For more, check out our lifestyle section.

June 27, 2022 - Borna Ćorić will miss this year's Wimbledon tournament due to a shoulder injury. The Croatian tennis player was meant to face Diego Schwartzman in the first round. 

Croatian tennis player Borna Ćorić will miss this year's Wimbledon, where the draw in the first round awarded him the 15th tennis player in the world, Argentine Diego Schwartzman. Ćorić, however, has cited a shoulder injury as the reason for this decision, reports Gol.hr. 

Ćorić will be replaced by the "lucky loser" from the qualifications in the main draw.

Thus,  the only Croatian representative in the Wimbledon singles tennis competition will be Marin Čilić, who is set as the 14th seed in the tournament. On Tuesday, he will face American Mackenzie McDonald in the first round.

At a press conference in Zagreb, Borna Ćorić indirectly announced the possibility of withdrawing from Wimbledon, given that he played five matches in six days last week and won the ATP Challenger in Italy on clay.

The Croatia national team player took a break for a year due to a shoulder injury that needed surgery. However, as points for the ATP rankings cannot be won at this year's Wimbledon, it is not worth the risk for Ćorić to expose his still not fully recovered shoulder to the efforts of playing three sets because his main mission now is to improve his ranking.

Ćorić currently ranks 203rd in the singles ATP rankings, and he pointed out a spot among the 100 best in the world as his goal, which would guarantee him a direct entry into the main draw at the biggest tournaments in the world. 

The organizers of the Umag Blue Lagoon Croatia Open gave Ćorić an invitation so that he would not have to spend the quota of the remaining tournaments in which he could play with a protected ranking, and he could have his next performance in Umag.

The Umag ATP tournament is scheduled for July 25-31.

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

June the 27th, 2022 - Croatian employers are requesting work permits for would-be foreign employees left, right and centre. With demographic issues and difficulties finding qualified local staff continuing to bite, MUP is having trouble getting through the paperwork in time for the height of the summer season.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the ongoing problem of staff shortages escalated for Croatian employers last summer, and this year it has become even more pronounced because there are more guests, this tourist season could be better than that of 2019, and the desire to travel is great, leading some to describe it as being as if the dam has given way.

There is as much labour here on the domestic labour market as there is, and it isn't enough. As such, Croatian employers are continuing to turn to foreign workers from outside the EEA/EU who need work permits, Novi list reports.

Croatian employers say that even the pool often used in neighbouring non-EEA/EU countries such as Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia has been emptied, meaning that more and more workers are being brought in from distant countries like India, Nepal, the Philippines… To work in Croatia legally, non-EU foreigners, of course, need work permits. And there was a big problem with this at MUP last year as well.

People came from abroad and stayed in workers' accommodation units for weeks, until they got their work permits and began work. The tourism sector asked last year for MUP to speed up the process of issuing work permits, however, in principle the only thing that has changed is that applications can now be submitted online instead of being taken to administrative police stations in person. Despite very small changes, just like in previous years, overworked MUP employees continue to deal with all of these requests manually, one by one.

Robert Palic, an employer in tourism from Crikvenica, who has five catering and hospitality facilities in the very centre, explained what it looks like in practice. He applied for about fifty work permits back in early May and hasn't even received even half to date. However, he says, in the meantime, ten work permits have practically been made pointless because people gave up in the meantime and went and found another job elsewhere.

"There were seven Nepalese nationals among them. I paid the agency through which I can employ these people 10,500 kuna to bring those seven people to Croatia, and then another 4,000 kuna for their work permits. With the proviso that they had to come to New Delhi to the embassy with a work permit to get a visa. When I was told that work permits would be ready, those people headed to New Delhi which is, let's not forget, 550 kilometres away from their homes. They waited there for three days for their work permits to arrive to pick up their visas. However, as those work permits didn't arrive. So of course those people gave up on it,'' Palic explained.

He added that at the administrative police station in Crikvenica he asked if he could return those work permits or get the costs taken away for the paid for the work permits he'd paid for for other workers, because he obviously doesn't need these for Nepalese nationals anymore, but they said that no, he can't.

"I'm losing workers, I'm losing money, and on top of that I have to find a dozen new workers overnight. Until a few days ago, I had all my facilities closed because I can't complete my team, and it's already the middle of June,'' added Palic.

“I understand those two women who have to process all these requests and who are overwhelmed with work, but then things need to be arranged differently, more people need to be hired by MUP, as needed, or the whole story needs to be digitised. After all, the coronavirus pandemic taught us how to deal with everything online. Let them put themselves in my position, the tourist season is here, and there are no people, I can’t do all this and only have three workers. My employees who are already working, can’t do the whole season on their own, it’s unbearable, so I urgently need to find more workers. I need to find them tomorrow, not in a month's time,'' pointed out Palic.

The search for workers did indeed set off on time in Palic's case, but the paperwork issues and MUP's outdated way of handling administrative procedures clearly clouded the plans.

Quotas for foreign workers were abolished, but things are no easier...

When asked by the press about the situation with work permits this year, the Police Administration of Primorje-Gorski Kotar County told us that by Wednesday, June the 5th, the Crikvenica Police Station had received a total of 1,258 applications for residence and work permits for non-EU citizens.

"This number refers not only to seasonal work up to 90 days, but also to the extension of existing permits to one year and the request of the CES application, which includes seasonal work up to six months and so-called ''new employment'' for a period of one year. As for the number of requests received compared to the same period last year, it has more than doubled,'' they said from MUP.

"Every year, there's a growing problem when it comes to finding quality workers in Serbia, because instead of coming to Croatia, more and more of them are going off to work in Western European countries. So there's a shortage of people in this pool of ours as well. And that's why we will all have to look more and more for workers from more distant countries. As for the Nepalese, the idea was to have a dozen of them this year and then have them return home satisfied because then they'll say how much it pays to come here to work, so I'll be able to count on, let's say, 20 employees from this country. And that gives me some sense of security in a situation when this pool of ours is almost empty,'' said Palic, just one of many Croatian employers facing this huge problem which keeps on escalating each and every year.

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