ZAGREB, 4 June 2022 - This summer season's first train within the Czech rail operator RegioJet's seasonal service on the Prague- Zagreb-Rijeka/Split route arrived in Rijeka on Saturday morning, bringing more than 250 travellers to this northern Croatian seaport.

In Prague, about 600 passengers boarded the train, and of them 250 travelled for Rijeka while the remaining passengers are bound for Split.

This is the third season that RegioJet is operating this service.

In the previous two seasons, an estimated 150,000 passengers used this service to travel between Czechia, Slovakia and Croatia.

For more on travel in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

ZAGREB, 4 June 2022 - The planned changeover to the euro in 2023 obliges Croatia to amend a set of laws, including the legislation regulating the enforced collection of delinquent debts, the Jutarnji List (JL) daily reported on Saturday.

Apart from changing all the laws that cite the kuna, some other laws will have to be amended, the daily newspaper says, adding that the change would further reinforce the protection of consumers against invalid contracts.

Currently, apart from the Financial Agency (FINA), the Croatian Pension Insurance Fund (HZMO) and employers are also authorized to garnish pensions and wages respectively to withhold the earnings of an individual for the payment of his or her debt in accordance with out-of-court settlements.

The employers complain about this obligation as an additional administrative burden.

Furthermore, employers are often at a loss on how to deduct money from an employee's monetary compensation so as to withhold a part of the salary subject to the enforced collection.

Therefore, the justice ministry plans to introduce a single system for the enforced collection when it comes to the wage and pension garnishment, and that only FINA should be authorized to collect delinquent debts from the income of debtors.

For more, check out our business section.

ZAGREB, 4 June 2022 - The renovated Fortress of St. John, one of the four medieval fortresses of the Croatian coastal city of Šibenik, was formally opened at a ceremony at that seaside city on Friday evening.

This fortress, built in the mid-17th century, and the other fortresses in the city were important for defense against Turkish invasion. It features a panoramic view of the town.

Addressing the ceremony, Culture Minister Nina Obuljen Koržinek said that Šibenik now has "an amazing complex of the four upgraded fortresses."

The complex includes an educational campus and other amenities for visitors, all of which will make the tourist season longer in this Adriatic city.

The minister praised Šibenik for being very successful in the investments in its cultural heritage and in its transformation.

Mayor Željko Burić recalled that the renovation of this fortress started six years ago.

The other three renovated fortresses, which are also must-see places in Šibenik, are Barone, St. Michael's Fortress, and St. Nicholas Fortress, which is one of  Šibenik's two landmarks added to the UN World Heritage List.  Apart from that fortress, the other entry is the St. James' Cathedral.

In July 2017, Šibenik's St. Nicholas Fortress and Zadar’s fortified city walls and gates were officially inscribed on UNESCO's protected world heritage list at the 41st meeting of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Krakow. 

The two Croatian coastal sites were inscribed as part of protected defense systems on the territory of the former Republic of Venice. Šibenik's St. Nicholas Fortress, one of the strongest fortifications on the Adriatic, and Zadar’s 3-km-long fortified city walls and gates were built in the 16th century by the then Republic of Venice as defense from invading Turks.

Šibenik's cathedral, which was built in the 15th century, won global recognition in 2000 when it entered the UNESCO World Heritage List.

For more on travel in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

June 4, 2022 - The first fair of traditional wooden shipbuilding is being held in Betina on the island of Murter. Numerous events were prepared in three days, from a panel discussion on the future of wooden shipbuilding to a regatta and a presentation of old ship crafts.

''Nothing can be replaced by wood, as long as there is wood in the mountain, the ship can last until then'', says Ante Njemac Balin. Ante is ninety years old and the oldest is the Betina caulk, reports HRT News. He says that he also worked abroad in the shipyard of iron ships, but the wooden ones are unrivaled.

And just as an honor and thanks to all Betina shipbuilders, a fair of traditional wooden shipbuilding was organized. As a place to connect all shipbuilders and equipment manufacturers for these wooden beauties, but also the presentation of the entire island heritage.

''There are also our family members, presenting local food and drinks because all this together makes a beautiful tourist product, but it is actually a question of local identity, said Mirela Bilic, marketing manager of the Museum of Betina wooden shipbuilding.

''The education system, awarding concessions to traditional crafts is now up to state institutions and we believe that they are the ones who need to start and stabilize wooden shipbuilding, start the young generation and give them hope that there is a future in wooden shipbuilding, said Marinka Fržop, president of Betinska gajeta 1740.

''There is work, you just need to be creative and look around a little for it, and when it comes to the market, you need to be economical. We're required to be both traders and craftsmen, and it's difficult to incorporate that, but the Internet is there today - to make a living,'' says Ljubomir Ante Fržop, a Betina traditional wooden shipbuilder.

A handful of events are planned for the three days of the fair - from traditional craft workshops to the regatta of wooden traditional boats, and of this is being done as a kind of ode to Betina, along with Korčula, the most famous and oldest seat of excellent shipbuilders.

For more, check out our lifestyle section.

June 4, 2022 - Summer is the most popular time of year for hiking in Croatia's national parks. However, many are unaware of the unpredictable conditions that could put one or more lives at risk, which is why Mario Saban from HGSS has decided to dish out some important advice for those interested in hiking in national parks.

The Croatian Mountain Rescue Service (HGSS) appeals to all mountaineers and people who come to Velebit and the mountain in general not to underestimate it because the mountain rarely forgives mistakes, says the director of the Velebit Nature Park Public Institution, HGSS member Mario Saban.

"Mountains rarely forgive mistakes - when you go to the mountain without enough water, without prior information about which way you will go, how long it will take. It can all be fatal," Saban said during a presentation to journalists about the tourist potential of Plitvice Lakes, Udbina, and Gospić under the slogan "Lika is a character (medicine)" and the hiking event "Three days of three peaks" - to Mrsinj, Ozeblin, and Oštra.

He recalled that last year German scouts aged 12 to 15 came to Velebit without following the forecast.

"It was nice and sunny weather, in the middle of summer, they started short-sleeved. But, as Velebit is quite unpredictable, the weather deteriorated in a couple of hours, the scouts got lost, they didn't know where they were going, and launched an HGSS search operation. If we didn't find them until later that evening, they would surely freeze by morning."

"When you go to the mountain, you need to prepare for it, you need to know where you are going, and how long you will stay on the mountain. You should always contact someone and inform them where you are going. It is also important that you never go to the mountain alone," said Saban.

Adequate clothing and footwear are also important, he added. "It's a well-known story that tourists know how to go in flip-flops because they think we're just going for a little walk."

"They start in inadequate clothes, the rain gets them wet quickly, it gets cold on the mountain, it's humid and they catch a cold easily," says Shaban.

"The basis of mountaineering," he pointed out, "is to dress in layers and put on sturdy hiking shoes."

Bring caloric foods and energy bars

You must always have a first aid kit and a mobile phone in your backpack, he said. "Never drink alcohol because people think it will warm them up a bit, but the opposite happens, alcohol does not heat up, but you quickly get a feeling of warmth, circulation goes, you get even colder and that is the cause of the cold.", he warned.

"The standard is to bring something caloric to the mountain, such as bacon, food that gives the body carbohydrates so that you can withstand walking. Energy and vitamin bars are also recommended.

It is always better to drink isotonic drinks than to drink clean water because by taking a large amount of water from the body you excrete a certain amount of electrolytes and salts, and without them, the body loses strength. That's why you should always bring high-calorie food and sweetened drinks to the mountains.", he recommended.

Shaban recalled anecdotes about the rescue operation of a Korean tourist in the Plitvice Lakes National Park.

The tourist photographed over the edge and fell down. He hung on the branches, clinging to them like a cat. When I came down for him, I had to break a lot of branches in the rescue operation, and he asked me at one point - so break the branches, is this a national park?"

''We also saved a paraglider on Visocica. He stayed on the beeches that are more than 35 meters long and hung helplessly. When I came up for him, his wing was left in the canopy. I secured the paraglider, and with a knife cut the threads that hold the wing, and he got angry with me and asked me why I didn't go up more so that I could lower his wing as well'', Saban recalls.

Saban also says that people call them to pull them out of the snow when they drive across Velebit, but this has become frequent, so now they do not respond to such calls if no one is endangered. "Let them call the towing service," he said.

HGSS's Gospić station has an average of about 35 rescue operations a year.

Source: Večernji List

For more, check out our lifestyle section.

June the 4th, 2022 - The Ryanair Croatia anniversary took place recently, which recognised and marked the first anniversary of the opening of this popular Irish airline's routes from the Croatian capital.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Darko Bicak writes, the largest European airline currently in operation, and as they themselves point out, the largest airline in all of Croatia, the low-budget Irish Ryanair, has been celebrating the anniversary of the launch of its Zagreb operations.

The company emphasised that, along with a total of 27 routes heading to various European cities from Zagreb Airport, they have good reservations in their largest summer flight schedule for Zadar.

Ryanair's three Zagreb aircraft represent a massive 300 million US dollar investment, which will support more than 90 high-paying aviation jobs and more than 1,000 total jobs in Zagreb itself.

Ryanair's sales and marketing manager for CEE & the Balkans, Olga Pawlonka, said that Ryanair will operate (from Zagreb alone) almost 80 weekly flights throughout the summer of 2022, 30 more than last year, to provide Zagreb's customers with a wide choice of European destinations to head to, such as London, Milan, Paris, or popular destinations for holidays (Brindisi, Corfu and Malaga), giving an extremely welcome boost to Zagreb tourism after two consecutive years more or less entirely lost to the coronavirus pandemic.

Ryanair pointed out that their customers in Zagreb can plan an escape at the lowest prices of a mere 159 kuna (19.99 euros) one way until October 2022.

As Tadej Notersberg, CEO of Lauda Europe, a company that is part of Rynair with its branded fleet of 29 Airbus 320 aircraft, recently pointed out; in addition to Zadar and Zagreb, their aircraft are based in Vienna, London Stantsed and Palma de Mallorca (Spain). The global coronavirus crisis severely disrupted air traffic across all of Europe for two years, but with the lifting of epidemiological restrictions in most countries, they are now finally returning to previous levels.

"We're satisfied with the way business in Croatia has been going so far, and the forecasts speak of further growth. That's why we're increasing the fleet, the number of flights and the amount of routes,'' concluded Nottersberg on this Ryanair Croatia anniversary.

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

June the 4th, 2022 - Just how much do doses of Croatian snake bite antidote cost? With summer approaching and with more and more people exploring the outdoors and potentially coming into contact with venomous snakes such as the horned viper (Croatian: poskok), how much antidote does Dalmatia have at the ready?

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, a horned viper recently bit a dog in Milesina in the Dalmatian hinterland. The unfortunate dog's head swelled up due to the effects of the bite and that the desperate owner failed to find Croatian snake bite antidote in a number of veterinary clinics, even at the Veterinary Faculty in Zagreb. Local Sibenik portal Sibenski contacted the Clinic of Infectious Diseases at KBC Split to try and find out if there is enough Croatian snake bite antidote available.

"We have sufficient amounts of antidote, ie antiviperin serum, available, which a person bitten by a snake should receive as soon as possible in order to avoid the development of a clinical picture. It would be best to receive the antidote within three, at most six hours, but I've witnessed cases when people would come in for the antidote the next day or late in the evening after being bitten by a venomous snake, even though the snake bit them during the morning,'' stated doc. dr. sc. Dragan Ledina, an infectologist at the Clinic of Infectious Diseases at the University Hospital Centre in Split.

So far this year, two cases of bites from horned vipers, otherwise Croatia's most dangerous snake, have been recorded and confirmed at the Split Clinical Hospital, while in one case there was a suspicion, but the individual didn't require hospital treatment, instead being merely observed for a few hours at the Clinic of Infectious Diseases.

"In both cases, they were women. We had a 77-year-old woman from Kamenski who was working in her garden and was bitten on the arm by a horned viper. She didn't develop a severe clinical picture. However, a five-year-old girl from the Vrgorac area, who was also bitten by a horned viper, had a somewhat more severe clinical picture and became quite unwell. She was bitten by the snake while playing with her brothers near a water source. The girl's entire arm and shoulders and chest were swollen from the bite. It’s not that it's particularly painful, but it’s a really unpleasant feeling. The person who was under observation was most likely bitten by a snake, but it seems that there wasn't enough venom inserted into the person's body during the bite itself,'' explained Dr. Ledina for Sibenski.

The five-year-old child stayed in the hospital for six days, while the older woman underwent treatment and observation treatment for three days. In the last 35 years, one death from the bite of a venomous snake has been recorded in the central Dalmatian area, ie the area covered by KBC Split. Then, a snake (once again a horned viper) bit an infant in a pram in the neck area. Since it was a very small child, and the snake released a large amount of venom with the bite which was also in a very dangerous location on the body, unfortunately the outcome was a fatal one.

“The most dangerous time for venomous snakes is in spring and summer, especially in late August. We have a lot of cases from the island of Hvar, where tourists put their hands on the dry stone walls where there a snake might be trying to rest, and it becomes irritated by this and then bites them. It also isn't uncommon for a venomous snake to bite people hiking on Biokovo as well. Foreign tourists go there and are interested in seeing horned vipers, because they are rarer in France and in Italy. Then the tourists get too close to the snakes, annoy them, and of course, they get bitten,'' added Dr. Ledina.

With all of this said, does the Clinic of Infectious Diseases have sufficient doses of antidote for bites from the dangerous black widow spider, which are also active and as such more dangerous in this part of the year.

"We have sufficient quantities of this antidote as well, although in recent years we haven't had an excessive number of cases of black widow bites, for the simple reason that fewer people are engaged in agriculture today. Before, we had the most such cases from Kastela, the Trogir area and the area of ​​the Dalmatian hinterland,'' concluded dr. sc. Dragan Ledina.

Imports from France

As has also been discovered, one dose of Croatian snake bite antidote imported from France costs around five thousand kuna. While for the exact same venom produced by the Immunology Institute right here in the City of Zagreb, has an antidote which costs far less. The idea of ​​producing Croatian snake bite antidote came back to life thanks to some medical circles, but only time will tell if it will ever come to fruition.

Snakes, including the horned viper, are not outwardly aggressive and only bite as a last resort

It is very important to note that snakes are heavily misunderstood creatures. Even horned vipers. Snakes will never go out of their way to bite you and an attack is their last form of defense, usually done out of fear. All types of snake native to Croatia would much prefer to remain as far as possible away from human activity. Take care and make sure to wear the proper footwear when walking through nature, and should you come across a snake, especially a horned viper, be respectful of it, give it a wide berth and do not do anything to irritate or provoke it.

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

June the 4th, 2022 - The Croatian company Atos has been chosen as the more favourable bidder for a new Croatian Health Insurance Institute (HZZO) project worth a lot of money. The company will spend nineteen months on the project.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes, the Croatian Health Insurance Institute (HZZO) has announced the start of the brand new eHZZO project, worth almost 115 million kuna, which aims to establish more efficient management and supervision within the healthcare system.

The construction of this brand new new system is being co-financed by the European Union (EU), and will enable easier communication with external users, as well as the high availability of data necessary for business process management and different forms of reporting.

"The Croatian Health Insurance Institute has one of the most important information systems in operation within the Republic of Croatia, so the eHZZO project will benefit all insurance policyholders through the better organisation and availability of the healthcare system," said Deputy Director of the Croatian Health Insurance Institute, Veronika Lausin.

The entire eHZZO project is worth a total of 114.7 million kuna, of which 85 percent is being financed with European Union money. The project will be worked on for the aforementioned period of nineteen months, and the strategic partner of the project, the Croatian company Atos, was selected as the most favourable bidder in the 2021 tender.

Three bidders, two consortia and one independent bidder appeared in the tender. The Croatian company Atos applied for the tender within a group consisting of a Czech company of the same name and a Macedonian enterprise called Nextsense, and their offer was the cheapest of all.

Ericsson Nikola Tesla and IN2 also competed together with CUSPIS. The third bidder was King ICT.

For more on Croatian companies, entrepreneurs and innovation, make sure to check out our dedicated business section.