June the 3rd, 2022 - Czechs are purchasing Croatian coastal property en masse, preferring real estate on the Croatian Adriatic coast to property in their own country.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, according to the Czech media publication iDnes, Czechs are currently preferring to buy Croatian coastal property than cottages in their own homeland. According to local Zadar portal Zadarski, the reason lies in the fact that here in Croatia, at least according to Czech real estate agents, it is still possible to find an apartment on the coast at a lower price than a holiday home on the Czech continent, and they claim that it is also easier to capitalise on this investment.

"It's true, they're looking for properties, preferably with a garden. The interest is fairly high,'' confirmed analyst Sarlota Smutna for the Czech media.

Namely, this interest from Czech nationals in Croatian coastal property increased especially during the global coronavirus pandemic, and property in Croatia, Portugal, Spain and Italy is very much in demand. According to iDnes, along the Adriatic, an apartment can be bought for as little as 63,000 kroner or 2,600 euros per square metre, while a square meter in the City of Prague now costs 4,900 euros.

According to Tomas Jelinek, the director of the 21 Century real estate agency network, the demand from Czech nationals for real estate abroad is due to the fact that property in the Czech Republic has reached extremely high prices, and Jelinek claims that it's now possible to find real estate at a better price than on the Czech continent further afield.

A similar claim is being made by the well known REMAX agency, which offers Croatian coastal property at prices lower than cottages in the Czech Republic cost, especially those in the vicinity of Prague, where prices are extremely high.

"The average prices of holiday homes are still higher in most countries than the average prices of houses in the Czech Republic, but they're still lower than real estate prices in Prague, where the offer consists mainly of large houses for families," Hana Kontris told iDnes.

Property prices in the Czech Republic have doubled over the last two years, and according to Eurostat, just last year alone, that growth stood at 25 percent, the highest of all EU member states.

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

ZAGREB, 2 June 2022 - A special session of the Osijek-Baranja County Assembly on Thursday marked that county's day, and Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said that great momentum, enthusiasm and progress could be felt in Slavonia with visible results of the Slavonia, Baranja and Srijem Project.

Plenković underscored those important investments that were made in transport infrastructure as part of the project and announced that works on the section of the international 5C traffic corridor, from Osijek to Beli Manastir, and a bypass road near Beli Manastir, would be completed this summer.

It is the government's task to continue to be engaged and to help implement development projects and for this and other Slavonian counties to experience prosperity in the fourth decade of Croatian independence and democracy. The government will support you and strive to be the actor you can rely on in crisis circumstances, Prime Minister Plenković said.

County Prefect Ivan Anušić assessed that in the past five years the perception of Slavonia and Baranja has changed - from a non-perspective and economically and demographically devastated area to a promising part of Croatia, which is open to new ideas and projects.

In recent years, we have seen continuous economic growth, the return of emigrants and reduced unemployment, and thanks to government measures, which contributed to the preservation of jobs during the epidemic, the process of the county's growth and development has not stopped, he added.

He informed that the Osijek-Baranja County is currently implementing EU projects worth HRK 7.2 billion, including the completion of a Regional Fruit and Vegetable Distribution Centre, the construction of the first building of the Osijek Economic Centre and new Fairgrounds, the construction of six irrigation systems with another dozen in preparation, and the construction of a new Osijek Clinical Hospital Centre, which will be built in cooperation with the government.

For more, check out our politics section.

June 2, 2022 - For the thirteenth year in a row, the most desirable employer in Croatia is the company dm - drogerie markt. In second place is the retail chain Lidl Croatia, and in third place is the Rimac Group, according to a survey by the MojPosao (MyJob) portal published on Thursday.

The survey was conducted for the eighteenth year in a row, and this time during the end of 2021 and the beginning of 2022 it was conducted on a sample of more than 24 thousand respondents, reports tportal.hr. It is based exclusively on the respondents' perception of the companies themselves, and its goal was to find out which employers in the Croatian labor market are the most attractive to the general public and why.

Respondents were asked to name the employer of the "first", "second" and "third" choice, with the "first" getting three, the "second" two, and the "third" one point, based on which the overall ranking was calculated.

Thus, dm - drogerie markt won 19.08 percent of the points, Lidl Hrvatska 5.57 percent of the points, and Rimac Group 4.44 percent of the points.

"The domestic company (finally) entered the top three most desirable employers in Croatia", commented the MojPosao portal on Rimac Group's new position in the ranking.

The most important: job security

Unlike in previous years, when harmonious workplace relationships were the most important factor in evaluating the degree of attractiveness of a particular employer, in the last two years the most "crucial" votes, 43 percent, have been job security. Harmonious relations in the workplace are the decisive reason for attractiveness for 40 percent of respondents, while in third place, with 37 percent of the vote, is the social responsibility of the employer.

The amount of salary and other material benefits are a crucial factor in the attractiveness of 35 percent of respondents, which is slightly more than last year, the survey showed.

For respondents for whom dm-drogerie markt is the employer of the first choice, job security is crucial, but the level of salary, harmonious relations in the workplace, and the social responsibility of the employer are equally important. Lidl is a desirable employer primarily because of job security, and Rimac mostly because of harmonious relations in the workplace.

dm-drogerie-markt is the first choice employer for respondents from all regions

Dm-drogerie markt is most attractive to both men and women, but more to women than men. It is the same company and the most desirable employer for all respondents, regardless of their level of education, but it has the highest scores among those with secondary education.

Regardless of employment status, dm-drogerie markt is the employer of choice for all groups of respondents, although it is somewhat less attractive to respondents who are still in school.

Also, dm-drogerie-markt is the first choice employer for respondents from all Croatian regions.

Among other things, the survey showed that almost half of employed respondents often think about changing employers, a third think about it sometimes, and a fifth do not think about it at all.

For more, check out our business section.

ZAGREB, 2 June 2022 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Thursday announced that the government would reduce excise duties or margins if necessary due to an announced significant increase in fuel prices as of next Tuesday.

Web news portals reported on Thursday that as of next week, the price of all diesel fuels will increase by HRK 0.90 per litre, while the price of petrol will go up by about HRK 0.70 per litre.

"We have the legal basis to intervene as regards margins and excise duties, we have already done it. There is still room in that regard and this afternoon the inner cabinet will discuss the situation. We will hear the assessments of the ministries of economy and finance and make the best decisions for Croatian citizens," the PM said.

Asked if excise duties were on the agenda, he said that excise duties and margins are the two elements in which the government can intervene.

At most petrol stations in Croatia, a litre of Eurosuper 95 petrol has been selling for HRK 13.86 since Tuesday, which is HRK 0.03 more than on Monday while the price of Eurodiesel was HRK 0.22 dearer.

Hina's source from energy circles estimates that fuel price increases, including major ones, are possible as long as the energy crisis caused by the war in Ukraine lasts. The source adds, however, that the price increase announced for next week can hardly be justified with the latest package of EU sanctions against Russia, because its effects, i.e. a partial cessation of crude oil imports from Russia, can only be expected in a few months' time.

Retailers and suppliers should be asked why they are reacting so quickly to announcements of what might happen, the source said. He added that Croatia is not really dependent on crude oil or oil product deliveries from Russia, because most of its supplies arrive by sea.

The retailers and suppliers contacted by Hina did not want to talk about prices, hence the new prices will, as usual, be known on Monday to take effect on Tuesday.

For more, check out our politics section.

ZAGREB, 2 June 2022 - Euro area entry will boost Croatia's resilience to crises and external shocks and bring multiple benefits for its citizens and economy, Croatian National Bank (HNB) Governor Boris Vujčić said in a joint statement after meeting with European Commission Vice President Valdis Dobrovskis on Thursday.

The meeting was prompted by a convergence report issued by the EC and European Central Bank (ECB) on Wednesday, assessing that Croatia is ready to introduce the euro.

Vujčić told reporters that the EC's positive assessment of Croatia's compliance with nominal convergence criteria makes Croatia just a step away from euro area entry.

"We embarked on that road in 2017 and now we are completing the journey," he said, adding that this would mean a lot for Croatia and that the benefits of euro introduction would be much greater than the costs, both for citizens and for businesses.

Euro area entry will make Croatia much more resilient to the recent numerous shocks and crises, he said.

"It is definitely better to be in the euro area in the current time than outside of it," he said.

After Croatia joins the euro area, the HNB, too, will become fully integrated in the euro system and become part of it, he said, recalling that in October 2020 the HNB established close cooperation with the ECB, and that it was waiting for the final step of integration with the euro system.

Vujčić said that entry into the area of the world's second most important currency would mean progress for Croatia.

As for the technical aspects of conversion to the euro, specifically the operation of ATMs in the transitional period, the central bank's governor said that by 31 December most ATMs would be filled with euros and that by 15 January all would be filled with euros. Some of the ATMs will be filled with kuna in the transitional period but everything will be done to make the transition easier for citizens, he noted.

Asked if now was the best time to introduce the euro considering the global crisis, Vujčić said it would have been better if Croatia had already entered the euro area.

"Joining the euro area as soon as possible is the best, this is the best moment we can have. That is evidenced, in my opinion, by the ECB's support already at the start of the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic, which would not have been possible had we not been very close to entry to the exchange rate mechanism. That helped us overcome the pandemic crisis more easily," he said, adding that unlike most EU countries that are not euro area members and where interest rates have grown significantly since the start of the Ukraine war, in Croatia interest rates are the same as before.

EC Vice-President Dombrovskis congratulated Croatia on what he described as a historic achievement, noting that the country had met all the relevant criteria and that it was expected to join the euro area on 1 January 2023.

He said that the EC would continue cooperating with Croatia and the HNB.

Euro area entry is important because the whole world has been affected by the crisis caused mostly by the war, which is why it is important to join the part of Europe that uses the world's second strongest currency. That will help Croatia in many financial aspects, among other things, with lower interest rates, the EC official said.  

For more, check out our politics section.

ZAGREB, 2 June 2022 - Rainbow Warrior, a Greenpeace boat active in supporting a number of anti-whaling, anti-nuclear testing and anti-nuclear waste dumping campaigns during the late 1970s and early 1980s, is currently visiting the Croatian city of Šibenik.

The vessel is open to the public from 2 to 4 June.

The purpose of its visit is to promote a European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) aimed at banning fossil fuel advertising and sponsorships.

This is the third visit of this ship in Croatia after it toured our country in 2014 and 2017.

For more, check out our politics section.

May 2, 2022 - The Health Inspectorate has initiated misdemeanor proceedings against KB Sveti Duh and director Ana-Marija Šimundić for violating the rights of Mirela Čavajda, who was denied information when the powers that be were deciding on her request for the termination of her pregnancy.

The case of Mirela Čavajda, a 39-year-old pregnant woman whose request to have an abortion during the 26th week of pregnancy after the fetus was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor was rejected by four hospitals in Zagreb, and caused enormous outrage across the country last month, with demands for the reproductive rights and healthcare rights of Croatian women to be respected.

Considering that omissions of non-compliance with the Law on Protection of Patients' Rights, such as the right to complete information, were established during the investigation into Mirela's case, the Health Inspectorate has now initiated misdemeanor proceedings before the competent misdemeanor court, reports Telegram.hr.

The hospital faces a fine of up to 50,000 kuna

The Health Inspectorate determined that the first-instance commission of KB Sveti Duh decided on Mirela Čavajda's request to terminate her pregnancy on May 3 this year, but did not submit its decision to the patient. Additionally, the patient was not informed that she had the right to contact the second-instance commission of the University Hospital Centre Zagreb.

The inspection found that this violated the Law on Patients' Rights, which stipulates that "patients have the right to be fully informed about the course of treatment when healthcare is being provided to them."

For these offenses, a fine of 10,000 to 50,000 kuna is envisaged for the hospital, and the requirement to pay a fine of 5,000 to 10,000 kuna is imposed the responsible person, in this case, the director of the hospital, Ana-Marija Šimundić. KB Sveti Duh was one of four Zagreb hospitals that refused to terminate Mirela Čavajda's pregnancy in the sixth month of gestation after the fetus was found to have an extremely serious brain tumor.

The medical procedure will finally be possible for Mirela in neighbouring Slovenia, and the costs of the procedure will be covered thanks to donations from 1,472 natural persons and 16 legal entities, who donated 220,687 kuna and 37 lipa through the SOLIDARNA foundation, and with the cooperation of CESI, RODA, and PaRiter. The cost of the medical procedure in Slovenia otherwise stands at 5,000 euros.

For more, check out our politics section.

ZAGREB, 2 June 2022 - In the last 24 hours, 486 coronavirus cases, out of 2,891 tests, and four related deaths have been registered in Croatia, the national COVID-19 crisis management team said on Thursday.

There are 2,091 active cases, including 202 hospitalised patients, six of whom are on ventilators, while 688 persons are self-isolating.

To date Croatia has registered 1,137,192 coronavirus cases, the death toll stands at 15,995, and 70.80% of the adult population has been vaccinated, including 68.75% fully.

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