Love Croatian Brunch? Zagreb Declared Second Best Brunch City in Europe
July the 23rd, 2022 - Do you love a good, hearty Croatian brunch? If marendas, as they're commonly referred to here, are your thing, then Zagreb is the place to come to. This city has just been voted the second best European city for brunch.
As Ana Blaskovic/Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the Croatian capital has been ranked as one of the top cities in Europe this summer for a good brunch. The City of Zagreb was crowned the second best city for eating brunch, or as we call it, marenda, a meal that falls somewhere between breakfast and lunch, with a score of 8.85 out of a maximum of 10.
Only Athens in Greece was ranked better than Zagreb with a total score of 8.88 (out of 10). This conclusion was reached following research conducted by the portal Uswitch.com, which combed the ratings of visitors to 235,000 restaurants in a number of European capitals.
Despite th city's high ranking, the average price of a meal in the best restaurants is also the seventh highest in Europe. A visitor will thus pay 32.48 euros for their Croatian brunch in Zagreb, almost twice as much as they'd need to fork out (no pun intended) in the Greek capital, where it will cost around 16.6 euros.
For tourists looking for a good meal, Athens is the first choice thanks to the choice of 1136 restaurants where the average brunch is the fifth cheapest in Europe. Side by side with Athens is Bratislava, with a brunch being only 24 cents more expensive, or 16.42 euros on average.
Zagreb and a good Croatian brunch is followed by Malta's Valletta with a minimally lower restaurant rating of 8.84. Not only does Malta's capital city offer some of the best dining experiences in all of Europe, it also took the second best rating among European capitals in the vegetarian restaurant segment.
At the same time, the average brunch on that Mediterranean island is almost 10 euros more affordable than it is here Zagreb, and cheaper meals are also offered in Lisbon, Sofia, Prague and Bratislava.
In anticipation of another record-breaking summer tourist season in which visitors will be on the prowl for a good restaurant after seeing the capital city's sights and attractions, it is worth recalling the last one. Last year, 13.8 million arrivals and 84.1 million overnight stays were registered in the Republic of Croatia.
Compared to the pandemic-dominated year of 2020, domestic tourism workers, as well as everyone who indirectly lives from tourism, were able to rub their hands together with satisfaction with 77 percent more arrivals and 55 percent more overnight stays. At the same time, the City of Zagreb has been successfully building its image of an extremely desirable destination in the continental part of the country for the last ten years, with 638 thousand arrivals registered officially.
According to the latest data from the City of Zagreb, in the first four months of this year, there were 221.6 thousand arrivals and 510.3 thousand tourist overnight stays. Compared to last year, Zagreb achieved 165 percent more arrivals and 132 percent more overnight stays, but tourism in the capital hasn't yet fully recovered from the impact of the global coronavirus pandemic. By the end of April 2022, there were about 30 percent fewer arrivals and almost 17 percent fewer overnight stays realised in the city by tourists.
Over the last decade, as the attractiveness of the Croatian capital as a destination and its offer grew, with hostels, apartments, hotels and numerous restaurants being opened. The coronavirus pandemic stopped the upward trend in its very tracks, since the largest number of tourists to Zagreb mostly arrive by plane, and that mode of transportation was suspended for several months for tourism purposes.
With the summer now in full swing and with 2022's figures looking extremely promising, even outdoing 2019's in some areas, a Croatian brunch being given number two in all of Europe will certainly help place Zagreb on the gastronomy map.
For more, make sure to check out our dedicated lifestyle section.
20 Ways Croatia Changed Me in 20 Years: 13. Dalmatian Wikipedia, The Bench
July 23, 2022 - Twenty years a foreigner in Croatia. Part 13 of 20 Ways Croatia Changed Me in 20 Years - an ode to one of the icons of Dalmatian life, and some say the original Google. One of my favourite obsessions - the bench!
When you live full-time on a Dalmatian island, the off-season can be a bit of a challenge for entertainment. Indeed, it can be hard to meet anyone at all in winter - all restaurants in Jelsa were closed, as were many of the cafes, and the bura kept all but the hardiest of fat British bloggers off the streets.
But if you were desperate to see proof of life, the place to be each early evening was in front of the mayor's office, where one could find the wisest heads of the community - always male - sitting on the bench which was allocated to them.
The same guys every evening, sometimes more than others, but always sitting in that prime location looking out to sea and majestic Biokovo through the Jelsa palm trees. I never saw anyone smoke or drink alcohol. But talk? Boy, could these guys talk.
I learned that the bench was a Dalmatian institution in every village, a font of knowledge, where one had to be invited to sit on the bench. One could not simply join them. So much conversation, so many olive picking techniques exchanged. There were known as the Dalmatian Google, the island Wikipedia. There was nothing that these guys did not know, or have an opinion on.
I could feel myself starting to get a little obsessed. I REALLY wanted to be invited to sit on the bench with the guys. Bench lifestyle seemed perfect to me - a cool place to chill at the end of the day, admiring the view and chewing the fat.
Local friends laughed at me. A seat on the bench? So young? And you a foreigner! No chance! Locals often had to wait almost a lifetime.
My mild obsession spilled over into my blogging on my Total Hvar portal. I was writing 5-6 articles a day back then, and content was a little hard to find some days. I started to write about the bench and how I had one remaining ambition in life. I had travelled, married a beautiful wife, had two gorgeous young children, loved my job, and I lived in Paradise. I only had one thing left to achieve in life.
An invitation to sit on the bench.
Local friends laughed, and I would walk past the bench wistfully, sometimes taking pictures. The one above is one of my favourite -I call it Rush Hour.
I just wanted to be part of the team.
Of course, I would fantasise when there was nobody around - if the bench was empty, it seemed, it was ok to sit.
And then one day, just 13 years after my arrival in this slice of Dalmatian heaven, something quite extraordinary happened.
I was late for an important meeting, the first meeting with the marketing guy from the proposed Four Seasons Hvar project. I could see him in the distance, and we made eye contact just as I was passing the bench. We smiled in anticipation of the handshake and greeting in about three seconds time when I heard a male voice to my right.
"Ugh, Debeli English," grunted the voice (Hey, Fat Englishman). I turned, and the man motioned for me to sit with them on the bench. There was room for me on the bench!
But the timing was poor. What would this Australian guy think, and how could he take me seriously if I sat on a bench with some oldies instead of greeting him? What a dilemma at this potentially historic moment in my life in Dalmatia.
Sometimes, the heart has to rule the head. I smiled at my bench partners, shook hands with the Aussie, and said:
"Look, I know this is a bit weird as we have not even met yet, but do you mind taking a photo of me sitting on this bench with these guys. I know it sounds odd, and I will explain, and the beers are on me."
He looked at me like I was a total nut job, but did as I asked.
It was one of the great life achievements of my sad little existence. And the Four Seasons never did get built.
News spread of my fine achievement. In ONLY 13 years, and a foreigner! My local friends were incredulous.
I blogged about it of course, and then the Jelsa bench started to attract a little bit of tourism for the town - the birth of a new type of tourism - bench tourism.
Rock bands jetted in from San Francisco to play on Dalmatia's hottest bench, with the Jelsa mayor (second right) granting permission for Cellar Doors to play what we believe to be the first live concert on a Dalmatian bench by an American band.
And then the influencers and bloggers started to tread the path to the Jelsa bench, with the team from Chasing the Donkey one of the original pioneers.
The inbox was insane, with young Mariana contacting me from Sydney to ask if I could have a selfie with her on the bench. She was coming to Imotski, but made the trip to the island especially for the bench experience (yes, really).
Bench tourism was becoming a thing.
We even had Masters of Wine using the bench for promo material - Jo Ahearne MW, who makes excellent wine from Hvar grapes - highly recommended.
The wise old men even shared the bench on the occasion of the UNESCO Za Krizen procession on Maundy Thursday, as pilgrims who had walked the 22 km through the night rested after a sleepless night.
Life was good. Perfect even.
And then disaster struck.
The bench in Jelsa - an icon of Dalmatian tradition, a paragon of virtue, and a database of the most fascinating bits of information - was sent into permanent exile. For something called progress.
The iconic white bench was removed to make way for a new restaurant under some quite questionable circumstances. There were a couple of solutions offered to appease Jelsa's Google Brigade, with benches on the street the permanent solution.
And for a time, the bench was banished to another part of the waterfront entirely. But I had to laugh at this presumably paid feature on the clever and influential people who came from Jelsa, including the current Prime Minister and Minister of Health. But the lead photo? The brains from The Bench.
Partly due to the fact that I was outraged at the removal of the bench, and partly because the whole deal with the restaurant seemed a little fishy, I did quite a lot of research on the awarding of the tender for the restaurant, which caused quite a furore when I published. So much so in fact, that the mayor announced he was suing me in a public meeting, see above. He never did, and the article I published remains one of the best researched on my time in Croatia, and one of which I am immensely proud.
But boy, fighting for bench freedom is a dangerous task.
And then, a few years ago, the Jelsa Tourist Board let their website domain lapse, and I managed to pick up Visit Jelsa and use it to promote bench tourism, as well as a polite request to transfer ownership of the website if only we could have our bench back.
But there was much more to the culture of the bench than what one found in Jelsa, and I found myself seeking out benches of all kinds on the island.
Chilling in Svirce at the first Boganusa festival.
And then I went in search of the best bench view. Is it this one high above Hvar Town?
Or this gem on Korcula?
As we learned in the first article in this series, do not try and change Dalmatia, but expect Dalmatia to change you.
But sometimes change does come, and a teenager from Solin became an overnight sensation, as Ivan Mrvos presented the smart Dalmatian bench 2.0. Imagine what the wise old men from Dalmatian Google would come up with on this type of bench.
I started to expand the concept of bench tourism beyond the shores of Hvar, and I went off in search of unusual benches, or those in spectacular settings for bench tourism. The biggest I have found in Dalmatia was this beauty in Trogir.
And it was hard to beach bench tourism with a view in Dubrovnik.
But for posh benches, the two-tier benches of Imotski are beyond impressive.
Some of my favourite benches in Dalmatia are these on the island of Zirje. With no bar open on the island in the winter, this IS the social life and gathering point in front of the small supermarket.
A supermarket like no other I have seen in Croatia - 50% alcohol, mostly beer.
With a very handy bottle opener attached to Bench 3. That is what I like about bench culture in Dalmatia - it is adaptable to the specific needs of the day.
It should be pointed out that the bench is primarily part of Dalmatian culture, and not really as important in other parts of the country. But it should also be pointed out that when a weird foreigner starts writing about his love of benches, the inbox can get quite colourful.
Probably the most unusual bench submission in the inbox - and the only all-female one - on bales of hay in Medjimurje.
Extreme bench tourism in Rastoke.
And, of course, I kept my eyes out for bench tourism trends on my travels throughout the land.
Vinkovci, the oldest continuously inhabited town in Europe, probably took the prize over Trogir as the biggest bench I have seen in Croatia.
And Vinkovci DEFINITELY has the coolest bench of all - the only bench I have seen where you can switch the view. Check it out in the video above - beyond awesome.
International bench tourism on the Danube - the morning view to Serbia from Dalj.
Religious bench tourism was a new departure - the fabulous cathedral in Djakovo.
Or mass Mass tourism in Ivankovo.
Slavonia seems to have benches for religious bench tourism in very random places, this one in a field in the middle of nowhere.
But imagine my joy when I discovered the first bench MUSEUM in Koprivnica-Krizevci county.
How cool is that?
Bench life in Croatia. For solo thought or intense debate, it is an essential part of the mix.
I accept that I may be a little more passionate about the bench than most, but trust me; there are worse cases out there than me.
Take this chap, who came up with a calendar for the Benches of Redditch calendar, a town near Birmingham in the UK not known for its bench tourism.
Imagine the calendars he could produce of Dalmatia...
****
What is it like to live in Croatia? An expat for 20 years, you can follow my series, 20 Ways Croatia Changed Me in 20 Years, starting at the beginning - Business and Dalmatia.
Follow Paul Bradbury on LinkedIn.
Croatia, a Survival Kit for Foreigners will be out by Christmas. If you would like to reserve a copy, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Subject 20 Years Book
Looking for a Job in Croatia: This Week's Top 10 from Posao.hr
July 22, 2022 - Looking for a job in Croatia? A new weekly feature on TCN, in partnership with leading job site agency, Posao.hr, who present a selection of weekly job listings.
How hard is it to find a job in Croatia, and what is on offer?
We spoke to Ines Bokan, director of leading jobs site Posao.hr, who kindly took the time for this excellent interview overview.
Ines has kindly agreed to work with us on a new weekly feature on TCN - a weekly selection of 10 job listings, as chosen by Posao.hr. Details and links to the job opportunities below.
Posao.hr selected specially for you
WEEKLY SELECTION OF JOB LISTINGS
Gi Group HR Solutions d.o.o. is looking for a Research and Development manager (m/f) in Zagreb. If you have a bachelor's degree in a science-related field, great communication skills, and an eye for details this might be the job for you! Apply by Aug 15th via this link.
AA Euro Croatia d.o.o., a specialist Recruitment Consultancy, is looking for a Senior MEP Manager (m/f) with over 8 years of previous experience. They are offering a competitive salary, paid-for accommodation, flights, transport, and subsistence allowance. Applications are accepted until Aug 14th, and find out how to apply by clicking here.
CHEP is searching for a Customer Service Specialist (m/f) for remote work in Croatia. They offer an annual bonus depending on performance, the option to purchase shares within the company group, professional and self-development programs and 3 days off for volunteering. Apply now by clicking this link! Applications are open until Jul 31st.
CCPORTER Sp. z o.o. is looking for a Sales Advisor with Croatian (m/f) for remote work. If you are passionate, driven, with excellent negotiation skills and experience in call center sales, you would make a great addition to the team. Apply by Aug 19th by clicking this link.
Gi Group Staffing Solutions d.o.o. u potrazi je za Aftersales managerom (m/f) u Kastavu. Ako imate dobro poznavanje talijanskog jezika i rad na računalu, barem dvije godine iskustva na sličnim pozicijama i spremni ste na česta putovanja prijavite se do 01.08.2022. klikom na ovdje.
Accenture Services Sp. z o.o., a leading global professional services company, is looking for a Junior Data Reviewer with English and Croatian / Bosnian / Serbian / Macedonian (m/f) for work in Warsaw, Poland. You can apply by Aug 18th by clicking this link.
Mamut Fortis d.o.o., poznatiji kao Arena bet & Casino, traži Business Development Managera (m/ž) na području grada Zagreba. Poslodavac nudi mogućnost napredovanja, stimulativna primanja i stalni radni odnos nakon probnog roka. Natječaj je otvoren do 31.08.2022., a kako se prijaviti možete provjerite na linku.
Strabag d.o.o. is looking for a Site Manager – Water Technologies (m/f) for work in Zagreb. If you have completed civil engineering studies, have a minimum of 5 years of similar experience, IT skills, and are oriented towards teamwork, you would be a great fit! Apply by Aug 13th via this link.
Falkensteiner Hotels & Residences is searching for a Head of Marketing / Commercial Lead Camping Division (m/f) in Zadar. If you have over 5 years of professional marketing experience, experience in leading a team, excellent organisational abilities and more, this might be the position for you! Apply by Aug 04th by clicking the link.
VIP Digital d.o.o. zapošljava Novinara na portalu (m/ž). Ako imate prethodno iskustvo rada u novinarskom poslu, razvijene vještine u korištenju MS Office paketa i interneta te sjajne komunikacijske vještine, prijavite se do 02.09.2022. klikom na link ovdje.
For more career options and job listings visit posao.hr.
These weekly job listings will appear in the weekly TCN newsletter - you can subscribe here.
How is the Job Market in Croatia? Interview with Posao.hr Director Ines Bokan
July 22, 2022 - Stories of emigration due to lack of good jobs coupled with employers unable to find workers. What is the reality of the Croatian job market today? We asked Ines Bokan, who runs one of the country's leading job search companies, Posao.hr.
A few months ago, I place an ad on TCN's Facebook page looking for the next round of candidates for our intern programme. Minutes later, I received a very nice email from Ines Bokan from Posao.hr, offering to run my ad for free on the homepage.
The results were great - some 45 very high-quality applicants. Having planned on taking three, we ended up taking five interns, and they were the best crop in our programme so far.
Being self-employed for over 20 years, I have not had to look for a job for a long time, and I must confess that the Croatian job market fascinates me. Everyone is emigrating as there are no decent jobs with a good salary, while desperate employers are now looking abroad to fill positions. So what is the actual state of the job market today in Croatia? I am very grateful to Ines Bokan for finding time to give her thoughts on the job market. And, in a new weekly feature on TCN, Ines will be sending us 10 of the best job openings of the week, which we will be publishing on a weekly basis, as well as sharing in our newsletter - you can subscribe here.
We hear a lot about Croats emigrating as there are no jobs, and then on the other hand, businesses that cannot find staff. It can't be both, can it? What is the current situation with the Croatian labour market? Can you give us an overview?
Some say that there are jobs, but not enough quality opportunities. Croats leave our country for different reasons, not only job-related ones. The current situation in the job market is not like it used to be - job seekers are running the show. Employers are facing different challenges in attracting and hiring candidates, as well as retaining employees. Whatever good activities employers used to do, now come to focus. Employment is an agreement, and both parties should agree on expectations. There is a huge gap between what the job market needs and the job seekers’ qualifications (just think how hard it is to find craftsmen, master craftsmen, and highly skilled and experienced managers). In the end, it is a known fact that great employees are hard to find, now just a bit harder. Being up to date with your competencies as a job seeker will help you find better opportunities. Being a good employer will give companies a bit of an advantage in the job market.
What types of job are most in demand?
The situation is similar every year – the job market is lacking, but not limited to, experts and workers in the hospitality, construction, craftsman and IT fields.
The IT sector is booming, and I have heard many companies having difficulty finding staff and even beginning to try and attract talent from abroad to fill the positions. What are your thoughts?
Croatia is a great country and recognized as a nice place to live; we finally could embrace expats and foreign workers. They bring new competencies, new knowledge and teachings which we could be missing without them. Remote work as well is offering our IT experts global recognition and the opportunity to expand their businesses even further.
Are you seeing much impact with remote work on job trends? If so, tell us more.
Remote work is a great option and many employers are open to this solution. After presenting remote work as a benefit, many companies shifted and are now presenting work from the office as a benefit and their EVP.
How would you compare the pre-pandemic job market to the job market in Croatia today?
The job market was much more in favour of employers before. Now, job seekers have an advantage to push employers to improve job opportunities and benefits. The pandemic gave people enough time to rethink their life choices and wishes, so many of them changed their jobs and careers. Globally, the great shift is happening and does not show signs of stopping. This is a great time for good employers to attract great candidates.
What about wages. What kind of salaries are being offered at the moment - are you seeing Croatian salaries becoming more competitive?
Salary ranges are raised in many industries and companies, if their business model can approve that. Unfortunately, not all businesses will be able to do that. Even with this increase, in many industries Croatian salaries are still below the European standard.
Which industries are in the highest demand?
Croatia is again facing increased demand in hospitality, IT, construction and retail workers the most.
There seems to be a marked increase in foreign labour in the hospitality and construction business, mostly from Asia. What can you tell us about that?
Job seekers are focused on looking for better opportunities, salaries, and benefits. If their own country cannot offer that, they will seek it abroad. So this shift shouldn’t be a surprise, as it presents Croatia as a good country to work in. If employers are forced to hire foreign labour, it’s best to give them a chance and show them how great our country is. As well, it is disheartening to see that we are losing our people who choose to look for better opportunities elsewhere.
How do you see the employment market in Croatia 12 months from now - how will it be different from today?
It’s hard to predict anything if looking at the global situation and expectations. Good candidates will always find new careers and jobs more easily, and good companies will find talent. We should all work on expanding our competencies and knowledge as this is a sure way to have a good position in the job market.
Many of them will confirm their job market position, and I hope that the rest do whatever is possible to improve their status. Although there is a recession to be expected, those times always bring new ideas, new businesses, and new successes. I am looking forward to new success stories being revealed and shared as motivation for all of us.
Ines Bokan has more than ten years of experience in Human Resources which she combines with experience from sales, advertising, IT fintech and the retail industry. Now she runs posao.hr, one of Croatia’s leading job sites.
Looking for a job in Croatia? In a new weekly feature on TCN, Ines has selected her top 10 jobs this week. If you would like to receive these regularly, please subscribe to the TCN newsletter.
Croatian Nationals One Of Largest Groups Of Labour Migrants In Germany
ZAGREB, 22 July 2022 - Croatian nationals residing in Germany are the fourth largest group of immigrants from the European Union to immigrate exclusively to get a new job, according to this year's census, published on Friday by the German Federal Statistical Office in Wiesbaden.
In the census, 131,000 surveyed German citizens holding Croatian citizenship said they had immigrated to Germany solely for the purpose of employment, the Federal Statistical Office told Hina.
Croatia is thus ranked fourth regarding the number of labour migrants from a European Union member state.
Poland tops the list with 380,000 labour migrants, followed by Romania with 271,000 and Italy with 208,000 labour migrants.
The numbers do not include persons who immigrated to Germany for a different purpose, such as family reunification or study, and then found employment there.
At the end of 2021, there were 434,610 Croatian nationals living in Germany.
A year before that, the number stood at 426,845.
In 2013, when Croatia joined the European Union, there were 240,543 German residents with a Croatian passports.
Of the countries outside the European Union, countries of the former Yugoslavia are also near the top of the list regarding the number of citizens who immigrated to Germany to find employment.
For more, check out our politics section.
Results Of Adobe Cross-Border Project On Accessible Tourism Presented
ZAGREB, 22 July 2022 - The ADOBE cross-border project on accessible tourism has ensured that persons with disabilities have access to all tourist facilities in Osijek-Baranja County, it was said at a presentation of the results of the projects in Osijek on Friday.
The Hungarian County of Baranya is the project partner, while the Hungarian Ministry of Human Resources and Croatia's Office of the Ombudsman for Persons with Disabilities are associate partners.
The total value of the project is €195,000, of which €100,000 is intended for Croatia and the rest for the Hungarian partners, said the deputy head of the Osijek-Baranja County Department for Tourism, Culture and Sport, Mirela Kalazić, adding that 85 per cent of the money comes from EU funds and 15 per cent is own funds.
The project was launched on 1 May last year and is being brought to a successful completion, despite problems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, she said.
The accessibility of 100 tourist facilities to disabled persons was examined during the project, and a mobile application was developed showing which facilities are more or less accessible to persons with disabilities and which are not accessible at all. Also, six mobile ramps were built at six tourist facilities, and equipment was purchased which persons with disabilities will be able to rent via the mobile application, Kalazić said.
Mario Burek, adviser to the Ombudsman for Persons with Disabilities, said that this project was an example of good practice.
For more, check out our politics section.
Employers Seek Government Aid Due To Rising Electricity Prices
ZAGREB, 22 July 2022 - The Croatian Employers' Association (HUP) on Friday called on the government to adopt a new aid package for the enterprise sector because of an enormous rise in energy prices.
Employers are recommending four measures - to limit the price of electricity to up to €150 per megawatt-hour for all economic operators from 1 August this year to 31 December 2023; suspend from 1 August 2022 to 31 December 2023, or permanently reduce grid use charges and excise taxes; temporarily reduce charges for renewable energy sources; and reduce the income tax base by the amount of the increase in the cost of electricity for businesses compared with 2021.
"Despite the further rise in energy prices and the deteriorating state of the economy, Croatia has still not expanded its initial package of measures adopted in February, especially in regards to significant increases in prices of electricity, which is the primary source of energy for the majority of enterprises," HUP said.
It added that the enterprise sector expects further government interventions because it cannot cope with further increases in energy prices on its own any more.
Employers warned that failure by the government to mitigate the rise in electricity prices would jeopardise not only the operation of individual companies but also the growth of the entire economy.
"Without the government's intervention, enterprises will be compelled to considerably increase the prices of their products and services, which, in the present circumstances of galloping inflation, will have an additional and significant impact on the general inflation rate," HUP said, noting that the measures they are recommending do not require any direct allocations from the budget.
The enterprise sector is willing to invest in energy efficiency and renewable energy sources, but the government needs to change the present legislative framework to make it stimulating enough for companies, HUP said.
For more, check out our politics section.
PM: Fuel Prices Expected To Drop Further
ZAGREB, 22 July 2022 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Friday that fuel prices should drop further and announced that the government would intervene again if such a possibility arises following the calculation of fuel prices, which is released tomorrow.
The government intervenes every two weeks and, according to what I've just discussed with (Economy) Minister Filipović, it seems that fuel prices might be even lower, Plenković told the press on the island of Hvar.
If that is the case, and the calculation is tomorrow, we will intervene again and make decisions at the government conference call on Monday, Plenković said.
Asked about reports that a thousand doctors in Croatia had handed in their resignations, he said that he did not know about it, adding that doctors were among the better-paid public employees in Croatia.
"The only ones that perhaps have a higher salary are air traffic controllers, who are complaining about HRK 50,000. A stressful job. Come on," he said.
He underscored that the government had increased salaries in health care in general and that he didn't know when someone would be satisfied.
I think everyone needs to realise what kind of global crisis we are in and understand that this is the moment when we have to return to our joint contribution to solidarity, Plenković said.
With regard to President Zoran Milanović's statement that the Social Democratic Party was responsible for the construction of the Pelješac Bridge, he said that Milanović then thought that the SDP was also responsible for Croatia's accession to the euro area, membership in the European Union, and accession to the Schengen Area...
He said everything was ready for the Pelješac Bridge opening ceremony on Tuesday, to which all state officials were invited, including Milanović.
Everyone is invited, all state officials, all members of parliament, this is a state event, once in history, said Plenković, who today attended the opening of an external berth at the Sućuraj port on the island of Hvar.
The project is worth over HRK 35 million, and it is partly financed by EU funds, partly from the state budget, and partly from the budget of Split-Dalmatia County.
For more, check out our politics section.
Milanović Comments on Russia's Decision to Declare Croatia Hostile Country
ZAGREB, 22 July 2022 - Croatian President Zoran Milanović on Friday commented on the Russian government's decision to include Croatia on its list of hostile countries.
"We are not at war, but this has been going on for months. We are on hostile terms with Russia. We are not in it so actively like other countries that are in fact at war. This is a very dangerous situation that threatens to evolve into something enormous. I hope it does not," Milanović said.
The Russian government has added Croatia, Denmark, Greece, Slovakia, and Slovenia to its list of hostile countries, against which it is taking countermeasures, the RIA Novosti news agency reported on Friday.
Croatia and Slovenia can no longer employ local staff in their diplomatic and consular posts. Greece is allowed to hire up to 34 people, Denmark 20 and Slovakia 16.
"The list approved by the government is not final and could be expanded given the continued hostile actions of foreign states against Russian missions abroad,” the Russian government said in a statement.
For more, check out our politics section.
HP Issues Postage Stamp with Motif of Pelješac Bridge
ZAGREB, 22 July 2022 - A postage stamp with the motif of the Pelješac Bridge will be put into circulation on Tuesday, 26 July, when the bridge is expected to be formally inaugurated, Croatian Post (HP) said on Friday.
The Hrvatska Pošta plans to issue 60,000 copies.
The designer of the stamp is Dean Roksandić who has used a photo of the bridge taken by Dubrovnik photographer Mario Babarović as the basis for his design.
For more, check out our lifestyle section.
