November the 5th, 2022 - Croats love to make (and drink rakija) and other alcoholic beverages, but just how much alcohol do Croats drink when compared to other European countries? A new list reveals all, and the country's position might just surprise you.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, in many countries around the world, drinking alcohol is part of the culture and is a tradition nobody bats an eyelid at regardless of the potential serious harm it can cause. Whether it's a modest glass of wine or soft drink with lunch, an aperitif before dinner, a beer at Oktoberfest, brandy with a meze or even a complete blowout that leaves you with a bad taste in your mouth and a sense of regret in your head, alcohol is an enormous part of our culture across Europe and elsewhere.

Alcohol consumption in each country varies greatly and is influenced by each country's laws, general culture and other characteristics. The World Health Organisation recently recorded alcohol consumption in each country in litres of pure alcohol for beers, wines, spirits and other alcoholic beverages. The average consumption for individuals over fifteen years of age was recorded, and the global average consumption stood at 6.18 litres, with an extremely high concentration of higher consumers here in Europe, according to the World population review.

To explain the differences in the alcohol content of different beverages (for example wine or beer), the values ​​are expressed in litres of pure alcohol per year.

Here are the top ten countries with the highest alcohol consumption (in litres of pure alcohol per capita):

1. Czech Republic (Czechia) – 14.26

2. Latvia – 13.19

3. Moldova – 12.85

4. Germany – 12.79

5. Lithuania – 12.78

6. Ireland – 12.75

7. Spain – 12.67

8. Uganda – 12.48

9. Bulgaria – 12:46 p.m

10. Luxembourg – 12.45 p.m

Considering the data provided by Our World in Data, it can be safely said that European countries traditionally have a higher amount of alcohol consumed per person, which is unlikely to come as a shock to any of us who were born and raised here. Remember those comical pictures of you as a small kid stored away in some dusty album in the attic which always featured at least one ''joke picture'' of your dad giving you a beer? Any European likely has a few of those.

The data for the Republic of Croatia is 8.73 litres per capita per year, which would be somewhere in the middle on the global scale. According to these statistics, men in this country drink four times more than women, and speaking more precisely about the ratio, it stands at 13.96 : 3.99 for Croats.

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September the 17th, 2022 - The Rijeka police have begun their project ''Zdrav na 5'' (Healthy for 5) in schools in collaboration with the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MUP), the Ministry of Health and others. They will seek to teach children in an age appropriate way about the issues of drug addiction and alcohol abuse.

As Morski writes, the praiseworthy Healthy for 5 project has been created in cooperation with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Energy, and the Ministry of Science and Education in all elementary schools across the Republic of Croatia.

This year's educational lectures from the project "Healthy for 5" intended for eighth grade students began at the Skurinje Elementary School and included Rijeka police officers. The lecture was given by Nives Kajfes Grcko, a police officer from the Primorje-Gorski kotar Police Department.

Through this national project carried out in elementary schools, activities to prevent drug addiction and alcohol abuse among children and youth are being promoted, as are the proper development of socio-emotional skills, the teaching of the responsibility young people have in boosting and preserving their own health, and general safety.

On this occasion, police officer Nives Kajfes Grcko gave lectures for two classes of children, in which she pointed out to students the harmful consequences of alcohol consumption among young people, which not only has a negative effect on their cognitive and psycho-emotional development, but also results in many punishable behaviours that the police often encounter when it comes to young people and drinking alcohol (peer violence, fights, vandalism, traffic accidents).

As part of the implementation of the "Healthy for 5" project, these types of lectures will be held until the end of the school year in other primary schools across Primorje-Gorski kotar County.

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ZAGREB, 27 Nov, 2021 - More than half of Croatians drink strong drinks, the most popular being liqueurs and brandies, the Ja Trgovac magazine, which together with the Hendal market research agency conducted a survey in October covering a representative sample of citizens aged above 16, said recently.

The survey shows that 56% of those polled drink spirits while 44% do not.

As for the frequency of consumption, 30% consume hard liquors several times a month while 29% drink them several times a year.

Twenty-four percent of those polled drink strong drinks on a weekly basis, 16% drink them several times a week, and slightly more than 2% do so on a daily basis.

Liqueurs are the most popular type of strong drinks, and 35% of those polled drink them most frequently, while the second most popular type of liquor is brandy (23%).

They are followed by gin (preferred by 15% of those polled), whiskey (11%), vodka (10%), and rum and tequila (2% and 1% respectively). Slightly less than 3% of Croatians drink other types of hard liquor.

Sixty-three percent of those polled prefer drinking strong drinks unmixed while 37% prefer mixing them with juice or other types of drinks.

The survey also shows that most Croatians, 53%, drink liquor at home while 29% do so in cafes and restaurants. 18% consume strong drinks equally frequently at home and outdoors.

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ZAGREB, October 25, 2020 - Croatia's COVID-19 crisis management team on Sunday presented a new set of restrictions which include the maximum number of people at public gathering up to 50, and sports events will be held without spectators in the next 14 days.

Outlining the new restrictions, Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic, who is at the helm of the crisis management team, said that the tougher measures would go into force at midnight on Monday.

Their implementation will last 14 days, and after that the authorities are expected to decide whether they should be extended or changed.

According to the new measures, any contact within less than two metres in closed space and less than 1.5 metres outdoors should be avoided.

In attendance at wedding parties as well as at funerals no more than 30 persons can be present.

Other private gatherings are capped at 15 people, Bozinovic said.

All public gatherings and ceremonies can last until 22 hours.

The authorities have banned the sale of alcohol from midnight to 6am.

Wearing protective masks is compulsory outdoors when it is impossible to keep a distance.

Masks are mandatory during visits to graveyards and cemeteries.

Particular protocols are specified for plays and cultural programmes, film screenings in cinemas, religious rites, exhibitions in museums and similar events.

Workers with a high body temperature and problems in their respiratory systems are required not to go to work.

Also working from home, if possible, is recommended.

Bozinovic told the news conference that about a million kuna (€133,000) had so far been collected as fines for the failure to adhere to the restrictions. However, he says, the point is to make sure that all will comply with those measures.

Turning Zagreb's Arena into makeshift hospital, if necessary

Preparations are under way for turning  sports venues into makeshift hospitals, and Health Minister Vili Beros said today that there was a plan to adapt Zagreb's Arena hall to accommodate COVID patients with moderate symptoms who need hospital treatment.

It is possible to set up 1,000 beds in Arena, he said, admitting that " the essential challenge is the medical staff and the risk of overburdening them."

The number of active cases in Croatia stands at 11,144. There are 825 COVID patients in hospitals, and 58 are on ventilators, according to the latest data.

The head of the Croatian Institute of Public Health (HZJZ), Krunoslav Capak, told the news conference that currently in Croatia, the coronavirus incidence rate is 389.9 persons per 100,000 inhabitants, which puts the country in the middle of the rankings in Europe, while the current reproduction number, or R value, for Covid-19 is 1,99 in our country, Capak said.

As Novac/Frenki Lausic writes on the 8th of February, 2020, at the same time as talks on the increase in excise duties on non-alcoholic beverages and cigarettes are going on, the Ministry of Finance is also negotiating with companies in the alcoholic beverage industry. According to unofficial information, the tax administration's working proposal is to increase these excise duties by about 30 percent, starting in early May, which will see alcohol prices in Croatia rise.

Novac's sources didn't want to talk in more detail about the proposal put before them by the aforementioned ministry, but that they would see prices in Croatia rise, making a litre bottle of Pelinkovac for example increase from 100 kuna to 104 kuna.

When asked if more specific information about how much excise duties would increase depending on the alcohol content - because there are different excise duties for different alcoholic beverages, meaning the excise duty or calculation on alcoholic beverages over 1.2 percent is not the same for drinks with alcohol content of over 22 percent - the response was that only information that the initial proposal of the Ministry of Finance and the Tax Administration was available. That information foresees, as stated, an average increase in excise duties of about 30 percent.

The Croatian Employers Association (HUP and the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK) have declined to comment on this topic so far and have claimed that there is no official proposal from the Ministry of Finance.

However, Novac's sources in the beverage industry have pointed out that several working group meetings have been held, and at these meetings, the Ministry of Finance has proposed an increase in excise duty of about 30 percent. It is somewhat understandable why HUP, HGK, but also the alcoholic beverage producers don't want to come forward with more detailed information on the current proposals, because there is an agreement not to release the information to the public before a final decision is reached.

However, some of Novac's interlocutors are from the beverage industry, and the situation was similar with the working group for increasing excise duties on non-alcoholic beverages. They believe that the Ministry of Finance wants to raise excise duties as much as possible with as little media attention and public noise as possible. So, just after Jutarnji list announced that excise duties on sugar in soft drinks will be increased by an average of 100 percent, and for Red Bull by as much as 1450 percent, the Ministry of Finance softened its first proposal for alcohol prices in Croatia to rise, Novac was unofficially informed.

The Ministry of Finance had suggested that the linear taxation of 30 kuna per hectolitre should still be maintained, although industry representatives had had it announced to them that they would abolish this provision (so far this had amounted to 40 kuna per hectolitre) and that strong taxation should be introduced based on the taurine and methyl-xanthine content.

The beverage producers then demanded that linear taxation per hectolitre be abolished and that the content of additional sugar, taurine and methyl-xanthine be taxed at a rate of 10 percent for those beverages that have those amounts below five grams per 100 millilitres, at a rate of 20 percent at a share of five to eight grams, and at a rate of 50 percent to a share of over eight grams.

In further talks, the Ministry agreed to reduce linear taxation to 20 kuna per hectolitre, which means that, for example, excise duties on a bottle of Coca-Cola would rise by 100 percent instead of 120 percent. These negotiations are still under way, so further adjustments are possible, but the excise duty on tobacco will still, as things stand, become more expensive, so a box of cigarettes will be two kuna more expensive.

Industries who supply non-alcoholic beverages, alcoholic beverages and tobacco are aware that there will be an increase in excise duties, but much milder, especially for non-alcoholic beverages and alcoholic beverages. All of them point out that the increase in excise duties will shift to consumers.

Yesterday, the taxpayers' association Lipa (Udruga Lipa) responded in a statement against the increase in excise duties on soft drinks and tobacco, saying they oppose a re-increase in the tax burden, which they say is the sole aim of patching up the budget deficit caused by the non-implementation of reforms and Croatia's signature non-transparency.

They note that they believe that the Croatian Government will increase the overall tax burden with these regulations, but that the money raised is not intended to be spent on improving the health sector, but that it "serves to patch up the budget deficit."

"Although the Ministry will refer to an EU Directive, it should be noted that the EU continually recommends that Croatia implement reforms in all parts of the public sector, and these recommendations are largely ignored," Udruga Lipa said in a clarification of their position.

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