January the 15th, 2021 - PM Plenkovic has announced that the Croatian Government has ordered more of the new coronavirus vaccine and plans to vaccinate the population by the end of April this year. Pfizer's vaccine has been in use since the end of December in Croatia, and mass vaccination will hopefully soon see the end of the pandemic of the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, finally declared.

The advent and subsequent approval of several coronavirus vaccines has offered a much-needed light at the end of a very long, very dark tunnel for the vast majority of people, and Croatia only having a small population might finally go in its favour as vaccination is rolled out across the country.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, at a recent Croatian Government session, among other things, PM Plenkovic happily reported on the current course of coronavirus vaccination across the country and announced what the government intends to do in this regard over the next few months.

"As far as the pandemic is concerned, I want to say that after the measures we introduced back at the end of November, along with the great level of responsibility of Croatia's residents, we managed to ensure a better epidemiological picture, Croatia can now boast of the biggest two-week decline in the entire European Union," said PM Plenkovic.

"So far, 38,000 people have been vaccinated against the novel coronavirus. We have increased Croatia's vaccine orders from both Pfizer and Moderna. We additionally took a million Moderna vaccines. The Oxford vaccine will be approved on January the 29th, and we have ordered 2.5 million doses from that, too. Large amounts of doses of these vaccines can be expected in February and March. With that in mind, it can be expected that the majority of Croatia's population will be vaccinated by the end of April,'' announced PM Plenkovic.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages.

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.

January 7, 2021 - When can we expect the Moderna vaccine in Croatia? Croatian PM Andrej Plenkovic weighs in on its arrival and first doses. 

The Croatian Government held a new session at the National and University Library on Thursday where Prime Minister Andrej Plenković addressed the recent Petrinja earthquake and Moderna vaccine plan in Croatia, reports Jutarnji List.

"On Tuesday, we visited the heavily destroyed areas, and these larger cities in the SMŽ area and gained immediate insight. After the earthquake last night, 5 according to the Richter scale, all services were on the ground - the Civil Protection, the army, the police, the HGSS, and assistance was provided to the citizens by the Red Cross and numerous volunteers. The electricity is being repaired, the telephone signal is being spread in the area, the minister is in coordination with the mayors, and urgent procurement of alternative accommodation is being done.

There is a larger number of containers and houses; we will order more containers. The aim is to provide them as soon as possible. I thank Medved for arranging this, all of you who are engaged, all the volunteers. It is important that help and support are well-coordinated and channeled to those who need it most. I thank the engineers who are richer in their experience in Zagreb, now also in SMŽ. Thanks to the Red Cross, Caritas for all of their help in the earthquake-damaged areas," he said.

The Prime Minister also commented on the coronavirus and Moderna vaccine in Croatia.

"As far as COVID-19 is concerned, the EMA has approved the vaccine from the manufacturer Moderna, and Croatia has ordered practically a million doses from this manufacturer. The first Moderna vaccine should arrive in the Republic of Croatia on January 11, with about 4,000 doses. By the end of March, about 90,000 doses could arrive in the Republic of Croatia. Also good and important for us is that the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine has been sent for approval. There are indications that this vaccine could also be approved during January. For us, this is important because we have ordered 2.7 million doses from them, and if approved, they could get significantly larger quantities of vaccines by the beginning of spring. We will talk about that when the process is over."

The Prime Minister also discussed the events in Washington.

"We condemn the scenes and acts of violence that took place. It was clearly an attack on American democracy concerning election results. It is good that this calmed down in a few hours; we believe that everything will follow the Constitution and the law. An attempt that is by no means a good episode in the history of American democracy. I thank the American ambassador for his cooperation, everything that has been done to improve relations between Croatia and the United States, and I express my regret for these developments," said Plenković.

Illustration by Little Shiva

To read more about COVID-19 in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

ZAGREB, 4 January, 2021 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Monday it was necessary to look into why some houses were poorly reconstructed after the Homeland War, adding that he did not have more details.

Speaking to the press, he said "it's necessary to look into how and why that happened, who did the job, who supervised, who issued the final certificates of occupancy."

Plenkovic said that at the moment he did not have more details and that he would ask Construction Minister Darko Horvat and the state secretary in the State Reconstruction and Housing Office, Nikola Mazar.

"It's not good that there are buildings which should be stronger than they are. Everything that should, will be looked into," he said, regardless of responsibility. "The reconstruction that Croatia carried out was a big process. If some buildings were not built up to code, that should be looked into."

As for the role of incumbent Sisak-Moslavina County prefect Ivo Zinic, who was in charge of reconstruction in the area in question in 1995, Plenkovic said he was sure Zinic could provide all the necessary explanations.

Mazar said more than 156,000 family houses were reconstructed after the Homeland War, with works lasting from 1995 to 2000 and over 150 companies involved.

"Everything was done under the Reconstruction Act, the Building Act. There are documents on contractors, supervisors, architects, owners, users... There were certain guarantees and deadlines," he said.

January 4, 2021 - Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic announced that a State of Disaster has been declared in the Croatian counties affected by the Petrinja earthquake. 

Jutarnji List reports that Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic opened the Government session on Monday, which began with a minute of silence in memory of the eight young people who lost their lives near Posusje in BiH a few days ago.

"Today, we have points mainly related to repairing the damage from the earthquake. I am greeting you with prefect Žinić, prefect Kožić, and acting prefect Furdek Hajdin. There is also Mr. Markt, the first man of the Red Cross, Mr. Granić, the first man of the HGSS, the Chief Fire Commander Tucaković, and the State Secretary for Housing, Mr. Mažar.

Today is exactly one week since the first earthquake and six days since the devastating 6.2 earthquake in which seven people lost their lives. This quake caused enormous damage over a large area. Today, we will inform the public about what has been done to help the injured and rehabilitate. Twenty-four people were injured, 18 were hospitalized, and six were discharged. Four firefighters were also injured, and one volunteer was killed while helping. Saturday was also a day of mourning, and I once again express my condolences to the families. According to the Seismological Service, the ground is still shaking, and many minor or moderate earthquakes have been recorded. That doesn’t mean we have to be in fear, but we still need to be vigilant. The government reacted promptly; we were immediately on the ground at 10 am in Petrinja, with the president and several ministers. We were also in Sisak. We were there again on Tuesday. Sixteen of the 18 members of the Government have already been in Sisak-Moslavina County, and two members will leave tomorrow," Plenković said.

Plenković: 'No one will be left alone in this situation.'

"Numerous statisticians and civil engineers are in the field; some were injured after the 2nd earthquake. I hope they are recovering well. Their experience is essential, and we have made a decision to compensate them for the work they have done so far as volunteers," said Plenković and thanked everyone who helped in any way after these earthquakes.

"No one will be left alone in this situation. I understand Mr. Dumbović's concerns and difficult circumstances, but he knows that we are with him and with the citizens of Petrinja, and there will be more support for that city. We have done a lot in the field of healthcare. Two hospitals were practically evacuated, and patients were taken care of. Minister Beroš said that they can be accommodated in part of the hospital buildings in Sisak, so they will be able to receive more than 50 patients, as was estimated in the first days. Thanks also to the numerous citizens who donated money to help the victims in this situation. The first response is a great signal of support and a desire to help. The government is currently facing two crises, COVID-19 and earthquakes; we decided to declare a state of disaster in Sisak-Moslavina County, parts of Zagreb and Karlovac, but also to form a Headquarters headed by Tomo Medved. Representatives of all departments will also be involved. The deputies will be Milošević and Horvat," Plenković said, concluding: "We will show that we have the strength to deal with the consequences of this crisis and open the perspective for the normalization of life and reconstruction."

Before the Government session, the Minister of Construction Darko Horvat and the Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Tomislav Ćorić also addressed the press.

"Today, our priority is to provide everyone with adequate temporary accommodation and logistics to restore the normal situation in the earthquake-affected area," said Minister Darko Horvat before the Government session.

Horvat: 'It is pointless to invoke responsibility now.'

Asked about the responsibility of poorly built houses, Horvat said:

"We will sit at the table, but it is evident that the Central State Office for Reconstruction has data, and that is why it is now pointless to invoke responsibility until we are completely sure what happened and who the actors are."

'Three disasters hit Croatia this year.'

Minister Ćorić spoke about commodity stocks.

"This year, the Republic of Croatia was hit by three catastrophes: the earthquake in Zagreb, COVID, and the big earthquake in Sisak-Moslavina County. There are 298 containers, and they have been distributed throughout the Republic of Croatia since March. Of these, 201 are in use in hospitals and health centers for testing purposes. Seventy-six were allocated after the earthquake in Zagreb, and the rest, 21 containers, were used in the Petrinja area. The procurement of 41 containers has been initiated, and they will be in Sisak-Moslavina County by the end of the week," said Minister Tomislav Ćorić before the Government session and added:

"Croatia is trying to find additional quantities of containers for the next period."

"You can expect decisions in the direction of strengthening the situation in the ground and stepping out by appointing Medved as the coordinator of these activities. Extraordinary circumstances during this year, three such, have never occurred in the last 30 years. And this is a response to the idea that the Republic of Croatia should have had 1,500 containers at its disposal a few days ago. That is not possible. Please understand. We have 1,600 tents for 25,000 people in stock. We are witnessing reports of tents or bags from other countries. We have enough of that, but the question is whether the tents are adequate for such weather conditions; people cannot function in tents at low temperatures. Nobody made a mistake there," added Ćorić.

When asked when people can hope for a roof over their heads, Ćorić said:

"The procurement of 1500 containers within 7 days is not possible, and it is unobjective to expect. Citizens are offered accommodation in several centers, and I ask them to take advantage of these accommodation opportunities. The worst possible option is to sleep in the car and freeze. We ask them for patience because the services are doing everything they can. The renovation will take some time; it may not be over in a day. It takes time to renovate 1000 buildings in the Republic of Croatia. We need an extra step forward in togetherness. We will have to think that part of the citizens will be accommodated in the capacities available in and around the county to solve the problem temporarily. This is not a permanent solution. Three catastrophes have hit us, and it seems to me that some have forgotten about the previous two catastrophes when it comes to stocks of goods," said Ćorić.

For more on the Petrinja earthquake and to see how you can donate money, food, humanitarian, sanitary, and material aid, follow our dedicated section.

ZAGREB, 2 January, 2021 - The mayor of Petrinja, Darinko Dumbovic, said on Saturday that Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic had reassured him that there would be more money earmarked for this city which sustained extensive damage in the 29 December quake.

Dumbovic's latest statement ensued after he earlier said that he would not take the allocation for Petrinja in the amount of 30 million kuna, claiming that that relief was being distributed along party lines.

"We are human beings, we are not a stone. We must also react emotionally," Dumbovic, an official of the Reformists party, said adding that he had talked with Prime Minister Plenkovic in the meantime.

I have made it clear to the premier that we must have stronger communication, the mayor said.

December the 30th, 2020 - A devastating earthquake struck Petrinja and Sisak yesterday which was felt in numerous places across the region, as such, PM Plenkovic has declared that January the 2nd will be a day of mourning for the lives lost in the natural disaster.

As Poslovni Dnevnik wrires, after yesterday's devastating earthquake, at today's session, the Croatian Government will officially make a final decision on the payment of intervention aid of 120 million kuna, which will be paid directly into the accounts of the three earthquake-affected counties, all of which are located in continental Croatia.

At the beginning of the Government session, PM Plenkovic addressed the government ministers and called on them all to observe a minute of silence for those who tragically lost their lives in yesterday's horrendous earthquake.

''After yet another tragedy to have befallen us, we'd like to express our condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and those who were injured. One young girl was killed in Petrinja, five died in Majske Poljane and one died in Lekenik. At the same time, 26 people were injured. The ruins are continually being searched, just like they were yesterday,'' PM Plenković said.

PM Plenkovic also announced that a Day of Mourning for those who died as a result of the Petrinja earthquake would be declared on Saturday, January the 2nd, 2021.

For more on the Petrinja earthquake and how you can help, follow our live updates for today, and click here to find out how you can donate funds and other material aid.

December 28, 2020 – President Zoran Milanovic and Prime Minister Andrej Plenković visited Sisak and Petrinja after a series of earthquakes hit the area this morning.

This morning, around 6.28 am, the area of Sisak and Petrinja was hit by a 5,2 magnitude earthquake. After a few weaker tremors, just before 8 am, two stronger blows followed, with magnitudes of 4.7 and 4.1 on the Richter scale.

President Zoran Milanović and Prime Minister Andrej Plenković came to Sisak and Petrinja to support their fellow citizens. Prefect of Sisak-Moslavina County Ivo Žinić and Mayor of Sisak Kristina Ikić Baniček informed them of the situation in Sisak.

They were accompanied by Deputy Prime Ministers and Ministers Davor Božinović and Tomo Medved, as well as Minister of Physical Planning, Construction and State Assets Darko Horvat and Minister of Health Vili Beroš.

'No house in the villages that are not damaged'

Žinić said there are no casualties.

"No one was injured, there is no damage to industrial plants, but the Gavrilović factory has a large amount of ammonia, and it will have to be checked in detail. The damage is in the center of Sisak on buildings. Plaster has fallen off, bricks have fallen on some buildings. The second earthquake did more damage. The first one seems to have moved some things a bit, and there is no house in the villages that are not damaged. The damage is not even close to the damage that was in Zagreb, but it is the roofs where people live," said Sisak-Moslavina County Prefect Ivo Žinić.

Mayor Ikić Baniček said there had been over 100 firefighter interventions since the morning. They had one situation where they had to place one family in another facility because their apartment was damaged.

Prime Minister Plenković emphasized that all services will be available to the citizens and said that luckily the earthquake did not leave any major damage.

"I am glad that we are here. We came to support our fellow citizens. As the year was, so it ended. Here is the Civil Protection, the Croatian army, and they will help. I also spoke to the Mayor of Zagreb, Milan Bandić. We already have experience. We will try to list the damages and help everyone to repair those damages," said the Prime Minister.

'We are here to help'

Milanović and Plenković toured Sisak and Petrinja together.

"The damage is significant in the buildings we visited, but the most important thing is that no one was injured. This was a pretty strong earthquake, and it's good that the aftershocks were less intense," said Plenković after visiting Petrinja.

He promised to create a legal framework to help the affected areas.

"We hope that it will be better next year. The state will react, of course. We are here to help," Plenković said.

President Milanović was not in the mood for statements.

"It was uncomfortable in Zagreb. It is human to be afraid. Fear is the biggest blow to people. And what was destroyed will be rebuilt. It is a smaller problem," Milanović said.

The Mayor of Petrinja, Darinko Dumbović, told them that he expects help from the state in repairing the damage, namely the "millions in his account tomorrow. "

Plenković said they would try to help Sisak, Petrinja, and other municipalities in Sisak-Moslavina County affected by the earthquake with all aid services.

"I hope that it will be better next year. I guess everything that should have happened badly happened in 2020," the Prime Minister concluded and expressed his condolences to all those whose houses were damaged.

Sources: Večernji.hr, Jutarnji.hr, Dnevnik.hr

To read more about news in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

ZAGREB, Dec 27, 2020 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Sunday that he was sure that a vast majority of Croatians would be inoculated against coronavirus in the next months, reiterating that first 9,750 doses of COVID-19 vaccine would be administered to citizens at the highest risk and front-line professionals.

"I and my Cabinet are very happy that the vaccine rollout has started in Croatia. We have made the vaccination plan which the government adopted. The plan was prepared by the Croatian Institute of Public Health, to roll out vaccines throughout all the counties," the premier said after the first person in Croatia, an 81-year-old Branka Anicic, a resident of a retirement home in Zagreb, was given a Pfizer jab on Sunday morning.

Plenkovic underscored that the first 9,750 doses would be given to citizens at the highest risk of contracting the disease and to frontline workers.

The Croatian PM expects the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to certify the COVID-19 vaccines produced by Moderna on 6 January.

Asked by the press why Croatia's state leaders were not among the first to receive the vaccine, Plenkovic explained that the first doses should be distributed to residents in old-age care homes who are high-risk groups of citizens and to front-line physicians who care for them.

There will be enough time for the demonstration of giving vaccines to (officials) that should encourage as many people as possible to get vaccinated, said Plenkovic, who recently recovered from COVID-19.

He expressed his belief in the common sense of most citizens who will get vaccinated.

ZAGREB, Dec 27, 2020 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said in a Twitter post on Saturday that the arrival of the first batch of the COVID-19 vaccine gave rise to the hope that life would return to normal during 2021.

"The first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have arrived in Croatia this morning. The main priority is protection of the most vulnerable and most exposed groups - the elderly and infirm and medical workers and employees of welfare institutions. The arrival of the vaccine is an encouraging message that gives rise to the hope that life will return to normal in 2021," Plenkovic said.

Croatian Public Health Institute (HZJZ) director Krunoslav Capak and vaccine distribution coordinators early this morning took over the first 9,750 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine that had arrived in the country.

The vaccine must be stored at -70 degrees Celsius and its distribution across the country will start on Sunday.

The first batch of the vaccine is a symbolic one, delivered to all EU member-states to mark the start of European vaccinations on December 27, 28 and 29. After that, new batches will be arriving in Croatia on a weekly basis, in line with the vaccination schedule.

The HZJZ has called on citizens to respond to the vaccination campaign in line with its slogan - "Think of others - get vaccinated".

ZAGREB, Dec 18, 2020 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Friday that regardless of the duration of the COVID-19 crisis, salaries and pensions would not come into question and that job-retention measures would remain in force as long as necessary.

He was asked by the press how long the current lockdown could last without salaries and pensions coming into questions. "They haven't this year, they won't the next either. Salaries will be here, pensions will be here, we'll retain jobs."

Plenkovic said they would do everything that a responsible government and state should do, and which proved to be good, in these particular circumstances.

"The next six months are key. If we look at the experience from last spring, when the weather gets a little warmer, the epidemic likely won't be as strong as it is today. Secondly, the vaccine will come and we will vaccinate our citizens, showing resilience to the further spread of the infection."

He said the government would find the money for job-retention measures as long as they were necessary, while at the same time working on economic recovery and resilience as well as investment.

The government will use this opportunity to reset Croatia for a digital and green transition and to invest in the fourth industrial revolution, while at the same time preventing deep inequality in society and other crises, Plenkovic said. "That's the responsibility of the government and the state, and we will stand behind that. Everything we have done so far has been in line with that."

Commenting on central bank forecasts, he said this time of holiday shopping was important for the functioning of the state, adding that the COVID-19 measures were balanced.

The central bank estimated yesterday that real GDP could drop by 8.9% this year, up from the 8% drop estimated in mid-October, and rebound by 5% in 2021, down from the estimated 5.2%.

The central bank does not expect GDP to reach the pre-crisis level next year but in 2022. If the COVID situation is not put under control by the end of March 2021 and some parts of the economy need to remain locked, the estimate is that the pre-crisis level could be achieved only in 2023.