ZAGREB, Dec 3, 2020 - As soon as the European Medicines Agency (EMA) approves coronavirus vaccines, Croatia will be engaged in the process of distribution of vaccines that will be free of charge in the country, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Thursday.

Plenkovic, who has been recently diagnosed with the coronavirus infection, chaired an online session of his cabinet from his home and on that occasion recalled that the EMA has announced its decision on the approval of COVID vaccinations, developed by Pfizer, by the end of this year.

"As soon as this happens, we will be engaged in the process of the distribution of the vaccines in compliance with the agreement on pre-ordered vaccine jabs," Plenkovic said.

The shipment of the first 125,000 doses can be expected soon, and two doses of the vaccine are to be administered for immunisation.

Plenkovic said that healthcare workers, residents of retirement homes, patients suffering from chronic diseases and senior citizens would be first to get the vaccine.

"Vaccine jabs will be free of charge, as this is the tradition of the Croatian healthcare system," Plenkovic said.

Plenkovic commented on Thursday morning's consultations with the president of the EU Council and a few EU senior officials on the approval and delivery of vaccines.

"My main message during those consultations is that upon approval, the distribution of vaccines should be efficient, simultaneous and in proportion to the pre-ordered amounts of doses from countries, and we will thus have a pan-European approach to the protection of citizens' health," said he.

Pandemic not ebbing away

Plenkovic warned that the intensity of the COPVID-19 pandemic did not subside.

In the last five weeks, the number of infections increased from 45 million to 64 million worldwide.

"In that period the number of infections has rise twice in Europe, from six to 12 million, and in Croatia the coronavirus numbers increased threefold from 43,000 to 131,000. A similar trend has been observed in Austria, Slovenia, Hungary and Serbia," Plenkovic said, reiterating that therefore the latest restrictions were necessary.

ZAGREB, Dec 3, 2020 - A record number of 4,534 new coronavirus cases and 48 infection-related deaths have been registered in Croatia in the last 24 hours, the national coronavirus response team said on Thursday morning.

The number of active cases currently stands at 23,942, and 2,501 of them are being treated in hospitals, including 258 who are on ventilators.

Since February 25, when the first case was confirmed in Croatia, a total of 139,415 people have been infected with the novel virus, of whom 1,964 have died and 113,509 have recovered, including 3,154 in the last 24 hours.

Currently, 57,894 people are in self-isolation.

A total of 780,257 people have been tested to date, including 11,166 in the last 24 hours.

The latest number of 4,534 infections is a new single-day record. Only twice have more than 4,000 cases been recorded in a single day to date - on November 26 (4,009 cases) and November 27 (4,080).

December 3, 2020 - In a morning television interview with N1, Croatian Public Health Institute director Krunoslav Capak hints at possible shopping center closures in Croatia. 

Index.hr reports that the director of the Croatian Institute of Public Health, Krunoslav Capak, was a guest this morning on the N1 television program, where he spoke about COVID-19 measures in Croatia, among other things, like the Pfizer vaccine.

"As part of the joint procurement, the EU signed contracts with six manufacturers, later came the seventh. Pfizer was our third negotiator, we ordered a million doses. It should come as soon as the vaccine is registered. The European Agency will announce its decision no later than December 29," says Capak.

"We don't know at what time the other 125,000 doses will come. We'd better vaccinate 62,000 people and then re-vaccinate those 62,000 with another dose because it's under contract. Health workers who come into contact with patients are a priority," Capak says.

"We will get Oxford and AstraZeneca as a priority. According to the promises, we will get complete tranches in May and June, then we could vaccinate the entire population over the age of 18," he said.

"We manage to vaccinate very quickly; the flu in a week or two. I can vaccinate healthcare workers with a license, under the supervision of a doctor," he said.

Capak spoke about doing surveys for vaccinations in healthcare facilities.

"We have found that there are a lot of unknowns about vaccines and vaccinations. We will give all media a list of priorities and information on what will be done and how it will be done," he said.

Capak was asked about the measures.

"Our goal is to reduce contacts. You will admit that the situation is difficult for us. What can we do? We can increase testing, we do that, but we also have to reduce close contact because it spreads the virus. Cafes are closed to reduce contacts, because they spread the virus," he said.

What about shopping malls?

"As for them, we have determined measures to prevent the spread of the virus. Should they be closed or not? At the moment we have not brought it to the table, but it is possible to close shopping centers. Some European countries closed them," he said.

"As far as compliance with the measures is concerned, the Headquarters continuously appeals to the citizens to protect themselves and others. By adhering to the measures, we protect others and the vulnerable. There will be the possibility of fines for those who don't comply, and the law is in parliament," says Capak.

"The measures should be a balance between health care and the economy," Capak says.

“I think the measures are effective to reduce contact among citizens, to keep the numbers down,” he adds.

He says that if the situation worsens, the epidemiologists will propose additional measures. He also spoke about the direction of the new measures 

"In the direction of further reducing contacts in public transport, in shopping malls, in shops..." he said.

When asked about churches, he said that a horizontal measure of 25 people had been passed.

"It is possible to correct that, it is not the same whether it is in the cathedral or the chapel. The government has made a decision and so far it is so," he said.

When asked who in Croatia deals with calculations and projection models, he said that a working group deals with governments, but he did not want to say who is in it, only that there are two people from the CNIPH included.

Regarding the exact number of deaths from COVID-19 in Croatia, Capak says that there are defined rules and that it is considered that those who are COVID-19 positive died from COVID-19 and there is no other clear cause of death.

He confirmed that autopsies are generally not performed, as is the WHO's instruction, but that only a few of those autopsies were performed when the court ordered it to determine the exact cause of death.

He said that those who died in homes for the elderly are also listed in the statistics, but when asked why only the deceased in hospitals are always written in the statistics published by the Headquarters daily, he said that he had to check.

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

December 3, 2020 - Confusion reigns once more, with the official advice different to the realities on the ground, as American tourists continue to arrive in Croatia, despite official advice to the contrary.

I haven't left the house all week. 

And with the blanket of snow growing thicker in the garden, that is not about to change any time soon. 

With the pandemic, the cold weather and many things closed in Croatia due to the new measures, it is not really the best time to be travelling anyway. But each to his own. 

The question is - CAN you travel to Croatia at the moment?

After months of a very clear situation, the recent update on November 30 is causing confusion once more for those (admittedly far fewer) tourists travelling at this time of year. 

The lack of clarity of the situation is not helped by erroneous reports on global B2B travel portals, such as the one we reported on yesterday that had an incorrect headline - Croatia Completely Closes to Foreign Tourists. This is completely untrue, and this article yesterday looks deeper into the issues. So please read if you are interested in the details of the current situation. 

More authoritatively, the US Embassy in Zagreb updated its travel advice for its citizens yesterday, in which it stated the following (in addition to lots of additional clauses, all of which you can read here):

• Are U.S. citizens permitted to enter? No
• IMPORTANT: Entry for tourism is not permitted.

The period of the new restrictions is currently set from December 1 - 15. 

A very authoritative and very official source.

A much less official, but in many ways very authoritative source (and one which served very well this year) is the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community, which has been helping tourists in real time to navigate the murky waters of clear Croatian travel information in 2020. One of the best parts about the community has been the real time feedback from the community, many of whom have posted their actual experiences at border crossings. This has enabled us to build up a true picture of what is happening on the ground. A picture that is often different to the official advice. I am not saying the official advice is technically, as it follows the official guidelines, such as they are. 

This was Total Croatia Travel INFO Maja's experience yesterday evening, after the embassy update and a day after the new rules came into effect: Maja is an American tourist, and she was flying from Los Angeles to Zagreb via Frankfurt:

Hi Everyone!  I am an American citizen traveling to Zagreb right now. I am in Frankfurt waiting for my flight.  I am still awaiting my Covid test results via email. I did my test 24 hours ago. 

I will let you know my experience at the border. Fingers crossed

A few hours later.

Ok I am in!!!!!

I showed them my paperwork from embassy that I am a tourist

My hotel accommodations

And my Rapid Covid test results

I told them my PCR test is pending. The man in customs told me to contact an epidemiologist if I have any symptoms.  Then he said, "Dobro došli "

So what is the answer? Can Americans enter for tourism at the moment?

The US Embassy is right with its advice, which errs necessarily on caution. Technically for tourism, it is not open, as it wasn't earlier this year either for non EU/EEA citizens. There was a requirement to provide proof of paid accommodation, so that the visit could be classified as economic activity. 

But can you visit Croatia as an American tourist right now? Maja's experience would suggest that you can. 

The most important thing the authorities are worried about at the moment is a negative test. The grey area is whether or not a tourist visit can be interpreted as an economic (paid accommodation) or business activity. I suspect there are different interpretations to that, and I would expect persuading boarding agents at airlines to be a little harder to convince than perhaps earlier this year. If you are flying, I would strongly recommend you print off all the documentation you can for the airport check in - this will be the biggest challenge. Proof of paid hotel reservation, email confirmation from EnterCroatia form, letter of invitation if you have, negative test results, IATA guidelines. 

Would I personally travel across the borders at the moment? 

As I said, snow is falling and I haven't left the house for a week. 

If you do have plans to travel, or have just travelled and are willing to share your experiences to improve the information flow,  join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.

Update

December 3 travel experience from American flying from Rome via the Viber community:

Here’s my experience so far, as I wait to board my flight from Rome to Zagreb. Check-in at Rome was much like check-in when I flew to Croatia directly from the US in July. What I mean by that is both times I was well-prepared with a tidy folder packed full of documents. This time I had a negative COVID test result, a letter from the dentist I will see in Zagreb, proof of accommodation for the whole trip, Enter Croatia form, and the fine print of the entry rules. Both times, I was asked if my US passport was my only passport (it is)—and today I was told I’m not allowed to enter until Dec 15th. I expected the agent would say that, and I asked if they were looking at the IATA website. They said yes, and I explained that the site does not contain the full details and exceptions. At the bottom of the Croatia info on IATA, there is a link to the official Croatia site for more info. I told the agent that, and I had that fine print ready in my folder. At that point, they gave me the A-OK to go. No one ever looked at my paperwork in detail (although I imagine they will a bit more once I land). They just took my word for it that the mass of documents I was rifling through and explaining were legit (and they are). I think in general the gate agents I’ve met with have been so surprised by the level of preparation that they know I know the ins and outs of the rules. Anyway, hopefully that is also the case at the border—otherwise it’s gonna be a long night! I’m on my plane and ready for take off. More from the other side!

December 3, 2020 - Adapting to the new normal, Esplanade Hotel launches a glamorous pick-up and delivery meal service for the holiday season. 

“Forget about cooking and chaos this Advent. Indulge in true Christmas values and spend magical moments with your loved ones,” - is the message of the Esplanade hotel, which is promoting pick-up and delivery holiday meals in an offer called Glamor Esplanade.

HRTurizam reports that after the well-known Esplanade Christmas turkey and cakes, which have had excellent sales results in recent years, Esplanade's team of top chefs significantly expanded the range of orders for meals during the Advent season.

"We have created an offer where everyone can find something, an offer that is available to guests every day," said Miroslav Juric, sous chef of Esplanade and added that they made sure that in these new conditions, where people cannot go to restaurants and it is recommended to avoid going shopping, they offer a very simple service and just about everything for a sumptuous holiday table at home.

"We see that there is an increased need for orders, and our offer certainly stands out with packaging, quantity, and a good ratio of price and quality of food that we choose carefully. The duck, for example, is free-range and comes from the family farm Orehovec from Međimurje on the Drava. Our turkeys are of proven quality, also from free-range farming, and come from a nearby family farm, while we procure domestic veal in Zagorje, and sea bass from the Adriatic Sea. We are very careful to prepare meals only from top-quality ingredients, and our guests recognize that. For example, we have been preparing consommé for decades according to a traditional recipe: we add cognac and meat to the soup and cook for hours to get the finest concentration of flavor. Baked Esplanade štruklji have been prepared in our confectionery since the 1950s according to the same tried and tested recipe, and in this offer, we also have a variant of štruklji with gluten-free flour. I believe that we have put together a really tempting collection," added Jurić.

The process of ordering an Esplanade Gourmet collection is very simple. Guests contact the hotel directly by phone, WhatsApp, Viber, or email, place an order and pay by bank transfer or Keks Pay application. When the guest arrives in their vehicle at the back entrance of the hotel, the hotel staff delivers them the freshly prepared food, packed in stylized boxes, in a short time. And for those that want to go the extra mile, Esplanade also offers special home delivery by limousine.

The Glamor Esplanade offer consists of Esplanade's signature homemade cod pate, octopus salad, salad with rice noodles and prawns, cream of chicory soup, quiche lorraine with smoked salmon and horseradish, cod pie, homemade cod in white or red sauce, homemade perfectly roasted duck with mlinci and red cabbage, or whole turkey with mlinci and fine dauphinoise potatoes with herb sauce, rolled veal shoulder, Esplanade štrukli baked in fine cream, traditional Esplanade Christmas kuglof with spices, dried fruit, and chocolate, poppy seeds, walnuts or a selection of holiday cookies.

"There is a great demand for our offer, and when it is packaged like this and easy to consume, I believe that it will delight many who are otherwise regular guests of our restaurants. The holiday collection is just the beginning and we will certainly not stop there. We adapt to the situation every day and try to be available to guests in these new times," said Ivica Max Krizmanić, General Manager of the Esplanade Hotel.

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

December 2, 2020 - In an interview with RTL Danas, Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandrokovic spoke about the fines for violating COVID-19 measures in Croatia.

RTL Danas reports that the opposition is against the changes to the law because they believe that the government should have declared a state of emergency so that the law could be passed by a two-thirds majority.

"I do not agree with the opposition, everything is in accordance with the Constitution and the law. I believe that there is no need for a two-thirds majority. Everything is covered by Article 16. If the opposition thinks otherwise, let them ask the Constitutional Court to rule on constitutionality," Jandrokovic said, adding that the opposition only wants to put political pressure on the ruling party.

Jandrokovic revealed that the law on fines will be applied from Saturday.

"The plan is to vote on Friday, we have a majority and the text will be published in the Official Gazette that day. They will be in force from Saturday. The fines were passed because of a small number of people who don't follow the law. The vast majority of Croatian citizens already respect the measures that are necessary to curb the epidemic, and these measures are being adopted as an additional means to reduce the number of infected and dead," said Jandrokovic.

The bill stipulates that the implementation of supervision over the application of safety measures for the protection of the population from infectious diseases is also carried out by police officers, inspectors of state administration bodies responsible for civil protection, inspectors of the State Inspectorate, and inspectors of other state administration bodies.

A fine of HRK 10,000 to HRK 40,000 is prescribed for legal entities in case of non-compliance with measures prescribed by law, i.e., if they do not respect the ban or restriction of public events and gatherings and if they do not respect the ban or restriction of private gatherings. A fine of HRK 5,000 to 10,000 is prescribed for a responsible person in a legal entity, as well as a craftsperson and a natural person who performs other independent activities.

A fine of HRK 500 is in place for improperly wearing a mask, and a fine of up to 10,000 is in place for a house party. A natural person can be fined HRK 500 in case of non-compliance with the prescribed measures, i.e., the obligation to properly wear a face mask or medical mask. A fine of HRK 5,000 to 10,000 is prescribed for the owner of private property if they organize or allow a private gathering contrary to the provisions of the law.

Fines may be collected at the place where the offense was committed by a person authorized to supervise the implementation of safety measures to protect the population from infectious diseases.

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

ZAGREB, Dec 2, 2020 - The healthcare system capacity has been strained to the utmost but the system is functioning, the director of the association of employers in the healthcare system, Drazen Jurkovic, said at a news conference in Cakovec on Wednesday.

Earlier on Wednesday, a delegation of the association visited hospitals in four northern Croatian cities -- Varazdin, Cakovec, Koprivnica, and Bjelovar -- after which they held a news conference to inform the public of their findings.

Jurkovic said that the system was operating at full capacity and was functioning.

He admitted that the biggest challenge in the current coronavirus epidemic was how to organize the health system, adding that problems with drug suppliers had been settled in the short run and that the problem of unpaid overtime in the health sector remained to be solved.

The system is resilient, it can respond to all challenges, said Jurkovic.

The president of the association, Mladen Busic, praised medical professionals -- physicians, nurses and medical technicians -- as well as non-medical staff in the four hospitals for their extraordinary contribution to the fight against COVID-19.

"The healthcare system has not collapsed and will not collapse. We are dealing with this situation and will win and provide all the patients with the necessary care, both COVID-19 and other patients," Busic said.

The head of the Cakovec hospital, Tomislav Novinscak, informed the delegation that currently, 110 COVID-19 patients were being treated in the hospital and that some of them would be transferred to a local hotel that has been repurposed to admit COVID-19 patients.

He added that the situation with the available medical staff was stable. 

In Varazdin, the local hospital is treating 257 persons diagnosed with COVID-19, and of the 24 are in intensive care wards. The head of that hospital, Nenad Kudelic, expects hospital capacity to be fully occupied until the end of this week, and that 40 more COVID-19 patients could be transferred to the hospital for medical rehabilitation in Varazdinske Toplice. More than 120 employees of the Varazdin hospital are out of work due to infection with COVID-19 or self-isolation.

Kudelic said that one could not say that the system was collapsing, however, it should be made clear that the current high number of COVID-19 patients required hospital and personnel capacities that would otherwise be used for the treatment of other diseases.

The head of the Koprivnica hospital, Mato Devcic, said that there were currently 82 COVID-19 patients in the institution, and eight of them were on ventilators. The hospital has allotted 110 beds for COVID-19 patients and a maximum of 200 beds can be used for that purpose.

The system is not on its knees, it is adapting to the extraordinary circumstances, Devcic said.

In Bjelovar, the head of the hospital, Allouch Ali, said that 80 beds were made available for COVID-19 patients and that an additional 40 could be made available.

"The situation is under control," he said.

December 2, 2020 - Confusion reigns again, as a global B2B travel portal incorrectly reports Croatia closed to foreign tourists. Here is what we know about the new rules. 

It is beginning to feel awfully like May to July again, the inbox overflowing with desperate cries of help from tourists and tourism professionals on behalf of their clients. 

Is Croatia really closed to all foreign tourists?

Wait, what?!?

FAKE NEWS!

It seems that part of the panic was set off by some of the global B2B travel media, which reported exactly that. I won't name the website concerned, but it is ranked in the top 60,000 in the world on Alexa in terms of traffic, and it boasts "a readership base with an opt-in subscriber emailing list currently running at 255,000+ worldwide, mainly travel trade professionals and specialist travel and tourism journalists."

Quite a reach in the travel industry. A reach that came to my inbox several times today, with the first request from the UK PR arm of a 5-star resort on the Adriatic coast. Was this really true? A little surprised, I clicked on the article:

Croatian government officials announced that foreign tourists will not be allowed into Croatia starting today, December 1. This decision was made by the country’s government on November 30. The official website of the Croatian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a warning that foreigners with tourist visas will not be able to enter the country. Previously, foreign tourists were allowed to enter Croatia upon presentation of a certificate of absence of COVID-19 virus.

I am not even sure where to start with that, except to say that none of it is totally accurate. 

More messages came in. We are Americans and are now told that we cannot enter Croatia as tourists. What do you advise, and where can we see the rules?

Changes to entering Croatia were announced on November 30, effective December 1 until December 15. You can read the official guidelines in English on the official website here. 

The big change is the requirement now for a negative PCR test no more than 48 hours old from travellers not coming from an EU country in the green zone (almost everywhere at the moment). However, according to the new guidelines, those countries on the EU safe list do not have this requirement, and there are no restrictions on entry:

Who can enter Croatia with tests not older than 48hours -  Citizens of EU Member States (including Croatian citizens), i.e. of Schengen Member States and Schengen Associated States, as well as members of their families and third-country nationals who are long-term residents under Council Directive 2003/109/EC of 25 November 2003 concerning the status of third-country nationals who are long-term residents and persons entitled to reside under other EU directives or national law or who have national long-term visas.

Who does not need a formal reason to enter -  Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Rwanda, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Uruguay, China and special administrative regions of the People’s Republic of China - Hong Kong and Macao or EU/EAA coming from ECDC green zones.

Who can enter with the test and reason - Third-country nationals not covered by the abovementioned points may enter the Republic of Croatia from third countries if they are persons travelling for urgent personal / family reasons, business reasons or other economic interest (supported by the PCR test result for SARS-CoV-2 not older than 48 hours or by PCR testing for SARS-CoV-2 immediately upon arriving to the Republic of Croatia and by self-isolating until they receive a negative test result).

The big question mark to me in the new rules are reasons for entering. Non-EU arrivals have hitherto been allowed as tourism was classified as an economic activity. This is why there was a requirement for proof of paid accommodation before entry. Tourists were coming with one night's paid accommodation to fulfill this requirement. 

It is unclear if this has changed, but the impression I get now is that the most important consideration for the authorities on entry is the negative test. My suggestion to be safe is to state business/economic as the reason for travel and to have proof of paid accommodation for your entire stay. A letter of invitation from a business entity would strengthen your case as well. Please note that this is my suggestion, to be acted upon at your own risk. Of course, in these certain times, you may want to reconsider your trip anyway. 

Many thanks to the very efficient Croatian Border Police for once again helping us to clarify the situation. If you want to contact them in English, German or Croatian with your specific question, you can do so in the form at the end of this FAQ article.

Whether or not one should be travelling at this time is another discussion, but TCN is here to provide the information as to what is possible. 

We are back in uncertain information times, as we were earlier this year, and things can change quickly. One of the best sources of up-to-date information and experiences is the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community, where travellers are posting their real-time experiences. It proved to be an invaluable resource earlier this year. Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.

The US Embassy in Zagreb has just updated its travel advice 19:00, December 2.

Another good resource to follow is the latest IATA updates, which are used by airlines to determine who may and may not enter. Learn more here and find out the current rules for Croatia. 

It seems at time of writing that the IATA guidelines are missing some of the abovementioned categories so prepare all documents to convince your boarding agents to allow you to board - the more documentation the better, as we learned this summer with many travellers managing to convince reluctant boarding agents that Croatia would let them in. It works if you are properly prepared. The confirmation email from the Croatian border police when you fill in the EnterCroatia form was especially useful.

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.

ZAGREB, Dec 2, 2020 - The European Commission on Wednesday outlined a strategy for sustainably managing the COVID-19 pandemic in the coming winter months, underscoring that every 17 seconds this infection takes a life in Europe.

In its strategy, the EC points out that winter is "a period that can bring a risk of increased transmission of the virus owing to specific circumstances such as indoor gatherings," which is why the strategy "recommends continued vigilance and caution throughout the winter period and into 2021 when the rollout of safe and effective vaccines will occur."

The European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides, warned of the risks stemming from gatherings and celebrations during the Advent, Christmas and New Year holidays.

"We cannot jeopardize the efforts made by us all in recent weeks and months. This year, saving lives must come before celebrations. But with vaccines on the horizon, there is also hope. All Member States must now be ready to start vaccination campaigns and roll-out vaccines as quickly as possible once a safe and effective vaccine is available."

The Commission will then provide further guidance on a gradual and coordinated lifting of containment measures.

Considering the latest guidelines for member-states, the strategy highlights physical distancing and limiting social contacts, testing and contact tracing, and safe travel.

The EC says that physical distancing and limiting social contacts are key for the winter months, including the holiday period. "Measures should be targeted and based on the local epidemiological situation to limit their social and economic impact and increase their acceptance by people."

Testing and contact tracing are perceived as "essential for detecting clusters and breaking transmission."

"Most Member States now have national contact tracing apps. The European Federated Gateway Server (EFGS) enables cross-border tracing," says the EC.

Pandemic fatigue

The Commission says that "pandemic fatigue and mental health are natural responses to the current situation."

Member States are urged to follow the World Health Organisation European Region's guidance on reinvigorating public support to address pandemic fatigue. Psychosocial support should be stepped up too.

ZAGREB December 2, 2020 – Croatia is a completely safe country, according to the latest figures from the Global Terrorism Index

According to the Global Terrorism Index, Croatia is a completely safe country. Their findings are reported annually by the Institute for Economy and Peace. In their most recent report (published late November 2020), from the year beginning 2018 and ending in 2019, Croatia scored an index rating of 0.0 on the impact of terrorism. This means that, in regards to the threat of and the fallout from terrorism, Croatia is a completely safe country.

In the report, terrorism affects most the citizens of three countries: Afghanistan, Iraq and Nigeria. Terrorist groups are powerful and active in these three nations. On a daily basis, they affect and change the lives of all the people who live in these countries, particularly those who inhabit larger population centres.

The situation is particularly tragic in Afghanistan (with an index rating of 9.5). 41% of all fatal victims of terrorist globally live in that one country alone. The second country most-affected on the list is Nigeria with 9%. Afghanistan and Nigeria were the only two countries which each suffered more than 1,000 deaths from terrorism.

A map showing the impact of terrorism globally. The figures were compiled in a one year period between 2018 and 2019, published as an annual report in late November 2020 © Institute for Economy and Peace (IEP)

Globally deaths from terrorism fell for the fifth consecutive year in 2019 to 13,826, a 15 per cent decrease from the prior year. The peak of deaths from terrorism occurred in 2014 and this coincides with the high point of influence of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS or ISIL). The figures from 2019 show a decrease of 59% since then.

A total of 63 countries recorded at least one death from terrorism in the most recent report. Although dismal reading, this is in fact the lowest number of countries to have reported such since 2013.

The global economic impact of terrorism was US$16.4 billion in the twelve-month period covered by the report, a decrease of 25 per cent from the previous year. However, the true economic impact of terrorism is much higher as these figures do not account for the indirect impact on business, investment, and the costs associated with security agencies in countering terrorism.

ISIS (or ISIL)'s centre of activity has been shown to have moved to sub-Saharan Africa in the period. Total deaths by ISIL in the region have increased by 67%. ISIL and their affiliates were also responsible for attacks in 27 countries in the year period ending 2019.

© Institute for Economy and Peace (IEP)

The GTI uses a number of factors to calculate its score, including the number of incidences, fatalities, injuries and property damage. The Taliban remained the world's deadliest terrorist group in 2019; however, terrorist deaths attributed to the group declined by 18%. ISIL's strength and influence also continued to decline. For the first time since the group became active, it was responsible for less than a thousand deaths throughout the year.

It is not yet known whether the attack on government buildings in Zagreb in 2020 will affect Croatia's rating on the index published next year. Although a lone endeavour, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković is the most high-profile commentator (of many) to have said the attack had elements of terrorism. The global increase in threat from domestic attacks is clearly evident within the rest of the most recent report.

In North America, Western Europe and Oceania, terrorist attacks by groups or individuals involved in far-right politics have increased by 250 per cent since 2014. They are now higher than at any time in the last 50 years. There were 89 deaths attributed to far-right terrorists in 2019. In the USA, white supremacists and other rightwing extremists have been responsible for 67% of domestic terror attacks and plots so far this year.

Saint Mark's Square in Zagreb, scene of a shooting in 2020, perpetrated by a Croatian citizen © Marc Rowlands

There have so far not been any terrorist actions attributable to fundamentalist Islamic groups in Croatia, unlike other European countries such as Spain, Germany, France and the UK. Eastern and southern Europe have experienced more civil unrest in direct correlation with the rise of far-right politics in the region. The popularity of far-right politics has risen ever since the 2008 financial crisis and has continued through the economic recession which followed.

Such trends are expected to continue because of the anticipated and extended economic downturn caused by COVID-19, which is likely to increase political instability and violence. Since COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) in March 2020, preliminary data suggests a decline in both incidents and deaths from terrorism in most regions in the world. However, it is expected that the pandemic is likely to present new and distinct counter-terrorism challenges.

Of Croatia's neighbours, Bosnia and Herzegovina recorded the largest improvement in the whole of Europe with their 2019 index rating (followed by Austria and Sweden). Only two terrorist attacks were recorded in the country in 2019, compared to six the previous year. Slovenia also scored a 0.0 rating, meaning it can say that it, like Croatia is a completely safe country.