August 25, 2022 - The savior of croatian basketball may have arrived. Recently imported and naturalized US American Jaleen Smith managed to help the Croatian National Basketball Team in his debut game today. The checkered team surprisingly won the first points in the first game of the 2025 World Cup pre-qualifier in Warsaw against Poland. 

Needed a lot of time to get rid of the weight on his shoulders: Jaleen Smith

During the first half coach Damir Mulaomerović did not seem to have found the right strategy. Poland dominated on both ends of the court, and Croatia led only in the category of turnovers. The guest team had lost the ball a total of 9 times in the first 20 minutes and it was no surprise that Poland was up by ten points when the half-time buzzer rang.

 Helped the team with his routine: Krunoslav Simon 

All eyes were on the new Croat Jaleen Smith and it seemed like the pressure was too much for the American. His stats looked terrible with only 1 field goal (a three-pointer) hitting its target in 8 attempts. Then again he collected 8 rebounds, which is an extremely high number for a guard. Smith was not the only one who had problems finding the basket. Together with Gnjidić, Simon, Šarić and Bogdanović the Croats around Smith had made only 5 of 28 three-point attempts in the first 38 minutes. 

 Poland dominated the first half of the game

The croatian team was carried by Zubac, Šarić, Bogdanović and the routine of Simon. Prkačin who had shown a great game against Finland did not play, just like Mavra and Perković. 

Coach Damir Mulaomerović

Luckily, after a good performance from the entire team that lead to a close final,  Hezonja made his last 2 three-point attempts in crunch time before Smith added 2 successful free throws to give Croatia a 67:72 lead with 12 seconds remaining. Poland was able to get the last two points but could not turn the game around. 

The much needed victory for Croatia is celebrated by the entire bench

Polish coach Igor Milicic's best man, who also was top-scorer of the day, was Mateusz Ponitka with 26 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Mulaomerović on the other side had three players in double digits: Zubac who had a double- double with 19 points and 10 rebounds, Bogdanović with 16 points (8 rebounds) and Hezonja with 10 points. 

Last hope for Croatian Basketball: American "Firefighter" Jaleen Smith with confidence before the game

Result by quarters: Q1:15-11 Q2:16-10 Q3:16-28 Q4:22-23

Find the boxscore with detailed statistics here

April 1, 2021 - In cooperation with the Polish gastronomic magazine KukBuk, the Croatian National Tourist Board prepared a virtual gastronomic workshop called "Croatia, full of flavor" in Poland where journalists prepared Zagorje štrukli and Samobor kremšnite!

As the Croatian National Tourist Board reports, a virtual gastronomic workshop included 25 prominent Polish journalists. Among the distinguished guests were representatives of the largest Polish state television TVP, the largest private television TVN, editor in chief National Geographic and National Geographic Traveler, leading editors of travel magazines such as the most read WaszaTurystyk and the portals Onet.pl, Wp.pl and Fly4Free.pl, bloggers CroLove and famous Polish gastro bloggers Krytyka Kulinarna and MintaEats.

Credits: Croatian National Tourist Board

‘"Thanks to new technologies, we were able to connect with different parts of Poland at the same time and in an innovative and interesting way to promote Croatia as a destination with a rich and diverse gastronomic offer. Our guests were very happy with the idea of cooking together, and the workshop resulted in an even better knowledge of Croatia, always full of extraordinary flavors. Everyone is eagerly awaiting the summer and we hope that with the calming of the epidemiological situation, a large number of Poles will spend their summer vacation in Croatia," said the director of the CNTB Representation in Poland, Agnieszka Puszczewicz.

Due to the current pandemic situation, prominent Polish journalists prepared traditional Croatian specialties in their private kitchens, and the day before they received all the necessary ingredients to mix Zagorje štrukli and Samobor kremšnite with their own hands. Journalists reported their work on social networks with the hashtag in Polish #ChorwacjaPełnaSmaku, which means #CroatiaFullOFlavor. TCN reported about the Samobor kremšnite being awarded the status of Intangible Cultural Good in the following article.

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"This is another great promotional move for our dear Poles. All journalists who virtually participated in the workshop and cooked in their home environment under the direction of the great chef Cristina Catese prepared excellent Zagorje štruklji and Samobor kremnšite. I am sure that the Poles will and this year to come to Croatia in large numbers, and we will be ready with all the necessary health measures to ensure a safe and comfortable stay as last year," said Ambassador of the Republic of Croatia to Poland Tomislav Vidosevic, who together with Agnieszka Puszczewicz participated in a gastronomic workshop and prepared Croatian specialties at the Bii Farm.

In a relaxed atmosphere, they also discussed Croatia's plans for this year's season and the current Safe Stay in Croatia project, which promotes Croatia on the Polish market as a safe and desirable destination.

To read more about travel, follow TCN's dedicated page.

As Filip Pavic/Novac writes on the 15th of November, 2019, Josip Roglić, a member of the Supervisory Board of the Orbico Group and the son of the owner of the Orbico company, Branko Roglić, has now founded the Croatian-Polish Development Association, which was founded with the aim of expanding economic, scientific, educational and cultural ties between Croatia and Poland.

''Having participated in the family business for the last five years, I've travelled a lot to Warsaw and it occurred to me to establish an association that would connect Croatian and Polish businesses,'' explained Josip Roglić, who is also the President of the Association, and recently the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Poland.

In cooperation with Wojcicech Wojewódzki, a Polish real estate consultant and the operational director of this Croatian-Polish Association, Roglić gathered around twenty representatives of both Polish and Croatian companies in Orbica's headquarters, who all met and agreed on future cooperation opportunities.

Michał Kędzia, one of the partners in the Polish Enterprise Investors Fund, which took over two leading bakery companies last year, Mlinar and Pan-Pek, as well as the Studenac retail chain, noted that he was interested in investments and projects in tourism.

Seated opposite him, Robert Kavazović Horvat, a Croatian collector and more recently the owner of a small craft brewery, Agram craft, explained that his motives for joining the Croatian-Polish Development Association are expanding into the Polish market.

''We currently produce a small amount of beer, about 1.6 million litres per year, we're present on the Croatian and Serbian markets. We're looking forward to potentially expanding our business to Poland,'' he noted.

The meeting was also attended by representatives of retailers, Andrej Sitarz, Chief Financial Officer of Emmezeta furniture and Ana Košćina, owner of the Croatian company Futurum oleum, a franchise partner of INA. From the banking sector, Zoran Kureljušić, Executive Director of the ATM network for PBZ, also provided support to the new association and made himself available for projects in the future. The same was done by Bartholomew Pastva, a representative of the largest Polish port operator OT Logistics, majority owner of the Port of Rijeka.

The gathered agreed that the association would be financed solely by the good will of its members and that they would communicate and make potential contacts through a Facebook group.

In addition to the above, Branko Roglić and Dagmara Luković, the first advisor to Poland's Ambassador to Croatia, Andrzej Jasionowski, also attended the first session of the Croatian-Polish Development Association.

''It is an honour, we've invested in Poland and I know how strong the Croatian-Polish friendship is. What Josip is doing is not only developing friendly relationships, but also business relationships. We hope that this association will foster the cooperation of Polish companies, not only with Orbico, but also with other companies in Croatia,'' said Branko Roglić.

It's worth mentioning that Orbico is otherwise the largest Croatian investor in Poland, with over 500 million euros in investments so far.

Make sure to follow our dedicated business page for much more.

ZAGREB, November 1, 2019 - The second edition of the Festival of Polish Films in Croatia, which takes place under the name "Visla (Vistula)" is set for 5-9 November in Zagreb's Kaptol Boutique Cinema.

The programme includes ten films, and the event will be ushered in by the screening of "The Messenger" by filmmaker Wladyslaw Pasikowski.

Also a few thrillers are offered to the audience, including "Werewolf" by Adrian Panek about eight children liberated from a Nazi concentration camp who have to overcome hunger, thirst and vicious dogs in an abandoned mansion surrounded by the forest, and the film titled "Tower. A Bright Day" by Jagoda Szelc.

"A Coach's Daughter" by Lukasz Grzegorzek is also in the programme.

The film titled " The Butler (Kamerdyner)" by Filip Bajon is the last one in this programme which is organised under the auspices of the Polish Embassy in Croatia.

More film news can be found in the Lifestyle section.

ZAGREB, September 20, 2019 - The Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland was presented to Rumjana and Mate Meštrović, heirs to Croatian sculptor Ivan Meštrović, at a ceremony at the Polish Embassy in Zagreb on Thursday.

Rumjana and Mate Meštrović received the high state decoration for their long-standing cooperation with Poland, which last year was crowned with their donation of a bust of Polish statesman Jozef Pilsudski, a work by sculptor Ivan Meštrović.

Meštrović made a 25-metre statue of Pilsudski, Poland's prime minister from 1926 to 1935, but he never finished his work due to the start of World War II.

Polish Ambassador Andrzej Jasionowski commended at today's ceremony the initiative of the Mestrovic family, who as heirs to the bequest of the world-famous sculptor donated the Polish people his work of art, thus contributing to the cooperation between Poland and Croatia.

The Pilsudski bust was made in 1939 and was to have been erected together with the rest of the monument in Warsaw.

The donated bust of Jozef Pilsudski is now located in the lobby of the Polish Embassy in Zagreb.

More news about relations between Croatia and Poland can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, September 1, 2019 - Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović attended in Warsaw on Sunday a commemoration marking the 80th anniversary of the start of World War II, her office said in a press release.

"We are here to honour all war victims, both in Poland, which was the first to start fighting Nazism, and in all other states which stood up in the defence of freedom and peace in Europe and the world. The Croatian people, proportionate to its population, contributed the most to the antifascist struggle in Europe in which more than half a million Croatian citizens actively took part," the president said.

"We are marking 80 years since the start of World War II, which is a highly important anniversary for Croatia, Poland and the whole world. This anniversary reminds us that it's necessary to make, constantly and with the biggest responsibility, the biggest efforts to build and keep world peace, security and stability, so that we never again have to face the threat of a world or any other war," she added.

Numerous heads of state and government were in Poland today on the occasion of the anniversary, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and US Vice President Mike Pence.

More info about Croatian history can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, July 4, 2019 - Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and Defence Minister Damir Krstičević on Thursday visited the 4th contingent of Croatian troops deployed as part of NATO's Enhanced Forward Presence mission in Poland.

The participation of the Croatian troops in this mission is helping them increase their skills in exercises with troops from other participating countries, Plenković said during the visit to the Bermowo Piskie base, about 70 kilometres from the Russian and Lithuanian border.

The 79 Croatian troops, under the command of Major Predrag Srđenović, are attached to a battle group comprising US, British, Romanian and Polish troops.

"I am particularly glad to hear that the Croatian soldiers are cooperating well not only with their partners but that they are also well integrated and are maintaining good communication with Polish people in this part of the country," Plenković said.

Minister Krstičević said that Croatia and Poland are friends and strategic partners who have excellent cooperation in defence.

"With this operation, the Croatian soldiers are strengthening their capabilities and interoperability, which makes the Croatian army even better and stronger," Krstičević said.

Major Srđenović said that his men have a very positive experience in Poland. "We are recognised as reliable partners and professionals. Local Poles like us and we cooperate with other partners," he said.

More news about Croatian Army can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, July 4, 2019 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Thursday arrived in Warsaw where he was welcomed by Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, after which they started talks.

After the talks, Plenković will travel to the northeast of Poland, where he will visit members of the 4th Croatian Army contingent (HRVCON) stationed at Bemowo Piskie who are serving in NATO's Enhanced Forward Presence mission there.

Plenković will be accompanied by Defence Minister Damir Krstičević, the Croatian Army Deputy Commander, Brigadier General Boris Šerić, and the State Secretary at the Foreign and European Affairs Ministry, Andreja Metelko-Zgombić.

The Croatian PM will then travel to Poznan, in the west of Poland, where a summit of the Berlin Process countries is taking place. The Berlin Process is a political and diplomatic initiative launched in 2014 with the aim of providing support to Southeast European countries in reform efforts on their journey to EU membership.

On the margins of the summit, Plenković is expected to meet with the Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Jose Angel Gurria, and attend a business meeting organised by the Croatian Chamber of Commerce.

Accompanying Plenković at the Poznan summit are Foreign and European Affairs Minister Marija Pejčinović Burić and Economy Minister Darko Horvat.

More news about relations between Croatia and Poland can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, May 1, 2019 - Ten European Union member states are celebrating the 15th anniversary of their European Union membership in Warsaw on Wednesday. The ceremony will also be attended by Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković.

Apart from Plenković, the ceremony in Warsaw will be attended by the prime ministers of Bulgaria Bojko Borisov, the Czech Republic Andrei Babis, Estonia Juri Ratas, Hungary Viktor Orban, Lithuania Saulis Skvernelis, Malta Joseph Muscat. Slovenia will be represented by Foreign Minister Miro Cerar.

The event will be hosted by Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. The event will also be addressed his Romanian colleague Viorica Dancila whose country is currently presiding over the European Union.

The ceremony in Warsaw marks the15th anniversary of the May 2004 first wave of EU enlargement in which eventually 11 Baltics, Central and South Eastern European countries joined the EU.

It will bring together prominent political figures, policy makers and experts from the EU Member States, International and European institutions, the private sector, etc to identify and reflect on the experiences and the impacts of this EU enlargement episode.

The event will focus on the identification and discussion of experiences from which wider lessons can be learnt, using concrete country cases. It will consider the channels through which EU membership has helped to speed up convergence, via analysis of the role e.g. trade, investment, financial integration and institutional channels have played.

More news about Croatia and the European Union can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, April 18, 2019 - Poland supports Croatia's bid to join the Schengen Area, Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz said after meeting with Croatian Foreign and European Affairs Minister Marija Pejčinović Burić during an official visit to Zagreb on Wednesday.

"I hope that next time when I come to Zagreb that visit will be in the Schengen regime," Czaputowicz said.

Economic and defence cooperation, the future of the European Union in light of Brexit, the EU multi-annual budget, cooperation in infrastructure, digitisation and energy with emphasis on the Three Seas Initiative and connecting the Polish and Croatian LNG terminals, were some of the topics discussed by the two foreign ministers.

The two countries share similar opinions on several issues, particularly with regard to security and defence, Minister Pejčinović Burić said. "Energy supply security is the basis of any other security," she said, emphasising that energy diversification is essential in that regard.

The LNG terminal on the northern Adriatic island of Krk and the terminal in Swinoujscie on the Baltic Sea, which will be connected and which complement the initiative to connect the three seas, the Adriatic, Black and Baltic seas, would contribute to diversification.

"That can be the backbone of the economy" that will spur various forms of economic cooperation, Czaputowicz said.

The two ministers welcomed the economic cooperation between the two countries which currently surpasses 1.1 billion euro. However, "there is much more potential," the Polish minister said. "Polish investors are very interested in investing in Croatia and we are open" to investments by Croatian business people, he added. They are particularly satisfied with the tourism segment in the economic cooperation.

Poles are the fourth most numerous visitors to Croatia, Minister Pejčinović Burić said and her counterpart added that one million Polish tourists had visited Croatia last year.

Croatia will chair the EU in the first half of 2020 during an exceptionally sensitive and important period for the European Union following the European Parliament election and during a time when the European budget will be negotiated, Czaputowicz said.

Croatia is an important partner to Poland with regard to enlargement and "we are pleased that that issue" is among the priorities of the Croatian presidency, he added.

This year Poland is presiding over the Berlin Process, a diplomatic initiative for further EU enlargement. Recently a ministerial meeting was held in Warsaw and this year another meeting will be held in Poznan.

EU enlargement and the Eastern Partnership are not just a matter of security but of economic achievement too, he said.

Earlier this year Croatia and Poland signed an agreement on defence cooperation. Czaputowicz thanked Croatia for the 80 troops participating in NATO's Enhanced Forward Presence in Poland.

At the ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of NATO in Washington, the two countries sent a message of the importance of being a member of the alliance, Pejčinović Burić said.

During an era of growing security challenges, we have to invest all our efforts for the trans-Atlantic alliance not only to be maintained but to develop as well, she added.

More news about relations between Croatia and Poland can be found in the Politics section.