March 5, 2020 - There is a virus spreading slowly through Croatia which is not corona - the healthy virus of transparency whose Patient Zero is in Bjelovar. 

It is always nice to see something healthy at its early stages and watch it grow. And grow. And grow. 

While most of the world is following the spread of coronavirus, there is another virus which has started to spread slowly, much more slowly, in parts of Croatia. It started in the city of Bjelovar, one hour east of Zagreb, and it has already spread to the Adriatic coast, to Omisalj on the island of Krk, as well as closer to Zagreb to the west - Sveta Nedelja. And this new virus, which is actually very healthy, is set to expand all over the country. 

It is the virus of transparency and a better and more accountable future for Croatia. 

As we recently reported on TCN, the city of Bjelovar has become the first city in Croatia to embrace the digital age, make all expenditures transparently available, and reduce local taxation while increasing tax revenues. The Bjelovar revolution really is quite incredible in the context of modern Croatia, and you can read more about my inspiring day out in Bjelovar when I first met Mayor Dario Hrebak.  

I was in Bjelovar again this week for what must have been a first in Croatia - a conference on transparency. Along with Hrebak and his Bjelovar team was the Mayor of Omislalj. Along with Sveta Nedelja, here are the first three communities in Croatia to explore the path of transparency and digitisation. You can read more about the transparency conference which took place in Bjelovar this week here. 

But is the virus of transparency spreading quicker than we think? A rather unlikely bedfellow supporting the Bjelovar model appeared this week, as former Presidential candidate Miroslav Skoro - who came a very close third to Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic in the first round - hailed transparency and the Bjelovar model as the way forward:

''When you have a state budget, you need to take something from somewhere in order to provide any sort of relief. Better and more transparent business is needed, just take a look at the City of Bjelovar,'' he explained, adding that every citizen should know how every kuna from the budget is spent.

The virus of transparency is spreading in Croatia, slowly but surely. How refreshing to see that some viruses are actually very healthy. 

For more information on the Bjelovar transparency revolution, follow the dedicated TCN Bjelovar section.