ZAGREB, 11 March (2022) - Croatia exported HRK 12.3 billion worth of commodities in January 2022, which is an increase of 43.7% over the same period in 2021, while imports rose by 43.9% to HRK 18.8 billion, according to initial data released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Friday.

The foreign trade deficit was HRK 6.6 billion, increasing by 2 billion from January 2021. Coverage of imports by exports was 65.1%.

Exports to EU member states rose by 50.4% from January 2021 to HRK 8.97 billion, while imports increased by 27.4% to HRK 13.6 billion.

Exports to non-EU countries grew by 28.3% to HRK 3.3 billion, and imports from those countries rose by 117.1% to HRK 5.2 billion.

Expressed in euro, exports totalled €1.6 billion, up 44.1% year on year, while imports grew by 44.4% to €2.5 billion. The trade deficit was €874.6 million.

The value of EU exports was €1.2 billion, which is an increase of 50.8% compared with January 2021, while imports rose by 27.8% to €1.8 billion.

Exports to non-EU countries went up by 28.6% to €439.7 million, and imports increased by 117.6% to €697.9 million.

Data for the whole of 2021 shows that exports increased by 28.2% to HRK 143.7 billion and imports by 23.5% to HRK 213 billion compared with 2020.

The trade deficit was HRK 69.3 billion, and coverage of imports by exports was 67.5%.

Expressed in euro, last year exports totalled €19.1 billion, increasing by 28.2% year on year, while imports grew by 23.5% to €28.3 billion. The trade deficit was €9.2 billion.

(€1 = HRK 7.560109

For more, check out our business section.

March 8, 2022 - International Women’s Day, a day that celebrates the economic, political, and social achievements of women, is traditionally celebrated every year on the 8th of March. Women’s day has been embraced by many cultures around the world including Croatia, of course. TCN provides an answer to the question of why exactly the world celebrates this historically really important event.

For us to understand this event, we need to go back to where it all started - the United States of America. More precisely, 28th of February 1909 in New York, the Socialist Party of America organized a rally in honor of workers of a clothing factory who had protested against working conditions the year before. In 1910, International Women’s Day was founded in Copenhagen as a part of the movement for women’s rights and the rise of support for the exercising of women’s voting rights. Multiple countries followed after that - Austria, Germany, Switzerland, which had millions of men and women marching for, besides rights to vote and performing public duties, women’s rights to work, train, and ultimately prevention of discrimination of women at work. During World War I, the march was used for antiwar protests and some of them were held on the 8th of March. The date of commemoration became official in 1975 when the United Nations adopted it as a “mainstream global holiday”. In some areas of the world, International Women’s Day is still reflected as its political origins - being marked by protests and calls for radical change whereas in the West, the event has more sociocultural characteristics and the celebration is centered on “womanhood”.

Women's march - (Source: Libela - portal o rodu, spolu i demokraciji)

When it comes to Croatia, its history of IWD is tightly connected to Yugoslavia, which makes sense since the event was devised by socialist parties in America. Communist countries were at the forefront of their celebrations and initially, a militant international event became “Mother’s Day”, “Women’s Day” and an opportunity to gift the “fairer sex”. History of the 8th of March (8. Mart) celebrations shows us how important it was to celebrate this Day in the spirit of its original politics, against bourgeois “fashion” under the slogan of fighting for equal political and social rights, against fascism and mobilizing women workers, peasants, and intellectuals. The day was part of the Revolution and if the individual violates or undermines the holiday “also undermines and devalues the continuity of the Revolution itself!”. This was quoted in an open letter during the Conference for Social Activity of Croatian Women held somewhere between the 1960s and 1980s. In the 70s, the female questions and initiatives in Yugoslavia were under the heavy influence of central power.

Given that the “law” was quite strict, it is not surprising that gifts to mothers, teachers, and other women were a mandatory way to celebrate IWD. Talking with people who experienced the event during those times, I realized that flowers were THE gift for this occasion, particularly red carnations. These flowers are a symbol of labor movement and would always be gifted to women workers in various companies. Children would gift teachers with red roses or red carnations every year as a thank you for the effort they invested in their work. As previously mentioned, flowers were mandatory for mothers as well. After school and gifting their teachers, children would bring their gifts and flowers home to their mothers - if they couldn’t get flowers, homemade custom-made cards would suffice. Husbands would usually bring red roses to their wives as an appreciation for their love and effort. Multiple cities in Croatia would have their squares filled with lilies and primroses and men and women would join in celebrations of this holiday.

Today, these celebrations (or protests) in Croatia are more focused on social-cultural aspects of women in society. For instance, a feminist collective faKTIV has organized multiple marches called “Night March” whose fields of activity include the fight for women’s labor and social rights, against gender-based violence against women, and advocacy for reproductive and sexual rights. It is held every year in Zagreb on the 8th of March with other multiple collectives doing their own marches (protests) all over Croatia.

The gifting aspect of the “holiday” has died down a bit with the fall of Yugoslavia but the commercial and marketability potentials of IWD started growing in recent years. On one side, there are protests and marches for women’s rights, on the other flower shops, supermarkets, cafes, and other companies are profiting. The West realized its potential and cashed in on this date with various theme-based parties, events and more. Croatia, on the other hand, has not yet recognized Women’s Day as a holiday.

Throughout history, IWD showed us struggles and efforts of women being equal in every aspect of society, artificially constructed holidays to elevate every part of “women being” and in the end, monetary and market power of “celebrating” women. Croatia has not yet recognized Women’s Day as a holiday. However, that shouldn’t stop us from celebrating important women in our lives. Buy a simple red rose, red carnation or if you’re lucky and haven’t experienced snow in your area, pick spring flowers that just started to bloom. From everyone in TCN, happy International Women’s Day or how we Croatians like to say: “Sretan Vam 8. Mart!”.

For more, check out our lifestyle section.

ZAGREB, 5 March 2022 - Ukrainians from the Split area held a peaceful protest in Split on Saturday to support Ukraine, as did the people of Slavonski Brod to show their solidarity, while a protest against the Russian aggression on Ukraine was held in Vukovar.

Split Mayor Ivica Puljak said he hoped the aggression would end soon and that the Ukrainian people would get back their peace and freedom.

He said Ukrainian refugees were arriving in Split and that the city was in contact with all state institutions organising their reception. "We will do everything to help."

Among the protesters was Croatian MEP Željana Zovko, who said representatives of the European People's Party group visited the Vatican yesterday to discuss what the Holy See could do for peace in Ukraine.

She said Croats had been through a war and refugee experience similar to Ukrainians'.

"Croats will do all they can through the European Parliament and the European Commission to help Ukraine," Zovko said, adding that Europe has never been so united. "This war in Ukraine is evil and it must stop."

The rally in Split was organised by the Cvit association of the Ukrainian national minority in Dalmatia.

Protesters carried the flags of Ukraine and Croatia as well as banners which said "Stop Putin", "Stop War" and "Glory to Ukraine", and chanted "Glory to Ukraine" and "Long live Ukraine".

Viktorija Balan of Cvit said "Ukraine is now fighting for the democracy of the whole world, against a regime which wants to destroy democracy."

Protest in Vukovar

Some 15 citizens of Vukovar protested in the centre of the town, carrying the flags of Ukraine and Croatia and asking for the Russian aggression and the war in Ukraine to stop.

"There will be no winner. Only innocent people are dying on both sides. I fought in (Croatia's) Homeland War and know how they feel. Our national minority will try to help in this crisis as much as it can," said Stefan Bojko, president of the Ukrainian Culture and Education Society Ivan Franko from Vukovar.

"In this situation Croatia has taken a friendly stand towards the Ukrainian people," he said, adding that about 20 Ukrainian refugees are accommodated in Vukovar-Srijem County.

Slavonski Brod shows solidarity with Ukrainian people

Dozens of Slavonski Brod residents rallied in the main square to show solidarity with the citizens of Ukraine.

"By coming to this rally, you are showing support to a people that is part of Europe, a people from whom someone wants to take its land, peace, children, future," said Vlado Karešin, president of the Ukrainian Community in Croatia.

About 200 members of the Ukrainian national minority live in Brod-Posavina County. About 20 Ukrainian refugees have found shelter with relatives and friends there.

"It's difficult to talk about what is happening in Ukraine. I'm overcome by emotion when I remember the Homeland War and how we left our wives and children before going to defend Croatia. The Ukrainian people is going through the same thing today," said Nikola Zastrižni, president of the Ukrainian Culture and Education Society Ukrajina from Slavonski Brod.

"At the same time, I'm furious because I can't understand that this is happening in the 21st century, in the civilised Europe and world when we all have our rights," he added, calling for the return of peace and an end to the bombing of Ukrainian cities and villages.

For more on the Ukraine crisis and Croatia, as well as breaking news, follow our news section.

ZAGREB, 5 March 2022 - RTL accounts for the largest share of TV features in which women appear (39%), followed by Croatian Television (37%) and Nova TV (33%), and the three stations' combined average is 36%, according to an analysis whose findings were presented on Saturday at a conference on women in the media sphere.

The analysis was done last October by the Electronic Media Agency, which examined 93 news programmes with 2,439 features. Women appeared in 889.

Women mainly appeared in features on science, health and welfare, followed by social and legal topics, while politics and the government accounted for only 15%.

Culture minister: Stereotypes exist, but we have become more aware

Culture and Media Minister Nina Obuljen Koržinek said expert speakers on political topics were mainly men, resulting in their dominance in the media sphere.

Stereotypes exist, but it is encouraging that we are more aware of the need to affirm gender equality in the media sphere and the position of women in society, she said, adding that it is also encouraging that the data on Croatia are better than on some other states.

The goal is to promote equality and women's contribution to society through all public policies, including the media policy, she said, underlining the need to encourage media literacy in order to reduce hate speech, primarily on social media.

MEP: Women work one month in the year for free

We can be satisfied with the progress in the visibility of women in the media sphere, said Croatian MEP Sunčana Glavak, who organised the conference in cooperation with the Electronic Media Agency as part of the Conference on the Future of Europe.

We have better data than other EU countries, but the pay gap shows that women work one month in the year for free, she said, adding that irregularities and inequalities must be changed. "We are doing that at European Parliament level."

Glavak said that by increasing women's representation in the media, it was necessary to encourage young women to fight for better power positions.

It is important that women in the media don't talk only about women's topics, she said, adding that there are still not enough women in decision making and heading management boards. "Data tell us that we need 67 years to achieve women's equality."

Gender Equality Ombudswoman Višnja Ljubičić said an analysis of 140 management companies showed that women were still far from being equal to men.

Equality can be achieved only through education, she said, adding that training courses with employers are necessary as well as transparency in choosing people.

ZAGREB, 5 March 2022 - Russians living in Pula and Istria held an anti-war protest in Pula on Saturday, carrying banners which said "Peaceful sky for all children", "Ukraine, the Russian people is with you" and "Putin is war".

About 30 protesters, carrying the Ukrainian flag, said they did not agree with Russia's policy and its attack on a sovereign country.

"We, the Russian people living in Croatia, can't stay indifferent. We are against the senseless, destructive war, against death on both sides, against the aggression of Putin and his supporters on Ukraine, on its peaceful citizens," they said.

"This war is a disaster not just for Ukraine but for Russia, too. It could be a disaster for the whole world, for the whole humankind. That's why we support Ukraine's civilians and condemn Russia's illegal attack on the territory of a sovereign state. We are here and advocate our common future, the future of our children," the protesting Russians said, demanding that the war end.

For more on the Ukraine crisis and Croatia, as well as breaking news, follow our news section.

ZAGREB, 5 March 2022 - In the last 24 hours 1,524 coronavirus cases, out of 5,165 tests, and 22 related deaths have been registered in Croatia, the national COVID-19 crisis management team said on Saturday.

There are 10,297 active cases, including 971 hospitalised patients, of whom 72 on ventilators, while 7,384 persons are self-isolating.

Croatia has registered 1,062,953 coronavirus cases to date and the death toll stands at 15,194.

To date, 56.86% of the total population or 67.64% of adults have been vaccinated, including 65.55% of adults fully.

ZAGREB, 5 March (Hina) - More than 1,500 Ukrainian refugees arrived in Croatia by 7 a.m. Saturday, sources at the Red Cross Croatia (HCK) said.

The primary place of accommodation for the refugees is Motel Plitvice in Zagreb, but it has been filled to capacity and the refugees are now provided with accommodation at the Rakitje Hostel, Croatian Television said on Saturday.

Many of the refugees are deciding to stay at Motel Plitvice because they do not have any alternative plan.

HCK spokeswoman Katarina Zorić told Croatian Television that 119 Ukrainian refugees had found accommodation in Zagreb, 34 in Varaždin and 18 in Osijek.

Other reception locations are being considered as well, she said.

"The circumstances are horrible, but everyone has been putting a lot of effort into this, many do not know where to go, while some have found temporary accommodation. They are afraid to leave because they do not know their status, and here they will be able to obtain information faster and more easily. The refugees are mostly women and children, and there is among them a father with five children. Those who have three or more children are allowed to leave Ukraine," Zorić said.

Even though the refugees accommodated at Motel Plitvice have everything they need, citizens are coming and delivering aid, she said.

To help them think less about the tragedy in Ukraine, the refugee children will today be taken to the Zagreb Zoo.

Red Cross Croatia team visiting Ukraine, Romania, Hungary 

This weekend a team of the Red Cross Croatia is visiting Ukraine, Romania and Hungary, touring, with colleagues from those countries and members of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), border crossings and preparing for the establishment of a major logistic centre in Ukraine.

The centre should facilitate the reception of humanitarian aid that has been arriving from all over the world, HCK said.

ZAGREB, 5 March 2022 - The Conflict of Interest Commission on Friday launched proceedings against Defence Minister Mario Banožić over his controversial decision to allocate himself a flat in downtown Zagreb for use at the time when he was State Assets Minister.

The proceedings were launched based on an article in the Nacional weekly, which in September 2021 reported that at the time when he was State Assets Minister, Banožić allocated himself a 92-square-metre flat in downtown Zagreb for use, as well as based on a report that sought determining the place of residence of Banožić's family.

The state-run Državne Nekretnine company, which manages state-owned property and which invested HRK 165,000 to renovate the flat allocated to Banožić, said in a submission to the Conflict of Interest Commission that the procedure to allocate the flat had been launched by the State Assets Ministry secretariat, by a note to Državne Nekretnine on 26 July 2019.

Državne Nekretnine said that in line with the relevant law, the allocation of the flat was conducted by the State Assets Ministry, and that the decision on the allocation of the flat in question was made by Banožić, at the time serving as State Assets Minister, on 6 September 2019.

Conflict of Interest Commission member Tatijana Vučetić said the Commission should establish if the office-holder met the criteria for the allocation of a flat of that size, to which he would be entitled in case his spouse and children lived with him.

However, it has been established that the place of residence of Banožić's wife and children is Vinkovci and that it has not been changed for the duration of both of his ministerial terms.

At the start of his term as State Assets Minister, Banožić was given a smaller flat in downtown Zagreb for use, with Državne Nekretnine saying at the time that the flat was not adequate and that another flat would possibly be available at another downtown location soon.

For that flat, as well as another two flats to be given to office-holders for use, their status had to be changed to that of flats used by office-holders, Vučetić said, noting that even though a decision to that effect is made by the competent commission, in this concrete case, Banožić himself made a decision changing the status of the flats in question and on the same day allocated himself one of the flats.

The Commission also notes that the regulation cited by the State Assets Ministry as the basis for changing the status of the flat and its allocation reads that decisions on the allocation of state-owned flats for use by office-holders are made by the competent body, which, the Conflict of Interest Commission notes, does not mean by default that such decisions are made by the body's head.

The Commission therefore believes the case is a possible violation of the law on the prevention of conflict of interest and that the official abused his special rights and made decisions securing for himself the right to use a state-owned flat.

Proceedings not launched against FinMin Marić

The Commission did not launch proceedings against Finance Minister Zdravko Marić for spending some of his vacation time on a yacht owned by his friend, businessman Blaž Pavičić.

It was established that Marić had in no way been involved in the making of decisions, identification of violations or misdemeanor proceedings involving businesses owned by his friend and that the ministry he heads did not have business relations with those companies.

Commission rapporteur Davorin Ivanjek said that the Commission had previously stated that in the case of declared friendships one could not speak of impermissible gifts considering that common gifts between family members, relatives and friends are allowed.

For more, check out our politics section.

ZAGREB, 4 March (2022) - Croatian President Zoran Milanović on Friday spoke on the phone with Chile's President-elect Gabriel Boric on the centuries-old ties between the two countries and accepted Boric's invitation for a visit, Milanović's office said in a press release.

Milanović once again congratulated Boric on the election victory and regretted that he will not be able to attend the March 11 inauguration.

The two said the Croatian community plays an important role in the social and the political life of Chile. Thanks to that community, Croatia and Chile have had centuries-old close ties, they added.

Milanović and Boric exchanged views on the current situation in the world, with emphasis on the crisis in Europe.

For more, check out our politics section.

ZAGREB, 4 March (2022) - The leader of the Bosniak Party of Democratic Action (SDA), Bakir Izetbegović, said on Thursday that the agreement on changes to Bosnia and Herzegovina's election law would be reached when the Croat side was ready.

The neighbouring country is set to hold elections in autumn, and there is still no agreement on the new election law and limited constitutional changes.

Speaking in an interview with Croatia's Nova TV, Izetbegović said that Bosniaks were ready for agreement.

"(The agreement will be possible) when the Croat side is ready. We are... I supported the current negotiating model (with EU and US mediators)... even though it is stupid and does not benefit my party while (Bosnian Croat leader Dragan) Čović refused it," said Izetbegović.

"(The prerequisite) is readiness to accept the model offered by the international community, which definitely is not against Čović and Croats, and (the Croats') readiness to unblock the BiH Federation entity. The HDZ has practically blocked the Federation," he said in reference to the Bosniak-Croat entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

On Russian invasion

Commenting on Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Izetbegović said that Bosnia and Herzegovina should follow the EU's foreign policy. The Serb member of BiH's collective presidency, Milorad Dodik, does not agree with that and has said that he will not join in sanctions against Russia.

"Everybody has the right to their own opinion, but they do not have the right to be angry and make problems," said Izetbegović, noting that "many things Dodik does are not normal."

"This is the culmination of his actions of the past 15 years that have cost BiH and Republika Srpska and all peoples and citizens dearly," the Bosniak leader said.

"We could have been in NATO by now, we could have made progress on the path to the EU," he said.

As a precaution, and considering the conflicts in the east of Europe, EUFOR will deploy 500 troops in BiH, the EU military mission in BiH said on Thursday.

The worsened international security situation has potential to spread instability to Bosnia and Herzegovina, the mission said.

Asked if he believed there could be an armed conflict in BiH, Izetbegović said that he will do everything he can to prevent it.

For more, check out our politics section.