ZAGREB, 26 April 2022 - The 26th edition of the biennial Biam Machine Tool Fair and the 29th edition of the Welding Fair opened on Tuesday at the Zagreb Trade Fair Centre (ZV).

The only two industrial fairs in the country will be open until 29 April and as such, they are a significant economic and business event.

ZV Director Renata Suša said that this year's fairs have attracted 120 exhibitors from 19 countries, on an exhibition area of 5,500 square metres.

Suša said that the fairs aspired to be regional leaders in their field and that their value had been recognised by leading companies.

Zagreb Mayor Tomislav Tomašević recalled that due to the COVID pandemic fairs had not been held at ZV but that now activities were slowly getting back to normal.

In cooperation with the Ruđer Bošković technical school and ZV, a day-long event will be organised during the two fairs to promote vocational careers in an effort to popularise vocational careers and help establish connections between employers, partners and future students.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated lifestyle section.

ZAGREB, 26 April 2022 - The Croatian National Bank (HNB) will soon embark on a campaign for the euro replacing the kuna as the national currency which will be very extensive, as befits such an important event as Croatia's accession to the euro area on 1 January 2023, Večernji List daily said on Tuesday.

To raise public awareness of the introduction of the euro, the HNB has prepared a tender for the creation and implementation of a national information campaign, estimated at HRK 27 million, for carrying out the national plan of replacing the kuna with the euro.

As part of the campaign, HRK 6.8 million is envisaged for designing the promotional campaign, HRK 14.5 million for a media advertising strategy, HRK 1.55 million for PR and organising public events, HRK 800,000 for a call centre, HRK 400,000 for a public opinion poll, and HRK 2.95 million for the Euro on Wheels travelling exhibition.

The campaign is aimed at acquainting citizens with all the advantages of introducing the euro, informing them about the date of the introduction, the fixed exchange rate and trends in consumer prices, and at sending the message that the euro will not result in price rises that would undermine living standards.

Citizens will also be informed about how the government will protect them from unjustified price rises. A public opinion poll has shown that a considerable percentage are concerned that the euro might result in major price prices.

Another aim of the campaign is to increase public support for the euro, reducing citizens' insecurity and the feeling that they will be cheated in the process of switching to the euro.

It will be stressed that introducing the euro as the national currency leads to faster, more favourable and safer doing business, bigger investment, economic growth and higher living standards.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated politics section.

ZAGREB, 26 April 2022 - Economy Minister Tomislav Ćorić has made a decision allowing the state to fill the Okoli underground gas storage facility if those leasing it fail to do so, and they are not doing it for now as it is not cost-effective due to high gas procurement prices.

The decision was made based on an intervention plan to respond in time to potential gas supply disruptions, the ministry said on Tuesday, adding that the decision was proposed by a crisis management team established to monitor gas supply security.

The team has ordered that Okoli should be full at 90% of capacity at the start of the next heating system, by 1 November.

Those leasing the storage facility must fill 63% of capacity by 1 August, 68% by 1 September, 74% by 1 October, and 90% by 1 November.

They now have to inform the Economy Ministry how much of the capacity they plan to use and if they do not plan to use the capacity they leased, they lose the right to store gas at Okoli so that strategic gas reserves can be made. In that case, the state will have to find the resources to fill the freed capacity, most probably via state-owned companies.

The entire capacity of Okoli has been leased, but due to gas price hikes, it is not being filled. This has caused concern as filling takes four months and given the uncertainty of regular supply, it is essential that filling begins on time, it was said.

Okoli's capacity is 553 million cubic metres.

For more, make sure to check out our business section.

ZAGREB, 26 April 2022 - In the last 24 hours, 704 coronavirus cases, out of 4,596 tests, and 11 related deaths have been registered in Croatia, the national COVID-19 crisis management team said on Tuesday.

There are 4,129 active cases, including 434 hospitalised patients, of whom 24 are on ventilators, while 2,895 persons are self-isolating.

To date, Croatia has registered 1,118,526 coronavirus cases and the death toll is 15,801.

A total of 2,241,286 people have been fully immunised, which is 68.67% of the adult population.

24th of April 2022 - A few days ago, the world commemorated Earth Day, so it’s only convenient to present one of the most ecological and recreational ways of transportation - bikes, or in this case, bike tours. A look into the best bike tours in Slavonia.

Spring is in full swing which means a yearly reminder of recreational tourist offers Croatia, or in this case, what Slavonia has to offer. Bicycles are a huge part of Croatian lives. Bike clubs, amateur cyclists, and regular people who want to be part of these events became more and more frequent and stayed part of these movements and events. Of course, with every recreation or hobby, there’s always a potential for tourist opportunities. For example, Dalmatia with its already diverse tourist offers incorporated bike tours, which suit really well with the geographical location of the region. Hilly and somewhat mountainous terrain with the scent of sea salt and a view of the Adriatic Sea, attracts every tourist who wants to experience the beauties of the Dalmatian region recreationally. Even islands like Brač, Hvar, and Korčula where you can transport your bikes with catamarans, have various offers of bike tours. Istria does an amazing job as well and northern Croatia with Međimurje, Zagorje, and Zagreb regions attracts more and more bike lovers every year!

However, the full circle couldn’t be rounded without the region of Slavonia which is doing an amazing job in promoting its land and presents new and creative tourist offers every single year. From Požega and its Golden Valley to the wine roads of Srijem and Baranja, bike tours in Slavonia could easily have one of the best tourist offers in Croatia. So, without further ado, let’s start with the best bike tours in Slavonia.

Vinkovci, Vukovar - Srijem county 

If you want to explore Vinkovci and surrounding places a bit more adventurously, definitely consider these available trails which stretch through the whole Vukovar-Srijem county. There are a few different types of surfaces available - macadam, earth, gravel, grass, and asphalt, which are intended for riding mountain or other types of quality bikes. The trails are marked in blue, red and yellow and they all have one thing in common - the bridge on river Bosut in the center of Vinkovci which is the start of every bike trail. The blue trail is 19 kilometers long and leads from Vinkovci to the village of Borinci to a rural home called “Antin Stan” in Ivankovo and back to Vinkovci. The red one is 15 kilometers long, moving the new dam on Bazjaš canal to the Kunjevci forest and back to the center of Vinkovci. Last official trail is marked with yellow color and is the longest, around 21 kilometers, stretching from bridge on Bosut towards rural house and picnic area Sopot in direction of Rokovci. After that, the trail continues to Kunjevci forest and back to Vinkovci. If you’re ever interested in trying these bike tours, contact the Vinkovci Tourist Board for maps of these routes here.

Colorful bike tours in Slavonia around Vinkovci, (Screenshot: Master plan grada Vinkovaca za promet)

Apart from these official bike trails, there are a few routes that go further in Vukovar-Srijem county:

• Danube cycling route (EuroVelo 6) - This one passes along the Danube River and its length is 138 kilometers in Croatia. Probably one of the most popular bike routes in Europe cuts through Vukovar-Srijem county, connects with cycling route Srijem and continues toward the Black Sea. The route can be checked here.
• Srijem route - Connects the southern area of Vukovar-Srijem county with the northeastern part. Its starting point is the center of Vinkovci near the popular Lamp and goes through Rokovci, Andrijaševci, Cerna, and Gradište towards Cvelferija (9 villages of Županja’s area) then through Gunja, Vrbanja, and Drenovci to the city of Otok.
• Route Otok - This bike route offers two possibilities: the first one is a ride across Privlaka to the city of Vinkovci and the road from Nuštar and Bogdanovci to Vukovar while the other route is going through the village of Komletinci to Nijemci, towards Tovarnik and Ilok.

Route Otok and Srijem with other bike tours in Slavonia around Županja area, (Screenshot: tz-zupanja.hr)

Even though the area of Vukovar-Srijem County seems small, it has a lot to offer. Golden fields of wheat and sunflowers that have been just planted, sun in the sky, multiple options for eating and drinking, and most importantly, the people. If you need quick transport, buses and trains are available - most of the time.

Osijek, Osijek - Baranja County 

Besides already mentioned EuroVelo 6 Danube River route that goes through Osijek and its county as well, there is the Greenway Cycling route that connects Croatia and Hungary with the goal of cross border relations, building up tourism and eco-tourism in the area along the Danube-Drava Rivers. There is already a great piece on our dedicated to cycling Total Croatia Cycling site, about the Greenway route and the whole project that took place in 2016. You can read it here.

Another European bike route goes through Slavonia - EuroVelo 13 or “Iron Curtain Trail”. The name stems from the fact that the border was part of the infamous “Iron Curtain”. Beautiful landscape, pristine forests, Drava River in all its glory, and of course gorgeous cities along the way - Beli Manastir, Belišče, Valpovo, Donji Miholjac, Koprivnica, and many more. Of course, great food and drinks for relaxation. For more information about this route, check here.

When it comes to cycle tourism, Osijek and Baranja regions are top-notch. It’s not a surprise that Osijek has the most cycle paths in Croatia which spread through the whole city. If you own a good bike and love cycling moreover public transport, Osijek is a great city for you. Here are a few suggested bike tours exploring Osijek and its surroundings:

• OSIJEK - UŠĆE KARAŠICE - OSIJEK: This route starts from the city of Osijek and goes to Višnjevac. After that, there is a wooden bridge towards the west that continues through beautiful forests and natural landscapes near the Drava River. The route stretches all the way to fishing house located on mouth of Karašica and Drava rivers. The length of the route is around 20 kilometers and it’s not particularly complicated. Suited for mountain and track bicycles. You can check the details of the route here.
• OSIJEK - KOPAČEVO - BILJE - OSIJEK: This time, the best city exit is the one towards Podravlje where the ride goes to Kopačevo and the reception center of Kopački rit. Beautiful landscape and the only traffic participants are cyclists, pedestrians, and animals. From there, the route goes through Kopačevo, Bilje in Baranja all the way to Osijek. This bike route is around 32 kilometers long and suitable bicycles are mountain and tracking ones. Visual details can be found here.

A few others are:

• KOPAČEVO - ZLATNA GREDA - TIKVEŠ - KOPAČEVO, route details
  
• BIZOVAC – ČOKADINCI – KOŠKA – LADIMIREVCI – BIZOVAC, route details
  
• KNEŽEVI VINOGRADI – KOTLINA – KAMENAC – KARANAC – KNEŽEVI VINOGRADI, route details.
  

On the other hand, Baranja used its tourist offer of great food, wines, and other products and, most importantly, beautiful wine yards that unfurl through the whole region to the maximum.

Wine roads are the most popular routes in Osijek - Baranja County, so it’s not surprising that out of a total of twelve tourist and wine roads in the county, just in Baranja are eight. During these bike tours, tourists can visit multiple wine cellars along the way and explore beautiful landscapes. For all details about wine bike tours in Baranja, check here. Beautiful nature park Kopački rit also included bike tours recently for an easier and more exciting experience of Slavonian nature and enriched tourist offer even more. Check the website here.

Požega, Požega - Slavonia County 

When we talk about cycling or any other type of recreation, we have to mention the center of Slavonia. The Hilly mountain terrain of old Slavonian mountains Papuk, Psunj, and Krntija, make this region even more exciting for bike lovers. Thirty marked bike trails make Požega - Slavonia County a place for one of the best bike tours in Slavonia. Besides the already mentioned EuroVelo route and other state bike trails, Požega and its surroundings offer an amazing variety of bike trails for everyone. If you thought Slavonia is flat, you’ve been grossly deceived. The landscape around nature park Papuk is a great reason anybody trying these routes needs to have high-level body fitness.

• The so-called “Green route” that passes through the Požega Wine region - beautiful wine yards (almost similar to Ilok’s or Baranja’s wine roads), hills, and exquisite views of old mountains. Route details.
  
• Požega vistas trail is another one that stands out in that region - This trail has all sorts of terrains - from asphalt ones in the old town of Požega to forest trails and open landscapes with dirt roads, all the way to Požeška gora and trails and obstacles that pumps up the adrenaline, passing by old wells and trails of old, ancient life and back to Požega. Route details.
• The trail through fields and meadows - goes through traditional Slavonian villages and hilly places rich with agriculture. Exciting long upward and downward roads between villages and eventually back to Požega. Route details.
  

For more details about the most exciting bike tours in Slavonia, definitely check here.

Papuk (photo credit: Mario Romulić)

To conclude this list, we need to shoutout few honorable mentions that definitely deserve their own article: off-road routes of Virovitica - Podravina County, muddy, exciting forest roads around rivers, sunny fields of Podravina, and glimpses of Western Slavonia, which has probably one of the best bike trails in Croatia. Pannonian bike roads pass through the calm landscapes, across the hills, through the woods and fields, along rivers, streams, and lakes. With the wind on your face, definitely discover the beauty of Pannonian cycling trails. For more details, check here.

Slavonski Brod and Brod-Posavina County with a must-visit to the monumental Brod Fortress, the largest of continental Croatia with its unique Tambura Museum. Posavina villages of Klakar, Donja, and Gornja Bebrina offer even more pleasures and forests that express the greenest places in Slavonia. Lipik, Pakrac and their Lipizzaner and Kuna Trail... What are you waiting for? For more details, check counties official website.

After an exhaustive analysis that can reach five more such articles, it’s only left of us to invite you and visit these beautiful places. From Požega to Ilok, these truly are one of the best bike tours in Slavonia, but not just that - in Croatia as well. For more cycling articles, visit our dedicated website.

For more, check out our lifestyle section.

ZAGREB, 23 April 2022 - Croatia's cooperation and support are important for Vojvodina Croats' efforts and for strengthening their identity, representatives of three of their institutions said in Novi Vinodolski on Saturday.

Croatian National Council president Jasna Vojnić, the director of the Vojvodina Croats Culture Institute, Tomislav Žigmanov, and the director of the Hrvatska Riječ publisher, Ladislav Suknović were received by Sea, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Oleg Butković and local officials.

Žigmanov said they came to talk about the challenges awaiting them this year and that the biggest one would be a population census in October.

He is also the president of the Democratic Alliance of Croats in Vojvodina, which won a seat in the Serbian parliament in a recent election.

Asked if there was a possibility of his entering the Serbian government and what that would mean for Croats, Žigmanov said they were willing to talk about the new government's political and overall profile.

We wish to participate in policies which will lead Serbia to European integration, develop democracy in Serbia, strengthen the rule of law and the work of independent institutions, build policies for national minorities and integrate the Croatian minority in Serbian society, he said, adding that they also wish to participate in the normalisation and development of Croatian-Serbian relations.

Speaking of Vojvodina Croats' problems, Žigmanov said they were excluded from decision making, underrepresented in the public sector, and prevented from achieving certain interests and articulating their rights.

He said most of Serbia's society had a most negative opinion of Croats, and also mentioned social and economic problems as well as the identity of Bunjevci Croats.

Minister Butković said Žigmanov's election to the Serbian parliament was a big deal and good for the future status of Croats in Serbia. His becoming a member of the government would also mean a lot for them and bi a big step forward, he added.

He also said that Croatia's cooperation with Vojvodina Croats was very good.

For more, check out our politics section.

ZAGREB, 23 April 2022 - Croatia has recorded 894 new coronavirus cases and six COVID-related deaths in the last 24 hours, the national coronavirus response team reported on Saturday.

The number of active cases in the country now stands at 4,568, of whom 455 infected persons are being treated in hospital, including 22 placed on ventilators, while 3,058 persons are self-isolating.

Since 25 February 2020, when the first case was confirmed in Croatia, 1,117,175 people have been registered as having contracted the SARS-CoV-2 virus, of whom 15,778 have died and 1,096,829 have recovered, including 649 in the last 24 hours.

A total of 4,762,146 people have tested for COVID-19 to date, including 3,899 in the last 24 hours.

By Friday, 5,240,151 vaccine doses had been administered, with 59.47 per cent of the total population, or 70.74 per cent of adults, having been vaccinated. A total of 2,312,689 people had received at least one dose and 2,241,102 of them had been fully vaccinated, which is 68.66 per cent of the adult population.

ZAGREB, 23 April 2022 - Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković has expressed his support to his Slovenian counterpart Janez Janša who is seeking a second term in office in parliamentary elections on Sunday.

"Ahead of parliamentary elections in Slovenia, I give my strong support to my friend, Prime Minister Janez Janša, and the Slovenian Democratic Party," Plenković said on Twitter on Friday.

Plenković said he had had excellent cooperation with Janša over the last few years in advancing relations between the two countries.

"We have improved economic cooperation, addressed unresolved issues and tackled together major crises such as COVID and the present energy crisis," the Croatian PM said, adding that he was confident that Janša would win.

Janša's Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS) and Plenković's Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) are both members of the European People's Party (EPP).

Nearly 1.7 million Slovenians are going to the polls on Sunday to elect a new 90-member parliament and choose between the policy pursued by Janša and the alternative promised by business manager Robert Golob.

According to surveys published by the Dnevnik and Večer newspapers earlier this week, Golob's Freedom Movement enjoys the support of 26.3 per cent of the electorate, while Janša's SDS is backed by 25.5 per cent.

For more, check out our politics section.

ZAGREB, 23 April 2022 - A representative of the Croatian Civic Initiative (HGI), one of the political parties representing the Croatian minority in Montenegro, will be a minister without a portfolio in the minority government to be nominated by Prime Minister-elect Dritan Abazović on 28 April, local media said on Friday.

HGI leader Adrijan Vuksanović confirmed to the Montenegrin media that he would be the party's candidate for minister without a portfolio in the new government. Earlier, the party's main committee unanimously accepted the invitation from Prime Minister-elect Abazović to participate in the minority government.

"We consider this an important gesture that will help ensure respect for minority rights and be an important mechanism for their affirmation. This is a strong message to the international and domestic public that Montenegro is following its natural path of multi-ethnic harmony and respecting the contribution from the ethnic minorities in the social, cultural and political field," HGI said.

Ethnic Croats account for about one per cent of Montenegro's population.

For more, check out our politics section.

ZAGREB, 23 April 2022- Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković issued messages on Saturday offering their best wishes to the Christian Orthodox faithful who celebrate Easter according to the Julian calendar.

"May Easter, a symbol of hope, peace and faith, be an inspiration and encouragement to you in overcoming the challenges and tests that lie ahead," the prime minister said in his message, noting that this oldest Christian holiday is a reminder of the universal human values of kindness, solidarity and tolerance.

"May the spirit of this great holiday further strengthen us in our efforts to make the community that we live in an even better place for all its citizens. On behalf of the government and on my own behalf, I wish you an abundance of good health, joy and peace and that you spend this holiday among your families and loved ones," Plenković said.

Jandroković said that the Easter message of hope and peace, at the present time of uncertainty, divisions and the war in Ukraine, promotes solidarity, charity, mutual understanding and respect for the differences among people..

"The atmosphere of Easter fills us with joy and love and inspires us through the strength of faith to celebrate the victory of life over death and of light over darkness. (...) This greatest Christian holiday invites us to find in ourselves the strength of forgiveness and sympathy and to lend a hand of support to those in need," Jandroković wrote.

For more, check out our politics section.