ZAGREB, 9 April 2022 - Croatia will increase its assistance to the friendly Ukrainian people and as part of the Global Citizen Impact initiative commit an additional €100 million to Ukrainian refugees, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Saturday.

"As the brutal Russian aggression against Ukraine continues, we wish to express support and solidarity with the Ukrainian people," Plenković said in a Twitter post.

"Croatia pledges to commit an additional €100 million to Ukrainian refugees" to be taken in by Croatia, he said.

"In this difficult time for the Ukrainian people, we will continue with our support, solidarity and assistance, standing with Ukraine and Ukrainians," he said.

Since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February, four million people have fled the country, according to UNHCR.

According to the latest data, there are more than 12,600 Ukrainian refugees in Croatia.  

For more, check out our politics section.

ZAGREB, 9 April 2022 - Croatia's President and Armed Forces Supreme Commander Zoran Milanović on Saturday attended the military exercise "Shield 22", taking place on the "Croatian Army 119th Brigade" training ground at Cape Kamenjak in Premantura near Pula, the Office of the President said in a statement.

Participating in the combat shooting exercise were members of Croatian and US armed forces.

The purpose of the exercise was the demonstrate the capabilities of air defence units in detecting, tracking and shooting down targets in airspace.

The exercise is taking place from 4 to 13 April. It has been held regularly for 27 years and this year US army members joined in for the first time.

The exercise was also attended by Croatian Armed Forces Chief-of-Staff Admiral Robert Hranj, the Croatian Army Commander, General Boris Šerić, and other military officials, President Milanović's advisor on defence and national security, Dragan Lozančić, as well as representatives of the US army.

For more, check out our politics section.

ZAGREB, 9 April 2022 - The Croatian Defence Force (HOS) 9th Battalion on Saturday marked its 31st anniversary at a church and the Lora arena in the coastal city of Split, commemorating its 46 members killed in the 1991-95 Homeland War.

Addressing a packed Lora arena, the president of the "HOS 9th Battalion" association, and the battalion's wartime commander, Marko Skejo, said, among other things, that members of the battalion had given a major contribution to Croatia's independence, ending his speech by shouting "For the homeland ready", to which the audience did the same.

One of the battalion's wartime commanders, Mile Ćuk, said its members had fought in all parts of Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, with around 2,500 soldiers having passed through the unit, of whom more than 300 were wounded and 46 killed.

"Our fighters proudly and honourably wore on their uniforms insignia with the inscription 'For the homeland ready', the holy salute which today some want to ban. We Catholics celebrate Easter and Christmas, Homeland War Victory Day, Homeland Thanksgiving Day and War Veterans Day, which is the day of those who are for the homeland ready," Ćuk said.

HOS was the armed wing of the Croatian Party of Rights (HSP) fighting in Croatia's 1991-95 war of independence and "For the homeland ready" was the salute used by Croatia's pro-Nazi Ustasha regime in WWII.

Attending today's commemoration were also War Veterans Minister Tomo Medved's envoy Matko Raos, Split-Dalmatia County deputy head Stipe Čogelja, representatives of neighbouring cities and members of parliament Ante Prkačin and Zlatko Hasanbegović.

For more, check out our politics section.

ZAGREB, 9 April 2022 - Croatia has recorded 903 new coronavirus cases and 15 COVID-related deaths in the last 24 hours, the national coronavirus response team reported on Saturday.

Currently, there are 7,446 active cases in the country. Of them, 532 infected people are being treated in hospital, including 27 placed on ventilators, while 5,400 persons are self-isolating.

Since 25 February 2020, when the first COVID-19 case was confirmed in Croatia, 1,108,551 people have been registered as having been infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, of whom 15,675 have died and 1,085,430 have recovered, including 1,482 in the last 24 hours.

A total of 4,717,894 people have tested for the new virus to date, including 3,927 in the last 24 hours.

By Friday, 5,233,554 COVID-19 vaccine doses had been administered, with 59.45 per cent of the total population, or 70.71 per cent of adults, having been vaccinated. A total of 2,311,840 people had received at least one dose and 2,239,638 of them had been fully immunised, which is 68.62 per cent of the adult population.

ZAGREB, 9 April 2022 - In Croatia last year, three children were killed, seven committed suicide and 63 attempted suicide, while 17 were killed in traffic, Children's Ombudsman Helenca Pirnat Dragičević said in her annual report, citing data from the Ministry of the Interior.

"Apart from the parents, in certain cases responsibility for children's deaths also lies with the institutions and society in general," the ombudsman said.

She added that social services and the judiciary should be faster and more efficient in decision making concerning children.

In 2021, her office received 269 complaints about violence against or neglect of children, an increase of 30 per cent compared with 2020, and 448 children were subjected to such behaviour. It also received 76 complaints about violations of children's rights as a result of domestic violence.

According to the Ministry of the Interior, 804 sexual crimes against children were reported last year, up from 573 in the previous year.

"Croatia has failed to achieve the sufficient level of protection of children against sexual violence," the ombudsman said, expressing concern about the large number of such cases. She noted that the judiciary's response to reports of sexual crimes against children were often inadequate.

"We are witnessing lengthy proceedings, lenient penalties for the perpetrators and failure to impose security measures," Pirnat Dragičević warned.

Number of institutionalised children on the rise

The ombudsman also drew attention to the increasing number of institutionalised children.

Last year, 806 children without adequate parental care were placed in institutions, compared to 730 in the previous year. This is possibly due to fears among staff at the institutions following several cases in which children were seriously injured or killed in domestic violence.

Last year, 37 institutionalised children were adopted, and another 111 met the criteria for adoption.

The ombudsman said that the possibility of children in foster care being adopted by their foster families should be considered for the children's wellbeing.

ZAGREB, 9 April 2022 - Croatian construction companies are accumulating losses because of the continued rise in input costs and are wondering whether the situation will escalate to such an extent that they will no longer be able to operate.

For the post-earthquake reconstruction of buildings alone, construction companies need about 20,000 more workers, who are nowhere in sight now.

Hina asked construction companies and institutions how they saw the present situation in their sector, how they were coping with increased prices of material and fuel, whether they would be able to deliver on the contracts signed without incurring losses, and how many workers they were short of.

The Kamgrad company said that construction businesses were piling up losses by the day as prices of material, fuel and energy had risen by more than 50% compared to prices at the bidding stage.

"Unless the present situation changes and the government promptly takes specific economic measures to help construction companies overcome these unusual disruptions to the market and maintain the stability of their operation, it is only a matter of time before the situation will escalate to such an extent that construction companies will no longer be able to meet their obligations," Kamgrad's management said.

That would result in a total collapse of the already decimated construction sector and suspension of the majority of current projects, they added.

Considering the ongoing projects and planned investments announced by both private and public contractors, construction companies should have more than enough work in the coming years. However, it is questionable whether these projects will be carried out given that the latest estimates show that Croatia lacks more than 10,000 construction workers.

"About 30,000 foreign construction workers are currently employed in Croatia, alongside 70,000 domestic workers. In addition to workers from Bosnia and Herzegovina, who are traditionally present on the Croatian construction market and whose number is unfortunately decreasing, there are more and more workers from Albania, Kosovo, Nepal, India, the Philippines and other remote countries," Kamgrad said.

Mirela Gudan of the Croatian Employers' Association said that the construction sector had been left without a significant contingent of domestic workers following the 2008 crisis because they emigrated to more developed European countries.

Gudan noted that in recent years foreign labour had been coming from remote countries, and that the cost of hiring a foreign worker was double the cost of hiring a domestic worker. She said that the present laws were damaging to the construction sector and state budget because they prevented the sector's development, which was also important for the reconstruction of building damaged in the 2020 earthquakes.

Mirjana Čagalj, Vice-President of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce for Construction and Transport, said that Croatian construction companies currently had about 100,000 workers, which was not enough.

She said there had been a shortage of skilled labour for several years now, ever since the sector had started to see growth, and the COVID-19 pandemic had only made labour imports more difficult and expensive. Croatian companies dealt with this problem by importing workers from non-EU countries.

"The scale of the problem can be seen in the fact that around 28,000 construction workers were imported in 2020, which is over 80 per cent of the foreign labour quota. Over 23,000 were imported in 2019, and in 2018 the quota was fulfilled," said Čagalj.

It is estimated that further demand for construction labour will grow in light of the post-earthquake reconstruction of Zagreb and the Banovina region.

"According to our estimates, we will need 20,000 workers for all the areas affected by the earthquakes, depending on the pace of reconstruction. The shortage of labour will partly be offset by an increased price of labour in the construction sector, which may attract new people and create conditions for the return of our workers who left for the West in search of work and better living conditions. Since the reconstruction process will take years, we expect a certain number of people will return. At the same time, we need to work on creating as many skilled workers in our schools as possible," Čagalj said.

Last year, 10,553 building permits were issued, which is 12.2 per cent more than in 2020. The expected value of works for which the permits were issued is HRK 32 billion, up from 28 billion in 2020.

For more, check out our business section.

ZAGREB, 9 April 2022 - Croatia is getting back to the old normal after nearly all restrictions imposed over the last two years to contain the COVID-19 pandemic were lifted at midnight on Friday.

All the anti-epidemic rules, except the obligation of wearing protective face masks in health institutions and nursing homes, are no longer in force.

Croatia declared the COVID-19 pandemic on 11 March 2020 and since then its citizens lived under various restrictions, including a total lockdown in the spring of that year.

The first registered case of this infection in Croatia was reported on 25 February 2020. It was a young man who returned from a 19 February Champions League match in Milan, Italy. The number of new cases started rising, and on 19 March 2020, there were more than 100 confirmed cases, while on 2 April over 1,000 cases were active at the time.

In the spring of 2020, Croatia was among the countries with the most stringent anti-epidemic rules, and that summer the epidemiological situation improved with warmer weather. However, the COVID numbers started escalating again in the late autumn of 2020.

Protocols were adopted by a national COVID-19 crisis management team, who enjoyed overwhelming support at the beginning of the pandemic. However, over the time the fatigue with the restrictions provoked reactions to its decisions.

In the autumn 2021, several protest rallies were held in several cities, primarily against the introduction of the COVID certificate mandate in public institutions.

On 4 December 2021, the parliamentary opposition party Bridge started gathering signatures at over 1,200 venues across the country for a referendum to regulate the work of the national COVID-19 crisis management team and abolish COVID certificates.

The most vociferous demonstrators protested against the obligation to get vaccinated.

The first batches of vaccines against this novel virus arrived in Croatia in late December 2020, and vaccination against COVID-19 started in Zagreb on 27 December when 81-year-old Branka Aničić, a resident of a retirement home, got the very first shot in the country.

The SARS-CoV-2 virus had mutated in the meantime, and the Omicron variant, first reported in Croatia in January this year, infected over 17,000 people on a daily basis.

However, with the rise in its virulence, the Omicron variant did not cause harsher symptoms of the disease that would need hospitalisation.

More than 1.1 million cases of the disease have been detected so far

Furthermore, Croatia has managed to vaccinate 70.71% of its adult population to date, and over a quarter of the population have contracted the disease, which is why experts believe a satisfactory collective immunity has been acquired.

Unfortunately, the disease has claimed 15,660 lives since the first case of the infection was registered. The share of the fatalities among the registered cases stands at 1.42%, according to the Croatian Institute of Public Health (HZJZ).

Worldwide, over 6.1 million deaths have been caused by this disease.

The Worldmeters platform data show that in terms of the share of COVID fatalities per million inhabitants, Croatia ranks eighth (3,857 per million). In the European Union, only Bulgaria and Hungary have higher shares, 5,349 and 4,754 respectively.

April 5, 2022 - The European Court of Human Rights rejected Croatia's request to reconsider the case of the family of little Madina Hosseini, which confirmed the previous verdict and the responsibility of the Republic of Croatia for the tragedy arising from it. Interior Minister Davor Božinović says his resignation is ''not on the table'' following the ruling.

Tportal.hr reports that, in the tragic death of six-year-old Madina Hosseini, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) last year found the Republic of Croatia responsible for numerous human rights violations under the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms: the right to life, the prohibition of torture and inhuman treatment, the prohibition of the collective expulsion of aliens, the right to security and liberty and the right to institute legal proceedings. The Republic of Croatia requested a reconsideration of the case, but the court rejected the request on Monday. The Center for Peace Studies reported on its Facebook page, stating that the case of little Madina Hosseini is finally over.

''The Grand Council of the European Court of Human Rights rejected the request of the Republic of Croatia to reconsider the case of little Madina's family and thus reaffirmed the verdict that the Republic of Croatia violated Madina's right to life, treated children inhumanely, kept the whole family illegally, and part of the family was collectively expelled from Croatia, and after all that, they were denied access to lawyers'', Center for Peace Studies shared on their Facebook page.

Madina Hosseini (Photo: Hosseini family)

The Office of the Croatian Representative before the European Court of Human Rights also informed that the verdict had been passed and that it had become final by rejecting the Croatian request.

''On April 4, 2022, a committee of five judges of the Grand Council of the European Court of Human Rights rejected the request of the Republic of Croatia to submit the case of MH to the Grand Council. Thus, the judgment of the Council of 18 November 2021 became final and the procedure of its execution will follow'', the Office said in a statement.

The full verdict of the European Court of Human Rights in the case of little Madina Hosseini on 18 November 2021 can be read (in Croatian) in Tportal's original article.

This judgment of the ECHR confirms various problems that many actors have been pointing out for many years and about which we report to the Croatian Parliament, the competent authorities, and the public. This primarily refers to the lack of an effective investigation into allegations of human rights violations of migrants, which is necessary in order for the authorities to dispel suspicions or confirm the allegations, Ombudsman Tena Simonovic Einwalter said in November last year.

In this case, it also referred to the work of the police, the State Attorney's Office, and the judiciary, with the ECHR assessing the effectiveness of the investigation in a different way than the Constitutional Court and, among other things, the way in which the effectiveness of the investigation was examined was indicated in a separate opinion by three judges. To maintain the rule of law in which no one, especially the police, can be above the law, an effective investigation is crucial, taking into account information provided by the mother and police officers about the tragic event, which includes all available information to establish the factual situation (including recordings of thermal imaging cameras, data on the movement and location of police officers by recording the signals of their mobile devices, police vehicles via GPS devices or members of the Hosseini family via their mobile devices), said Ombudswoman Simonovic Einwalter. According to the judgment of the ECHR, and as we ourselves warned, the competent authorities failed to do so, she added.

In the part related to the restriction of freedom of movement of Madina's family with eight children, they warned that it was not clear which procedures were used during the individual assessment of whether other measures, alternatives to detention, could have served the same purpose. In doing so, the proceedings themselves were conducted in the English language, which M. Hosseini's mother did not understand.

How has the Croatian Interior Minister responded?

The Center for Peace Studies issued a statement today stating that "after this strong and final confirmation of the verdict, the Government of the Republic of Croatia and Prime Minister Andrej Plenković can no longer turn their heads, but must urgently dismiss those responsible led by Interior Minister Davor Božinović''.

Minister of Interior, Davor Božinović, at the US-Croatian Forum in Zagreb which began yesterday. (Photo: Igor Soban/PIXSELL)

Following the ECHR ruling, Božinović said today that "his resignation is not on the table", N1 reports.

"As a minister, I can say, as I said, that it is a tragedy. That it affects us all. Certain investigative actions have been carried out, the court has concluded what it has concluded and we need to take measures to improve the system. My resignation is not on the table."

He said the responsibility in such cases is on the system.

"We have to see what are all the things that can and should be corrected. This was the case in other cases as well. The point of these judgments is to actually fix the system and it is always a matter of correcting what is stated as a defect. Either through certain solutions when it comes to regulations or by changing some practices. The function of the court is precisely to point out such shortcomings", said the Minister.

Journalists also asked the minister if his position was "on ice" because of this verdict.

"Reconstruction is something the prime minister will decide on."

For more, check out our politics section.

ZAGREB, 5 April 2022 - Croatia and the United States on Monday signed an agreement on Croatia's entry into the Global Entry program, which will grant some Croatian nationals privileged entry into the US.

Croatia has become the fourth European country to enter this program. Minister of the Interior Davor Božinović said: "This is an expedited procedure that America grants only to those countries and systems with which it has achieved this level of trust."

Global Entry is a program of the US Department of Homeland Security that allows expedited clearance for pre-approved travellers upon arrival in the United States. Such travellers will not have to wait in a line to get through border control, said Gabriel Escobar, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs and Special Envoy to the Western Balkans.

He said this agreement with Croatia signals the level of trust the US has in its Croatian partners, and the level of their strategic relationship and friendship.

Washington has signed this agreement with only three other European countries - Germany, the United Kingdom and Switzerland.

As of October last year, Croatian nationals no longer need a visa for trips to the United States of up to 90 days.

"This is a firm pledge for our future cooperation. There are a lot of challenge before us - the war in Ukraine and everything that contemporary threats bring. That's why we have services working together on a daily basis, exchanging information and fighting together in a world full of challenges to preserve what is the most valuable to us, and that is our way of life," Božinović said, adding that this was the 12th agreement signed with the US in the last five years.

In addition to the Global Entry agreement, Božinović and Escobar also signed the Partnership for Education agreement, which aims to increase the capabilities of the police in Croatia and the Western Balkans in combating transnational crime and terrorism.

We are looking forward to greater cooperation in discovering, countering and deterring transnational organised crime and terrorist actors in the Western Balkans, Escobar said.

The Croatian-US forum marking the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries ends on Tuesday.

4th of April 2022 - From Saint Patrick's Day, which is on March 17, Slavonians usually start planting crops for various reasons - for personal use, animals, and more. The planting season in Slavonia has thus begun, and we're taking a look at planting traditions in Slavonia.

Saint Patrick’s Day doesn’t hold particular importance in Croatia, except for the name day that people with a similar name celebrate. However, in Slavonia, this day marks the start of planting the crops that will be available for harvesting, and furthermore, some of those products will be stored for winter. Crops don’t have to necessarily be planted specifically on St. Patrick’s Day but after that date, people hurry to sow their plants before the rain. Why does it need to be done before the rain? For a simple reason - when rain occurs after sowing, the seeds will swell and the beginning of the growth process is in motion.

That is only the “first round” of the planting since not all plant crops can be immediately be planted. These next vegetables are most common in the “first round of planting”.

Potatoes 

A useful vegetable that can be used in many ways and because of its flexibility and endurance during its growth, this plant is unavoidable in Slavonia. Potatoes from Lika are one of the most famous Croatian products. When planting, people make rows in their gardens that are approximately 25 centimeters deep and start putting potato tubers with sprouts, one by one, one foot away from each other (you can measure distance with your foot) and later buried with a hoe. Red and white potatoes are the most prominent ones and are planted for different uses - red potatoes are good for frying and roasting, and white ones are for boiling and cooking. People who don’t have big gardens or lands can also plant on their balconies or small spaces indented for planting.

Onion 

Onions with potatoes are in the same tier of importance for Slavonians and have mostly the same attributes. Flexibility in its handling in the kitchen and mostly pretty endurable, this crop has many good uses. However, there is a problem that, of course, can be avoided. The danger of rotting is pretty common with this plant (which can be also said for potatoes but in smaller measure) and if not harvested on time, this is an unavoidable problem. Why? Well, when harvested, our ancestors would leave onions on the field to dry but with climate change and far harsher summers, they’re usually put under the canopy or whatever place where the sun isn’t blazing hot. Onions planted in March are usually ready for harvesting in July but even “young” onions are good for use, especially at Easter time.

Carrots and parsley 

An indispensable part of any stew or soup, these two plants are really an important part of planting traditions in Slavonia. It is also harvested in July but has multiple uses besides its root. For instance, parsley’s leaves are put in the meals as a spice and it is present in almost every Slavonian meal - čobanac, gulaš, fiš, and many more. Carrots, on the other hand, can be consumed young as onions - roasted young carrots coated in butter equals a great summer meal. One more plant that can be cultivated in small and closed places.

Garlic 

This plant has, so to say, a mythic reputation in multiple cultures including Slavonia. From having healing attributes for stomachaches, strengthening immunity, and so on, to flexible uses in the culinary world. If any ingredient symbolizes Slavonia, that’s definitely garlic - spicy, strong smell and certainly a food that enhances every meal. Planting is the same as is with onions - bulbs are put in the ground and just gently covered with soil. A very durable plant that can withstand any weather and be usable all year. It can be cultivated anywhere.

Celery 

Its head is mostly used for meals but the culinary internet revolution discovered newfound use for its leaves. They can be put in the pesto, carbonara, or just a sauce ingredient for extra flavor. Celery heads in Slavonia are used as an ingredient for soups and stews like previously mentioned gulaš and paprikaš. It can be stored for later use and its durable ingredient is why this plant is part of cultivating and planting traditions in Slavonia. In recent years, it's also been used as a juice! Rich with sodium and vitamin A.

Red beet 
Also planted in the first round of planting, red beet has multiple uses and is one of the healthiest ingredients on this list. Its juice is used in the fitness world for strengthening a person's fitness and body. Furthermore, it can lower blood pressure and increase blood flow. Rich with folic acid, manganese, potassium, vitamin C, magnesium, iron and so many more. Its root in Slavonia is used mostly for winter storage, namely, pickled in glass jars. “Soily” taste and beautiful color make this ingredient an important plant in the Slavonian region.

Peas and string beans

These two at first glance seem the same but they’re not. Even though they’re from the same family of plants (legume or pea family), they can be used in different ways. Stews are probably most common in Slavonia for peas but string beans can also be prepared in salads or roasted with other vegetables. Their issue is that they’re really sensitive and require nonstop care. A great ingredient for various meals.

Those vegetables are most commonly planted in the first spring planting, however, a bit later in the spring season, seeds are replaced by seedlings, young plants that have already sprouted from their seeds. These include tomatoes, cabbage, swiss chard, broccoli, peppers, jalapenos, cucumbers, and many more. Cultivating from there needs to be on a higher level since these plants require more care which means more water, fertilizers, and fluids that protect the plants from harmful organisms - parasites. What’s also important to note is the importance of these crops, used and pickled for winter storage. Most common are homemade tomato sauce, pickles, so-called hunting salad, pickled pepper, mild and spicy, and many more.

If we look deeper, planting traditions haven’t changed much in recent decades. Proven methods from our ancestors still work, are even better than the modern ones we encounter today, and still feed generations of people in these areas. Every region in Croatia has its own traditions and that’s what makes Croatia so rich - whenever you go, you can see how Croatian people survived the toughest times and managed to use its resources in the best possible ways. Earth and ground we walk on are still one of the rare things that never let Croatians down and that’s reflected in planting traditions in Slavonia.

For more, check out our dedicated lifestyle section.