February 17, 2020 - The Permanent Representation of Croatia to the European Union has increased the number of staff during the Croatian presidency; one fact regarding space exploration still managed to make the news in Croatia today.

Gordan Duhaček writes for index.hr about four people out of the 150 listed on the Representation website are dedicated to the Exploration and Space. While the English version of the website doesn't offer that piece of information, on the Croatian site you can find the four diplomats listed under the section "Istraživanje i svemir".

Index.hr asked the Representation about the number of the staff working there, especially considering that the Slovenian Representation to the same institution includes around 60 diplomats, while the Austrian is only 30 people strong.

Bruno Lopandić, the spokesperson for the Representation replied that the increase of the number of people working for them is in line with the increase previously seen when other countries started their presidencies. That is, according to Lopandić, what happened to the Exploration and Space staff, as only one person was working on this topic, while with the presidency came the need to increase the number to four. Lopandić also lists that Finland and Austria had 6 diplomats in this department during their presidency, while Romania and Bulgaria had 5.

His answer to the question by index.hr about what those diplomats exactly do in their role is as circumspect and unspecific as you'd expect, but the more interesting fact is about the educational background of those four diplomats. Index.hr claims that all four of them have degrees in humanities and social sciences, and none of them have any experience with any STEM area, such as astronomy. The spokesperson doesn't find that problematic, answering that they needed to have the university diploma to get appointed, that they have experiences in EU projects and that they were additionally educated in meeting management. (But, apparently, not in any space, exploration or research topics). 

The statement from the Representation reminds us that their job is, among others, to increase the number of applications to the Horizon2020 program, as well as promote activities related to the outer space and using the technologies developed for the outer space, in order to increase the co-operation between the scientists and the economy.

Let's add to this that Croatia already has a Space Exploration Technology Centre, established in Sisak, very close to villages which still, to this day, don't have electricity.

The Croatian EU presidency is now in full swing. Having taken over the EU's rotating presidency from Finland, the next six months will see Croatia partake in influential decisions within the bloc. Not only that, but as Brexit is set to occur at the end of this month, seeing the UK enter into a transitional period, Croatia will take a leading role in helping to negotiate the UK's (hopefully) smooth exit.

Hotels, particularly those in the capital city of Zagreb, are also experiencing a boom which is expected to continue as the city plays host to many EU delegates, and Croatia's presence grows more strong on the European tourist map. Owing to that, the Croatian Tourist Board (HTZ) has decided to use the Croatian EU presidency as a way to attract tourists from the country in which Brussels is situated - Belgium.

As Marija Crnjak/Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 8th of January, 2020, HTZ's director Kristjan Staničić has stated that guests from Belgium usually book their holidays between December and February.

HTZ is conducting a major promotional outdoor advertising campaign in Brussels to mark the beginning of the Croatian EU presidency. During January and mid-February, public transport, buses, trams, airports and the most frequent and representative city locations in Brussels will be adorned with Croatian motifs, all with the aim of further emphasising that Belgians should pay a visit to the youngest, and also the most beautiful, member of the EU.

"The Croatian EU presidency is an ideal opportunity for the further promotion of the country, so before the very beginning of the presidency we started this campaign that we believe will have positive promotional effects. We also support the timing of the campaign, which fits in perfectly with the Belgian "tourist" calendar, as market research by the umbrella association of Belgian tour operators ABTO shows that guests from Belgium most often book their holidays between December and February,'' and Kristjan Staničić, adding that more than 220,000 arrivals and almost one million overnight stays were realised in Croatia from the Belgian market last year alone.

As part of the Brussels campaign, 25 buses and trams operate on which citizens of the European Union's capital, as well as its numerous visitors, can see pictures of Croatia with a focus placed on the country's nautical tourism.

Advertising activities are also carried out through large posters located at subway stations in Brussels, in the city centre, and in the so-called "European Neighbourhood", in selected attractive city locations and through large digital screens positioned at the most frequent locations within Brussels Airport, which sees over 26 million passengers annually.

Make sure to follow our dedicated travel page for more.

The Croatian EU presidency is now in full swing and the country will chair the rotating presidency of the bloc for the next six months, after having taken over from Finland. While numerous events are set to take place in Croatia, hotels, especially those in Zagreb, are already experiencing a boom in filling up their capacities, as we reported on recently.

As Barbara Ban/Novac writes on the 4th of January, 2020, the current Croatian EU presidency will unarguably contribute to the better occupancy of hotels in the capital city of Zagreb, however, the largest HUP hotelier in Zagreb, under whose cap operate highly popular hotels including The Westin Zagreb, Sheraton Zagreb, Panorama Zagreb, International, Adriatic and Zagreb, with a total capacity of 1,227 units, is not yet revealing any figures publicly.

During the Croatian presidency of the EU, the highest interest was recorded in hotels of the highest category, The Westin Zagreb and the Sheraton Zagreb Hotel, which are already very well filled and extremely popular among tourists and those in Zagreb on business alike.

''We believe that we will realise a better occupancy compared to the same period in 2019,'' reads a statement on the matter from Rovinj's Maistra, which after managing the sale of shares and strategic partnership between the Adris Group and HUP Zagreb, manages these hotels located in Zagreb today.

''The hotels have a solid team of experts in them who have hosted numerous international conferences and summits for many years, and our hotels, restaurants and conference halls are ready for the upcoming event. A special menu has been prepared for EU delegates to present the diversity of the Croatian gourmet offer. Namely, each region will be represented through the choice of traditional food and drink,'' they conclude from Maistra.

Make sure to follow our dedicated lifestyle page for much more on the Croatian EU presidency and Croatian hotels.