December the 31st, 2021 - If you've lost your Croatian driving license, or any other document that it is necessary to have here, you'll know the headache involved in a country which just loves lines and paperwork. What about if you've lost your actual license plate from your car? Here's what you need to do in either situation, made clear.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, according to the official instructions issued by the Ministry of the Interior (MUP), the loss or disappearance (and discovery) of a Croatian driving license issued either here in Croatia or in another country in the European Economic Area needs to be reported, without delay, to the nearest administrative police station. A request for the issuance of a new Croatian driving license should then be submitted at the same place.

The request can be submitted at any time, as there is no deadline for obtaining a new document of this type. The application form will be printed out by the clerk at the counter, and the applicant must then confirm the accuracy of all of the printed data with their signature placed on the form, writes HAK.

The applicant for a new Croatian driving license must enclose the following:

If the original Croatian driving license was issued in another EEA member state, proof from the competent authority of the issuing country that the person was issued a driving license from their national authorities must be enclosed.

One photograph measuring 35 × 45 mm. It is not necessary to attach a photo if the applicant has been issued (within the last five years) a biometric passport, an electronic identity card, an identity card containing their OIB or if they had a Croatian driving license (or one from the EEA) issued since the 4th of September 2017, for the publication of which a photograph was already attached, and the appearance of the person hasn't significantly changed.

Proof of payment of the administrative fee in the amount of 151 kuna. Payment can be made via payment slip or via internet banking. Under the description of the payment, it is necessary to state ''state administrative fees/drzavne upravne pristojbe'' and the payment should be made to the IBAN of the state budget, which is as follows: HR1210010051863000160, model HR64, reference number 5002-713-OIB.

Please note that any administrative fees in the amount of up to 100 kuna can be paid in state notaries.

Proof of payment of 151 kuna (regular procedure), 200 kuna (accelerated procedure) or 450 kuna (urgent procedure) for a Croatian driving license issuance form via a payment slip issued at the administrative police station, general payment slip or via internet banking, to the IBAN of the state budget: HR1210010051863000160, model HR65, reference number 7005-477-OIB.

With regard to registration/license/number plates, the owner of the vehicle is also obliged to report their disappearance, without delay, to the police. The fine for failing to do so is 300 kuna. They will then be provided with a police certificate which will remain valid for a period of 30 days, and when applying, people need to bring the following:

Proof of the vehicle in question's ownership
A valid ID card

A new license plate can be requested the next day at the vehicle inspection station. The police have also warned that if one plate is missing from the car, it is usually a loss, but if both are missing, they've probably been stolen, which is a criminal offense.

For more, check out our lifestyle section.

November the 12th, 2021 - Croatian fuel prices have been a thorn in the side of every road user in the country for a period stretching weeks now, and although the government has stepped in to cap any further rises in price for another month, the situation is still far from pleasant for most. That said, Croatian fuel prices are still better than the EU average.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the Croatian government will, as stated, extend the measure of capping Croatian fuel prices for another month. Tportal checked whether, after the price freeze, Croatia became cheaper than its surrounding countries.

The aforementioned government decree halted further price growth and the burden fell directly onto the backs of distributors and they then had to reduce their margins as a result. Other European Union member states, meanwhile, have also introduced various measures to stabilise their own respective fuel prices. In addition, over the past two weeks, oil prices have stagnated, so the pressures on the growth of derivative prices have decreased.

Therefore, the relative ratios of Croatian fuel prices in relation to the surrounding countries haven't really changed significantly. Fuel in Croatia is still slightly cheaper than the EU average, but much like before and rather unsurprisingly, it is still more expensive than it is sold for in most countries in the immediate region.

When converted into euros, the average price of a litre of petrol in the EU is 1.55 euros or approximately 11.63 kuna, which is about five percent more than it costs here in Croatia. The difference in the price of diesel is smaller, and one litre of diesel in the EU costs an average of 1.48 euros, while in Croatia it costs 1.46 euros.

When we look at nine countries from Croatia's more immediate environment, the regulated price of Eurosuper 95 of 1.48 euros is higher than in the six observed countries. Only in Italy and Germany do consumers pay a higher price than we do in Croatia, as was reported by tportal.

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

August the 26th, 2021 - The very young but already successful Croatian company Amodo has created a new and innovative ''pay as you drive'' concept which is sure to win over many drivers.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marina Bilus writes, just five months since its debut here on the Croatian market, the Croatian company Amodo, which until recently gained an exceptional reputation exclusively through international business, continues to transform the local insurance industry.

This globally renowned insurtech company, led by Marijan Mumdziev, achieved its first cooperation with insurers in the Republic of Croatia back in March, when Croatia Osiguranje (Insurance) launched LaqoPrevent, based on the the Croatian company Amodo's own platform.

Now, however, Amodo is joining forces with Uniqa Osiguranje, which, thanks to the smart solutions of this startup, has offered customers a pioneering innovation, even on the European scale - the Smart Kasko product.

As the name suggests, it is a comprehensive insurance that, thanks to the innovative Amodo platform, is fully digitalised, so the client has complete control over its contracting and use, through the app for mobile phones.

The real "revolution" in the Croatian company Amodo's innovation lies in the very structure of this type of comprehensive insurance because customers are offered two models of this product. The first is, let's say, basic and closest to the classic comprehensive insurance where the policies are paid annually. But the second model is truly the result of the “Pay As You Drive” concept, which has come to life in the global insurance industry with the flourishing of fintech.

Simply put, the client pays for this type of comprehensive insurance depending on the planned mileage, so they're offered several options - 100, 300 or 1200 kilometres, and they can then select them on a prepaid basis via the mobile app. So, the driver pays literally as much they drive.

Users can try the app out for free for 30 days, following their driving style, which is rated, and each with a ''score'' of more than 60 provides them with free kilometres that they can use when buying an extended package.

"Smart Kasko is the future of safe driving, a digital innovation we created by thinking about the needs of a client who doesn't want to pay for a full Kasko policy but instead just wants to pay depending on how much and how they drive," explained Sabine Usaty, CEO of Uniqa Osiguranje, adding that the move will increase safety, raise awareness of responsible driving, and with all this, it is still extremely easy to use.

"This is the most innovative ''Pay Per Mile'' insurance product at the European Union level," Amoda CEO Marijan Mumdzhiev stated, emphasising that the Croatian company Amoda, as a European insurtech leader, is especially pleased to realise cooperation with innovative companies in the insurance industry on the Croatian market because "they are jointly transforming the entire industry."

The Amoda and Uniqa project is also proof that Mumdziev foresaw well that numerous innovations on the Croatian insurance market were soon to take place.

For more, follow Made in Croatia.

August the 14th, 2021 - Croatian road toll fees are experiencing excellent numbers so far this summer, with this past weekend being far beyond anyone's expectations from just a few months ago. Numbers like those we saw and took entirely for granted back in pre-pandemic record year of 2019 which seemed unattainable this time last year are becoming more and more of a reality.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Brnic writes, Croatian Motorways is feeling the results of a truly excellent Croatian good tourist season so far in their business, which also recorded excellent results last weekend. From the 20th to the 22nd of August, 856.5 thousand vehicles passed at their toll booths and a massive 47.1 million kuna without VAT was collected in Croatian road toll fees.

When compared to the same weekend last year, when the turnover of 591.6 thousand vehicles and revenue of 31.5 million kuna in Croatian road toll fees was recorded, this figure marks a promising increase of 45 and 50 percent, respectively, and according to official HAC data, compared to the same weekend in In the pre-pandemic year of 2019, in which record results were also achieved, the number of vehicles this weekend was higher, but revenues were still slightly lower.

That weekend, two years ago, HAC recorded a turnover of 837.6 thousand cars and other vehicles, which means that last weekend the traffic was higher by 2 percent, and the state highways had a traffic of almost 19 thousand more vehicles.

However, Croatian road toll fees collected back then stood at about one percent higher, and on the same weekend in August in the pre-pandemic year of 2019, revenues amounted to 47.7 million kuna without VAT included.

The fact that with a larger number of vehicles there was no equal increase in revenue from freight, and it is slightly weaker, is partly a result of the fact that before the tourist season, as a government measure to attract tourists to come to Croatia, the so-called winter tariff, which is somewhat cheaper, remained in place for longer.

For more, follow our travel section.

June the 2nd, 2021 - A map showing the locations of all Croatian speed cameras across the country has now been published, much to the delight of frequent drivers to locations they're unfamiliar with.

There's nothing quite like coasting along a beautiful Croatian road with mountainous or sea views and absent-mindedly putting your foot down a bit too much. There's also nothing quite like knowing a hidden speed camera has snapped your license plate and you can now expect a fine of an unknown amount to slip into your mailbox sometime soon.

The sight of an envelope containing a fine has to be one of the most depressing things that can be found in your mailbox aside to gas bills or anything that says ''Tax Office'' on it. That being said, dangerous driving is still an enormous issue across the country, and any deterrent is a good one.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, there have been some brand new Croatian speed cameras placed in sometimes rather obscure and unexpected locations along the country's motorways for a long time now. But you may not have known that there is a map of all of Croatia that reveals precisely where those speed cameras are located. Some of them are in places you really, really wouldn't expect them to be.

The map was made by no less than Google, and it is now part of the service of that company, which has so far informed mobile phone users about delays at borders, traffic jams caused by a large number of vehicles on the road at the same time, road works or a traffic accident.

Now the same Google service is providing its users with very valuable information on the locations and exact positions of Croatian speed cameras and speed limits along various roads throughout the entire country. The move will likely be beneficial to many foreign visitors to Croatia this summer should the tourist season improve as the epidemiological picture continues to do the same.

For more, follow our lifestyle section. For all you need to know about driving in Croatia, make sure to bookmark our dedicated section.

June 1, 2021 – Investments in the yearly maintenance of Croatian motorways are sizeable, but justified when compared to the revenue generated, particularly during the summer season.

Croatian motorways are a crucial part of Croatia’s tourism infrastructure. They are also a very important factor in connecting various regions of the country. The topography of Croatia often makes local roads inefficient. Year after year majority of guests coming to Croatia with cars have very positive comments on the motorway system. However, the entire thing doesn’t come cheap.

With the constant need for maintenance and updating, Hrvatske Autoceste (Croatian Motorways Ltd - HAC) is hard at work every year to prepare the infrastructure for the summer season. The surge of cars on Croatian roads will once again happen in a year, starting in June. Index.hr reports Croatian Motorways Ltd invested 404.9 million kn (around 54 million EUR) into this year’s maintenance and upgrading of the motorway system. Much of this money has been invested in rest stops along the motorways. This is one part of the investment travellers to Croatia will immediately feel. Upgrades made in rest stops are mostly in interiors, bathrooms, and operational technology. HAC also notes the emergency services are going to be reinforced.

New and Updated Services

Along with the standard 24/7 road assistance patrolling the motorways, additional contractors will provide more complex roadside and system maintenance services. Teams of emergency medical services and over thirty vehicles with automatic defibrillators will be on hand as well. Much like the majority of other businesses, HAC expects higher revenues in 2021 than the previous year. In 2020 the numbers were very low due to COVID19 pandemic restrictions. Because of this, HAC started this year with around a hundred employees less than 2020. Estimated revenue from motorway tolls in Croatia this year is 2,18 billion kn (around 290 million EUR).

For more on travel in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

April the 24th, 2021 - Electric cars in Croatia could be set to make up more than one third of the country's vehicle fleet by the year 2050 as the national energetic transition gradually continues.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Darko Bicak writes, between 107 and 168 billion kuna will be required for the complete technological and energy transition of the Republic of Croatia according to the proposal of the Low Carbon Development Strategy until 2030 with a view to 2050. The draft of the above was accepted by the Croatian Government yesterday.

The Croatian low-carbon strategy envisions that the existing national building stock will be renovated and the new one will be fully constructed based on the principles of near-zero energy buildings, as well as on the basis of circular management.

Energy supplies will be more secure, it will be drawn from renewable sources and with low emissions, and energy consumers will also be energy producers themselves. The combination of on-site electricity generation and supply from the public grid will no doubt provide a high level of security of electricity supply.

The Croatian transport system will be intermodal and integrated, mostly with electric vehicles and the use of low-carbon and climate-neutral fuel, and in 2050, electric cars in Croatia should make up 35 percent of the country's fleet of 762,700 e-cars. Currently there are around 1,500 electric cars in Croatia.

Industry and agriculture will be far more energy efficient and connected to all sectors of the economy, while working harder to reduce waste generation in an integrated and circular economy. According to the Croatian Government, the praiseworthy low-carbon strategy paves the way for the transition to a sustainable, competitive economy, in which economic growth is achieved with low greenhouse gas emissions.

About one hundred measures have been selected which can be applied to reduce emissions across various different sectors: electricity and heat production, fuel production and processing, transport, general consumption, industry, agriculture, land use, forestries, waste, product use and of course - emissions.

According to the national strategy, these measures are embedded in three main scenarios: the Reference Scenario (NUR), the Gradual Transition Scenario (NU1) and the Strong Transition Scenario (NU2). The NUR reference scenario is a continuation of existing practices, all of which are in line with current legislation and targets by the year 2030.

It assumes technological progress and the growth of the share of renewable energy sources (RES) and energy efficiency based on the market situation at this time and the target energy standards set today. This is a scenario with a slight increase in the share of RES and energy efficiency. Emissions in this scenario will decrease by 28.9 percent by 2030 and by 46.3 percent by 2050 compared to the level of emissions recorded back in 1990.

The share of renewables in this scenario is 35.7 percent in 2030 and 45.5 percent in 2050. NU1 is more ambitious and assumes a strong increase in unit prices, which represent the right to emit one tonne of CO2 equivalent up to 92.1 euros/t CO2 in 2050, which is a major driver of transition.

The share of renewable energy sources in 2030 under this scenario stands at 36.4 percent, and in 2050 it could be 53.2 percent. The NU1 scenario is set to lower greenhouse gas emissions by 33.5 percent in 2030 and 56.8 percent in 2050 when compared to the aforementioned 1990 reference.

The scenario of strong transition NU2 is dimensioned with the aim to achieve emission reductions by a massive 80 pecent in 2050 when compared to 1990. In this scenario as well as with NU1, a strong increase in unit prices to 92.1 euros/t CO2 in 2050 and very strong energy efficiency measures is envisioned.

The share of renewable energy sources in 2030 under this scenario is 36.4 percent, and in 2050 it could be 65.6 percent. In this scenario, in 2050, the dominant source of emissions remains traffic, followed by agriculture and industry. By applying the measures known today, including those that are socio-economically acceptable for agriculture, an emission reduction of 73.1 percent could be achieved.

The share of electricity and hydrogen is expected to increase, while the share of solid and liquid fossil fuels is decreasing. Natural gas consumption will remain roughly the same until 2030 and then it will declines by 15 percent by 2050. The total share of fossil fuels will decline to 53.2 percent in 2030 and to 41 percent in 2050.

The strategy predicts that the share of direct energy consumption in industry in Croatia will remain at around 17 percent by 2030 and then grow to 19.8 percent in 2050. In the NU1 scenario, total power plant power will grow to 6.57 gigawatts (GW) in 2030, or to 10.3 GW in 2050.

Currently, HEP has about 4 GW installed in the production of electricity and 1 GW of heat. On average, it wil be necessary to build about 260 megawatts of new power plants a year to keep up with this ambitious plan.

For more on electric cars in Croatia and much more, follow our lifestyle section.

March the 19th, 2021 - Over one thousand brand new traffic cameras are due to grace Croatian motorways, adding an additional deterrent to those considering speeding or reckless driving.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, driving in the wrong direction, pedestrians or a stopped vehicle on the road are just some of the traffic hazards about which the state-of-the-art automatic incident detection system (AID) procured by Croatian Motorways will alert HAC employees working in traffic control centres in just a few seconds, according to a report from Vecernji list.

Subsequently, additional cameras will be installed for this purpose on Croatian motorways, more specifically on the sections of the Rijeka - Zagreb and Rijeka - Rupa motorways, given that the company ARZ has been merged with HAC.

The total value of this procurement is estimated to stand at approximately 55 million kuna. The AID system detects when an incident happens and generates an alarm just a few seconds after the incident occurs, allowing the operator to do what is needed to prevent a secondary incident.

The AID triggers an audible alarm in the event, automatically displays the scene of the incident on the road to the operator and records everything happening, and the cameras also cover a minimum of three traffic lanes and one stop lane.

In addition to the incidents already mentioned, AID warns of traffic congestion, slow vehicles and any loss of normal levels of visibility. An alarm sounds in the tunnel when the loss of visibility of the cameras is detected by the appearance of smoke due to a fire having broken out somewhere nearby.

The system set to be placed along Croatian motorways can also collect data on vehicle classification, average speed, travel time, vehicle distance and more. The new traffic cameras will have a motorised varifocal lens, an IR reflector, and will have the ability to minimum 25 frames per second.

HAC has a Central Centre for the Supervision and Management of Motorway Traffic connects all regional Croatian motorway traffic control and management centres (RCNUPAC).

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March the 2nd, 2021 - Coral Croatia has opened the very first two Shell petrol stations in Croatia, with more such fuel stations planned across the country in the future.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, Coral Croatia, which is majority owned by Greek company Coral S.A. and is a licensed Shell partner, has officially opened the very first two Shell petrol stations in the Republic of Croatia, located in Sesvete and Rugvica, close to central Zagreb. The new petrol stations have a wide range of Shell V-Power fuels, and additional services such as a shop, bistro, car wash and jetwash are available to customers.

To briefly recall, he Greek Coral company, which until 2010 was simply named Shell, took over the independent Croatian operator of petroleum products, APIOS, with its 26 petrol stations earlier this year.

With that acquisition, APIOS changed its name to Coral Croatia, while the APIOS brand was replaced by the Shell brand. After the rebranding, they continued to expand across Croatia through the opening of petrol stations in city centres and along main highways.

"I'm excited and proud that together with Coral we're opening Shell petrol stations here in Croatia as well. With Coral, we've achieved numerous successes in the surrounding markets, and we are pleased to continue our joint growth here in Croatia as well. This long-term agreement with Coral will bring high-quality fuels and motor oils to the Croatian market, as well as excellent services and a wide range of benefits designed to meet the modern needs of drivers and other customers,'' said Kai-Uwe Witterstein, CEO of Shell Licensed Markets.

Coral Croatia have also announced that they intend to open two more Shell petrol stations in beautiful Istria during the month of March.

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January 25, 2021 – Released images show falling snow is causing extremely difficult conditions on some Croatian roads, both motorways and state roads, with the mountainous regions of Lika and Gorski Kotar most affected

Any optimists living in Zagreb could be forgiven for thinking winter was over. Over a succession of two days last week they were basking in the relatively balmy daytime temperatures of 16 degrees. The sun shone brightly, the boots stayed indoors and lighter jackets were thrown on to visit the shops. Not everyone in Zagreb is an optimist, though. And those with an experience that is greater than their hope knew the reality of the situation; Croatia's winter can turn round at any moment to bite you in the ass.

Snow covering the Lika region

And that's exactly what happened this weekend, when falling snow produced treacherous driving conditions across a wide area of Croatia. On some motorways, a ban on trucks with trailers and tractors with semi-trailers is in place because of the continually falling snow. Another response to the falling snow has been to make winter vehicle equipment mandatory.

A thick layer of snow covers the road near Delnice at 19.14 on Sunday 24 January 2021 © HAK

While the Croatian capital was experiencing its warm spell, falling snow continued to descend on more mountainous regions of the country, Lika and Gorski Kotar in particular. And it is those that remain most affected by the treacherous driving conditions. Hrvatske Autoceste (Croatian Motorways) are responding to the continuing weather conditions. But, they released pictures of one motorway section near Delnice which, even after plowing, was 30 minutes later again covered by the falling snow.

A snowplow arrives at 19.15 to clear the snow © HAK

Thick falling snow and ice made it difficult to drive on the A6 Zagreb - Rijeka highway. The National Association of Drivers and Vehicle Owners (HAK) issued a series of warnings for the following routes: A1 Zagreb-Split-Ploče between the junctions of Bosiljevo II and Maslenica, A6 Rijeka-Zagreb between the junctions of Bosiljevo II and Kikovica, state road DC1 between Zagorje and Gračac and state road DC3 through Gorski Kotar between Zdihovo and Kikovica.

By 19.45 the road is in the same state as before the snowplow arrived, because of continually falling snow © HAK

HAK also reported that there is currently no passable road for trucks with trailers and tractors with semi-trailers from the direction of the continental interior towards Rijeka and Istria and Dalmatia and vice versa. The colder temperatures are expected to stick around for most of the early part of the week, although the skies may be clearer in some regions. Temperatures will rise again heading towards next weekend under an increasing cloud cover, but the chilly conditions might well bounce back towards the end of next weekend. Zagreb itself could even experience more snowfall at that time.