ZAGREB, 31 May 2022 - Hungarian Foreign Peter Szijjarto has requested an urgent meeting with Croatian Economy Minister Davor Filipović, according to informed sources, Večernji List daily said on Tuesday.

Szijjarto wanted to meet with Filipović yesterday when Croatia marked Statehood Day and suggested meeting at the Zagreb airport's VIP lounge.

According to the Economy Ministry, Filipović refused, finding it unacceptable to meet on Statehood Day and especially to do so at the airport's VIP lounge. Filipović suggested meeting at the ministry today.

According to Večernji's well-informed sources, Szijjarto wants to talk about oil and its transport by the Croatian JANAF pipeline to Hungarian energy group MOL's refineries, which now receive Russian oil by the Druzhba pipeline.

Although it is expected that after imposing sanctions on Russian oil imports, the EU will allow Hungary and Slovakia to receive Russian oil by Druzhba for a while longer, the two countries will have to commit to doing everything to switch the supply route to JANAF, the daily said.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has tried to explain Hungary's objections to a Russian oil embargo by claiming that JANAF does not have sufficient capacity to transport oil to Hungary, which is false, the daily said, adding that Hungary will evidently have to admit this if it seeks urgent meetings with the Croatian minister in charge of energy.

Evidently, Hungary must urgently ensure alternative supply routes for two MOL refineries in Hungary and Slovakia, for which it depends on Croatia and will now have to be nicer in its relations with Croatia, the daily quotes its sources as saying.

For more, check out our politics section.

May the 31st, 2022 - A direct Budapest-Split train is set to run as of the 10th of June, 2022, and affordable prices will certainly encourage Hungarian citizens to travel the Croatia's second largest city.

As Morski writes, Hungarians will once again be able to hop on the direct Budapest-Split this summer. As of June the 10th, the Adria InterCity night line will be introduced, which will connect these two European cities three times a week during the very height of the summer season, while it will run twice a week before and after the season, Hungarian Railways announced.

The direct Budapest-Split train will run from the City of Budapest on Tuesdays and Fridays from the 10th to the 19th of June and from the 29th to the 24th of August, and from the City of Split on Wednesdays and Saturdays. During the high season, from June the 19th to August the 29th, it will depart from Budapest on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays, and from Split on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.

The trip will last for fourteen hours and will mostly be done at night. Passengers will be offered the ability to sleep the night in air-conditioned cars, and according to Hungarian Railways, the train will depart from Budapest at 18:45. They will depart from Split at 18:27, and arrive back in Budapest the next day at 09:35.

The direct Budapest-Split train line, they say, is tailored to all requirements. The sleeping car has cabins with four or six beds, while solo passengers, couples and smaller families can spend the night in smaller cabins with one to three beds.

This train is also equipped with a restaurant wagon, which will be open throughout the entire duration of the trip, and all passengers will receive a welcome package upon boarding, while a hot drink and breakfast are all included in the initial ticket price.

Passengers will be taken care of during the trip by the train's staff, who, they say, will offer additional food and drinks at reasonable prices. The price of the trip for an adult starts from 43 euros, and for children aged 6-14 from 15 euros. For a night in a double cabin you need to pay 69 euros per person and per direction, while solo travellers can have their own cabin for 99 euros.

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

May the 16th, 2022 - The Hungarian Lorinc Meszaros is investing an enormous 375 million kuna into a luxury Icici hotel which will transform this picturesque area and raise the overall tourism standard.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes, the construction of the luxury hotel Riva’s Hotels & Resorts in Icici has started, a project worth 375 million kuna in which the well known Hungarian investor Lorinc Meszaros is investing, together with the local developer the DDG Group.

This gorgeous new luxury Icici hotel will have a 5 star ranking and will boast 180 rooms and 12 villas. The laege project also includes the construction of an access road, a pedestrian bridge to the nearby sea, and a new rainwater drainage system from Ucka.

“I immediately recognised this location as a potential site for the construction of a hotel, so I called Meszaros for help. It's a 22,000 square metre gross developed project, with an underground garage with five above-ground floors, with an open space near the road arranged for all Icici locals as well as all of our future guests. We plan to arrange some surrounding greenery, and put in fountains and cafes. With this project, Icici will get a taste of luxury tourism and an urban square as a gathering place. We've been struggling with projects for three years, and we now have 24 months until the grand opening,'' said Denis Sikljan, the founder of the DDG Group.

Lorinc Meszaros pointed out that, after the football camp in Osijek, this is their biggest investment in the Republic of Croatia.

“I've always wanted to invest in building a hotel. Thanks to the designers for a beautiful building, but without the local authorities and the help of the mayor, none of this could have happened. Our cooperation with the local community is good, and we're trying to make it even better. With the purchase of Miramar and Riva’s Hotels & Resorts, our investments amount to 100 million euros and what I can promise you is that we won't just be stopping here,'' said the Hungarian entrepreneur and investor at the opening ceremony of the construction site of the up and coming luxury Icici hotel, which was also attended by Opatija Mayor Fernando Kirigin.

“When I ran for mayor of Opatija, my vision was Opatija which boasted elite tourism and value-added products. It was up to us as a local self-government unit to give our full support to this project. The tourist season is just around the corner, we've already reached about 200 thousand overnight stays and I hope that we will be better than we were back during the record year of 2019, which will undoubtedly give investors more confidence in it all,'' said Kirigin.

For more, check out our dedicated business section.

ZAGREB, 13 May 2022- Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Davor Filipović said on Friday that the Adriatic Oil Pipeline can significantly increase its oil transport capacity toward Hungary even without additional investment and Croatia will work on becoming an important factor in Europe's energy sector.

Responding to questions from reporters at a press conference, where he presented a call for applications for co-financing from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NPOO), regarding the statement by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban that Hungary had the sea taken away from it, Filipović said that Orban's statement was absolutely inappropriate.

In the context of the entire situation, Filopvić said that Croatia is working on becoming an important factor with regard to Europe's energy sector.

"Janaf's current capacity can be increased, without any investment whatsoever, when it comes to oil transport to Hungary, while with certain investment it can be doubled," Filipović said. He added that that is the direction Croatia will go in and that it will take advantage of the present situation to position itself as best it can regarding energy in Europe.

He noted that according to the current capacity, Janaf can transport 11.4 million tonnes of oil to Hungary a year, and currently it is transporting just 2 million. Filipović said that this shows that without any further investment it can significantly increase oil transport toward Hungary.

"In this situation, Croatia is a solution both for Hungary, depending on the outcome of the sanctions, and for other EU countries as well," claimed Filipović.

According to Janaf's website, the pipeline designed capacity is 34 million tonnes of crude oil transported annually (MTA) and the installed capacity is 20 MTA. The system was built for the needs of refineries in Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina  (24 MTA), and for the users in Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia (10 MTA).

The prime minister's economic adviser, Zvonimir Savić, said that the prime minister has said several times that the recent circumstances have put Croatia in a position of additional energy strength. That means that its LNG terminal could become a "more serious factor."

For more, check out our politics section.

ZAGREB, 28 April 2022 - Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said on Thursday that Hungary and Croatia pursued their minority policies based on the principle of protection of ethnic minorities and that they could serve as an example to the whole of the EU.

Speaking to reporters after meeting with representatives of the Democratic Union of Hungarians of Croatia (DZMH), Szijjártó said that the Hungarian community in Baranja enjoyed steady and constantly growing support by the Croatian government and that the Hungarian government was doing the same with regard to the Croat community in Hungary.

Mutual respect between our nations and minorities makes it possible to deal with occasional difficult issues on the basis of mutual respect, and the DZMH and its president and MP Robert Jankovics have a major role in that regard, said Szijjártó.

He said that at the recent parliamentary election, Hungarians were choosing between war and peace and that they clearly opted for peace and security.

"We did not and will not make any decisions that would risk Hungary's involvement in the war in our neighbourhood," the Hungarian minister said.

Szijjártó said that 318,000 Hungarian expatriates, including those in Croatia, had taken part in the Hungarian election and that the Hungarian government wanted to enable all members of the Hungarian people to participate in making important decisions, which, he said, was something the left challenged for Hungarian expatriates.

He said that the Hungarians in Croatia could count on the support of their mother country in culture, religious life and economy.

Asked about the reception of Ukrainian refugees, Szijjártó said that it was the biggest humanitarian operation in Hungary's history and that so far Hungary had taken in 640,000 refugees from Ukraine.

Asked about the completion of the Hungarian section of the Vc international road corridor, Szijjártó said that the spring of 2024 was when the M6 highway should be connected to the Croatian highway section on the Hungarian border.

I hope the issue of Croatia's entry to the Schengen area will be resolved by then because if that does not happen, we will have to build a border crossing, which costs and is a waste of time. We hope we will not have to do it and we fully support Croatia's accession to Schengen, he said.

Jankovics thanked the Hungarian government for its help to Croatia during the 1990s war, coronavirus pandemic and earthquakes, as well as for its support to Croatia's bid to join the Schengen area of passport-free movement.

He noted that the result of the recent parliamentary election in Hungary meant that Croatian Hungarians would be able to continue their cooperation with the Hungarian government.

Our situation is a fortunate one because we can be loyal to our nation and be good citizens of Croatia, Jankovics said.

For more, check out our politics section.

31 March 2022 – The European continent is infamous for its ethnolinguistic diversity. Anyone who has journeyed across the winding and seemingly haphazard borders which paint the atlas know that accents, dialects, and even whole language families can change within as little as 5 km. A look into Croatia's minority communities. 

Some countries are pointed out more frequently as linguistic mosaics, while others have yet to garner such recognition. For example, most Spaniards would likely agree that anyone who visits Barcelona and fails to embrace the Catalan ethos has not fully captured the essence of their destination. The same could be said about the Welsh in Cardiff or Breton in the French city of Rennes. While it may not receive the same attention, Croatia is no exception to this rule of multiplicity. Home to a plethora of unique ethnic and linguistic minorities, each with their own historical and cultural origins, Croatia is a destination where visitors will benefit significantly from putting effort into scratching beyond the surface. As more and more people act on their desires to explore and discover, cultural awareness is becoming an increasingly valuable tool in the traveller’s skill set. So, to make cultivating this vagabond essential a little easier, I have put together a list including three of Croatia’s largest minority groups by population. This catalogue is far from complete, but I hope it will wet the palate of those looking to dive deeper into Croatia’s beautiful and surprising diversity. 

Serbians

The relationship between Croats and Serbs extends back centuries. The two groups have coexisted in towns and villages throughout the Western Balkans since the fall of the Roman Empire, an epoch when both peoples were establishing themselves in the region. Comprising just over 4% of the total population, Serbs are the most numerous ethnic minority in Croatia. Similarly, Croats maintain a similar status in the neighboring republic. Given their cultural, linguistic, and historical ties, it is no surprise that ethnic Serbians within Croatia has much in common with the local majority. 

Despite the parallels, several notable differences exist, which may be almost redundant to outline on this platform. So, I will keep it brief. Religion is pointed out most often as a significant difference between Croats and Serbs. Serbians are majority Eastern Orthodox by tradition, and Croatians are Catholic. Moreover, Cyrillic script is standard and employed by those writing in the Serbian variant of the language. On the other hand, Croatia uses the Latin script, making an already challenging language a little simpler for those of us who speak English, Spanish, or German as our mother tongue. 

Beyond these somewhat superficial distinctions, the Croatian-Serbian relationship contains deeper, more far-reaching nuances. I would advise anyone considering a holiday in Southeastern Europe to do their homework. As you may already know, the history of Croatia is dense, convoluted, and filled with many thorny spots that have influenced the psyche of many of the country’s current inhabitants. It is best to approach specific topics with respect and be culturally aware. Topics such as the Homeland War and Yugoslavia are excellent examples of such cases. That said, do not shy away from a conversation inspired by genuine curiosity. Many locals are willing to discuss history with curious tourists. Just be respectful and prepared to receive an ear-full of opinions. 

Italians

One only needs to visit the colosseum at Pula to know that Italians have made a home in Croatia since antiquity. The Italian ethnic minority of modern Croatia is small, comprising only around 20,000 people or less than 0.5% of the total population. Despite these low figures, the Italian influence along Croatia’s notoriously stunning coastal regions is apparent. The Italians of Croatia are descendants of Romanized Illyrians and transplants from the empires that later ensued.

Venice ruled over much of Dalmatia and Istria for nearly 400 years, leaving a mark on these territories that still stands the test of time. Many of the cities and islands which litter cruise itineraries, and travel blogs worldwide actually have a second Italian name, a testament to the varied history of these settlements. Think of cities like Spalato (Split), Ragusa (Dubrovnik), and Zara (Zadar). In fact, Fiume (Rijeka) is a direct translation meaning river in both languages.  

While the Italian population is modest, it was once more pronounced, comprising substantial proportions of essential centers in Istria and Dalmatia. Two massive exoduses occurred in the aftermath of both WWI and WWII, which resulted in the drastic reduction of the Italian population. Enthusiastic tourists should pay attention when traversing the villages, towns, and cities that dot the eastern Adriatic. A short history lesson will go a long way, providing new insights into the monuments, architecture, and people that coalesce to provide one of the most iconic destinations of the 21st century. 

Hungarians

Much like the previous entry, Croatia’s Hungarian minority is a direct result of human migration and the rise and fall of empires. With approximately 14,000 individuals, ethnic Hungarians only make up less than 0.4% of Croatia’s total population, residing predominantly in communities near the Hungarian and Serbian borders to the east. Hungary and Croatia share a long relationship that extends back to the 11th century when the former proclaimed sovereignty over the Kingdom of Croatia. This union persisted until 1918, leaving plenty of time for people to move and blend across the borders we recognize today. 

Those with a Hungarian connection may find interest in visiting municipalities like Kneževi Vinogradi and Bilje, where Hungarians constitute nearly a third of the local population. Similar ethnic minorities live in surrounding Romania, Slovakia, Serbia, and Slovenia, showing visitors that Magyar magnificence doesn’t stop at Budapest. 

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

August 20, 2021 - The Iron Age Danube Route is a new addition to the Croatian offer, relevant not just for tourism but for science, research, and education, and recognised by the European Council.

The Iron Age Danube Route addresses one of the most fragile, though imposing and attractive prehistoric archaeological phenomena, the Iron Age landscapes. Characterised by monumental structures, such as burial mound cemeteries, flat cemeteries, fortified hilltop settlements, and oppida, as well as elements indicating the complex organisation of space, Iron Age landscapes belong to the period between the 9th and the end of the 1st century BC, according to the official website of the Iron Age Danube Route Association (IADR).

This association was founded back in July 2020 with the goal of enhancing international scientific cooperation regarding the period of the Iron Age, as this is a period marked by an extraordinary corpus of movable and intangible heritage. The focus on the Danube region is, among other things, owing to this heritage being housed in numerous museums across the Danube region, including the most important regional and national institutions.

''Compiling the existing sources of knowledge and creating a strong interdisciplinary and international network of expert institutions from Austria, Croatia, Hungary and Slovenia in the fields of archaeology, cultural heritage protection, tourism, as well as local stakeholders, the Iron Age Danube Route Association was founded in July 2020 with the aim of the further development and management of the IADR,''

The Archaeological Museum in Zagreb is one of the founding partners of the association, and other institutions from Croatia include the Centre for Prehistoric Research, Kaptol County, Papuk Nature Park, and Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Zagreb. Other partners include museums and faculties from Hungary, Austria, and Slovenia, all bringing their top experts in the field to the table for the association to work.

And that work paid off. As reported by the Archaeological Museum in Zagreb's website, the European Council granted the culture route certificate to the Iron Age Danube Route which stretches through Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Germany, and Slovenia.

''This is the first culture route of The European Council with its headquarters in Croatia“, said the Museum's website adding that the route is managed by the Association.

''The Iron Age Danube Route matched the criteria by the five priority fields of action by the European Council. These include cooperation in research and development, the progression of European heritage and history, educational exchanges, youth culture, engagement within the frame of the current cultural and artistic practices and sustainable cultural tourism development,'' explained the website.

The certificate is important as it enhances the overall visibility of the sight, allowing the public to become better informed about the area, and enriching the overall Croatian cultural and tourist offer, creating new opportunities both for business and for scientific and educational purposes.

Did you know Vukovar is located along the Danube river? Learn more in our TC guide.

For more about Croatian history, follow TCN's dedicated page.

ZAGREB, 26 June 2021 - The representative of the Hungarian minority in the Croatian Parliament, Robert Jankovics, was re-elected president of the Democratic Union of Hungarians of Croatia (DZMH), the umbrella organisation of the Hungarian minority in Croatia, at an election convention in the eastern town of Kopačevo on Saturday.

"To earn the confidence of the delegates of about 50 associations of the Hungarian minority in Croatia for a new four-year term as the head of the DZMH is an extraordinary responsibility for me and I hope that, together with my closes associates, I will be able to respond to the challenges in the years ahead," Jankovics said.

Jankovics pointed out that the leadership and members of the DZMH are the most responsible for the prosperity of the Hungarian community in the past years.

Oliver Matijević was elected executive president, and members of the national presidency and all committees were also chosen, the DZMH said in a statement.

 For more about politics in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

ZAGREB, 24 June 2021 - Croatian Minister of Science and Technology Radovan Fuchs and Hungary's Minister for Human Resources Miklós Kásler on Thursday signed a program of cooperation in education and science for the period 2021 to 2025. 

"The document additionally testifies to the exceptionally good, friendly, harmonic relations between Croatia and Hungary. The centuries-long history of our two peoples comes to full expression in cooperation and friendly relations," said Minister Fuchs.

He underscored that the way the issue of the Hungarian minority in Croatia and the Croatian minority in Hungary, all the rights that national minorities enjoy, is definitely an example of how relations between minorities could be resolved in other EU countries.

"This program opens further possibilities for cooperation, additional elements that will improve what we have been trying to do this entire time, to preserve the cultural and national identity of our national minorities," Fuchs said.

The program adds a new element to that cooperation. Each country will send their teachers, not members of national minorities but native speakers, to improve and advance courses in their mother tongue. 

Fuchs thanked the Hungarian government for its aid to earthquake-struck areas in Croatia, particularly for the construction of a new elementary school in Petrinja.

Kásler: Both governments attach great importance to public education, the inclusion of minorities in education

Minister Kásler underscored that bother governments attach great importance to public education and the inclusion of national minorities in their own education and culture.

That cooperation exists equally between institutions, students, and teachers, he said.

"This is a beautiful and important station in development and cooperation. Just like Hungary has done for the Croatian minority, Croatia has expanded the possibilities in public education for the Hungarian minority. This is a symbolic step, but it is also very important because it enables that one country provides help for the other," said Minister Kásler.

In that context, he said that since 2010 Hungary has increased its financial investments by three and a half times, from the initial 1.8 billion forints (€5.1 million) to 10 billion (€28.5 million) now.

"We have to discuss material matters that will enable good functioning but I consider that content is just as important. We have 800 years of joint tradition and history, living in peace and allowing coexistence and survival in difficult times," he said.

For more about politics in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

May 8, 2021 - As the season approaches, Croatia and Hungary have reached an agreement to lift restrictions on citizens crossing the border with a vaccination certificate.

The vaccination process is still underway and the cases of infections continue to decrease in Croatia, and it is thus that, as the summer season unfolds, Croatia and its neighbor to the east have reached a bilateral agreement recognizing each other's vaccination certificates with any COVID-19 vaccine.

As hrturizam.hr reports, this is an agreement which, with the presentation of a vaccination certificate, will enable unhindered travel of Croatian and Hungarian citizens between the two countries, and which will be able to cross borders without restrictions, such as mandatory self-isolation or negative test.

This is great news ahead of the main part of the tourist season, during which the highest intensity of tourist traffic is expected in Croatia.

As they point out from the CNTB, good trends from the Hungarian market are confirmed by today's virtual presentation and business workshop organized by the Representation of the Croatian Tourist Board in Budapest in cooperation with the Zadar County Tourist Board. This virtual event brought together more than 110 participants, and almost 300 individual meetings will be held during the day.

"The great interest of Hungarian partners for virtual presentations and business workshops is a good indicator for the tourist season. In addition to reminding all participants of the beauties of Croatia, and especially Zadar County, we informed them about the current travel conditions between the two countries. The news of concluding a bilateral agreement between Croatia and Hungary came at the right time, and a large number of Hungarians will surely choose Croatia as their destination", said Ivana Herceg, director of the Croatian National Tourist Board in Budapest, adding that the first airline between Budapest and Zadar, which will operate twice a week from July, will also contribute to good trends.

Follow the latest on flights to Croatia HERE and the latest travel updates and COVID-19 news from Croatia HERE.

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