ZAGREB, 5 February, 2021 - Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Tomislav Ćorić said in Pula on Friday, after meeting with county and city authorities, that in the past ten years Istria County has made a step forward in waste management and that it is the direction the rest of Croatia should take.

"Building a county waste management centre, despite the challenges that it presented for some time, was from our perspective a huge job done by Istria County. In the past few years we have been dedicated primarily to constructing these lower parts of the infrastructure, which entails building recycling yards, financing sorting facilities, containers and lorries for special waste categories, an entire infrastructure that helps make this system successful," Ćorić told reporters, adding that "that path is challenging and will last from some time yet."

He said that he had an opportunity today to discuss the challenges facing local government in Istria in achieving waste management plans that were designed four years ago.

Ćorić said that today's talks on the functioning of the Kaštijun waste management plant, related to local government allowances, were very constructive and that he is convinced that Istria County and Pula were exemplary of how things should be.

Responding to reporters' questions about handling Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF), Ćorić underscored that the government had decided to cofinance the handling of SRF from the Kaštijun area through the Environment Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund in an effort to facilitate Kaštijun's financial position as a legal entity. On the other hand, he said, the long-term plan is for the state to create premises that would be used to handle SRF.

"That is still going on to this day in several cement factories around Croatia, however that problem needs to be resolved at the state level, because in the case of cement factories we are talking about market competition which could be very expensive for waste management centres like Kaštijun or Marinščina," said Ćorić.

January 27, 2021 - Some positive corona news today, as Istria becomes a COVID-19 orange zone according to the EU. 

Jutarnji List reports that as of today, Istria is in the orange zone concerning the number of COVID-19 cases, according to European statistics. The Istrian Civil Protection Headquarters is thus asking the National Headquarters to enable the opening of gyms, sports halls, and individual outdoor sports training in Istria from Monday.

"Looking at the trend of the last 14 days, the incidence of infections in Istria County has fallen below 100 people per 100 thousand inhabitants. Following the share of positives on the number tested, which fell to 3.1 percent last week, and according to the number of tests according to EU criteria that the number of tests must be above 300 every week in the county, we have concluded that Istria County, according to European criteria, enters the orange zone," said the director of the Istrian Institute of Public Health, Dr. Aleksandar Stojanovic. The situation is also better at Pula General Hospital, where the number of hospitalized dropped from 80 at the end of December to 30 today.

"We reiterate that we want gyms, fitness, sports, and recreation centers to be open from Monday and that it is possible to train individual sports outdoors immediately. That is what we are asking from the National Headquarters. We have heard that it will be possible for all catering establishments to sell coffee for outside and ready-made food, which we absolutely support. We want to consider mitigation measures in February that would be current by activities as assessed. We are in daily communication with the National Headquarters, so we will see how the whole situation regarding easing the measures will go in February. Everyone is burdened with the region's situation, that is, a new strain of the virus. Experts say that it is already in Croatia and that it should be discovered as soon as possible," said the head of the Istrian Headquarters, Dino Kozlevac.

Stojanović believes that the current epidemiological situation in Istria would enable the opening of restaurant and cafe terraces, but that it would be OK to wait for the National Headquarters' decision on that topic.

As for schools' opening from next week, the Istrian Headquarters will decide by the end of today or tomorrow morning.

Istrian County Prefect Fabrizio Radin and Pula Mayor Boris Miletić are also satisfied with the situation in Istria and thanked the citizens and the system for the good epidemiological picture. But Miletic said they would like decisions on measures to be lowered to the regional level.

"Many times we have been asked what is the phenomenon of a green oasis in Europe. But when we stressed the need for regional decision-making back in March last year, few looked at us strangely. However, timely decision-making has enabled Istria to develop a tourist zone and become a green oasis. That is why difficult decisions had to be made. We see that now the proposals coming from the regions, specifically Istria County, are viewed differently. Why is that? If our citizens have shown responsibility, if our experts have proven that it knows how to manage the battle with this pandemic and make timely decisions, I do not see why this regional approach would not be applied in our country," said Miletic. He added that entrepreneurs should be allowed to work if the preconditions are created.

"Therefore, an appeal to the National Headquarters - listen to the experts and accept the regional approach," concluded the mayor of Pula.

Fifteen newly infected people were registered in Istria today based on 266 samples. There are currently 90 active COVID-19 positives in the County, and two seniors died today. Thirty people were hospitalized, 4 of them on a ventilator.

To read more about COVID-19 in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

January 26, 2021 – After Istria was declared the best olive growing region in the world for the sixth time in a row at the end of 2020, the beginning of 2021 was marked with a special award from Lonely Planet for Istria as a community destination.

As Istria Tourist Board reports, Lonely Planet, a globally popular travel guide, first discovered the Croatian peninsula to its readers in 2011 in the Best in Travel edition, as one of the "Ten Most Interesting Regions in the World". Istria then took a fantastic second place, along with the far more famous Scottish Shetland Islands, the American West Coast, and Australia's Great Barrier Reef.

In a series of attractive titles that followed over the years, Istria was crowned with the title of "Ten best European destinations" in 2019. In 2021, Istria was greeted by a big surprise, receiving the Best in Travel award according to readers' votes.

The prestigious awards that Lonely Planet has been awarding destinations worldwide for many years are the result of an editorial selection created based on the suggestions of numerous eminent authors of this guide. The Reader's Choice Award is based solely on the votes of users on the Lonely Planet website.

Also, the awards chosen by the editors for 2021 were awarded in as many as 30 categories, while according to the audience's choice, only three categories were announced: Toronto took the title as a destination of diversity, Japanese Wakayama sustainability, and Istria as a community destination.

Namely, at the end of last year, the editors sent an invitation to their audience, the Lonely Planet community, to nominate destinations that they believe successfully guide tourism as a driving force in the field of sustainability, community, and diversity. In a year marked by the coronavirus pandemic, which radically affected the travel domain, and tourism experienced its most significant decline, the Lonely Planet Awards also underwent a considerable transformation. And while Best in Travel usually celebrates countries, regions, and cities, some new awards have shone in this year's edition.

"The people living here are genuine and welcoming," one reader told Lonely Planet. "Istria offers authentic and unforgettable experiences, each of which gives back to the local communities," added another reader in recommendations, pointing to numerous experiences, especially in the field of active tourism and gourmet offerings.

"This is another great award for Istria – it came from an eminent, globally known publishing house in tourism. I would say it came at the right time, at the very beginning of another certainly challenging tourist year," said Istria Tourist Board director Denis Ivošević.

"Right now, when you can't travel, people often browse key tourist portals. On the one hand, they travel mentally, because they can't physically, and on the other hand, they prepare their travel plans for the moment when it will be possible. In the choice between the editors' and journalists' award or the award according to the reader's choice, we prefer the latter. It reflects a much more complex way of selection, as well as many more decision-makers who have paid attention to us, whether they have already been to Istria or are motivated by texts and images of Istria," says the director.

He added that, at the end of 2020, Istria was declared the best olive growing region in the world for the sixth time in a row, according to the guide Flos Olei for 2021.

"With this new award from Lonely Planet, I would say that Istria already at the very beginning of 2021 aroused great media interest and won two big titles. Also, this is the third award from Lonely Planet, which only speaks that Istria is an extremely creative and innovative tourist destination, ready to offer something new every year and to arouse interest and motivate guests to visit us again," said the director.

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January the 21st, 2021 - The Zagreb population has recorded growth, exceeding the figure of 800,000. Only one other county in the country has experienced similar population growth in the last ten years, and that is Istria County.

As Ljubica Gataric/Vecernji list writes, only has the Zagreb population and that of Istria County increased in the past decade, while all other Croatian counties have lost more than two hundred thousand inhabitants. That's like a city the size of Split or the entire Istria County disappearing in a mere ten years.

Istria has seen a slight increase of only a thousand inhabitants, while the Zagreb population has grown, taking in about 17,000 people from the surrounding areas and growing to 807,000. According to the CBS, the Zagreb population surpassed the so-called magic number of 800,000 inhabitants back in 2016 and has been growing slowly since then thanks to the fact that it is the strongest economic centre in the entire country.

Earthquake-stricken Sisak-Moslavina County lost a concerning 27,000 inhabitants, Osijek-Baranja lost an even more worrying 33,000, Primorje-Gorski Kotar lost 12,000, and close to zero - with a deficit of about 900 people, is the tourist Mecca of Dubrovnik-Neretva County. 

Until recently, the demographic depopulation of rural areas and smaller Croatian towns created an army of unemployed people who were reserve labour. The long-running economic crisis and unemployment created the illusion of an abundance of human labour potential. For decades now, high unemployment rates across the country have created secure labour reserves. That's why relatively low salaries were possible, especially in occupations which only required lower-level qualifications.

''With the influx of fewer and fewer working-age people, further aggravated by emigration, those aforementioned labour reserves have dried up in just a few years,'' said demographers Anđelko Akrap and Kresimir Ivanda in a large economic analysis of Croatian counties, prepared by the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK) for the fourth year in a row.

''All relevant demographic indicators show that the inflow to the labour market is decreasing from year to year. Thus, economic policy makers need to take into account the almost progressive narrowing of the demographic framework of labour supply. Continuing the current demographic trends, by 2051, the number of working age population (15 to 64 years) in Croatia will decrease by more than a million inhabitants, the number of young people (0-14 years) will decrease by about 273 thousand and, conversely, the number those aged 65 and over will increase by about 185,000, the demographers say, concluding that Croatia quite simply cannot count on economically sustainable development.

Actual Croatian GDP values ​​show large differences between various economic groups, countries and even regions. More specifically, if we look at the European Union as a whole, Germany, the strongest economy, accounts for approximately 25 percent of total EU GDP and is as many as 260 times larger than Malta, which is economically the weakest. Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands, the five economically strongest members, generate as much as 70 percent of the EU's total GDP, so it can be concluded that this is a high concentration of production of goods and services in a small number of member states.

Croatia is among the economically weaker member states in terms of actual economic strength, ie in terms of the size of its GDP (from 2019) it ranks 21st and participates in the total GDP of the EU with only 0.4 percent. Comparing the GDP of Croatian counties provides a rather similar picture of such a view of the EU. The economically strongest City of Zagreb, according to the latest available data for the year 2017, generates as much as 34 percent of Croatia's total GDP and is almost forty times economically stronger than the typically neglected Lika-Senj County, which generates only 0.9 percent of Croatia's GDP.

This high concentration is also noticeable when looking at the five economically strongest Croatian counties, which together generate 63 percent of total GDP, while at the same time the five economically weakest counties together generate only 6.6 percent of national GDP. Thus, there are large regional differences to be seen in terms of general economic strength, but Croatia doesn't differ in that sense from a number of other countries.

The economically weaker Croatian counties were most deeply affected by the ongoing coronavirus crisis, especially the five Slavonian counties and the previously mentioned Lika-Senj county. Thus, the data shows that these six counties generated 14.2 percent of national GDP way back in 2008, 12.7 percent back in 2014, and 12.3 percent according to the latest data for 2017.

When it comes to 2017, it can be noted that the most dynamic growth was achieved in three counties of Adriatic Croatia, namely Zadar, Sibenik-Knin and Dubrovnik-Neretva counties, which can be largely attributed to good tourism performance and little else.

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January 16, 2021 - Istria could be the first in Croatia to loosen measures because it has the best epidemiological situation in the country, along with Dubrovnik-Neretva County.

The Chief of the Istria County Civil Protection Headquarters, Dino Kozlevac, announced that communication with the National Headquarters would begin next week about making adjustments. He did not state precisely what should return to normal first, but it will probably be gyms or sports activities.

"We will first restore activities that have an impact on fitness, life, and work—that first, and then gradually the rest. We are cautious because the situation in some neighboring countries is not good, and it is getting worse. We would not like to reduce the measures that would have to be returned very soon," Kozlevac told Nova TV.

Asked if the National Headquarters would agree to different measures in different regions, Kozlevac said he would 'find a common language.'

"I believe that regional specificity and results will be respected. It is not fair to wait for someone who still has work to do. Our citizens, who are most responsible for reducing the number of cases because they adhere to the measures, deserve to be the first to receive concessions," said Kozlevac.

He emphasized that Istria has good numbers, and the number of new cases has been declining for the fourth week.

On Friday, 249 swab samples were tested for COVID-19 at the Istria County Institute of Public Health. 13 newly infected persons from the county were confirmed.

Nine infections came from self-isolation measures or close contact with an already known positive person. One person is an imported case from the area: Italy (1).

Thirty people were cured. There are currently 229 active COVID-19 positive individuals in Istria County and 1109 people under self-isolation measures.

At the General Hospital in Pula, at the Department of Infectious Diseases, 51 people are being treated, of which five are in the respiratory center.

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January the 4th, 2021 - The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has been the topic of endless conversation since it began last year. With measures still in place, could Istria County have plans to get things moving again?

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, since the beginning of the pandemic, those in the hospitality and catering sector have been among the most vocal against the repeated an ever strict anti-epidemiological measures and closures. They say that this crisis has brought them to the very brink when it comes to survival, local portal Glas Istre writes.

Recently, the Chief of the Istrian Civil Protection Headquarters announced that he would request an exemption for Istria County from some measures from January the 8th, which means that then, the county's deeply harmed hospitality and catering facilities might start working again. The president of the Guild of Caterers of Istria County, Stanislav Briskoski, explained that talks on this very topic were in progress last Tuesday morning, when they were interrupted by the horrendous news of the earthquake which struck the now severely damaged Sisak-Moslavina County.

''The original date that was defined referred to December the 21st, but the measures continued indefinitely after that, without a specific date by which they could remain in force. It is in the interest of all of us to improve the epidemiological situation. Now, due to the new situation, we'll all focus on helping Petrinja, Sisak and the surrounding areas in any way, but soon, we're going to be sitting at the table with the authorities and negotiating the possibilities and a potential date for when things can start opening up again. I think we're all interested in the results of what was planned to be done by closing these facilities and whether anything did come to fruition, and to see what we will do and how we can proceed.

Those in the catering and hospitality sector suffered tremendous economic losses throughouth 2020, and January and February should not even be taken into account, as these are always quite weak months due to Croatia's seasonality anyway.

''Even with a weaker tourist season, we were doing well and everything was fine until Istria was placed on the red list back in mid-August. Then there was an extreme drop in guests that we didn't deserve at all,'' concluded Istria County's Stanislav Briskoski.

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December 22, 2020 – Unlike previous years, this year, the Istriana Award was not given to the most successful individuals in the fields of culture, music, health, science and education, economy and sports. Still, it was given to everyone who has been on the front lines of the fight against coronavirus in recent months.

As Istrian County reports, for the 13th time in a row, the Istriana Awards were held in the congress hall of the Park Hotel Histria in Pula, which due to the situation caused by the coronavirus, took place in a completely different way than before.

This year, the Istriana statuette, the work of the Pula academic sculptor Eros Čakić, went to the Department of Infectious Diseases and all health professionals of the Pula General Hospital.

Also, the award was given to the Istrian: Institute of Public Health, the Red Cross, the Institute of Emergency Medicine, the Civil Protection Service, the Istrian Health Centers, the Fire Brigade, the Police Administration, the County Mountain Rescue Service, and the hotel and tourism company Arena Hospitality Group which, immediately after the crisis arose, undertook a series of activities to help the local community cope with the new circumstances.

The winner of the special Istriana Award for great engagement, effort, and commitment is the Chief of the Civil Protection Headquarters of the Istrian County Dino Kozlevac.

"These are the people who work long and hard shifts, 24 hours a day, because of the coronavirus. They are simply a pillar of the health care system. They are the heroes of the situation that befell us. This is our small contribution to express our gratitude to them, and to learn from their example what courage, optimism, and mutual support are," said the initiator of this project, Hina journalist Daniel Sponza, who thanked the Istrian County, but also all Istrian towns that, as every year, supported this project.

Addressing this year's laureates, the acting Istrian prefect Fabrizio Radin emphasized that the 13th Istrian was specific and that it was a matter of awarding prizes by category, as in previous years, it would be given up.

"When I learned that this year Istriana would be awarded to all those who are on the front lines of the fight against coronavirus, we did not want to give up because it is a big thank you for their risky role, which has no price. Thank you for your humanity and dedication," said Radin.

The Mayor of Pula, Boris Miletić, expressed his satisfaction that he was attending the Istriana Awards for the thirteenth time and congratulated all the laureates.

"When I was a child, I didn't understand the saying that a healthy person has a thousand wishes, and when an illness occurs, only one. Let's stay healthy and be responsible. Congratulations to the Istriana winners," said Mayor Miletić.

On behalf of the Commission for the Istriana Awards, the director of the Pula General Hospital, Dr. Irena Hrstić, addressed the Hippocratic Oath, whose fourth postulate obliges health professionals to dedicate their lives to patients. This year, for ten months, 24 hours a day, they do so.

On the eve of the award ceremony, a six-minute video was shown, which included the activities of all awarded institutions in the fight against COVID -19, while the young Istrian musician Tedi Grubica performed at the award ceremony. The host of the program was Kristijan Nemet. The event was held under the sponsorship of the Istrian County, all cities, and the Istrian Credit Bank Umag.

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December 20, 2020 – The 13 winners of the incredibly popular World Meteorological Organization annual competition have just been announced, and two fine pieces of Croatia weather photography are among them. These spectacular images of Croatia weather photography show all 9 Croatian photographs which reached the final in 2020 and all 10 Croatian finalists who similarly stunned the global audience in 2019

Croatia weather photography: the two newly announced winners from the 2020 competition
Photographer: Sandro Puncet Photo taken: Losinj island

Photographer: Zrinka Balabanic Photo taken: Pag island

Thanks to its popularity as a tourist destination, lots of people are now used to seeing beautiful photos of Croatia. Although, the images they usually see are of idyllic beaches, cloudless skies, stunning nature and turquoise blue seas. But, as anyone who knows the country will tell you - and as these photos show - Croatia isn't always like that.

Croatia weather photography: the two newly announced runners-up from the 2020 competition
Photographer: Šime Barešić Photo taken: Drage, Pakostane

Photographer: Mislav Bilic Photo taken: Lapad Peninsula, Dubrovnik

Out of season, Croatia can experience vastly different weather conditions to those advertised in travel brochures and blogs. And, whenever there's a spectacular weather occurrence, usually there's a photographer out there, braving the elements, trying to capture it.

Over recent years, some of the best Croatia weather photography has featured in the annual competition organised by the World Meteorological Organization. 2020 has been no different.

The other five Croatian finalists from the 2020 competition
Photographer: Šime Barešić Photo taken: Drage, Pakostane

Photographer: Sandro Puncet Photo taken: Losinj island

Photographer: Zoran Stanko Photo taken: Geisler Alm, Dolomites, Italy

Photographer: Maja Kraljik Photo taken: Umag, Istria

Photographer: Igor Popovic Photo taken: Rijeka

The winners of this year's competition have just been announced and the two fantastic examples of Croatia weather photography within the top 13 will take their place in the 2021 World Meteorological Organization calendar.

The 10 Croatian finalists from the 2019 competition
Photographer: Danica Sičič Photo taken: Srobreč, Dalmatia

Photographer: Romeo Ibrišević Photo taken: Plitvice Lakes National Park

Photographer: Božan Štambuk Photo taken: Bundek park, Zagreb

Photographer: Miroslava Novak Photo taken: Pribislavec, Međimurje

As well as the two winners, two further examples of Croatia weather photography came in the runner-up category, of which there were 12 in total.

Photographer: Francesca Delbianco Photo taken: Zagreb

Photographer: Ivica Brlić Photo taken: Sava river, Davor, near Slavonski Brod

Photographer: Nataša Šafar Photo taken: Rečica, near Karlovac

Photographer: Romeo Ibrišević Photo taken: Plitvice Lakes National Park

Over 1000 photographs from all over the world were entered in the 2020 competition. The submissions were narrowed down to a final selection of 70 contenders. As TCN reported back at the start of October, no less than 9 examples of Croatia weather photography made it into the final 70, taken by 7 Croatian photographers.

Photographer: Danijel Palčić Photo taken: Pag island

Photographer: Aleksandar Gospic Photo taken: Ražanac

Croatia regularly punches well above its weight in the annual competition, as we can see from these 10 examples of incredible Croatia weather photography that were among the finalists in 2019.

All images courtesy World Meteorological Organisation

November 30, 2020 - On a small hill with a beautiful view of Marina Veruda, a super luxury villa in Pula is emerging, which the owners Paola Crevatini Rebsamen and her husband Armand Rebsamen called Seven Hills. The name is clear when it is known that Pula was built on seven hills, and this is exactly how this enterprising Croatian-Swiss duo, currently with a permanent address in Switzerland, wanted to pay tribute to the hometown of Paola, which has returned to its roots.

"Speaking of history, even the name of the Seven Hills villa takes into account the position of Pula on seven hills, which was also the inspiration for the project. It is a private design villa with seven rooms for individual rent in the season with breakfast for guests and an indispensable view of the marina. The main idea of ​​the project was the connection between nature and architecture. The organic form enlivens the villa and gives privacy to all guests. The orientation is towards the marina in order to make the most of the position. An important element in the whole project is the surrounding nature in the domain of design and form of the project, and the construction will use local, natural materials such as Istrian stone, olive, and wood, combining modern design with historical elements", explains Paola. 

Her husband, an award-winning architect, designed this unusual villa, which should be finished in the autumn of next year. The main project is signed by Studio Basic from Pula.

"The heart of the villa will be the central room where, in addition to breakfast, guests will be able to socialize or relax. So, guests will have breakfast service and service in general. Her main asset is the rooftop bar overlooking the marina. We designed the interior design ourselves, and we have gathered inspiration over the years on our many travels. Namely, my husband and I have visited more than 40 countries together", says Paola, who explains that the villa will be dominated by boho-chick, but luxurious.

A good part of the furniture will be made to measure, like a huge olive table. Paola points out that she will complement everything with interesting design details. However, it is important that this architecture raises the offer of Pula to a higher level because there is nothing similar in the largest Istrian city at the moment. The fact is that the villa will be intended for guests who want to feel like they have come home, lovers of architecture and design, gourmets, and lovers of life in general.

As reported by Jutarnji list, the luxury villa in Pula is ideal for a vacation in a quiet oasis, and yet in the center. But other than them, Paola will host women traveling the world with her here. Namely, Paola is a reputable marketing expert who has worked for global companies such as Unilever, Microsoft, and eBay, and is also involved in travel blogging and has her platform on Instagram called Femmetravel. She has also organized specialized holistic trips for women through her Miss Adventure platform for years. These are trips for smaller groups of women that Paola encourages to start their own companies, projects, create content, and entrepreneurship. She also organizes the Miss Adventure Festival, where she gathers interesting speakers whose goal is to connect women and empower them at all levels.

"My goal is for women to be satisfied with these trips mentally, emotionally, privately, and professionally. I inspire women to follow their dreams and live without fear and not regret anything they have done in life. Every trip I have organized so far has been different and each destination offers something special. We were in India, Morocco, Tanzania, Egypt, Jordan, and of course, we toured our country", Paola says.

"We visited Istria and here our trip focused on gastronomy, Paola tells us. Therefore, during such trips, the villa will serve as a second home for travelers who will experience the best in Pula and Istria with their hostess. Her festival will also be held here, where Paola will bring powerful women from all over the world. Such trips will be organized in the pre-season and post-season, and there will always be something special from Istria on the schedule", Paola adds.

This enterprising couple decided to invest in Pula primarily because it is Paola's hometown, they met here and bought land on the 10th anniversary of the relationship, and a luxury villa is being built near her family home. But, as she tells us, her husband also fell in love with Pula very quickly and very easily.

"In this way, we decided to promote Pula together, which is not such a well-known and popular destination in our country. And who knows, maybe one day we will move and come to live in Istria. That possibility is not ruled out", Paola concluded.

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ZAGREB, October 19, 2020 - Regional Development and EU Funds Minister Natasa Tramisak on Monday presented six grant agreements for Istria County, and they were awarded to the City of  Vodnjan, the Municipality of Barban, Juraj Dobrila University and Istrian Development Agency.

Recalling that these were grants for the tenders for projects valued at HRK 75.16 million of which HRK 55.7 million is in grants under the Interated Territorial Investment (ITI) schemes, Minister Tramisak said that the agreements on the most part related to economic development in the broader area of Pula and surrounding local communities.

"The agreements are supposed to help boost the development of entrepreneurship, institutions in business zones and revitalise cultural heritage or investments in brownfield locations," the minister said.

"We expect exceptional results from these six valuable projects related to the further development and promotion of entrepreneurship and strengthening the business climate," she underlined.

She in particular pointed out the agreement with the University of Pula and its further development of teaching and research activities. The Juraj Dobrila University will manage a project to repurpose a former navy hospital into a new academic centre in the city and the first phase of that project alone is worth HRK 20.7 million.

(€1 = HRK 7.57376)