The German carrier is one of the largest providers of passenger transport services in Europe, employing more than 60,000 people and achieving more than 2.2 billion journeys. Is Rijeka's Autotrolej, which has found itself enfeebled by a lack of drivers, forcing it to cut certain routes, in for a stroke of luck?

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 17th of January, 2019, the Croatian subsidiary of the popular German carrier Arriva wants to take over Rijeka's Autotrolej, as has since been confirmed by Arriva Croatia itself, which has already acquired ownership of Autotrans, one of the largest passenger carriers in the segment of passenger transport in the Republic of Croatia.

"We're interested in all forms of cooperation, so taking the entire share of ownership of KD Autotrolej also comes into it, of course, provided that there is a common interest and a healthy economic base," stated Marina Pandurević, Managing Director of Arriva Croatia for Novi list.

This very concise response came after the company was asked about the situation following information about Arriva's taking over of Autotrans and potential interest in taking over or entering into some sort of business partnership with Rijeka's Autotrolej having surfaced.

The large transport company confirmed that they are definitely interested in buying Autotrolej or entering into a sort of partnership with the current co-owners, therefore entering into business with Autotrolej as a logical continuation of their business in the Republic of Croatia, based on the experience of public transport in very many other European cities.

As stated, Arriva is one of Europe's largest passenger transport service providers, employing more than 60,000 people and achieving more than 2.2 billion journeys. The group operates in fourteen European countries offering a wide range of public transport services to suit all needs.

Make sure to stay up to date with the situation with Autotrolej and on public transport in Croatia in general by following our dedicated news, business and lifestyle pages for much more.

Cuts are happening in almost every sector across Croatia and in many other countries. While sometimes these cuts occur in sectors that we are fortunate enough to be able to overlook for the most part, public transport isn't one of them. The public transport cuts made in Rijeka, which have occurred primarily owing to a drop in the number of drivers, has seen some citizens of the Rijeka area left completely without a direct connection to the city centre.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 15th of January, 2019, as has been announced by Rijeka's public transport company, Autotrolej is unfortunately being forced into planning to abolish a number of departure points on their public transport lines, while part of the lines will have to run on a shortened route.

The new scheme for departures for Rijeka's public transport company has been put down to the gradually diminishing number of drivers. Thankfully, the Rijeka company has made sure to soften the blow somewhat by pointing out that during their most frequented times during working days, the existing number of departures will remain as it is, meaning that Autotrolej's services are set to remain at the same level for the typical arrival and departure times of people going to work and kids going to school, according to a report by Novi list.

Milan Popadić, the chairman of the council of the Municipal Board of Kantrida has spoken out on the occasion of this rather unwelcome "correction" of Autotrolej's transport timetable. He pointed out that Autotrolej's ''correction'' of their timetable means that the unfortunate inhabitants of Marčeljeva Draga have now been left without any direct connection to Rijeka's city centre whatsoever, for the very first time.

Make sure to stay up to date with our dedicated news page for information on public transport all over the country, events as they happen across Croatia and much more.

The relationship between China and Croatia is continuing to grow ever closer, and bringing the Chinese to the Croatian coast is potentially just an introductory step in their much wider engagement on the development of Rijeka's traffic connections, both operationally and financially.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 14th of January, 2019, Minister of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure, Oleg Butković, will travel to China later this month, where he will discuss, among other things, the opportunity for them to take the concession for a new Rijeka container terminal on the coast with Chinese shipowners and port operators, according a report from Novi list.

Butković will meet with the Chinese traffic minister, representatives of CRBC, who will build Pelješac Bridge, and will also meet with representatives of the naval giant COSCO, as well as several large Chinese shipping and port companies, the potential leasers of the container terminal on that part of the Croatian coast, for which the concession would have to be announced by the middle of this year.

As China and Croatia's bond grows deeper still, the Chinese companies will start with the concession on that particular part of the Croatian coast, the development of a logistics centre and a back terminal in the entrepreneurial Miklavlje zone will probably be offered.

If an interest in making such a move is shown, then the competent Croatian ministry and the Croatian Government will begin seriously contemplating their involvement in far larger infrastructure projects on Rijeka's traffic connections, primarily the construction of a railway line from Rijeka all the way to the Hungarian border, and when looking at much longer-term plans, the possible construction of a large container terminal on the island of Krk, along with a new road-rail bridge.

Make sure to stay up to date with everything you need to know on the growing relationship between China and Croatia and much, much more by following our dedicated business page.

Something not only new, but incredibly flashy is on the cards for the Kvarner area...

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 10th of January, 2019, the town of Ika, located close to the popular Opatija, is the site of the upcoming and reportedly the most luxurious Croatian boutique five-star hotel to date, set to be opened in April by the company owned by well known Croatian entrepreneur Pavo Zubak. The total value of the project, according to its investors, stands at a massive 80 million kuna.

Kvarner's up and coming Ikador Luxury Boutique Hotel & Spa is being designed by the highly respected Artelior architecture stutio with offices in both Zagreb and London, and the very hotel itself will be housed within a 5,000-square-foot natural park. The underground tunnel below the Lungo Mare promenade will be connected to a private beach that even allows mooring for boats.

As a boutique hotel, Ikador will boast eight luxury rooms and six exclusive suites, all of which can accommodate 42 people. The minimum size of a room is fifty square metres with a terrace, while the suites provide eighty square metres, also with a terrace. The hotel will also boast the most luxurious presidential suite of up to 280 square metres, alongside 145 square metres of accompanying terrace.

Even before its actual opening, Ikador has already managed to become a member of the leading hotel association of luxury hotels, The Leading Hotels of the World, on which the hotel has certainly deserved its placement owing to the first exclusive Riva lounge in Croatia, which will be part of the hotel, has featured Kvarner's new gem. The Riva lounge is not only the first of its sort in Croatia, but is the fourth in the entire world, following those in Monte Carlo, Venice, and Mykonos, putting Opatija in a prestigious group of some of the most prestigious and most exclusive international destinations.

The aim of the investor is to create a year-round tourist destination, and in line with that desire, Ikador will offer a wide range of spa, wellness and fitness facilities which will occupy the entire third floor of the hotel, providing an impressive view of the stunning Opatija Riviera. In addition, a top a la carte restaurant with a capacity for as many as fifty guests, a cigar bar, a heated outdoor pool with sea water and an underground garage with electric car chargers will be available for guests of what will more than likely be the Kvarner area's ''place to be''.

Forty staff members will be in charge of the excellent service, most of whom will be employed permanently, as the hotel plans to remain open throughout the year.

Make sure to follow our dedicated lifestyle page for much more.

As Morski writes on the 5th of January, 2019, back in October, German rescue workers in Kaditz near Dresden came across an unwell nine-month-old griffon vulture from Kvarner in Radebeul vineyard.

The injured and sickly bird was simply lying exhausted on the ground. Although his wingspan stood at a massive 2.8 feet wide, the unwell bird was exhausted and his weight was a mere kilograms. On his leg he wore a ring labelled "Kvarner", from which his German saviours determined that his country of birth was Croatia, according to a report by Fenix ​​Magazine.

The rescuers collected the unlucky young bird and took him to receive immediate medical attention, in a location at which numerous other sick and wounded bird species are treated.

Over time, the young and rather unfortunate griffon vulture from Kvarner slowly recovered, and his German rescuers named him ''Kvarner'', owing to the ring on his leg. With the proper care and time to heal, Kvarner got better day by day, accumulating extra strength for his return to his native Croatia.

''Now he weighs twice as much than when we first found him. At first he was only eating crumbs, and thanks to the hunters who supported us, he eventually took to eating meat from wild game, and wild boar meat. Now he's even become a little gourmand because instead of eating entrails, he now loves to eat hearts and livers from game animals,'' stated Saskia Keller of the German facility currently treating young Kvarner, who is growing stronger with each passing day.

This young bird of prey from Cres, which is the closest relative of the eagle, will remain in Kaditz until March. He will then be released back to his native Croatia, more specifically in Kvarner bay.

Since a few colonies of such birds can be found on the island of Pag and in the Velebit mountain range, it is estimated that in the Republic of Croatia there are between 110 and 140 pairs of these predatory birds in total.

Make sure to stay up to date with our dedicated lifestyle page for more.

One Rijeka company has so far raised an impressive six million euro thanks to European Union funds and currently has eight European partners working alongside them on the new ''Effective'' project.

As Darko Bicak/Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 4th of December, 2018, the Rijeka company in question is Mi-Plast, it has played an active role in various EU research projects for the last several years, and has successfully withdrawn a total of six million euro from the Horizon 2020 program, as well as from numerous other research platforms.

The company deals with platic, and these roles have been mainly in regard to bioplastic development projects which are being conducted with large players from Europe, for which the EU has provided an enormous 80 million euro, while the Rijeka company accounts for about 7 percent of the amount.

Despite success, the Rijeka company didn't intend to simply stop there, and Bio-Mi was then established, which specialises exclusively in biopolymers and bioplastics, since Mi-Plast has positioned itself on the market of standard plastics and is planning, at the end of the project, to bring yet more innovative products with more value to the market.

As was explained by Filip Miketa, the founder and director of Bio-Mi, they are currently working on the Effective project, which, in the coming years, could result in the first quantities of bioplastics and packaging coming from Rijeka.

"This project is one of the industry's most comprehensive initiatives, it aims at redesigning the entire product value chain and ultimately stimulating economic growth. The project consortium comprises eight countries and consists of renewable raw materials producers, leaders in raw material processing technologies, semi-finished and finished product manufacturers, AquafilSLO and Circular Change (Slovenia), Aquafil, Carvico, Life Cycle Engineering and Novamont (Italy), Südzucker and Vaude (Germany), Balsan (France), H & M Group, Bio-Mi and CIRCE (Spain),'' stated Miketa.

He added that one of the key goals is the effective development of sustainable bionylon, made entirely from biological components using renewable raw materials. The validation of the obtained nylon is planned alongside partners such as H&M, Carvico, Vaude and Balsan. The bionylon will also be used for textiles and carpets. The Rijeka company will also see that biopolyesters are developed for the packaging of various industrial products.

The recycling of this nylon will help achieve the goals of the circular economy as well as create an alternative in the industry. The project is being cofinanced by H2020 in the amount of 7.1 million euro.

Make sure to follow our dedicated business and Made in Croatia pages for more information on Croatian companies, products and services, as well as on doing business in Croatia.

Click here for the original article by Darko Bicak for Poslovni Dnevnik

New ferry lines are always needed, and it's one of the top complaints of Croatia's permanent island inhabitants, as the availability of their connection to the mainland is often governed too much by the tourist season. Primorje-Gorski Kotar County has decided to introduce a new Croatian ferry line which will connect the Municipality of Lopar and Baška, located on the nearby island of Krk.

As Morski writes on the 30th of November, 2018, Primorje-Gorski Kotar County has launched a welcome new ferry connection between Baska and Lopar, and the move was announced Primorje-Gorski Kotar County's deputy prefect, Marina Medarić.

Novi List reported that she spoke to the press on the matter and stated that the proposal for confirming the establishment of a year-round ferry connection which will cover the line of Baška-Lopar-Baška, will be one of the points of the County Assembly session this week.

The initiative was initiated by the Krk Harbour County Administration, and so far, the plans are for the connection to run once weekly during the more sparse winter months, twice weekly during the pre-season, and in the very height of the summer season, as many as four times per week.

If the County Assembly approves the proposal, the procedure of a public tender will be launched, where all interested shipping companies who desire to carry out the activity of this line will be able to make their interests known and submit their bids.

Make sure to keep up with our travel and news pages for more information on any other new Croatian ferry line, as well as for all the goings on from up and down the country, from continent to coast.

Click here for the original article by Tihana Tomicic for Novi List

One Croatian company which pays its employees wages of over 1,000 euros per month has had an offer to move its business operations to Ireland. The company currently employs 100 people in Croatia and 50 people from outside Croatia.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 9th of November, 2018, the managing director of the Rijeka-based Alarm automatika company, Boris Popović, warned about the problems of entrepreneurs with employment and the retention of experts in domestic companies from the ICT sector in Osijek last week.

He said that in his Croatian company, which employs engineering teams, he always fears the departure of experts who are getting more profitable business deals. However, as Glas Slavonije reports, tempting offers are not only received by employees, but also by entrepreneurs.

Alarm automatika deals with delivery solutions in multiple segments of technical protection, ie security systems. The company buys hardware from across the world, but develops its software, creates its own brands and eventually puts it all together into a unique solution offered to customers across multiple markets. Approximately one third of the total revenue is realised by the company's export of its products, and the plan, according to Popović, is for export revenue to reach half of the company's entire revenue by 2020.

Popovic spoke in depth on the topic of how the Croatian state can assist exporters in Osijek, including examples from some countries such as Canada, which funds research and development salaries in strategic industries. He also mentioned the fact that both China and South Korea have measures in place to reward their exporters.

"The interests of the state and society are for entrepreneurs to open up new jobs and invest more in development. The state should therefore encourage those who invest and open new jobs. How can it do that? It can do so by covering part of the costs incurred in research and development, and also with tax breaks on that work. We've seen that with the example of Romania, which has deemed their ICT industry a strategic industry, and has reduced the costs to all employees in that sector to as little possible. 300,000 foreign companies are now active in Romania. This country has become the largest centre for the development of the ICT industry and now the average salary in that sector in Romania is two thousand euros,'' Popović pointed out.

''We now have one hundred employees in Croatia, and 50 more outside of Croatia. On average, their salaries are over a thousand euros, of course, depending on the segment in which they work. It would be good if the taxes on these salaries were 20 to 30 percent lower, and that our employees' salaries were higher by that same amount. We're always in fear that the most important people will leave us, as they constantly receive offers from other companies. And not just those, but our company gets offers. We were the guest of the Irish development agency who suggested we move the entire company over to Ireland. For now, we're not going to do it, but if we end up in a situation where we're without people (staff), then what else can we do other than go there with them,'' admitted Popović.

In Croatia, this Croatian company has offices in Zagreb, Rijeka, Split, Zadar, and outside of Croatia it operates in all the countries of the former Yugoslavia, as well as in Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Slovakia.

According to Popović, the best operating conditions are in Slovenia, followed by Romania, Bulgaria, and Hungary. In Croatia, the highest taxes are paid on employee salaries.

Want to keep up with more news about the domestic economic climate and doing business in Croatia? Make sure to stay up to date with our business page.

When Kvarner began preparing for the demanding candidacy two years ago, imagining that they would actually win in competition with some of the most desirable tourist destinations in the world seemed like just a good dream. Yesterday, however, that dream of several Kvarner tourism visionaries became a reality.

Fines await those who fail to pick up their animals' faeces, those who let their animals wander and/or breed without control or supervision, and those keep their dogs on chains or outdoors.