December 23, 2022 - The Zagreb police presented their traditional Peace and Good action on Thursday, the 22^nd of December. This year, they again warned that the consequences of using pyrotechnics can be serious and lasting, especially for children. For that purpose, they also published a video on their YouTube channel starring the Croatian football team coach Zlatko Dalic.

Like in most places, pyrotechnics are quite popular in Croatia during the festive period. Their use, however, often leads to injuries. "Most often, these are injuries to the fingers, hand, arm, and eye, and unfortunately, in some cases, they result in permanent disability," said Zlatko Sekačić from the Zagreb Regional Anti-Explosion Unit, as reported by Index.

The warning was accompanied by a video published on the MUP YouTube channel, in which they warned about the dangers of pyrotechnics. The star of the video is Zlatko Dalic, the coach of the Croatian national football team.

The head of the Prevention Department of the Zagreb Police Department, Velimir Tišma, emphasised that pyrotechnic devices can cause fires, and their use can be exceptionally dangerous in closed spaces and places where a large number of people gather.

"Don't give children something that could hurt them."

"Firecrackers are not toys, so we advise parents to be responsible and not to give children something that could hurt them, not to underestimate children's interest in pyrotechnics, and to refrain from using pyrotechnics," Tišma said.

The Zagreb police point out that from December 15 to January 1, in accordance with the Act on Explosive Substances and the Production and Trade in Weapons, the purchase of some pyrotechnic devices is permitted, while their use is allowed from December 27 to January 1, 2023.

The police also note that permitted pyrotechnic devices are only to be purchased from sellers authorised by the Ministry of Interior.

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

November the 30th, 2022 - The Trustech fair in Paris has seen Croatian ID cards showcased by the Dutch company Keesing Technologies, which highlighted them as among the most aesthetically pleasing.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, at the Trustech fair, which is deemed to be the most important technology fair for identity and payment solutions, the Dutch company Keesing Technologies decorated the exhibition space with images of the protective elements of Croatian ID cards, which can also be seen on the cover of the "Overview of travel documents" magazine.

Trustech, the most important technology fair for solutions in the field of identity and payment solutions, is being held in Paris from November the 29th to December the 1st and expects more than 5,000 visitors and 150 exhibitors, Irena Papes, the advisor of the AKD Public Relations Directorate, announced on Wednesday.

According to the impression and statements from Keesing Technologies, Croatian ID cards are "some of the most beautiful identification documents created in the last few years". The Croatian company AKD which produces them, is more than happy with that opinion.

The Dutch company Keesing Technologies has otherwise existed since 1911, and within its DocumentChecker solution, it owns a database of identification documents and banknotes for 200 countries around the world, and through AuthentiScan, they enable verification of the authenticity of said identification documents.

In addition, the protection elements of Croatian ID cards - the partially metalised Kinegram made with ZERO.ZERO technology - adorn the cover of the aforementioned "Overview of travel documents 2016-2021" magazine.

"I'm proud that the design of Croatian ID cards, as well as the entire IT solution, is an entirely Croatian product made at AKD. We'd like to thank our colleagues from the Ministry of the Interior (MUP) for their excellent cooperation with us,'' said Jure Sertic, the CEO of AKD, a company that produces personal documents and protected printed matter, develops advanced IT solutions in the field of identity and security, advanced traceability systems, and provides services to the banking and fintech sector.

AKD is recognised as a leader by international partners as well, stated the advisor of the Administration, Irena Papes.

The Agency for Commercial Activities (AKD) is a company of special interest to the Republic of Croatia and is 100 percent owned by the state.

For more, make sure to keep up with our dedicated news section.

November the 20th, 2022 - COVID-19 rules saw some changes to those who needed new Croatian documents such as ID cards and driving licenses, and MUP has further explained the rules which will remain in place for now.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, let's say you asked for some new Croatian documents such as a new ID card from MUP but you didn't have time to pick it up or you simply forgot about it - don't worry. Your new or updated Croatian documents still at the police station, due to the situation caused by COVID-19, all Croatian documents whose pick up deadline fell on March the 11th, 2020, or will fall during the duration of the coronavirus pandemic (so until the end of the pandemic is declared), can be picked up from MUP with no issue for a maximum of 30 days from the day the end of the coronavirus pandemic is announced.

According to the provisions of the Law on Identity Cards, it is prescribed that a person is obliged to come and pick up their new identity card within the following 90 days from the expiry of the deadline for its issuance, which is 30 days in the regular procedure, 10 days in the accelerated procedure and three working days in the urgent procedure. If the person doesn't pick up their new identity card within the specified period, the competent police department or station will terminate it - MUP replied to Vecernji list. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, different rules currently apply.

When it comes to Croatian documents such as driver's licenses, it is stipulated that a driving license that the driver fails to collect within the next 90 days from the date of expiry of the deadline prescribed (30 days in the regular procedure, three working days in the accelerated procedure and 24 hours in the urgent procedure) becomes invalid, and the competent police department or station will also terminate it.

''Due to the situation caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the amendments to the Law on Identity Cards and the Law on Road Traffic Safety have seen the deadline for people to come and collect their identity cards and driving licenses extended,'' they stated from the Ministry of the Interior (MUP), noting the aforementioned information above regarding March the 11th, 2020.

For more, check out our lifestyle section.

October the 25th, 2022 - Is waiting in line clutching a number and longing to be called (only to be spoken down to and told you're missing a document or two) at MUP Zagreb on Petrinjska ulica a thing of the past now?

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, Marija Goatti, head of the service for reporting analytics and PR for the Zagreb Police, has stated that ''over last four years, we have gotten closer to people, and since then, people have been able to deal with their various administrative tasks at four locations in the City of Zagreb, and in this way, we're showing much more respect for their time.

With this goal in mind, the e-Redomat system was introduced, which enables people to have numbers issued for the carrying out of various individual services at the entrance to administrative offices. Listening to the actual needs people have, and with the aim of better functionality and better accessibility, the service which allows people to come and reserve a queue number via mobile the mobile application (app), as well as reserve appointments for administrative tasks has now been introduced.''

The new service has been available at MUP Zagreb (Petrinjska) since October the 24th, and the above-mentioned service will be active for some of the administrative tasks that people come to the infamous address of Petrinjska 30 (which until this point was synonymous with waiting around for hours on end), to do. The possibility of reserving a queue number via the mobile application of the e-Redomat system can now be used for the processes of applying for a new identity card or passport, the issuing of already created identity cards and passports, and for regulating residence. In this way, long queues at counters will be avoided.

It took Croatia long enough to enter the 21st century, and it seemed to many that not only MUP Zagreb, but administrative police stations in general were the institutions still desperately clinging to a way of doing things that most other countries, certainly other modern EU member states, have long since abandoned. With this move, ''getting there before 07:00'', which is a phrase anyone who needed anything doing at Petrinjska has heard and said before, will be sent to the history books.

Thank. God.

For more, make sure to keep up with our dedicated lifestyle section.

October the 13th, 2022 - Thanks to Croatian border police at the border crossing at Pasjak near the border with Slovenia, one of Europe's most wanted criminals was apprehended and taken to custody.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, on the 11th of October, Croatian border police officers performing their normal duties at the Pasjak border crossing came upon a 27-year-old Croatian citizen who had arrived at the aforementioned border crossing wanting to enter Croatia from Slovenia on foot.

They were met with this man during the regular border control procedures of the entry of passengers into the Republic of Croatia. The Primorje-Gorski Kotar police administration had issued a warrant for the arrest of this particular individual, as was later announced by the police on its website.

They pointed out that the search for the aforementioned individual was initially announced by the County Court in Rijeka owing to their suspicion of the person committing a criminal offense as part of a criminal association, as well as the unauthorised production and trafficking of drugs being tied to them.

In addition to the above, for his arrest, international searches were launched within the Schengen Information System and the INTERPOL database making this person one of Europe's most wanted, as reported by HRT. They emphasised that due to the suspicion of committing the aforementioned criminal acts, the suspect was arrested and escorted to custody.

For more, make sure to keep up with our dedicated news section.

October the 9th, 2022 - Ever been standing in line at MUP and wondering if maybe, just maybe there could be a better way of getting administrative tasks such as applying for a new Croatian driving license or passport done? Set up your digital identity and there is.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, Ines Papes from AKD, the company which creates Croatian ID cards and the like, has talked more about the new way of doing things at the Velika Gorica police station. The brand new digital identity card project was presented at the Velika Gorica police station recently, and a kiosk has been set up on the station premises where people can activate their e-identity cards and request their own mobile digital identity to make getting administrative tasks done painlessly.

"The project was financed by European Union (EU) funds, and we'd like to invite people to come and activate their ID cards, and all those who haven't done so yet can do so at the police station. They'll need their ID card and PIN envelope. If they don't have their PIN envelope, they can get it free of charge at the counters of the police department. When using the console, which was set up by AKD, they can activate their ID cards, and once they activate them, they can also download the Certilia application for free on their ID cards, and that's where they'll get their mobile digital identity from," explained Ines Papes from AKD, as reported by Vecernji list.

"People are now being offered over a hundred services, on the e-Citizens (e-Gradjani) platform, they can now use the application to sign all their documents that they used to have to come and sign physically. Now they can do it quickly and easily using just their mobile phones," they stated from AKD.

"The most interesting thing about it all is that they only need to come to the counter once every five years, because that's when their identity card expires. They can send their application for their Croatian driving license or passport from their home and receive it at their home address," concluded Papes.

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

October the 9th, 2022 - Ever thought about getting personalised Croatian license plates? HAK Revija breaks down the procedure and the associated costs depending on the vehicle in question.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the way Croatian license plates are meant to look here in Croatia isn't exactly some sort of huge question or enigma. Everyone knows what they look like, it seems at first they do, at least. However, there have actually been many disputes and controversies behind the scenes about precisely this matter, especially since the country joined the European Union back in July 2013.

Some had the need to "finish" their Croatian license plates boasting the then new EU labels, sticking small rectangular stickers on them with a blue background and the letters HR surrounded by stars.

What Croatian license plates need to actually look like for vehicles in this country is of course defined by regulation. The rulebook (pravlnik) on vehicle registration and licensing is very dry and clear, but if you do happen to be one of those individuals with a real license plate fetish of sorts, you might want to get yours personalised. For example, your child's date of birth and initials (ZG 1010 AG). Perhaps infatuation with a certain British secret agent requires the plate to have the markings ZG 007 JB. The owner of the vehicle can order their custom Croatian license plates with a predetermined registration number, provided that the requested registration number is of course available. Keep in mind that the registration number on custom-made license plates cannot contain the Croatian letters Č, Ć, Đ, Š and Ž. It's a problem if your initials have any of those letters.

Custom Croatian license plates - how much does it cost to make your wish come true nowadays? HAK Revija states that the price of license plates made individually with predetermined numerical and letter markings made to order amounts to:

1. License plates – a pair – 278.00 kuna.
2. A registration plate for a vehicle, including tractors and work machines, to which plates under serial number 1 of this item cannot be attached - one piece - 166.00 kuna
3. License plates for motorcycles and quadricycles - one piece - 166.00 kuna.

4. License plates for mopeds and light quadricycles - one piece - 166.00 kuna.
5. License plates - a replacement for a damaged one - one piece - 166.00 kuna.

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

September the 21st, 2022 - The over-inflated Croatian public sector has become richer for a massive 5000 new employees in a relatively short period of just two years.

Many people refer to the public sector in this country as being bloated, with others considering that the vast majority of the jobs people are employed for within the sector no longer necessary. Hopes were high that the digital era that Croatia has been more or less forced into by the coronavirus pandemic would see enormous changes to this, but it doesn't seem as if things have gone quite as digital with less people involved as we initially hoped.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, from the pandemic-dominated year of 2020 which changed the way the world worked as we knew it to the end of June 2022, judging by the data provided to Lider by the Ministry of Justice, the number of employees in the Croatian public sector increased by five thousand new employees.

As such, on the last day of June 2022, 175,913 people were employed in the Croatian public sector, and on June the 30th, 2020, 170,915 people were employed by the same state body.

In their second mandate, HDZ Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic's government employed around 1,500 new people in state bodies alone, this includes the government, various different ministries, central state offices and the like.

At the beginning of the year 2020, 31,954 people worked there, and at the end of June of this year, 33,105 people were employed in those same state bodies.

However, it's worth noting that this number does not include employees of the Ministry of the Interior (MUP), given the fact that an enormous 25,431 people work within that system, and in the two pandemic-dominated years of 2020 and 2021, the number of employees there also grew - but only by six people, Lider writes.

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

September the 19th, 2022 - What should you put inside a Croatian survival kit? The Civil Protection Direcorate of the Republic of Croatia has issued a whole host of recommendations.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, a Croatian survival kit is similar to that of Germany, as reported by Vecernji list, stating that due to a possible lack of electricity, food, water, medicine, medical and hygiene supplies, not to mention the proper documents, paper money, blankets, shoes, a flashlight, a whistle, matches... should all be prepared in a Croatian survival kit.

The German Association of Cities and Municipalities has warned of widespread power outages due to the energy crisis and has as such called on people to take the proper civil precautions and these recommendations very seriously. They published a list of supplies that every household should have in case of power, water and fuel outages. The possible risk of overloading the German electricity grid could be affected if the 650,000 electric heaters sold this year are connected to it, resulting in very valid fears of gas supply disruptions.

As such, the German authorities are advising that country's residents to stock up for ten days in order to be ready for possible crisis situations, however unlikely that might seem now.

The Republic of Croatia mostly produces its own electricity, meaning that a ten-day blackout for this country in particular would hardly occur. However, the Civil Protection Directorate of the Republic of Croatia has advised people that responsible preparation is the most important thing to keep in the forefront of our minds during all potentially emergency situations.

A whole package of recommendations has been issued on how to prepare a Croatian survival kit, how to deal with such a situation, how to behave and what you need to know in case of such a crisis unfolding. They're all available here.

"Among the very important recommendations are those for creating a family plan for emergency situations, which should be regularly tested out and constantly improved, as well as the preparation of the so-called Croatian survival kit that contains food and water, medicines, medical and first aid supplies, hygiene supplies, documents and paper money," they explained from the Ministry of the Interior (MUP), as reported by Vecernji list journalist Romana Kovacevic Barisic.

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

September the 10th, 2022 - Fascinating anti-tank mines from back during the Second World War have been discovered on the popular Rab island in Northern Dalmatia.

As Morski writes, ever since the beginning of September 2022, the police have registered three voluntary surrenders of dangerous explosive devices by people from the areas of Crikvenica, Gorski kotar and Rijeka. Those individuals handed over one gun, a hand grenade and 31 pieces of different ammunition.

Over the aforementioned days, a German-made anti-tank mine from the Second World War was also found on Rab island. All the explosives discovered were handed in and dealt with by employees of the Rijeka Anti-Explosion Unit and will be disposed of safely and according to the strict rules of the profession.

The police would like to thank the conscientious citizens who joined the "Less weapons, fewer tragedies" campaign, which enabled the voluntary surrender of all types of weapons and explosives without any misdemeanor or criminal sanctions being imposed on anyone.

We'd also like to ask other citizens who still own unregistered explosive devices to hand them over to the police without fear of being sanctioned or punished in any way, and we particularly urge that such dangerous devices are not left out in open spaces in nature or at waste disposal sites, as this greatly endangers the safety of other people.

We'd also like to ask citizens not to touch or bring their explosive devices to the police station themselves, in order to prevent their activation and unwanted injuries, but to instead report the explosives to the police via the number 192. After that, authorised police officers will come and those explosives will then be taken safely away, the police explained.

Detailed information on the implementation of this action, as well as the handing over of weapons and other explosive devices, can be obtained by calling the free phone line 0800 88 92.

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