April 21, 2020 - What is the situation with animal shelters in Croatia in the corona era, and who is looking after the animals? A heartwarming tale from Osijek dating back to 2007.  

While the corona crisis has had a huge impact on the human race, spare a thought also for our four-legged friends, who have also been impacted in various ways. We recently did an interview with Pet centar CEO Ljiljana Markov in which she told us about her nationwide pet shop online delivery service. We had a fantastic response to the article and several messages of thanks, including one American in Zaostrog near Makarska, whose Great Dane was a VERY happy beneficiary of her first Pet centar online delivery a couple of days after her order was placed. 

Today we switch our attention from pet shops to animal shelters in Croatia, and we are delighted to welcome Sanja Grbanovic to TCN. Sanja starts with a great story about animal shelters in Croatia, in Osijek. 

Humanity 2.0 in Osijek?

When reflecting on the nature of man, each of us has his own opinion. Is Man by nature good, or basically bad? Perhaps the two most famous opposing opinions on this matter are those of Hobbes and Rousseau. Hobbes would say we are ‘nasty’ and ‘brutish’, and we need society and rules to reign in our instincts in order to thrive; whilst Rousseau would argue that man would be gentle and pure without the corruption of greed and inequality imposed by our society.

Are we born with an innate moral compass or is it something we develop as we grow? One question, seen often nowadays in social media about life after coronavirus, is whether or not we will emerge as better people?

The last global crisis didn't change the world. Why should this one? Why is there a firm belief we have what it takes to turn things around now and turn into Human 2.0? And what would be a true measure of this change?

Yesterday, late in the evening, I spoke with a friend who had saved a baby hedgehog from the trash bin.

The other day I read about a man who saved a deer from drowning in a canal.

My uncle saved an injured cat by bringing it to the vet on time.

But what can one man do?

Let´s travel back a bit in time and take this story back to 2007. A few ordinary, but then again not so ordinary people - and later heroes of this tale - visited a local dog shelter in Osijek. In a town full of dog lovers, there were no volunteers at the shelter. Sick, injured, without veterinary care, unvaccinated, not spayed/neutered, hungry, with puppies crawling out of underground holes, and death a daily reality. These not so ordinary people decided to act.

Their first aim was to draw attention to the awful conditions the dogs were living in at the shelter, so they started an initiative to help the abandoned dogs. In 2009, the association for animal protection and rights “Udruga Pobjede” was born, prior to which it acted as a civil initiative. You can follow them on Facebook here.

A lot has changed since then.

In 2010, “Udruga Pobjede” officially took over the shelter for abandoned animals in a suburban village called Nemetin, and in December 2011 the shelter was registered by the Ministry of Agriculture as the 23rd shelter for abandoned animals in Croatia and one of the first no-kill shelters in the whole country.

The footage and photos in the first part of the video below are from 2007, when they first came to the shelter - while the second part of the video was recorded in 2018.

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Members of the association “Udruga Pobjede” initiated and organized various fundraising events in order to improve the shelter’s infrastructure and to provide food and medical aid for the dogs. Today the shelter is funded by the association, business and private sector donations, different fundraising events and through collaboration with the City Council. Every dog in the shelter has veterinary care (vaccinated against rabies and infectious diseases and treated against internal parasites), is microchipped and neutered 21 days from entry (except puppies, they are neutered at 6 months old if female, 9 months old if male). Since taking over the running of the shelter, Osijek’s shelter for abandoned animals has come a long way, from a shelter with no volunteers to a shelter with the highest number of volunteer hours in Croatia, which makes these not so ordinary people very proud.

Udruga Pobjede constantly takes care of about 200 dogs and unfortunately, there are always more in need. In 2015 “Udruga Pobjede” signed the first contract with the City of Osijek, and since then they have attained a partner relationship for taking care of and re-homing abandoned dogs, but also in the prevention of abandoning, neglecting and abusing of animals.

The successful work of the association can also be seen through the number of 335 adoptions in 2018, 340 adoptions in 2019 and over 1000 dogs rescued in two years. Thanks to the Association, so many dog lives have been saved, so many dogs have found their “forever homes”, so many injured and hungry have been fed and taken care of. Some, as our dear Lady Margita, above, is still in the shelter, for 13 long years. But she has someone to take care of her until maybe someone falls in love with these gorgeous eyes.

One of the biggest achievements of Udruga Pobjede are without doubt the number of volunteer hours during the last two years.

In 2018, 61 active volunteers contributed 8958 hours and in 2019, 131 active volunteers contributed 12573 hours.

This confirms that their engagement is being positively evaluated by the community, but it also shows how much they have achieved to promote positive values and to create a positive social capital and a community, which recognizes the importance of voluntary engagement as a fundament for strengthening social capital.

They carry on educational programmes and collaborate with more than 40 schools and kindergartens in Osijek and the wider region, as well as tertiary institutions. They hold lectures and workshops and organize educational visits to the shelter.

Through all their activities in the civil, public and business sectors, as well as local government – they have made great progress in rescuing abandoned animals and in raising awareness of the problem in their community. They work has become more and more visible and recognised in the community. Their fellow citizens have joined and helped develop the solidarity network made of all social sectors.

All these activities helped them to help those in need - by initiating positive changes with the “bottom up” approach. One man can change the world, indeed.

Unfortunately, they are currently also affected by the COVID-19 pandemic situation. They have over 200 dogs in care and currently are facing major problems in implementing and funding their activities.

Government institutions, cities, municipalities, the business sector, banks and foreign donors have focused their activities almost exclusively on direct support to entrepreneurs in the circumstances of the global pandemic, and because of this situation, they are unable to regularly cover veterinary costs and provide for all the regular needs of the dogs they have in care.

Since rigorous COVID-19 anti-virus measures have come into force in Croatia, many of their donors have lost their jobs, businesses have ceased operations, the shelter is closed to visitors and volunteers, the public sector has directed funds to aid recovery of the economy, people fear for their future and the possibility of recession, which has led to a significant reduction of resources at their disposal.

With the arrival of warmer weather, the Osijek shelter usually has increased expenses due to the fact that each month during that period (March-September) they provide ampoules against fleas and ticks for all dogs. A large number of dogs that they receive for care come with piroplasmosis (a tick-borne disease), and they have increased veterinary costs for treating dogs infected with this virus. If they do not treat our dogs, they fear that they may be in danger as well, because there are ticks in the forest where they take the dogs for a run (in order to get the energy out of dogs and maintain stability in the packs now that there are no volunteers).

In previous periods, they would step up self-financing activities during the spring months and have previously managed to secure funds through sponsorship/donation programmes, bimonthly online auctions, through the Posh Store – Association’s second-hand fair, organised fundraising events, visits to the shelter by volunteers, dog walkers and adopters, private sector donations, public sector programmes and the like, but because of COVID-19 at this point, they cannot do anything to secure funding through our usual channels and need our help to overcome this difficult period in order to survive and provide adequate care for the dogs.

If you are able to financially support the work of the shelter one time or over several months and help them to get through this difficult situation as painlessly as possible, you can do so by making a donation to:

Udruga Pobjede

IBAN HR8823400091110405854

Data for payments from abroad:

Privredna banka Zagreb d.d. 10000 Zagreb, Račkoga 6,

Croatia

swift code: PBZGHR2X

PayPal: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

If not financially, you could help with suggestions, ideas for help or suggestion whom they may contact for help. You could foster a dog, become a godparent, provide necessities – or even adopt.

During the COVID-19 Crisis, on an individual level, one might ask what are the things you can do to protect your health and enrich your life, or we can ask ourselves what we can do for others to protect their right to life and quality of life.

In his book, The Psychology of Genocide, the psychologist Steven Baum cites an old Cherokee tale that tells of a grandfather teaching life principles to his grandson:

“A fight is going on inside me,” he says to the boy. “It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.” He continued, “The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.

"The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”

The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed." So, will we emerge as a better society after the crisis? Are you #teamHobbes, or #teamRousseau?

You, as a vital part of society, decide which wolf you feed. If you can not find the inspiration in yourself, maybe the words of Maša Riznić, Head of the Shelter for abandoned animals of the Pobjede Association help: It is not easy. There are hard days and battles lost. On the especially hard days, crying in your pillow is the last ounce of strength left. But you always move on. Because on the other days… Another little furry soul needs your help – or a perfect adoptive family awaits at the shelter gate to provide a loving home for one of our dogs. This is what heals our wounds and fills us with new hope. We can not do this alone – each of us holds a very important part of the puzzle.

More important – this has nothing to do whether or not this is before or after the crisis. Whichever idea ignites your spark – you too, can tell a story as wonderful as the story of the people who saved thousands of animals in Osijek.

As Nikola Patkovic/Novac writes on the 3rd of April, 2020, in order to counteract the negative economic consequences of the ongoing coronavirus crisis, the City of Osijek has prepared a package of economic measures to assist Osijek's entrepreneurs who are facing business troubles because of this unprecedented and rapidly changing situation. The package is worth a massive HRK 18 million, and will be decided on by the Osijek City Council at a virtual session scheduled for Tuesday, April the 7th, 2020

''Over recent weeks, as the new situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has continued to unfold, all of our efforts have been focused, first and foremost, on the protection of the health of our fellow citizens, and in these efforts, the City of Osijek has partnered with both the local and the national authorities. Aware of the consequences that the crisis will have on the economy, we're giving equally important attention to the protection and preservation of every job in the City of Osijek. We don't know how long this crisis will last, but it's clear that we all have to adapt to this new situation,'' said Žana Gamoš, Osijek's Deputy Mayor, announcing the economic measures they have prepared.

Thus, they have decided that through a public call, a massive HRK 5.5 million will be directed towards small and medium-sized enterprises, as their businesses are at risk in this crisis. An entrepreneur based in Osijek who has proven that the coronavirus crisis has adversely affected his business and signed a grant agreement with the CES (Croatian Employment Service) may participate in the City of Osijek's public invitation. The city will pay the entrepreneur a one-time and non-refundable payment of HRK 1,000 per employee. The state is helping employees directly, and this Eastern Croatian city has decided to disburse funds to help with the maintainance of liquidity.

''By supplementing the Decision on communal compensation and the proposal of a Decision on the exemption from communal fee payment during these extraordinary circumstances caused by the COVID-19 virus, the City of Osijek proposes to completely exempt OPGs, craftsmen, legal entities and persons engaged in an independent activity for premises and construction land used for business purposes from needing to pay communal fees for the months of April, May and June,'' Gamoš reported.

In addition, no compulsory collection of debts will be enforced during these exceptional circumstances. The tenants of the public areas and business premises belonging to the City of Osijek have been exempted from making those payments for the month of April with the possibility of an extension depending on the duration of the unfolding situation. In addition, parents in Osijek will not have to pay for the use of kindergartens and extended stays in schools.

For more on business in Croatia, follow our page. For information on coronavirus in Croatia, follow our dedicated section.

March 5, 2020 - The 25th round of the Croatian First League was played mid-week, from March 3-4, 2020. This round featured the always exciting ‘Eternal Derby’ between Hajduk and Dinamo at Poljud Stadium in Split. 

Lokomotiva v. Slaven Belupo (3:0)

Lokomotiva and Belupo opened the 25th round on Tuesday, March 3, 2020, in Zagreb in front of 706 fans. 

While the first half went without goals, Uzuni scored at the start of the second half in the 59th minute for 1:0. An own goal by Jeffren made it 2:0 two minutes later, and Budimir sealed the victory for Lokomotiva with a penalty in the third minute of injury time for 3:0.

Lokomotiva is currently in 4th place with 43 points, while Belupo is in 7th with 23. 

Rijeka v. Inter Zapresic (4:1)

Rijeka and Inter met on Tuesday, March 3, 2020, at Rujevica Stadium in front of 3,376 fans. 

Colak scored the first goal for Rijeka early on in the 9th minute for the 1:0 Rijeka lead. Lepinjica increased Rijeka’s lead in the 41st minute for 2:0 at the half. Galovic made it 3:0 in the 66th minute, while Mamut gave Inter one goal in the 70th minute for 3:1. 

Muric scored in the 84th minute for the final score of 4:1. 

Rijeka is currently in 3rd place with 44 points, while Inter is in 9th with 17. 

Istra 1961 v. Osijek (1:0)

Istra and Osijek met in Pula on Wednesday, March 4, 2020, in front of 603 fans. 

Delic scored the only goal of the game in the 2nd minute for 1:0 Istra. 

Istra is currently in 8th place with 19 points, while Osijek is in 5th with 39.

Varazdin v. Gorica (2:2)

Varazdin and Gorica met on Wednesday, March 4, 2020, at NK Varteks Stadium in front of 1,411 fans. 

An own goal by Canadjija made the game 1:0 for Varazdin in the 31st minute. Benko scored three minutes later to make it 2:0 at the half. 

Lovric came back with a goal in the 65th minute for 2:1, and a penalty equalizer by him in the fourth minute of injury time made it 2:2, which was the final score of the game.

Varazdin is currently in 10th place with 17 points, while Gorica is in 6th place with 35. 

Hajduk v. Dinamo (0:2)

Hajduk and Dinamo closed out the 25th round on Wednesday, March 4, 2020, in the 'Eternal Derby' at Poljud in front of 22,436 fans. 

A red card in the 40th minute for Hajduk’s Ismajli completely changed the game, which was still 0:0 at the half. Dinamo took advantage of having a player more in the second half and Kadzior scored two minutes in for the 0:1 Dinamo lead. Ademi increased Dinamo’s lead to 0:2 in the 75th minute, which was the final score of the game. 

Hajduk is currently in 2nd place with 45 points, while Dinamo is in first with 62.

You can see the full HNL table here.

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

March 2, 2020 - The 24th round of the Croatian First League was held from February 27 to 29, 2020. In this round, Dinamo Zagreb stunned Rijeka with a 4:0 win, while Osijek and Hajduk played without goals at City Garden Stadium. 

Inter Zapresic v. Lokomotiva (0:2)

Inter and Lokomotiva opened the 24th round on Thursday, February 27, 2020, in Zapresic in front of 669 fans. 

Kastrati scored for Lokomotiva one minute before the half for the 0:1 lead, while Jakic increased Lokomotiva’s lead to 0:2 in the 69th minute, which was the final score of the game.

Inter is currently in 8th place with 17 points, while Lokomotiva is in 4th with 40.

Slaven Belupo v. Varazdin (0:0)

Belupo and Varazdin met in Koprivnica on Friday, February 28, 2020, in front of 873 fans.

Neither team was able to score throughout the game, which ended 0:0.

Belupo is currently in 7th place with 23 points, while Varazdin is in the last place with 16.

Gorica v. Istra 1961 (3:0)

Gorica and Istria met in Velika Gorica on Friday, February 28, 2020, in front of 791 spectators. 

The first half went without goals, and Gorica scored all three in the second - Dvornekovic in the 57th, Maslowski in the 80th, and Lovric in the 4th minute of injury time for the final score of 3:0.

Gorica is currently in 6th place with 34 points, while Istra is in 8th with 17.

Osijek v. Hajduk (0:0)

Osijek and Hajduk met on Saturday, February 29, 2020, at City Garden Stadium in front of 6,593 fans. 

Neither team was able to score throughout the game, though Hajduk had more chances in the end. The game ended at 0:0. 

Osijek is currently in 5th place with 39 points, while Hajduk is in 2nd with 45.

Dinamo Zagreb v. Rijeka (4:0)

Dinamo and Rijeka closed out the 24th round on Saturday, February 29, 2020, at Maksimir Stadium in front of 5,497 fans. 

Ademi opened the scoring spree for Dinamo in the first minute of the game, a record this season, for 1:0 at the half.

Dinamo didn’t increase their lead until the 81st minute when Kadzior scored for 2:0. Orsic made it 3:0 in the 85th, and Gojak made it 4:0 in the third minute of injury time.

Dinamo is currently in first place with 59 points, while Rijeka is in 3rd with 41.

You can see the full HNL table here.

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

February. 24, 2020 - The 23rd round of the Croatian First League was held from February 21 to 23, 2020. This round featured an unexpected Hajduk blowout against Gorica, while Rijeka topped Osijek in this weekend's derby.

Varazdin v. Lokomotiva (0:2)

Varazdin and Lokomotiv opened the 23rd round on Friday, February 21, 2020, in Varazdin in front of 1,787 fans.

Lokomotiva scored both goals in the first half thanks to Uzini (7’) and Karacic (38’). 

Varazdin is currently in the last place with 15 points, while Lokomotiva is in 5th with 37.

Hajduk v. Gorica (6:0)

Hajduk and Gorica met on Saturday, February 22, 2020, at Poljud stadium in front of 8,847 fans. 

Hajduk’s scoring spree starting in the 10th minute when Krekovic scored for 1:0. Jairo increased their lead in the 35th for 2:0, and Caktas made it 3:0 six minutes before the half. 

Caktas scored again for 4:0 in the 47th, and Jairo’s penalty made it 5:0 in the 56th. Eduok scored 8 minutes after being subbed in for the final score of 6:0.

Hajduk is currently in 2nd place with 44 points, while Gorica is in 6th with 31.

Rijeka v. Osijek (1:0)

Rijeka and Osijek met on Saturday, February 22, 2020, at Rujevica stadium.

Gorgon scored the only goal of the game in the 11th minute for the Rijeka lead. Osijek’s Skoric was given a red card in the final minute of regulation time, and the game ended 1:0.

Rijeka is currently in 3rd place with 41 points, while Osijek is in 4th with 38.

Dinamo v. Inter Zapresic (3:2)

Dinamo and Inter met on Sunday, February 23, 2020, at Maksimir stadium in front of 2,378 fans. 

Dinamo’s Leovac scored in the 6th minute to make it 1:0, though Bosec equalized just before the half to make it 1:1.

Kadzior helped Dinamo retake the lead in the 60th minute for 2:1, and Orsic missed a penalty in the 68th to keep the game at that score.

Gavranovic made up for the miss in the 72nd minute for 3:1, though Andric gave Inter their second goal in the first minute of injury time for a final score of 3:2.

Dinamo is currently in first place with 56 points, while Inter is in 8th with 17.

Istra 1961 v. Slaven Belupo (1:1)

Istra and Belupo closed out the 23rd round on Sunday, February 23, 2020, in Pula in front of 830 fans.

Paez scored for the Istra lead in the 4th minute, though Krstanovic equalized in the 33rd minute for 1:1, which was the final score of the game.

Istra is currently in 9th place with 16 points, while Belupo is in 7th with 22.

You can see the full HNL table here.

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page.

February 17, 2020 - The 22nd round of the Croatian First League was held from February 14 to 16, 2020. Dinamo recorded their second defeat of the season, while Hajduk struggled against Slaven Belupo once again.

Lokomotiva v. Istra 1961 (2:0)

Lokomotiva and Istra opened the 22nd round on Friday, February 14, in Zagreb in front of 320 fans. 

While the first half went without goals, Lokomotiva’s Uzini scored in the 63rd and 67th minutes for 2:0, which was the final score of the game. 

Lokomotiva is currently in 5th place with 34 points, while Istra is in 9th place with 15.

Inter Zapresic v. Varazdin (1:2)

Inter and Varazdin met in Zapresic on Saturday, February 15, 2020, in front of 2,045 spectators. 

Inter was in the lead first thanks to a goal by Serderov in the 19th minute for 1:0 at the half. 

Benko equalized for Varazdin in the 60th minute, and Petkovic gave them the lead in the 70th minute for a final score of 1:2.

Inter is currently in 8th place with 17 points, while Varazdin is in 10th with 15.

Slaven Belupo v. Hajduk (2:1)

Belupo and Hajduk met on Saturday, February 15, 2020, in Koprivnica in front of 2,912 spectators. 

Hajduk was awarded a penalty early the game, which Eduok scored for the lead (0:1). However, a double yellow for Juric in the 37th minute saw Hajduk play with a man down for the rest of the game. 

Bacelic-Grgic equalized just before halftime for 1:1.

Krstanovic scored the winning goal of the game in the 88th minute for the Belupo victory. 

Belupo is currently in 7th place with 21 points, while Hajduk is in 2nd with 41.

Osijek v. Dinamo (1:0)

Osijek and Dinamo met at City Garden Stadium on Sunday, February 16, 2020, in front of 6,450 spectators.

The second half made up for the uneventful first half. First, Dinamo’s Dilaver was shown his second yellow of the game in the 67th minute, which forced Dinamo to play with a man down. In the 77th minute, Maric scored for Osijek, which gave them the 1:0 lead. 

The chances for Dinamo to equalize were even slimmer once Stojanovic was shown a red card in the 4th minute of injury time, and coach Nenad Bjelica was ejected from the pitch two minutes later. 

Osijek is currently in 3rd place with 38 points, while Dinamo remains in 1st with 53. 

Gorica v. Rijeka (0:0)

Gorica and Rijeka closed out the 22nd round on Sunday, February 16, 2020, in Velika Gorica.

Neither team was able to score throughout the game, which ended 0:0.

Gorica is currently in 6th place with 31 points, while Rijeka is in 4th with 38.

You can see the full HNL table here. 

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page.

Good news from Osijek: A patient who spent five days in quarantine at the Osijek Hospital in Croatia was not infected with the coronavirus.

*DAILY UPDATES: Total Croatia News provides LIVE daily updates on the coronavirus epidemic here. An archive of articles can be found here.

Young Croatia Man Arrived From Shanghai on January 20: Reported High Fever

The young man returned from Shanghai on January 20 and complained to doctors having a fever on Saturday. When findings for the initial tests turned out to be positive for the coronavirus, concern grew, according to Novi List on February 2, 2020.

The results of the latest tests performed by Osijek doctors showed that the 26-year-old Đakovo patient is not infected with coronavirus, according to HRT on February 2, 2020. This young man spent five days quarantined in a hospital in Osijek, because doctors suspected that he was infected with the dangerous virus that is causing concern around the whole world

At the moment, a third and final test is pending.

Patient's Temperature Rose to 38 Degrees Celsius: Isolated at Osijek Hospital For Tests

Ljiljana Perić, Head of the Clinic for Infectious Diseases at KBC Osijek informed the public during the afternoon about what was happening in the Osijek case:

"Ten days after returning from China, the patient's body temperature rose to 38 degrees Celsius and we responded according to our ostandard protocol. Our colleagues from family practice announced that they were sending him to the hospital where we received and isolated him. The patient is well, does not have temperature, is does not have any other problems. He is still isolated. Provided that the patient is well, we plan to release him home if the final test is negative," she explained.

*DAILY UPDATES: Total Croatia News provides LIVE daily updates on the coronavirus epidemic here. An archive of articles can be found here.

February 2, 2020 - The Croatia futsal team met Russia in Osijek on Saturday to determine which team would directly qualify for the 2020 World Cup.

The Croatia futsal team failed to defeat World Cup finalists Russia at the end of the qualifying tournament of the Elite Circuit in Osijek. With this win, Russia wins first place in the group and automatically qualifies for the tournament in Lithuania, while Croatia sits in second place and will compete in the playoffs.

Lima led Russia on Saturday with a goal in the seventh minute, though Bajrusovic returned in the 16th minute for 1:1. However, a new goal by Lima and a goal by L. Sutton gave Russia a two-goal advantage at halftime (3:1).

Matosevic made the match uncertain one more with a great long-range goal in the 33rd minute for 3:2, though Romulo made it 4:2 six minutes later. 

Matosevic scored the final goal of the game for the final score of 4:3, as Croatia failed to equalize in the last thirty seconds. 

Thus, with six points, Russia is first in the standings, with Croatia in second, ahead of Azerbaijan and Slovakia, who played 3:3 in the previous match.

Coach Stankovic will lead his team through the World Cup qualifiers in two games (April 9-12), against the second-placed team in Group D, which features Kazakhstan, the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Romania.

“Congratulations to Russia, we were beaten in an exciting match, and futsal won. We were cheered on by people from all over Croatia in Osijek, which shows that this sport has its place under the sun,” Stankovic said after the match.

"Our primary goal was the playoffs, we accomplished that, though there are some regrets because in front of the full hall at home, we could have avoided new qualifying matches. But we will prepare and do our best to qualify for the World Cup,” Stankovic concluded.

Source: HNS

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page.

January 28, 2020 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for new flights to Croatia with updates from Pula and Osijek.

Ex Yu Aviation reports that Croatia Airlines has ended its seasonal service between Pula and Amsterdam, which ran once per week in the summer. The nonstop flight between Pula and Amsterdam originated in Dubrovnik.

The airline announced that it would no longer work on this route this year, though that it would instead boost operations between Zagreb and Amsterdam.  Namely, frequencies on this route will be increased from seven to eight flights per week. 

The added flight will operate on Tuesdays from April 28 to September 29, 2020. 

This move could be due to competition, as last year, easyJet launched a service between Amsterdam and Pula. 

Furthermore, Ex Yu Aviation reports that Eurowings announced that it is ending its seasonal service between Cologne and Osijek this year. However, that it would keep its service between Stuttgart to Osijek.

This news comes after Eurowings announced it would discontinue flights from Berlin and Dusseldorf to Zagreb just before the summer season, in March. The final flight from Berlin and Dusseldorf to Zagreb is scheduled for March 28, 2020.

Eurowings announced back in November that it would maintain six flights per week from Cologne and five from Stuttgart to Zagreb this summer. The low-cost airline will also operate eight return flights from Hamburg this summer, running once per week between July 8 and August 26, 2020.

Recall, last week, Avio Radar reported that the new Danish carrier Great Dane Airlines would fly on a charter line from Denmark to Rijeka. The line will operate this offseason between Copenhagen and Rijeka, on Tuesdays and Thursdays from September 10 to October 15. 

This service is operated by Best Travel tourist agency, and is also the airline's first charter flight to Croatia. The Embraer ERJ-195 will fly on this route. It is also currently the only direct route from Denmark to Rijeka. 

Avio Radar also reported last week that Tunisia’s national carrier Tunisair would again fly on the Zagreb-Monastir charter service, which will operate once a week, on Wednesdays, from May. 27 to October 7, 2020. The line was last in service in 2014, and will currently be the only direct line from Croatia to any destination in Tunisia. An Airbus A320 aircraft will operate on this line.

And finally, beginning May 4, 2020, Air France will offer another direct flight from Zagreb to Paris.

In addition to the existing two direct flights, one of which is in cooperation with Croatia Airlines, a total of three flights to Paris are on offer on daily. The new flight allows passengers to depart and return to Paris in one day, but also to board a flight to North America.

To read more about travel in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page.

Why exactly was Osijek chosen as the very first Croatian 5G city? Companies in Osijek Software City believe this government decision could help invest in increasing the number of IT professionals in this often overlooked Eastern Croatian city.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Bernard Ivezic writes on the 26th of January, 2020, although the decision to make Osijek the first Croatian 5G city rather than Bjelovar, Karlovac or Rijeka, who all applied, can be primarily explained by a very strong and promising local IT community that would research and create new products based on new 5G technologies. Another part of the answer to that question is that there is already high demand in Osijek.

The Osatina Group, an agricultural company with more than 1400 employees, has embarked on the major computerisation of its operations over more recent years. Among other things, the Zagreb-based IT company GDI Group has connected cows to the internet (yes, you read that right), and with the introduction of 5G, it expects to be able to move to autonomously driven tractors, autonomous drones and operate multispectral cameras for what is known as precision agriculture. One of the projects they plan on will see the introduction of 5G in Croatia bring them direct and very welcome savings.

Instead of processing the data on each vehicle, for example during fertilisation, it will now be able to migrate it to the cloud and send only agricultural-relevant information related to their current location to the vehicles. Ericsson Nikola Tesla opened a development centre in the largest city in Slavonia more than a year ago. It develops 5G technologies and, according to the latest information, employs some forty talented IT professionals.

Gordana Kovacevic, President of the Board of Directors of Ericsson NT emphasised that in cooperation with the University of Osijek, new jobs are planned for 300 young scientists. As previously stated, companies in Osijek Software City believe the government decision to make Osijek the first Croatian 5G city could help them invest in projects to increase the number of IT professionals locally. In its latest available survey, conducted back 2018, it can be seen that the number of software development companies in the county increased by 18 percent to 176, the number of employees rose by 19 percent to 713, and the total revenue increased by 93 percent to 351. 9 million kuna.

Exports from these companies increased by 36 percent to a massive 232.2 million kuna. Rimac Automobili is one of the companies that opened a branch in Osijek. Sacha Vrazic, Rimac Automobili's director of autonomous driving development, says 5G will enable real-time driving telemetry.

"The use of 5G will enable real-time telemetry and we'll be able to transmit data from all sensors, as well as that, 5G is also key to the development of smart city technologies," explained Vrazic.

HT has stated that Osijek already has locations ready to become the first Croatian 5G city and is testing them out. It also pointed out that back in September 2019, they demonstrated the first video transmission over the 5G network in this part of Europe with the Osijek startup Orqa.

Tele2 explained that, according to Hakom, they expect that the allocation of the spectrum for 5G will take place in the second half of this year and that this will fulfill all the preconditions for investing in the 5G network.

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