April 4, 2021 - From new epidemiological measures imposed due to the increase in COVID-19 infections to the arrival of Ryanair, here are TCN's five highlights of the week, recapping the big events in Croatia from March 29 to April 4, 2021.

At the end of March, the fight against the pandemic was in its final stages, taking into account the government's efforts to promote the return of the tourist season, the reopening of business in the country, and the announcement of mass vaccinations in Zagreb after Easter. Despite this, the novel coronavirus has once again warned that its presence continues to threaten the population, and this has since manifested in the increase in cases across the country. On the other hand, sporting and cultural events have also stood out as we entered a new month this week.

Croatia U-21 reaches the EURO Tournament Quarterfinals

The eyes were not only all firmly on the senior team, who, after starting the qualifying process with an away loss against Slovenia, got back on track with six points against Cyprus and Malta in Rijeka. Luka Modric also became the most capped player in the history of the Croatian National Team.

Some good news also came for those who follow the younger generations, as the U-21 team won their ticket to the quarter-finals of the EURO tournament in a dramatic fashion. Those led by Igor Biscan failed to win the match, but a Bradaric goal in injury time allowed Croatia to climb to second place, thanks to the other teams' results and goal difference. 

Now, the little Vatreni will have to face Spain on May 31.

Koper, Slovenia (Credit: PIXSELL)

Ryanair announces flights to Croatia

After several years in which the Zagreb International Airport was in deficit in terms of both airlines and low-cost flights, it finally reached an agreement with the well-known Irish low-cost company Ryanair. This agreement was announced through a virtual press conference, in which it was detailed that the capital of Croatia will now be connected to European cities such as Paris, Brussels, Dortmund, Frankfurt, Karlsruhe, Memmingen, Milan, Rome, Podgorica, Oslo, Gothenburg, and London.

Zagreb wasn't the only city to rejoice with this news, as the airline also confirmed 17 new flights to Zadar International Airport in a separate conference, and passengers will be able to choose from a wide variety of European destinations from July 2021. While many still believe this news might affect the future of Croatia Airlines, others including the company itself assure that the regional base establishment of the popular airline in Zagreb will not only create more jobs but also transform the capital's tourism.

Credits: Pixabay

The Prime Minister reveals the National Recovery Plan

After a cabinet meeting which was held last Thursday, PM Andrej Plenkovic announced through a press conference all the details surrounding the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, which aims to reform and transform the country in regard to several different issues such as healthcare, employment, education, science and research, infrastructure, and more. The estimated investment would stand at 18 million kuna and the objective is to carry out these reforms within five years, more precisely between 2021 and 2026.

Plenkovic added that the plan consists of modernising scientific research and educational systems, increasing the quality of the healthcare and pension systems, improving employability through a more efficient programme, and carrying out the reconstruction and structural renovation of numerous homes and buildings in the country, in such a way that they are not only better prepared in case of natural disasters, but that they're also more adapted to the most recent demands for energy efficiency.

Zagreb (Credits: PIXSELL)

The traditional Za Krizen Procession was held on Jelsa

Despite the reduced capacity of followers and pilgrims this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, the island of Hvar celebrated its 2021 edition of its traditional Za Krizen (Behind the Cross) procession in the town of Jelsa, inscribed as intangible UNESCO heritage since 2009. TCN covered an event that usually gathers thousands of people around the island as they follow the carriers, but this year had to settle with only the participants and few witnesses in the streets.

The overnight processions were held in the towns of Jelsa, Pitve, Vrisnik, Svirce, Vrbanj, and Vrboska. The event started simultaneously in the six towns at 22:00 pm as the habitants have done for centuries, and ended at the main square.

Jelsa (Credit: PIXSELL)

The measures against COVID-19 are tightened due to the large increase in cases

A month ago, all the cafes, bars, and restaurants in the country were reopened, after many weeks without serving their loyal customers, as an extreme measure to combat the virus. The condition was to serve only outdoors on the terraces and with a limited capacity. The streets were filled with life and joy again. However, one month later, the numbers have dramatically increased and although it is unlikely that a complete lockdown will be imposed again, the government has announced that new measures will take place in order to reduce the infections and it will last until 15 April, before being reviewed again.

In Split-Dalmatia County, for instance, which has seen a big increase in new infections, the mandatory wearing of face masks at outdoor venues with an increased flow of people will be introduced, as will a ban on the sale of alcohol from 8 pm to 6 am. The work of cafes will be restricted until 8 pm, and it will be possible to serve food and drinks only in the open. Foreign language schools will switch to online classes again.

Split (Credit: PIXSELL)

From Monday to Sunday, we list five events featured on the front pages of Croatia's news portals.

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ZAGREB, November 14, 2020 - Croatia, in cooperation with the European Union, has ordered COVID vaccines from several companies, and the delivery of the reserved doses can be expected in the country as soon as the vaccinations are registered, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said at a news conference in Zagreb on Saturday.

Croatia, in agreement with the EU, has concluded several Advance Purchase Agreements.

For instance, the European Commission and AstraZeneca have concluded such agreement on the delivery on 300 million doses of its coronavirus vaccine for the whole EU, and Croatia has ordered 2.7 million doses from that company.

Sanofi is supposed to provide the EU with 300 million doses, and the distribution of its vaccines across the EU member-states will be defined in December, Plenkovic told the news conference.

The EU is going to purchase 200 million doses from Janssen Pharmaceutica owned by Johnson & Johnson, and Croatia has booked 900,000 doses.

Finally, 200 million doses of the vaccine developed by the Pfizer & BioNTech have been booked for the EU plus an additional 100 million doses, and Croatia has reserved a million doses of this vaccine.

Commenting on the healthcare system in the country and struggle to contain the novel coronavirus, Plenkovic underscored that on Friday, his cabinet allocated HRK 1.34 billion to hospitals for the repayment of a part of the debt to drug wholesalers through a revision of the state budget.

He underscored the government's decision to approve state aid in the amount of HRK 88.5 million for Croatia Airlines to help it deal with the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic.

Job retention measures, rise in basic and minimum wages by €127 and €120 respectively 

Considering the job-retention measures, the government will have paid more than eight billion kuna for that purpose, he recalled.

He also underscored Friday's agreement between the government and public sector unions on a HRK 1,500 Christmas bonus and a previously agreed 4% base pay rise.

Thus, the government has reached the target of its four-year policy to have the wages raised by 18.3%.

The basic wage has increased by 952 kuna, and the minimum wage has increased by 904 kuna over that period of four years, he said.

(€1 = HRK 7.5)

ZAGREB, October 29, 2020 - PM Andrej Plenkovic has said that Croatia is entering the most difficult stage in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic but that even though forecasts are a thankless task, judging by the current trends, the country seems to be slowlymoving away from the exponential growth of new infections.

"It is essential that our citizens understand that we are possibly entering the most difficult stage of the fight against the pandemic," Plenkovic told a press conference after a cabinet meeting on Thursday.

Plenkovic said that the number of new cases in the past few weeks had been increasing rapidly, that it was still growing significantly but that in the past few days the increase was a little slower than in the past few weeks.

"It seems that, judging by the current trends, we are slowly moving away from the exponential curve. The coming days and weeks will show whether that trend will continue. Unlike Germany, Italy and Austria, where that growth is much faster, our numbers are growing, but at a slower rate," he said.

He added that the latest anti-epidemic measures were proportional to developments regarding the epidemic and that the government wanted all citizens to be aware of the need to adhere to those measures.

"If they do, I believe that these indicators... will lead to a gradual decrease in the number of new cases and curb the epidemic in the next few critical weeks," underscored Plenkovic.

 A total of 2,776 new cases of coronavirus infection have been confirmed in Croatia in the last 24 hours, the largest number in a single day since the outbreak of the epidemic, and 18 people have died, the national coronavirus response team reported on Thursday.

ZAGREB, Oct 2, 2020 - Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Friday that today, the second day of their summit, EU leaders would talk about economic issues and preparations for absorbing Recovery Plan and Next Generation EU funds.

"Today's debate will be economic in nature, how to strengthen the common market in the circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic. We'll also talk about how all governments, through joint effort, can prepare their reform and resilience programmes so that the relevance of investment and reform funding comes to about 37% for the green transition and 20% for the digital transformation," Plenkovic told the press in Brussels.

The Croatian government too is investing efforts in that direction, he added. "The Croatian government's activities in the months and years ahead will be in line with that, following the work of this European Commission also via the seven-year budget."

Plenkovic will leave the summit earlier to meet US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Dubrovnik.

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ZAGREB, Sept 28, 2020 - PM Andrej Plenkovic has said that President Zoran Milanovic's invitation to him to hold talks is beside the point and that the new ambassadorial appointment will be the sole topic of their meeting, repeating, in the context of the JANAF affair, that "there are no untouchables" in investigations.

Since the JANAF graft scandal broke Milanovic and Plenkovic have been trading barbs, with the government having told Milanovic that he should stabilise, to which he has responded that he is more stable than Plenkovic, recalling the PM's having lunged at a member of parliament during a debate.

Asked to comment on Milanovic's statements, Plenkovic said during a visit to Sibenik on Monday: "One can see from afar that he has stabilised."

No untouchables

The PM repeated that the autonomy of state institutions was the main topic of the ongoing debate.

"We have to get back to the main topic - the autonomy of the Office of the Chief State Prosecutor, the Office for Suppression of Corruption and Organised Crime and police, the secrecy of preliminary probes and a truly uncompromised fight against corruption. That is the policy of our government, and if there is suspicion that someone has been involved in corruption, regardless of who they are, the party they belong to or their office - they have to answer for it," said the PM.

The government has been and will continue acting accordingly, in line with the law, he said, adding that "the public and all political actors have to realise that there are no untouchables. That is, as far as we are concerned, where the story begins and ends," he said.

Talks only on ambassadorial appointments

Asked by reporters if that meant that there would be no meeting to which President Milanovic had invited him, Plenkovic said that the invitation was beside the point.

"The only meeting we will have is one concerning the appointment of new ambassadors," he said.

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ZAGREB, Sept 28, 2020 - President Zoran Milanovic said on Monday that he had apologised to everyone he had offended with his way of communicating and that he was more stable than Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic.

"I have apologised, it (the manner of my apology) can be ironic but is not insulting. I did not call anyone mad. I did not turn on anyone physically in parliament. I don't see what the fuss is about. For someone to tell you to stabilise, what does that mean? I am more stable than he is," Milanovic said.

Milanovic's latest comment ensued after a reply from the government to his request for a meeting with Plenkovic to discuss the Janaf graft that he (Milanovic) first needs to apologise to everyone he has insulted and to calm down.

Later War Veterans' Affairs Minister Tomo Medved commented on Milanovic's apology saying that it did not appear to be an apology but the continuation of unacceptable dialogue.

I wouldn't go back to the "club" 

Milanovic told reporters that he had visited a club owned by former Janaf CEO Dragan Kovacevic, twice in the company of a "very small group" and that he would not go there ever again.

"He was  the CEO of Janaf. I start from the point that he must be someone who represents something, and he is someone I have known for some time. I was in the company of a completely different group. I did not go there on St. Martin's and especially not since I was elected. Some fish arrived from Split and no one wanted to buy it so we went and ate what was left," he said.

Asked whether it was appropriate that he as the president went to the "club" during lockdown, Milanovic told reporters to stop with that "demagogy."

Both the President and Prime Minister continued their work during the entire time of the lockdown and meet with their associates and during that time 50% of the population went to work too, he recalled.

"This is to ridiculous. Was I supposed to stay home and consult with my associates via 'zoom'," he asked and claimed that a certain level of trust has to exist.

Asked whether a visit by US State Secretary Mike Pompeo can be related to certain strategic management projects, Milanovic said that it can be related to the US presidential election.

"They did not remember us for four years. Now, the visa regime is being abolished, that should have been done long ago. We are treated as a security problem and that's that. We in fact did not have any relations with the US for the past four years," he said.

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ZAGREB, Sept 28, 2020 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic on Monday visited the coastal city of Sibenik and after talks with mayor Zeljko Buric and county head Goran Pauk, he said he was glad local priority projects were either being implemented or prepared.

"I'm glad we will visit a new centre which will serve to educate young people who with their start-up businesses want to follow in the footsteps of our giants Infobit and Nanobit. The centre, a HRK 28 million investment, to be launched today, shows that the city and Sibenik-Knin County have been following the trends of the fourth industrial revolution, digital transformation and new technologies," Plenkovic said, adding that he was confident the recently amended law on foreign nationals would make Sibenik and Sibenik-Knin County attractive to digital nomads.

Damages should be paid to Varivode victims' families

As Plenkovic arrived in Sibenik after a visit to Varivode, a village in the Sibenik hinterland where he attended a commemoration for nine Serb civilians killed in the aftermath of the 1995 Operation Storm, reporters wanted to know if the victims' families would receive compensation.

"Court decisions awarding damages should be implemented, and as for responsibility, there is no statute of limitations on war crimes, so we expect the competent institutions to continue with their work. We have stepped up work on the prosecution of war crimes... a lot of time has passed and it is increasingly difficult to find evidence and witnesses. Both police and specialised prosecutorial offices will continue working on that," he said.

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ZAGREB, Sept 25, 2020 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Friday that he was not pleased that three of his ministers had visited the club of former JANAF CEO Dragan Kovacevic during the lockdown when all bars were closed and citizens were advised to avoid large gatherings. 

"I think the same as you do. You think I am thrilled? You should ask around a bit more about who was there and when. I don't know, but you look into it," Plenkovic said in response to questions from the press after a meeting of the parliamentary group of his Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) party.

Asked if he considered it a problem that his ministers had gone to the club during the lockdown, he said that there were also some more senior officials who frequented the place.

"I asked all my ministers at the cabinet meeting and three of them said they had been there. They had also said this in public, which was the first time I heard about it. Why do you think that I as the prime minister should know where any of them has their lunch or dinner, who they socialise with. That's not realistic, it's beside the point," Plenkovic said.

He referred the press to the ministers Tomislav Coric, Oleg Butkovic and Josip Aladrovic to ask them to explain why they had gone there, noting that he did not know and that this was not something he should know.

He added that they should also ask the State Inspectorate why they had not checked the club. "As far as I could see in the media, they said they did not go there because that place is not registered as a catering establishment."

"What is very important in this whole story is the astonishment of the President and some of the former presidents who were quoted by some dailies yesterday as experts. That is a novelty to me and a much bigger thing than those who are astonished that the government, the State Attorney's Office, USKOK and police act in accordance with the law," the prime minister said, adding that at issue here was the separation of powers into three branches of government and compliance with the law. "That is crucial, of course, along with suspicions of corruption." 

Asked to comment on the opposition's initiative to set up a parliamentary inquiry commission to look into the influence of the executive branch on the work of independent judicial institutions, Plenkovic said that he did not need an inquiry commission to understand "who is astonished by what." He said that as soon as the opposition decides on the exact scope of that commission, the HDZ and their coalition partners would consider the proposal.

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ZAGREB, September 22, 2020 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Tuesday, on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the UN, that it was necessary to "make the United Nations fit for the 21st century" and called for reforming the Security Council and combating climate change.

"Today we live in a much different world than 75 years ago. The technological revolution changed and improved our lives beyond comparison. Yet the scourge that plagued the world in the autumn of 1945, the hunger and poverty, the disease and refugees, still burdens parts of our planet," the prime minister said in a video message.

The UN has 193 member states and Croatia has been one since 22 May 1992.

Plenkovic said "unprecedented progress has been achieved in the past 75 years."

"Whereas two out of three people lived in extreme poverty at the end of the Second World War, today this share has fallen to less than one in ten, and by 2030 this should fall under one in 16," he added.

But the world is facing new challenges and it is necessary to revitalise the UN, he said, calling this year's General Assembly session "a springboard for that."

"We must make the United Nations fit for the 21st century... The revitalisation of the United Nations's work has to go beyond the General Assembly. Reform of the Security Council is long overdue. Our historical anniversary should also be an occasion for revisiting the UN Charter to meet the needs and realities of the new era."

Plenkovic also called for combating climate change, saying "climate change is one of the pivotal fields for the future of humanity. This is where we cannot afford to fail. We have to adjust to new realities, find the way to meet new challenges... achieve all Sustainable Development Goals and avoid the pitfalls of the past."

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ZAGREB, September 8, 2020 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Tuesday that the intentional calculated risk in relaxing epidemiological measures enabled the reactivation of the economy and that the policy of reopening the country was based on expert estimates.

Asked by reporters on the margins of a convention of Croatian exporters whether the government's calculated risk helped the tourism sector, while on the other hand it was detrimental to exporters due to a surge in new cases in the recent weeks, which was why some countries put Croatia on their quarantine lists, Plenkovic answered that without the reopening of the borders, there would not have been seven million visitors this summer and Croatia would not have achieved 50% of last year's tourist industry turnover.

There would have been a complete lockdown and quarantine if there had been no calculated risk, Plenkovic said, recalling that currently no government in the world is in favour of a lockdown.

Commenting on the official extension of job retention measures and other forms of assistance to the economy affected by the corona crisis, the premier said that it was important to provide fast and ample help, and the state authorities had done so this spring when many businesses had been hit by the crisis.

Calibrating assistance by size of damage suffered

Now we are calibrating the assistance, there are measures for micro businesses, a shortened working week and assistance to the activities worst hit by the crisis, Plenkovic said, adding that he believed that his cabinet did it right.

The schemes and grants which are estimated to cost 800 million kuna are "an investment in the future of the Croatian economy and provides a start for the recovery," he said.

Asked about the possible extension of moratoriums on enforced debt collection, Plenkovic said that the government had provided maximum assistance, however, loans and bills must be settled.

"Measures that can alleviate the situation are in place while on the other hand, there is no place for measures that can turn the whole situation into an endless write-off of debts, he explained.

Plenkovic welcomed today's announcement that the local Infinum company and Germany's Porsche Digital would invest €10 million in a joint company that will build digital products for the auto industry, and hoped that more similar companies will find their place in Croatia in the future.

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