Maj 22, 2020 - The Prime Minister toured the most luxurious ship in the world, currently anchored in the port of Rijeka, not far from his sister vessel, which construction began recently in Rijeka shipyard 3. maj as a part of an investment worth 860 million euros

Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, accompanied by Minister of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Crafts Darko Horvat, Minister of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure Oleg Butković and Minister of Tourism Gari Cappelli, visited the Scenic Eclipse, the best luxury ship in the world according to critics from last year. The luxury 6-star ship, owned by the Australian Scenic Group, sailed into the port of Rijeka this month, where it will remain until the situation with the coronavirus calms down.

We will be looking for solutions that will enable the continuation of Croatian shipbuilding because it was fascinating to see that in such difficult circumstances a ship like this was built in Uljanik. Many of the shipyard employees contributed greatly to the construction of this ship, although it ended with one incredible personal engagement of the client himself. The whole idea is to start with further investments, this time in 3. maj. Such ships, according to the captain are the best there is at the moment when it comes to polar cruisers and will be built in the Rijeka shipyard in the future, said Prime Minister Plenković. He also stated that the intentions of the Scenic Group are still very strong and a solution is being sought on how to proceed with these processes in the right way.

Prime Minister Plenković and ministers were welcomed in Rijeka by Saša Čokljat, director of MKM Yachts, a subsidiary of the Australian corporation Scenic, which has ordered Eclipse II. Australian businessman and Scenic Group owner Glen Moroney greeted them via video call from Switzerland. On this occasion, Čokljat once again expressed his satisfaction with the excellent cooperation with the Government of the Republic of Croatia, which has recognized the importance of the project and the long-term development perspective it can provide to the Croatian shipbuilding.

I am extremely glad because, at the moment when other cruising companies are putting their projects on hold, Scenic Group and 3. maj are starting a new business. We believe that this job will not only strengthen Scenic's fleet but also the shipyard itself. The activation of state guarantees awaits us soon which will enable a needed work to start the construction in full swing of the sister luxury polar cruiser ship. I believe that one such construction creates an opportunity to preserve rich tradition in shipbuilding, the continuity of production and knowledge, and hundreds of jobs, said Čokljat.

If we make a recall, cutting the sheets for the hull of the ship "Eclipse II" in April concluded a new project of building five cruisers worth 860 million euros. The first 1,000 tons of steel from a total of 4,500 arrived from North Macedonia. The hull keel is scheduled to be laid in 3. maj by the beginning of this summer. Then, the construction of four more ships with similar characteristics is planned. 

"Scenic Eclipse" was also built and completed at the Croatian shipyard Uljanik in July 2019. Its construction is specific because, at a time when the ship was only half-way completed, Uljanik ended in a blockade and bankruptcy. Scenic then set a precedent - it did not collect 50 million euros of state guarantees, but it returned them to the state - it kept the ship and continued construction with its own funds and manpower. There are two helicopters on board for trips to distant places, as well as a submarine that can dive to a depth of 330 meters below the sea surface to provide guests with an unforgettable and unique adventure experience. At the christening ceremony in New York last year, the godmother of "Scenic Eclipse" was the famous actress Helen Mirren.

Now meet the original Scenic Eclipse. You can learn more about Scenic Eclipse on the official website. 

May 22, 2020 — Croatia’s Prime Minister Andrej Plenković promised more aid to hard-hit economic sectors, shying away from the broader actions the government took when the coronavirus pandemic began. The announcement came in a freewheeling press conference that tackled everything from the local governments to upcoming elections.

“We will try to calibrate the measures only for those sectors that will obviously be in more difficult circumstances,” he said after a government session. “There are several of them, primarily related to tourism, partly to catering and, of course, to transport.”

The Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) head’s announcement comes after Parliament disbanded and called for new elections. The existing governing structure, often referred to as a “technical government”, is traditionally a placeholder keeping the gears moving until the next government takes over. It’s not generally a time for policy additions.

Plenković dismissed the notion of a “technical government,” and any conflict in enacting new measures during an election season.

“That’s just jargon,” he said. “It doesn’t exist.

“Let someone find a regulation where there is a technical government, I would like to see that,” he added. “The government has clearly prescribed powers what it can do when elections are called. We function quite normally as previous governments functioned.”

Plenković dismissed accusations he ignored the plight of entrepreneurs.

“We are talking about massive support for the private sector and job preservation,” he said.

He cited today's decision to accept a loan from the World Bank as one example for financing measures to help the economy.

The government initiated procedures for concluding two loan agreements with the World Bank — one worth €200 million for reconstruction after the earthquake and strengthening the response to COVID-19 and another €275.9 million loan aimed at a broader response to the crisis and support for recovery.

The Prime Minister also said HDZ supports the existing number of counties, but that the party has been discussing models of reforms at the municipal level.

"Counties are the structure of modern and contemporary Croatia,” he said. “They have been with us since 1993 and have 27 years of tradition. HDZ, which had 13 out of 20 counties in the last elections, has a very clear position that the counties will remain.

“There is no dilemma here, nor has that topic ever come into question,” said Plenković, answering the question why the HDZ thinks that a small country like Croatia still needs 20 counties plus the City of Zagreb.

Recent polls show Plenković’s party holds a slim lead over opposition Social Democrats, raising the prospect of a “grand coalition” between ideological opposites.

The Prime Minister said that he was not ready to form a coalition with everyone, but that when the HDZ came to that position, it would form a government with partners who were close in terms of worldview and program, and said that these were "two elements that are always guided".

Commenting that current coalition partner HNS did not share this government’s worldview, Plenković replied that they had found common program points.

Asked if this means that they can form a coalition with anyone, including Social Democrats, if they agree to the program, he answered ironically.

"With the SDP, after all the statements on our part, after the great, constructive, cultural, polite, fantastic, wonderful statements of the SDP leaders, especially towards the President of the Croatian Parliament, I think that within the HDZ everyone is bursting with desire for a coalition with SDP,” he said.

ZAGREB, May 22, 2020 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Friday that President Zoran Milanovic's statement that he might not go to the polls to vote in the parliamentary election is a striking message to Social Democratic Party (SDP) leader Davor Bernardic and voters on the left.

"I didn't have time to see his interview because I was in Rijeka. I think that that is a striking message for Davor Bernardic, and for voters on the left," Plenkovic said when asked to comment on Milanovic's statement about considering not to go to the polls on 5 July for the reason of impartiality.

Considering Milanovic's statement that there would not be the usual consultations after the election, Plenkovic said that if voters give the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) their confidence, after the election the party would talk with potential partners.

"As usual, we will seek 76 signatures and when someone has 76 signatures regardless of the model of consultations, everything is clear," Plenkovic said.

Asked whether his position as prime minister was an advantage in the parliamentary election, Plenkovic claimed that in the last campaign he was not in government yet HDZ won then too.

"The theory of separating the party from politics does not exist. For example, after a president is elected he is no longer a member of any party hence he has the liberty to say he won't go to the poll and support Bernardic who had strongly supported him to become president," concluded Plenkovic.

ZAGREB, May 21, 2020 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic on Thursday said that the government would continue to "calibrate" measures and provide support even after May for those sectors which will obviously be in more difficult circumstances, primarily tourism and transport, and partially the hospitality sector.

Addressing reporters after a cabinet meeting, Plenkovic said that after April and May, the account would be taken after lockdown measures have been lifted entirely to see which sectors whose business was significantly different, for example, from the same period last year and then the government will continue with "calibrated" support for them.

"We will endeavor to calibrate measures only for those sectors that will obviously be in more difficult circumstances and there are several of them, primarily this relates to tourism, partially to hospitality and naturally to transport," Plenkovic underlined.

He stressed that the government had done an awful lot for Croatia's entrepreneurship.

"We are speaking of massive support to the private sector and for preserving jobs," he said and highlighted job keeping measures of HRK 3,250 per employee for March and HRK 4,000 for April and May each, adding that in April alone that measure related to just under 600,000 workers.

Plenkovic described today's government decision to borrow money from the World Bank as one of the examples of financing measures to support the economy.

During today's meeting, the government decided to launch proceedings to take out two loans with the World Bank - one worth €200 million for post-earthquake reconstruction and a stronger COVID-19 response and the other, worth €275.9 million, for broader crisis response and recovery support.

Asked by reporters whether he would meet with casual hauliers and other entrepreneurs who conducted a protest rally on Thursday organized by the Voice of Entrepreneurs Association, Plenkovic said that the relevant ministers were communicating with all representatives of entrepreneurs.

He added that Tourism Minister Gari Cappelli met today with representatives of casual hauliers, adding that the government had the role of a mediator via the relevant ministries and that the HANFA Financial Services Supervisory Agency was there for entrepreneurs who have leasing contracts.

"If there is an opportunity, I too could talk with them but that is not on the agenda now," he said.

ZAGREB, May 20, 2020 - Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) secretary-general Gordan Jandrokovic said on Tuesday that a grand coalition with the Social Democratic Party (SDP) "is not an option that interests us" and that the SDP did not have a man who was a match for HDZ leader and Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic.

"We believe we will achieve a relative victory and find partners to form the government and avoid connecting with the SDP," the speaker of the parliament which dissolved on Monday said about the upcoming election.

Speaking on the public broadcaster, Jandrokovic said he expected President Zoran Milanovic to be the president of all citizens. Commenting on Milanovic's role in the election campaign, he said, "In a certain way, he is choosing a side and discretely trying to help the SDP."

Speaking of SDP leader Davor Bernardic, Jandrokovic said: "he is not up to the task of (being prime minister) either as a man or as a politician."

Asked about a national salvation government in cases of a second COVID-19 wave, he said that for now, he did not see the need for that. "Who would be our partners in this grand coalition? Those of yesterday or today, who have shown how irresponsibly they approach serious matters?"

Jandrokovic said the opposition, which demanded a parliamentary election in recent months, was now scared because Plenkovic and the HDZ had done an excellent job in dealing with the corona crisis and that this was why it had begun to defame the members of the crisis management team "in an ugly and inappropriate manner."

ZAGREB, May 19, 2020 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and US State Secretary Mike Pompeo on Monday held a telephone conversation on the struggle against the COVID-19 pandemic and on the Croatia-USA bilateral cooperation, the Croatian government stated on Monday evening.

During the talks, initiated by the US State Secretary, the two interlocutors exchanged the opinions and latest data on the developments surrounding the coronavirus pandemic.

They agreed that a priority should be given to the development of a COVID-19 vaccine and medicines.

Plenkovic extended condolences to Pompeo on a high number of victims of this disease in the USA, and expressed hope that patients diagnosed with the infection would soon recover.

Pompeo congratulated Plenkovic on the Croatian Presidency of the Council of the European Union and on the Zagreb Summit held as a video conference in early May.

The also exchanged positions on the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the premier underscored that the Croat people in that country supported the integration of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Euro-Atlantic institutions.

He underlined that Croatia supported all the reform processes which include the equality of all the three constituent people.

Also, the Visa Waiver Program for the Croatians and the conclusion of a US-Croatia agreement on double taxation avoidance were the topics of the Plenkovic-Pompeo talks.

The US State Secretary tweeted on his account that he was "pleased to work with such a close Ally on COVID-19 and defense cooperation. Croatia has done a great job holding the EU Presidency during a difficult time. Together, we will overcome our shared challenges."

December 5, 2018 - Media Servis is an information agency that began broadcasting radio information programs in 2003. Today, they specialize in producing radio programs, including informative, political, entertainment, sports, and other programs.

On Tuesday, Media Servis' interview of the week hosted Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary, Mr. Peter Szijjártó.  The interview was held on Tuesday evening in the Residence of the Hungarian Ambassador in Zagreb before the gala dinner.

You can find the interview below in its entirety. 

On the occasion of the summit of the Central European Initiative, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó stayed in Croatia yesterday. On that occasion, he selected Media Service as the leading Croatian news agency for an exclusive interview. He commented on the bilateral meeting of premiers Andrej Plenković and Viktor Orban, relations between the two countries, the situation around INA and MOL, the return of Zsolt Hernadi to the Interpol arrest warrant, the LNG terminal and the migration crisis. Before the gala dinner with the Croatian state top, Andrea Barać interviewed Péter Szijjártó at the Hungarian Embassy.

I'm Andrea Barać and our guest is the minister of foreign affairs and trade of Hungary Mr. Peter Szijjártó. Welcome. 

Good evening. Thank you for the opportunity.

Let's start with the today's meeting of our prime ministers Plenković and Orban. Orban's last official visit was seven years ago. Are you satisfied with today's meeting? Was it an opportunity to remove the splinters from under the nail as Orban said.

Look we're happy that this meeting finally took place. We're absolutely unsatisfied with the state of play of our relations. We're neighboring countries to each other, we should be natural allies, that is determined by history, but for some reason, our relationship is much less developed than it could be and as it should be. So if prime ministers of neighboring countries do not pay official visits to each other's countries for six, seven years that's very telling. That's why today's meeting was very important, to break the ice in this regard. Everyone knows what is the elephant in the room. Everybody knows that our relationship regarding trade, regarding investments, regarding minorities, regarding people to people contacts are fine. But this energy issue, let's call it like that, in a simplified way of course somehow acts as a shadow on the whole relationship and regardless of possible forward progress on some issues, on some areas of cooperation this shadow puts a bad feeling on the relationship. 

Are you also unhappy, like Orban, about this situation?

We're unhappy with the situation because this relationship could bring a lot more benefit to both countries if this issue wasn't there. Imagine, we have a trading volume around 2,3 billion euros annually. Last year there was an increase of 19 percent. Our people to people contacts are fine, if that wasn't the case then Hungarian tourists wouldn't come to this country in such a huge volume. Until September we've had 5 hundred and 75 thousand Hungarians visiting Croatia which is more than the entire year 2017. Hungarian people spent more than 3 million nights in Croatia until the end of September which is already more than the entire year of 2017. Our minorities are satisfied with their situations. We've had the representatives of Croatians living in Hungary in our delegation. Your prime minister had the representatives of Hungarians living in Croatia in his delegation, this is much more than telling. It assures us that the situation of the minorities is absolutely satisfied that was underlined by the two gentlemen during the plenary meeting today. When it comes to investments, OTP bank, the number one Hungarian bank is now becoming the fourth strongest player in your banking market. These things look good.

What about bad things?

Regarding energy. We could have a much quicker and much more efficient forward progress if there was more let's say readiness or mutual understanding in this regard. You know Hungary is pretty much dependant on gas imported from Russia and we're looking for certain opportunities to diversify our sources and roots.

When you mention gas. Orban said today that the main reason we should cooperate is the price of gas and if we build this LNG terminal in Krk which price would be acceptable for you to ensure cooperation?

If we take a look at the current price which was determined by the open season procedure regarding the hopefully established LNG port on the island of Krk than that price is 20 percent higher compared to the price of gas we're buying from the Russian pipeline gas and 20 percent is too much. When we speak about the need for diversification we think about various scenarios. For example, American and Austrian companies are planning to exploit gas from the offshore gas fields in the Romanian territory in the Black Sea. We're negotiating with Slovenia about building an interconnector between two countries through which LNG ports in Italy would be accessible. We have a pipeline connecting us to Slovakia through which certain northern gas sources are accessible as well. For us, this is an issue of diversification and this is a matter of price. We hope that we'll find a satisfactory solution. Your prime minister authorized your minister of environmental protection and energy, mister Tomislav Ćorić, and I'm authorized by my prime minister to carry on these negotiations and I'm hoping we'll find a solution, but price matters. You have to understand that when you spend the taxpayer's money on supplying your country's energy demand you have to care about the price pretty much.

Hungary has withdrawn the block on Croatian entry into the OECD. Why did you make that decision?

We're interested in having a good relationship with all the neighboring countries. We understand that the better relationship we have with our neighbors the stronger we are and our situation is better. And in our interest is that our neighbor is successful as well, because more successful our neighbors are, the more successful we are. And we understood that your endeavors to enter OECD are very strong. For us, your economic success is of interest and that's why we decided to support your entry into the OECD as we have made a similar decision regarding Romania as well. 

Your media reported that Hungary was really unsatisfied with our government's stance regarding MOL and Zsolt Hernadi. What's your point of view?  Were you angry at some point when Hernadi returned on Interpol's red arrest warrant?

We consider this a legal issue, and we never interfere into legal issues. In order to be able to rebuild a good relationship, we have to separate political from legal issues. So jurisdiction has to do its own job without any kind of influence or interference from any government. On the other hand, when it comes to issuing of MOL and INA we consider it a corporate issue, as a company issue.

Do you agree with Orban that Croatia should redeem INA's shares from MOL?

I generally agree with him of course and in this concrete issue I absolutely agree with him, he represents the position of the government. So we have to understand that this MOL INA relationship did not work out or hasn't been working out so far very well. If it turns out, and it seems to me it has already turned out that there's no way of successful cooperation between these two companies, which happens, that can happen. It can be considered a usual phenomenon in international business. When such things happen it's better to divorce. In this regard, we as a Hungarian government are not part of the debate because this debate is going on basically between the Croatian government and the Hungarian company called MOL. We keep it at the corporate level and I think it's much better for everyone.

Let's continue now with the summit of Central European initiative. What do you expect from this summit and tomorrows plenary session and which subjects will be in Hungary's focus?

Regarding CEI we think it's a very important instrument to promote enlargement of the European Union. Because both Croatia and Hungary are very sensitive to the issues happening in the so-called Western Balkans region or the southern part of Central Europe let's put it this way. We both, Croatians and Hungarians, understand very well the importance and impact of Western Balkans on Europe. And we both understand very well the difference between secure situation and calm situation in the Western Balkans and the contrary. We both understand very well that the integration of this part of the continent to the European Union is vital when it comes to economy and security, both. Unfortunately, we have to understand that there's no such sensitivity in Western Europe, no such understanding. We, as Central Europeans have to push for the enlargement procedure to be accelerated. Because this is in our interest. We'd rather use the CEI as an instrument to promote enlargement of the European Union.

What about the migration crisis?

Migration crisis is definitely the most serious challenge European union ever had to face. And again, we living in this neighborhood understand it very well because we remember when 400 thousand illegal migrants marched through Hungary's territory, violating our border, disrespecting our culture, our rules, our regulations, our way of life. Threatening people, behaving in a very undisciplined way, attacking our police. We don't want to see these events repeated in Hungary again. We see pictures on television, hear the news on the radio about the situation at the border between Croatia and the Bosnia and Herzegovina. We respect you for protecting your external border and we think this is a crucial issue. So if Europe is not able to regain the ability to control its borders then Europe will be under an enormous security threat in the future. That's why we're happy to cooperate with all countries in the Western Balkans whether they're in the EU or not to help them protect their external borders. Because this is the key. For example, Hungary considers it a matter of sovereignty that only we can make the decision who we allow to enter our territory and who we don't allow. We want to maintain our right to make the decision with who we would like to live together on our own. Not to be influenced by others and the decision shouldn't be made by anyone else, just us.

How did you react when the European Parliament voted for sanctions for Hungary because they claim you violated European values?

That report was basically revenged on behalf of the European Parliament. Revenge on our migratory policy since we proved that the basic principles of European migratory policies were based on lies. Bruxelles said that it's impossible to stop migration we have proved that it's possible to stop it. Bruxelles said that migration is by definition good and I think the time has proven that migration is extremely dangerous when it comes to terrorism and para societies. There's a revenge against us this is number one. Number two this report is basically a collection of lies, qualified lies. 69 allegations have been put in this report against Hungary, out of which 13 have already been sorted out between the European Commission and the Hungarian government back in 2011 and 2012. There are 19 issues on which the discussion has been ongoing between the Commission and the Hungarian government as it is the normal way. There are 37 perceptions, lies, we know very well about my country. Like the lack of freedom of media which is a lie. Lack of freedom of speech which is a lie. It even says antisemitism is on the rise, and the Federation of Jewish organizations sent a letter saying it's not true. We have to understand that if you go against the mainstream in the European Union if you go against the mainstream in order to preserve or maintain the security of your citizen than you'll be attacked.

You mentioned problems with illegal migrations. Can you tell me what you find problematic in the UN's Global compact of regular migrations? Our government is supporting it.

I know. You know I was the only foreign minister to take part in all four intergovernmental meetings in New York preparing the Global compact on migration. All other countries were represented by the permanent representative in New York or some other diplomats working in New York embassies. I was the only one so I read all the versions of the text from the very beginning to the very end and I have to tell you that this Global compact will repeat the similar kind of mistake that the European Union committed with its migratory policy. This Global compact on migration portrays migration as a fundamental human right which is not true, which is a lie. This Global compact on migration portrays migration in a very unbalanced and biased way saying that this is basically the best thing that could happen to humanity and says nothing about the security risks. Says nothing about the right of the people to have a safe and secure life in their homes. It encourages further migratory flaws as it says there should be training carried out for those who want to leave their homes. It says we should carry out campaigns "Why migration is positive". It says that all migrants should be provided with similar kind of services just like local citizens. It says that data gathered during social service to this people must not be shared with the immigration authorities. This Global compact on migration says that there shouldn't be any legal differentiation between migrants, legal and illegal. This is terrible from the European perspective and as time goes by you'll see more and more countries deciding against this Compact. I think it's parallel with more and more people reading it. We've said from the beginning that this is a really dangerous document and the impact of that will be even bigger than the impact of a forced and failed migratory policy of the European Union because this is a global thing.

What if something happens to Hungary and your people want to migrate somewhere in the future and if some other country has the same point of view as you. Would it be a problem for you?

What kind of scenario do you mean?

Hypothetically something happens, war for instance and your people want to migrate somewhere else.

I would rather avoid speaking about these kinds of scenarios which hopefully will never happen. But what I can tell you is the following because I think I understand the principle of your question. So our policy is that we have to make sure that everybody who has to flee or escape from his or her home because of war, for example, should be treated in a proper way in the nearest place to their home. That's why we're pushing for more European Union support for Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, even Turkey because these countries are located around war-torn areas. These countries took care of refugees, of people who had to escape from their homes. We think that we have to make sure that people who had to escape should be helped and stay as close to their homes as possible so that when the conflicts that forced them to flee is over they can return. But we don't agree or accept any kind of policies which help people to cross six, seven, eight peaceful countries violating those borders just because they have the intention to get to Germany. For example, people from Serbia arrived in Hungary during 2015, or Croatia. Then we raise the question what's the reason for anyone to violate a border between Serbia and Hungary or Croatia and Hungary. Is there a war in Croatia? Thank God no. Is there a war in Serbia? Thank God no. Is anyone's life in danger in either of these countries? Thank God no. So then the question is why should we allow them to cross the border between two peaceful countries in an illegal way. That's why we have a program called Hungary helps. With this program, we bring help to communities to stay close to their home or stay at home and get stronger. We assist Christian communities in the Middle East so they're able to stay at home because their leaders come to us and ask us not to encourage their people to leave their homes because that way we basically help the terrorist organization that has goals to eliminate these communities. Instead of encouraging them to leave their homes let's help them so they're able to stay at home. This is our policy. Don't bring problems where there are no problems and bring help where it's needed. That's the basic principle.

We should finish soon. Can you tell me about Vichegard 4, V4. What's the present status and future of V4?

I can tell you that this is now the tightest and the most effective alliance within the European Union with the very deep, let's say historic basis. So this is a cooperation that's not institutionalized and maybe the effectiveness is the consequence of that. All four countries know that if we say something together it's much louder and much stronger than if four of us spoke one by one. I don't think Vichegard was ever as strong as it is currently and migration was definitely an issue where we worked together closely. Now economic cooperation is picking up and we are working closely together on the next multiannual financial framework, and we're happy with the external cooperation. We have this formats like Vichegard 4 plus and in this format, we worked together with Croatia as well.

And the so-called Three seas initiative. What's Hungary's current position?

We're supportive of the initiative but we think it would be important to have a direct outcome, some concrete outcome of this cooperation. I think infrastructural developments would be key here. Our region is very poor on the north to south infrastructure due to historic reasons. Here pipelines, electricity grids, highways, railroads usually run from east to west because this is the outcome of history. I think if Three seas initiative can boost or accelerate north to south infrastructural developments that would be great and we're supportive of that. 

Mr. Szijjártó thank you for this conversation.

I appreciate the opportunity, thank you.

To learn more about politics in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page here. 

July 10, 2018 - Two Prime Ministers meet in London 24 hours before the Big Match. 

Cyclone Gracija has hit Dalmatia bringing torrential rainfall and severe flooding across the coast, especially in Zadar area, where 242 litres of rain has fallen in just 4 hours, which is double the amount of precipitation that falls throughout the entire month of September on average

Around 1,000 citizens of Split gathered last night to send one message loud and clear: Split is our city and it is time that the quality and security of life for all citizens becomes a priority.