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

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Mi-Plast, it has played an active role in various EU research projects for the last several years, and has successfully withdrawn a total of six million euro from the Horizon 2020 program, as well as from numerous other research platforms.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

December 3, 2018 - Wondering where all that noise is coming from? Brace yourselves: RiRock festival is back and turning 40 this year!

Save the date: The 40th annual RiRock festival – Croatia's longest running festival, and one of the largest regional festivals of demo bands – is taking place over the course of four days, or more precisely, two consecutive weekends: December 7-8th and 14-15th, at the OKC Palach and Pogon Kulture, respectively.

The festival had its beginnings in March 1979. The first RiRock ever was founded and produced by Duško Rapotec Ute and it immediately laid foundations for Rijeka's music scene, giving birth to local punk and new-wave movement. Fast forward almost three decades, in 2006, the RiRock Association was officially registered and has been organizing the festival ever since.

Though RiRock's forte has always been supporting young, unsigned or independent musicians, the festival is also renowned for its unique atmosphere and for packing in the biggest regional headliners but also RiRock veterans.

The 2018 edition of RiRock features a somewhat reinvented performance and awards schedule so for the full program and lineup, stay up to date on the Facebook event.

The tickets can be purchased on-site but are also available in pre-sale. For more related news, make sure you follow the official RiRock page as well as TCN's dedicated entertainment page.

December 2, 2018 - Rijeka's most anticipated Advent festivities at the hilltop Trsat Castle officially opened with fireworks!

This evening at 6:00 PM the Trsat Castle complex was once again illuminated with a thousand shimmering holiday lights while dazzling fireworks lit up the sky above the medieval fortress. The ceremonial opening marked the 2nd year of Advent on Gradina whose 2018 program promises to surpass last year's. You can watch the videos below.

As it was expected, the Trsat Castle complex was simply too small for more than 6,000 visitors who came tonight to witness the official opening of the 2018 Advent festivities in Trsat.

The spectacular opening was followed by the concert of Croatia's The Voice winner and Eurosong representative Nina Kraljić who was accompanied by guitarist Miroslav Gugić, and visitors were also delighted to hear the Ri Brass Quintet composed of The Ivan pl. Zajc National Theatre wind soloists Ivica Lukanec, Luka Horvat (trumpets), Vinko Rožić (horn), Marijan Orešković (trombone), and Romano Hantih (tuba) who performed thereafter. In addition, the crowd gathered outside the fortress in front of the newly opened ice skating rink in Nugent Park was entertained by a popular local acoustic trio comprised of Dino Antonić (vocal), Dorian Cuculić (keyboards) and Dino Ivelja (bass guitar).

While last year's Advent on Gradina welcomed around 60,000 visitors from all across the region, this year expects to see even more merry attendees.

For more news and updates on the upcoming Advent events in Rijeka make sure you follow the official Advent Rijeka Facebook page, and for more related content on TCN stay tuned by following our dedicated lifestyle page.

December 3, 2018 - Could Rijeka be A Place to Call Home for everyone? We are honored to welcome Dame Louise Casey, a former British government official most known for her work on issues relating to homelessness and social welfare.

This afternoon the Primorsko-Goranska county prefect Zlatko Komadina will meet with Dame Louise Casey and Sr. Veronika Mila Popić to discuss Rijeka's involvement in the Institute for Global Homelessness's initiative A Place to Call Home.

Casey has been a driving force in the establishment of the Chicago-based IGH, and is now the Institute's advisory committee chairwoman, while Popić is a Sister of Charity of St. Vincent Depaul, head of Rijeka House of Refuge, and Chief Executive Officer of Depaul International Croatia whose work, among other things, includes preparation and implementation of a long-term strategic framework for addressing homelessness in Rijeka and other parts of Croatia.

The praiseworthy initiative aims to end global street homelessness by the year 2030, and on June 13th this year Rijeka announced its position as the 5th official Vanguard City in the IGH's campaign A Place to Call Home. Along with Sr. Veronika, effort in Rijeka is spearheaded by Head of the County Social Policy Department and Youth Dragica Marač, while cooperation in this project was signed by Primorsko-Goranska County, Rijeka Archdiocese, City of Rijeka, and the local Center for Social Welfare, with Depaul Croatia as the key coordinating body.

Rijeka is among those cities in which homelessness is expected to be significantly reduced or completely solved by the year 2020 and today's meeting between Dame Louise Casey, county officials, and service providers aims to outline plans to achieve that goal.

Depaul began work in Croatia in 2018 in response to the need for more comprehensive homelessness services and it operates in Rijeka supporting hundreds of the city’s homeless, vulnerable and disadvantaged population. Depaul’s Rijeka day center is opened seven days a week and offers a range of support options from meals to hygiene to counseling, but also runs targeted services, facilitating healthcare treatment for homeless people.

You can find out more about Depaul’s work in Croatia on their official page. Also, make sure you don't miss more such stories by following our news page.

December 1, 2018 - Advent in Rijeka: the coolest Yule so far has finally started!

While the Trsat Castle isn't lit up with thousands of sparkling holiday lights just yet, Advent in downtown Rijeka has officially begun and it is Rijeka's most lavish one so far, Croatian RTL reports. You can watch the video here.

And even though Rijeka Advent is still incomparable in size to the spectacular Advent in Zagreb which has been voted the best Christmas market in Europe three years in a row, it seems that the City of Rijeka together with its Tourist Board is indeed going in the right direction with the 2018 Christmastime festivities.

Rijeka Tourist Board marketing director Dominik Damiš said that even more effort has been made to put Rijeka on the list of best Advents in the region. The 2018 festivities are organized in 10 different locations, 4 of which are new, and the most interesting one by far is the underground tunnel that spans about 350 meters under the city of Rijeka. In collaboration with the Natural History Museum of Rijeka, the TunelRi will host puppet theatre shows and workshops for children and families, but also concerts and DJ parties on weekends.

And of course, what everyone is most excited about is tomorrow's opening of Advent on Gradina which is scheduled for 5:00 PM, so if you're nearby, make sure you don't miss the spectacular illumination of the Trsat Castle and Nugent Park.

You can see the opening night highlights from last year in the video below, and for the 2018 program, check the Advent on Gradina official page.

Stay tuned for more related news on Rijeka Advent by following our lifestyle page.

December 1, 2018 - The latest news from around Croatia's airports for new flights to Croatia 2019, with updates from Dubrovnik, Rijeka, Split and Zagreb airports.

It has been another busy few days for the airports of Croatia, as they gear up for what is certain to be a bumper 2019 season. An overview of the latest news regarding flights to Croatia 2019. 

Flights to Rijeka - Lufthansa Meets the European City of Culture 2020

These are good times for Rijeka Airport, located on the island of Krk. More new flight announcements are coming, as the city gears up to become the European City of Culture 2019, with the latest addition from one of Europe's top carriers. Lufthansa has announced that it will begin operations in the Kvarner region, with the German carrier commencing weekly flights from Munich to Rijeka each Saturday evening, starting on May 25 until October 26. The new Lufthansa flight adds to the three weekly connections to the Bavarian capital from Croatia Airlines - check out the timetable with Avioradar. 

Flights to Croatia 2019 - Volotea to Connect Athens and Dubrovnik

Low-cost Spanish airline Volotea continues its expansion in the Croatian market, with its latest flight announcement a new route from Athens to Dubrovnik, where it will compete directly with both Aegean and Croatia Airlines. The new flights will run on Wednesdays and Saturdays, from April 27 to August 31. For the flight schedule, check out ExYuAviation. 

Flights to Split - Finnair Strengthens Dalmatia, Leaves Pula

Finnish tourism interest in Croatia, in particular Dalmatia, is on the rise,and national carrier Finnair has announced that it will be increasing its services to Split for 2019. Finnair will be offering six flights a week between the Finnish and Dalmatian capitals, with the first flight commencing on April 16 until October 23. Finnair's connections with Dubrovnik will remain at the same level as this year, but the airline has decided to cease operations to Pula. Check out the flight schedules here.  

Flights to Zagreb - the Return of FlyDubai and Celebrations for Croatia Airlines and Turkish Airlines

The livery of FlyDubai will be seen once more in Zagreb, from as early as this weekend, as the low-cost Gulf carrier interchanges with Emirates to maximise load factor, as previously reported by TCN. In other Zagreb news, it was a moment of celebration for both Croatia Airlines, which welcomed its 2 millionth passenger of the year, while Turkish Airlines - which has become a strong regional player in recent years - celebrated 20 years of operations in the Croatian capital. 

(Photo credit - Rijeka Airport Facebook page)

Eurowings - Promoting Kvarner Tourism and a Zadar Codeshare with Austrian Airlines

Some nice promotion for the Kvarner region by Eurowings, whose planes are now adorned with promotional advertising for Kvarner, as shown in the photos above posted by the Rijeka Airport Facebook page. 

Meanwhile in Zadar, Eurowings has arranged a codeshare agreement with Austrian Airlines.

To follow the latest news about flights to Croatia 2019, follow the dedicated TCN section.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

With the most wonderful time of the year just around the corner, Rijeka is full-on getting into the Christmas spirit. Everything is ready for the 2018 Rijeka Advent festivities, reports Rijeka Tourist Board on November 30, 2018.

As Christmas draws near, we are delighted to announce the opening of Rijeka Advent which is to take place tomorrow, December 1, 2018. Advent in Rijeka traditionally begins with lighting the first Advent candle on the Ivan Kobler Square followed by the ceremonial illumination of the city's holiday lights which are guaranteed to give Rijeka an instant festive makeover. This year, we will see an upgrade of Rijeka's holiday decor with brand new 7,458-meter long string lights and lighting decorations in 20 different designs.

Since last year's edition, Rijeka Advent has also grown in size. The 2018 event features new locations like TunelRi, the city's first underground tunnel that was built beneath downtown Rijeka in 1942, and served as an air raid shelter during WW2. Because of its special vibe, this 350-meters long tunnel is expected to be one of the most frequented attractions of this year's Rijeka Advent. It will be hosting various events like food fairs and wine exhibitions, but also theater shows for children, and for grownups, there'll be music events and parties on weekend nights.

Another novelty is the month-long Rijeka Gastro Advent which will be held at the Rijeka Resolution Square. Make sure you do regular rounds of this market because Gastro Advent is expected to offer various street food extravaganzas as well as traditional homemade specialties, artisan products, mulled wine, craft beer, etc.

And although there will be stands and stalls popping up everywhere, the city's largest Christmas market remains the one located downtown – whether you’re looking for decorations, handmade arts and crafts, or that perfect last-minute gift, you'll probably find it in one of the wooden chalets lined all along Rijeka's main pedestrian street Korzo. Also, another Christmas Art Bazaar has been announced, and with more than 30 independent designers and artists taking part, you're bound to pick up some really unique gifts you won't find in department stores.

The magical Trsat Castle will host Advent on Gradina which had its premiere last year, and in 2018 it boasts an even better program, while its biggest surprise is definitely the beautiful outdoor ice rink nestled in the heart of Nugent Park that overlooks the Kvarner Bay.

To find out more, check out the entire program here; there's definitely something for everyone! So just put on your ugliest Christmas sweater and come immerse yourself in the festive atmosphere of Rijeka Advent...

For more related news, make sure you follow our dedicated lifestyle page.

November 28, 2018 - Could civic engagement success stories spark hope for a better tomorrow? Get to know one such story about the 'Kvart za 5' initiative.

With Croatia being awash in a sea of incompetent and corrupt politicians at every level of government, including local self-governing bodies, and with most Croatians being oblivious of how we are systematically being deprived of real democracy, it is a really nice surprise to see a group of young people (none of whom have ever been part of a political party!) organized in a civic initiative with the idea of being the change they want to see in their local community.

And that is what 'Kvart za 5' initiative is all about. These five fellow lady citizens of Rijeka met through volunteering in their local community and are engaged in projects of public importance. They are united by the same goal and vision: to make their city a cleaner, more safe, and pleasant place to live in. And what better place to start than their own neighborhood?

For years before the 'Kvart za 5' initiative was launched, Sandra Ivić (lawyer), Nina Majcan Šprajc (film location manager), Sandra Grozdanov (preschool teacher), Barbara Miletić (entrepreneur) and Palma Karković Takalić (archaeologist) were individually trying to work towards improving the quality of life in their local community. It all started by repeatedly contacting officials of the Školjić - Rijeka Old Town area committee about the problems they've been encountering in their neighborhood: environmental nuisance and the ever-increasing number of offenses against public peace and order during any time of day or night, casual littering and poor hygiene of public spaces, urination and unattended dog fouling, poor pest control, etc.

Their neighborhood was also lacking green spaces, while the few parks and recreation facilities were poorly maintained and in desperate need of makeovers. On top of that, the ladies demanded complete reconstruction of the Ivan Klobučarić Square – what was once a beautiful park and Nikola Tesla Elementary School playground is now a vast concrete floor that's been for years a constant reminder of a disgraceful waste of city's money and the failed Rijeka City Library project.

Driven by the same desire to turn Školjić - Rijeka Old Town into a "five-star hood," the forenamed residents decided to take matters into their own hands: they've teamed up, joined forces and in December 2017 'Kvart za 5' was born. Since then, they've managed to get funds from the Rijeka Local Partnership Program and used the granted 40.000 kuna to revitalize the Školjić park with children's playground equipment, plus they invited their neighbors to help them repaint the park benches. And that's just the beginning of the 'Kvart za 5' story.

Ladies of 'Kvart za 5' have no intention of running for any kind of political office. Besides, the last thing this country needs is more politicians. What we do need, especially on a local level, is more good neighbors and active community members like the women standing behind the 'Kvart za 5' initiative.

And while the rest of us can only look up to these five ladies – or maybe even try to actively participate in our own local communities to address health, environment, safety, and other needs – their neighbors are invited to show support by voting for them at the Rijeka 2018 local committee elections which are to take place Sunday, December 2nd, 2018 at the Nikola Tesla Elementary School.

Stay tuned for more related news by following our dedicated page here.

The 15th round of the Croatian First League was played from November 23 to 25, 2018, which included the highly anticipated derby between Rijeka and Dinamo.