April 26, 2021 - Former Slovak Deputy Prime Minister Ludovik Cernak seeks concession to build a marina with 250 berths in Sucuraj on Hvar, a project worth half a billion kuna. 

A few years ago, there were open protests in Sucuraj on Hvar and the very thought that a large marina would be built in their town, primarily due to fears for the fate of a nearby beach, now the news that the Ministry of the Sea has announced its intention to grant a concession has been accepted. The construction of the nautical facility includes a planned 250 berths.

As Slobodna Dalmacija reports, the tender documentation stipulates that the state grants the selected partner the right to manage the maritime domain for 30 years. It is a little more than 100 thousand square meters of sea and land space, and the value of the concession for the entire duration is estimated at almost half a billion kuna.

The potential investors will have to submit their bids by June 18 to the Zagreb headquarters of the relevant administration.

"With the realization of this project, which we have been working on for several years, a marina will be built in Sucuraj, which will be among the 20 leaders in our part of the Adriatic in terms of size. To get to this stage, we had to make an urban development plan, enroll in the "maritime domain," and obtain all necessary certificates from the relevant ministries. Still, we are not sorry because the nautical tourism port will bring us progress and revive the eastern part of the island as a whole," says Ivan Slavić, chief of Sućuraj municipality.

However, this is a repeated tender for the same future marina, originally announced in 2018, because the Government then awarded the concession to the Czech company "MFA Invest" from Brno. Still, the procedure was subsequently annulled as a foreign potential investor did not provide a bank guarantee of one percent of the total project value.

Now, a new procedure is starting at the initiative of Czech and Slovak investors, namely the mentioned company and the company "Marina Sucuraj," which was founded last year by the real estate "Sitno Holding Real Estate" from Bratislava, owned by entrepreneur Ludovit Cernak, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy in two mandate during the 1990s; and the former president of the right-wing Slovak People's Party, whose member and later president of that state is Ivan Gašparovič. 17 years ago, he became the owner of the football club "Slovan" from the Slovak metropolis, which was then in a deep financial and results in crisis, and after "recovering" under the leadership of members of the Cernak family, five years later he was sold to entrepreneur Ivan Krotnik.

A potential foreign investor on the Croatian islands is currently much better known for last year's purchase of 77,000 square meters of municipal land near Lukoran in Ugljan for just under 20 million kunas. Although the deal did not go without "tails" and calling out local oppositionists for (too) cheap sale of public plots, a representative of Cernak's company, after signing a contract with the Municipality of Preko, announced that in four years, it would build a settlement with 220 villas, two moorings with 150 berths and a hotel with 500 beds, with a total value of as much as 150 million euros.

As for the project in Sucuraj, if, in the end, the mentioned investors get a concession, the initial amount of the permanent part of the fee will be two kunas per square meter of occupied maritime property. However, the amount of the permanent part of the concession fee after the tenth year of operation will increase every five years by 50 lipa per square meter of occupied space at sea and on land, and the minimum variable part of the fee will be two percent of the revenue generated in the area entrusted with the management. 

"I believe that these are serious investors and that they have long ago made all the necessary calculations related to the job they are entering, and as far as the benefits for our municipality are concerned, we expect new employment in the first place. The marina will employ 12 to 15 full-time employees and a dozen more seasonal workers. Still, we are certainly counting on the accompanying facilities and activities that will be necessary during the operation of the marina", said Chief Slavić.

However, Sućurani expects a longer tourist season to realize the new content because they already have a lot of ships sailing through the Hvar and Neretva canals. When they have an attractive port on their sea route, the number of boaters will surely grow.

The first onshore gas station will be built in that part of the island, and a private initiative will be strengthened in the surrounding bays so that tourists can enjoy the beauties of the unique landscape and good gastronomic offer of their hosts and spend evenings and nights in a safe harbor—the easternmost town of Hvar.

To find out more about Hvar, click HERE. 

April 29, 2020 - Is reform of Croatia's bloated and inefficient bureaucracy possible? Why those interested in tourist board reform should be taking some lessons from Ivan Slavic, Mayor of Sucuraj on the island of Hvar. 

We heard that Sućuraj no longer has a Tourist Board director. That from June 1 to Sept. 1 there will be an information desk. Is that correct?

What was the basis for the decision? Can you explain what happened?

Was this decision easy to implement from a bureaucratic perspective? What was the procedure?

How easily can this be repeated in other municipalities that have only seasonal tourism, from a legal perspective?

How much money will the municipality save this year?

What impact do you expect this to have on tourism in a normal year?

As we reported recently, an attractive position being offered for the last six months in Sućuraj on the island of Hvar went unanswered by any Croatian doctor, but while tumbleweed appeared to roll by the ageing job advertisement in Croatian terms, one applicant, the only applicant, did get the job.

As Morski writes on the 23rd of January, 2019, the Sućuraj clinic on the island of Hvar has finally managed to obtain a permanent doctor. The physician from Macedonia had to pass a few exams to make sure her foreign diploma could be recognised in Croatia and started working at clinic in Sućuraj on Monday. Sućuraj's brand new doctor is 36-year-old Divna Vojnovska.

The arrival of a doctor from Macedonia was officially confirmed by Dalmacija Danas after having been informed by the director of the health centre of Split-Dalmatia County, Dragomir Petric.

''I'm surprised by the media hysteria about this case. Recently, doctors are mentioned by the media only in bad cases, and they bypass the good ones among us,'' the director stated.

''It isn't news here that there's now a doctor from Macedonia, but the real news is that it is the first local self-government in our county that has provided all of her conditions, which means an apartment and a 50,000 kuna annual bonus. In my view, it's secondary news that the person who came here isn't from Split but from Macedonia or some other country,'' added Petric.

Dr. Vojnovska: I love Dalmatia!

Dr. Divna Vojnovska revealed that she's not afraid of the winter blues and boredom on the sunniest Croatian island and that she is already very much in love with the sea.

''Yesterday was my first day in Sućuraj. I'm satisfied. The first day there were a few more people, I guess they wanted to meet me. Today there have been less. Otherwise, there are about 400 patients in Sućuraj,'' Dr. Vojnovska said.

''The accommodation is good, I got a big apartment. I haven't met a lot of people yet, but since I signed a contract for one year, which is how long my work permit lasts, I believe that I'll gain friendships on the island. Of course, there's always the possibility of extending my contract. Generally, I'm satisfied with everything offered,'' concluded Sućuraj's new doctor.

Click here for the original article by Dalmacija Danas

Croatia's paradoxical society strikes again as a job posting for a doctor on the island of Hvar from a while ago goes unanswered by anyone from Croatia.

Croatia demographic crisis has left and continues to leave its very real and deeply concerning mark on the domestic labour force. Medics are among those heading off abroad in their droves in search of better wages, more job security, and a less politicised society in which to practice their chosen professions. While at the same time, some of the healthcare offered here in Croatia is among the best, with some of the best professionals on standby to do an excellent job.

The old saying about just not being able to get the staff even stretches to the most academic of positions, it seems.

One job posting from the island of Hvar in particular, in search of a doctor, should have turned the heads of many. The offer showed that the position comes with handsome pay, excellent bonuses and an apartment all thrown in, and on the stunning island of Hvar, of all places. It could be a lot worse, right? It appears that not even this much bait is enough to catch most fish, at least not fish from Croatia.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 20th of January, 2019, the advertisement for a doctor in Sućuraj on Hvar has been live for around half a year, in which in addition to good wages and a free apartment, a huge bonus of 50,000 kuna per year is offered, as HRT reports.

As yet, not one person from the Republic of Croatia has applied for the position, and the only interested person is a doctor from Macedonia.

The policlinic in Sućuraj on the island of Hvar currently lies empty. There are no patients because there are no doctors, just one nurse. Sadly, this isn't her first time having to work without a doctor in her 37 years of service.

Stay up to date with our dedicated lifestyle page for much more. If it's just Hvar you're interest in, give Total Hvar a follow.

After the recent cabinet meeting in Hvar, director of the Split-Dalmatia County Port Authority, Domagoj Maroević, spoke about his enthusiasm for soon to be launched projects, reports Dalmacija Danas on October 29, 2018.

We certainly have a lot of reasons to be pleased after the government met in Hvar. We have received 22 million kuna from European funds for the construction of a new ferry port in Sućuraj on Hvar. This is one of the most important projects because the Drvenik-Sućuraj line is one of the busiest in Split-Dalmatia County and has seen the fastest growth in the number of passengers and vehicles. So far, it is possible to load just 30 vehicles in Sućuraj and the construction of a new port will allow more than 60 vehicles to be loaded onto the ferry, and this will make our lives much easier.

When will the works begin?

We have received the construction permit and we will publish the tender next week. I hope that the works will begin in 2019. They should take about a year and a half, and we hope that the new ferry port will be operational for the 2020 season.

Eastern part of Hvar is expected to see major benefits from this in terms of traffic connections with the mainland?

Absolutely. The Sućuraj-Jelsa road, which has already been built in the 14-kilometre Jelsa to Poljica section, is necessary for the entire island and I think that this part of the island will be further developed after the construction of this road. The construction of the port is a prerequisite for the road to see a larger number of vehicles. Last year, more than 450,000 passengers passed through the Sućuraj port. These are large figures and therefore this road is a necessity.

What other investments will Dalmatia see over the next year or two?

We hope that in the next 6 months we will receive financing from EU funds for the construction of a port in Omiš. We already have a construction permit for the project and expect to sign a grant agreement by the end of the year. The investment would reach almost 90 million kuna. Also, project documentation for the construction of a new catamaran port in Stomorska is being prepared. This investment is worth about 15 million kuna. During 2019, we expect to finish the project documentation for the reconstruction and extension of the port in Stari Grad on Hvar, with the investment worth about 75 million kuna. With these two ports, we would solve the current problems for docking on the island of Hvar for the foreseeable future.

If you are interested in more news about Hvar, check out our section devoted to the island.

We've reported about the meeting of the Government cabinet, which was held in Split a couple of days ago.

Unknown perpetrators used the cover of night from Monday to Tuesday to deface the stone cross in the center of Sućuraj on Hvar Island, painting its front in red.