A museum of contemporary art in the early 1990s, a hotel at the end of the century, and a military museum a few years ago. Over the years, the proposals changed about what to do with the old steam mill (Paromlin) located in the Zagreb city centre. However, now it seems that the idea which first appeared in 2012, to turn the mill into a library, will become a reality, reports Večernji List on November 11, 2018.

The tender for the architectural design of the library has been published. Since the area covers nearly 20,000 square metres, the bidders will have until 31 January 2019 to submit their proposals. The best of them will receive almost 400,000 kuna from the city authorities, and the 300 million kuna reconstruction project will start.

Interested designers will have an opportunity to visit the currently dilapidated mill and see what needs and can be done. They will work following detailed guidelines about how the library, which will not open before 2025 and possibly much later, will eventually look like.

In front of the entrance, there will be a small square and it should provide access to the library which will be open 24 hours a day. “The main entrance will be open to users round the clock and equipped with a wireless internet network, benches and devices for people to return the borrowed library books,” say the guidelines.

At the entrance to the library, the citizen will be able to get all the information at information counters, as well as on large information screens, while those arriving on bikes will have a roofed parking lot. The library will have a special reading room for the daily and weekly press, computers so that the news can be read on the internet, as well as an informal meeting area connected to the cafeteria.

The new city library will be pet-friendly, at least in one part, since the entrance will provide a “pet-friendly area while the owners are in the library.” It will also include an exhibition area, conference halls and a restaurant. Toddlers will have a playing area, while preschoolers will have available 4,500 picture books, 11,000 books and a creative corner. Teenagers will be provided with desks with computers and media players for 10,147 DVDs, 1,444 CDs and 1,500 old VHS tapes, while adults will have a concentration area with individual seating.

The library will also feature something called the gadget garage. This will be an area with the latest technology available, such as mobile phones and IT equipment, where users will be able to test them. There will also be a room for listening to music, with “individual seating areas with headphones and players.”

For more news on Zagreb, visit our special section.

Translated from Večernji List (reported by Mateja Šobak).

Ivica Todorić returned to Croatia a few days ago following the British decision to extradite him to Croatia to face trial for his alleged crimes within his former company, the gigantic Agrokor Group. Todorić raised the enormous company from its very roots decades ago, employed around 60,000 people, and became one of the most powerful people in not only Croatia, but the wider region. What goes up, however, must eventually come down, and things couldn't have taken more of a 360 turn for the former Agrokor boss if they tried.

From a luxurious life in Kulmerovi dvori up in the hills above Zagreb and gracing the glossy pages of Forbes magazine, to being on the run and appearing as one of Europol's most wanted, to paying £100,000 to the British authorities for relative freedom to live in London on tag for a year, to being extradited to Croatia on a regular Croatia Airlines flight (which was also delayed), and then taken to Zagreb's Remetinec prison. Whoever said life could be predictable? 

Just how does one of Croatia's most formidable characters spend his time behind bars as he awaits trial? 

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 10th of November, 2018, Ivica Todorić, as his wife Vesna said, was actually pleased with the conditions in Remetinec and shares his cell with an individual who is currently serving time behind bars for a fairly petty criminal act.

Todorić and his cellmate must clean up their cell every day, and they do so after getting up at seven o'clock in the morning. For about half an hour after that, which is about as much time as there is between waking up and being given breakfast, which is brought to them in their cell - they have time for personal hygiene and similar things.

Lunch comes at 13:00. If Todorić has any health problems, such as autoimmune conditions, allergies, diseases or intolerances which require a different diet, his menu will be adjusted to him in accordance with a doctor's recommendations. In addition to the menus prescribed by a doctor in the case of potential food issues, prisoners have the right to a religious and a vegetarian menu. For Easter and Christmas, a traditional meal is served, and the daily intake is 3000 calories, according to a report from Večernji list.

After lunch comes time for a rest, and dinner is served at 19:00. During the day, prisoners are provided with a two-hour walk through the prison circle. There are three walkways in Remetinec. The men and the women are separated for this also.

Showering happens at least once a week, it can be more frequent, but it doesn't occur every day.

Television can be watched until 23:00, and on Fridays, Saturdays, holidays, and for the duration of any sort of football championship, for an hour longer. After that time, it's lights out. Visits are on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and the first and third Sunday of the month, and visitation permission is given by the competent investigating judge.

Find out more about Ivica Todorić here.

November 10, 2018 - The latest flights to Croatia roundup, with El Al starting direct flights to Dubrovnik, Ryanair expanding, Volotea moving into Rijeka, and more records smashed at Croatian airports.

New Direct Flights to Croatia - El Al from Tel Aviv to Dubrovnik

Isreali interest in Croatia has been steadily increasing in recent months, with Croatia's controversial US$500 million purchase of Israeli F16s, a shift in the Croatian position in the Israeli-Palestinian dispute, as well as a raft of business announcements. The latest strengthening of ties comes with the announcement that El Al will start the first-ever direct flights to Dubrovnik from Israel, starting on June 4. The weekly Tuesday flight will run under the tourist brand Sun d'Or until September 24, and the new route will be in addition to the longer running connection between Tel Aviv and Zagreb. The flights to Zagreb will be three times a week from April 2 to October 23 - all details of timetables can be found via Avioradar. 

Flights to Rijeka - Welcome Volotea!

Volotea's steady expansion in the Croatian market continues, and the Spanish low-cost carrier has announced its first flight to Rijeka, European City of Culture in 2020. And if you are quick, promotional tickets are just 9 euro. The new route will be once a week from Marseilles, and it will run from June 6 to August 28. 

New flights to Pula from easyJet and Volotea

More easyJet love for Istria, as the famous orange and white livery will be connecting Pula with Amsterdam next summer, as already reported by TCN. 

It is not the only new route to Pula to be announced this week. Having already established Nantes to Pula, Volotea will commence direct flights to Pula from Bordeaux once a week on June 5, reports Avioradar.

More flights to Split with Wideroe

No market has opened up to Dalmatia as much as the Scandinavian market with the arrival of budget flights, and national carrier Norwegian can be credited with a major part in establishing the market. Where one goes, others follow, and yet one more option for Norwegian tourists next summer, as Wideroe has announced another charter option from Oslo Torp to Split. 

Cheap Flights to Croatia - Ryanair to add more Zadar Routes

Despite being the first to enter the low-cost market in Croatia back in 2007, Ryanair has not expanded as much as easyJet, Norwegian or some other competitors. It seems that some efforts to addressing this will come next year. 

"The budget airline, which last year held a 5% capacity share in Croatia and was well behind rivals such as easyJet and Eurowings on the market, will strengthen its seasonal base in Zadar next year with the launch of up to eight new routes. The carrier has already scheduled new services from Hamburg, Prague, Cologne, and Nuremberg to the Croatian coastal city next summer. However, it is expected that the no frills airline will no longer have an aircraft stationed in Croatia." Read the full story of Ryanair's plans for both Croatia and the wider region on ExYuAviation.

Flights to Croatia - more record passenger numbers to Croatian airports

The records keep on tumbling. More information on record passenger numbers in two TCN reports this week - Zagreb, Split, Dubrovnik airports set October record, and  Airports See 10.5% More Passengers than Last Year.

For the latest flight news to Croatia, follow our dedicated page

The first Advent stalls will be opened in 18 days, while the official start of the Advent in Zagreb is December 1. The festival will conclude on 6 January, and here is an overview of the events taking place in the city during the most festive part of the year, reports Index.hr on November 9, 2018.

One of the new programmes this year which is certain to draw a lot of attention is the Film Advent at the Baković Sisters Passage, which will be decorated like a set of a Christmas movie, providing countless opportunities for taking Instagram photos. When you get bored with taking pictures, you can enter the nearby Europe Cinema where favourite Christmas movies will be screened.

Another new location is Stara Tkalča, which will give visitors an opportunity to get to know old crafts. That will witness the skills of old Zagreb clockmakers, hatters, butchers and bakers, with plenty of opportunities for taking photos.

The third new programming element is the Advent in Maksimir and the Zoo, which will allow the visitors to discover what the animals are doing even outside of the official ZOO opening times. The programme will include interactive workshops for whole families.

When it comes to old, well-known Advent locations, they will be decorated in the fairytale style this year. The Advent will have three themes. The first is the famous Croatian author Ivana Brlić Mažuranić, and this theme will run through most of the festival sites.

The second theme is music, so the classic Christmas soon will be heard throughout the city centre. As many as eight special festivals will be held: Adventfest in the Cathedral, Advent Classic Fest, Festival of Advent and Christmas Songs in Zagreb, Concerts in the St Catherine Church, the Zagreb Soloists Concert Programme, Advent in the Parish of St. Blaze, From the Christmas Balconies, and Christmas with the Kids.

The third theme is ecology, meaning that plastic straws, cups and plates will not be used this year. The city authorities have appealed to caterers to replace them with paper cups and straws, or with products made of recycled materials.

Everything else will be quite similar to last year. The festivities begin with the lighting of the first Advent candle at 5 pm on December 1, continuing with the opening of the Ice Park and the lighting of the Christmas lights at Zrinjevac at 8 pm.

The Advent will also take place from Ban Jelačić Square to the Flower Square, while the urban atmosphere will be felt the most on the European Square. The Marić Passage will be decorated in the Christmas spirit, just like Zrinjevac, while the Strossmayer Square will host the Fuliranje event. The southern endpoint of the Advent is the Ice Park on Tomislav Square.

The Grič tunnel will host the Museum of Reality, in cooperation with UNICEF. The Vranicani Meadow will host photo points, and the very successful Cafe de Matoš will return.

The Museum of Arts and Crafts, the Ethnographic Museum and the Archaeological Museum will organise special Advent exhibitions.

For more articles on Zagreb, click here.

Translated from Index.hr.

Ivica Todorić has returned to Croatia after more than a year in London, having landed on the territory of a country in which he is no longer the owner of the largest regional company. Exactly one year after handing himself in in the British capital, living under the watchful eye of the Metropolitan police and after an agonisingly long court battle, Agrokor's former untouchable main man returned to his homeland utterly powerless. A far cry from the not so distant reality Todorić once enjoyed, having once owned his own private island, Smokvica.

As Jutarnji/Vanja Nezirovic writes on the 9th of November, 2018, unlike back on the 10th of April 2017, when he signed Lex Agrokor, which activated the law to allow the Croatian Government to step in and rescue Agrokor, and unlike in the autumn of the same year when he temporarily "emigrated" to London, Agrokor's largest single owner is now Russia's Sberbank with a 39.2 percent stake. The settlement was a long and painfully complex process, however, in order to execute such a settlement, creditors, primarily financial lenders, had to write off a large part of their claims, around 60 percent.

Namely, the exact amount and percentage of the final write-off of the creditor's claims will be known at the time when Agrokor is sold. To recall, on April the 10th, 2017, Agrokor had 7.7 billion euro in debt, of which about 1.5 billion euro was debt within the group, which means that the debt to third parties actually amounted to about 6.2 billion euro.

If we know that the framework calculations of Agrokor's value are projected at about 2.3 billion euro, this would mean that the creditors, primarily financially (based on this nominal projection), were forced to give up an enormous total of about 4 billion euro. This was the price of the survival of Agrokor, which for now, following these write-offs, has a debt of 1.06 billion euro in so-called roll up loans.

Agrokor's medium and large suppliers have so far averaged 60 percent of their claims for goods and services, were paid 500 million euro in cach for old debts, with 46 percent of them having a return of between 80 and 100 percent. When the rest of the debt is paid out over four years, and when part of Agrokor's property is converted, their return will amount to about 80 percent. The bonds' return rate ranges between 40 percent and 80 percent, while the largest number of domestic and foreign financial institutions and other creditors will have an average return on demand of up to 20 percent.

At the time of signing Lex Agrokor, Todorić's Agrokor Group was blocked in the amount of 3 billion kuna, and it was naturally expected that this dire situation could lead to Croatia into a short-term recession. The possibility of Agrokor's bankcruptcy could have, according to CNB/HNB (Croatian National Bank) projections, lead to several smaller banks entering into a very dangerous situation indeed, yet while the banking system luckily remained stable, the losses bigger banks suffered were felt almost immediately.

Even with the implementation of a specially regulated bankruptcy proceeding through Lex Agrokor, several contract suppliers ended up in bankruptcy or having to undertake pre-bankruptcy proceedings, some stabilised the recapitalisation of third parties, some are still awaiting ownership and business restructuring, but a stronger economic and social shock was thankfully avoided.

Today, Agrokor's debt has been reduced to levels that should be viable, things are generally much more stable and the company is expected to return to normal function in 2019. The results of companies like Jamnica and Ledo, are once again very good, Konzum seems to be more than just recovering, but some other companies from within the large Agrokor umbrella, like Velpro and Konzum BiH (Bosnia and Herzegovina) are still very vulnerable.

It's also clear that agricultural companies such as Vupik will need some more time to recover properly, but the overall picture of the company today is much more healthy than it was a year ago, thanks to the current extraordinary commissioner, Fabris Peruško.

That means that the Croatian economy, a much more than significant part of which is made up by Agrokor, has gone from being under grave threat, to being more stable, more safe, and more competitive.

Want to keep up with the latest news and detailed information on Ivica Todorić and his swapping of London for Remetinec prison? Make sure to follow everything here.

Click here for the original article by Vanja Nezirovic for Jutarnji List

Is Cmrok part of Tuškanac or Ksaver, what did John Rockefeller invest in, and how to name plateaus in the Savica neighbourhood? Answers to these, as well as a number of other questions, can be found in a new series of videos about Zagreb which has conquered the social networks. The author of the project is the young architect Vid Juračić, who together with his friend Marko Mrkić has launched the YouTube project "Neighbourhood Tells a Story”, reports Večernji List on November 9, 2018.

The series is comprised of ten-minute episodes in which Juračić hosts locals who, just like real tour guides, show all the sights of their neighbourhood. So far, episodes on Savica, Ksaver and Borovje have been filmed. Judging by comments on social networks, Friday, the day when new episodes are released, has become a day everyone is looking forward to.

“I adore Zagreb and due to my formal education, I know something about it. In addition, I deal with video production so filming a series about my city was a logical move,” Juračić said, adding that after he released the first episode he knew it was an idea which would attract a lot of interest.

“I have a friend in almost every neighbourhood who is a potential guide, but after the first episode, I started hearing from people from Dubrava, Trešnjevka and other parts of the city who would love to introduce me to their neighbourhoods. Honestly, I did not expect such a positive reaction, but I am glad people have recognized what I am doing,” said Juračić.

Each episode begins with the general info on the neighbourhood, followed by a local virtual tour which at the same time destroys and confirms some of the stereotypes and prejudices associated with that part of the town.

“I planned to take a break during winter because I cannot present the city, which is the most beautiful in spring and summer, in the best light. However, when I see how many people are interested and are waiting for new episodes, I think I will continue, including a special feature on the Advent in Zagreb,” explained Juračić.

Each video is made from more than three hours of recorded material, and for the time being, the entire process, from directing to editing, is done by him alone. “I plan to produce about thirty episodes because I do not want to miss any of the neighbourhoods. Some of the larger ones will be split into two episodes,” said Juračić.

Judged by comments on social networks, viewers are particularly pleased with the individuality with which he approaches each neighbourhood. “I want everybody to learn something new about each part of Zagreb. And most of all, I want the series to be the voice of a whole generation which experiences the city in a special way,” concluded Juračić.

For more on Zagreb, click here.

Translated from Večernji List (reported by Jelena Ružić).

Dinamo Zagreb has secured the 2nd round of the UEFA Europa League for the first time in 49 years after defeating Spartak Trnava 3-1 (2-0) in Zagreb.

The list of charges against Ivica Todorić are as incredible as they are damning, but will this just be another situation without any real end?

As tportal/Zoran Korda writes on the 8th of November, 2018, just ten days after the British decided to finally extradite Ivica Todorić to Croatia to face trial for his alleged crimes within the giant Agrokor Group, he arrived in the Croatian capital of Zagreb.

After spending the night in Remetinec prison following a regular Croatia Airlines flight to Franjo Tudjman Airport from London Heathrow, the former owner of Agrokor should now go before the investigative judge of the Zagreb County Court, faced with allegations of malversations that damaged his former company for a massive 1.6 billion kuna.

Let's take a look back at just what the charges against Ivica Todorić are.

During the first investigation which launched back in October last year, Todorić, along with his sons Ante and Ivan and another dozen former senior Agrokor managers and auditors, are suspected of multiple criminal acts in doing business, including the forgery of documents.

The main point of the investigation was focused on deception involving financial statements over the last ten years. The initial suspicion was based on the results of a PwC audit, which found that by concealing the real costs and debts, and by overestimating the company's gains, Todorić unlawfully paid the dividend.

This came to a total of 720 million kuna, which was apparently paid to Todorić, more specifically his Dutch company Adria Group Holding BV, for quite a number of years.

Todorić is also suspected of misusing Agrokor's money for the launch of an initial public shares offer (IPO), for collecting fresh capital and listing Agrokor on the London Stock Exchange. The audit found that a sum of about two billion kuna intended for this purpose was mostly used to cover his personal expenses.

The former owner of Agrokor is also charged for withdrawing money from Agrokor to finance his personal financial operations. He is therefore suspected of having embezzled around 650 million kuna in complex financial transactions for the purchase of Agrokor's shares by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

A loan of 192 million kuna, approved by Agrokor, was used for interest payments for PIK (payment in kind) bonds, issued back in 2014 for Mercator's takeover. Todorić was formally obliged to return this borrowed money from the future dividends of Agrokor. However, the money was never returned, and the loans didn't present themselves in the balance, but were instead classified as cash.

There is also a suspicion of him having organised the undercover financing of the company through a monopoly business in order to attempt to properly conceal the actual debt situation. In this way, the overall figure was falsely cut by as much as 1.5 billion kuna.

A second investigation was launched in December last year, and that relates to illegal loans which the private investment fund Nexus Private Equity gave to Agrokor back in 2016, through the Nexus company.

In the ongoing legal proceedings so far, the prosecution has examined 16 out of 17 witnesses and can't actually get to the last of them all because the individual in question lives in the Netherlands and is a citizen of that country.

Still to come is the very extensive financial and auditing expertise carried out by the KPMG audit firm, which should be completed by the end of the year.

While it has been reported that Todorić is set to remain in custody for now, owing to an apparent ''flight risk'', the belief still remains that Todoric will likely await his actual trial in freedom, as there is no longer any danger of him or others influencing any witnesses.

Want to keep up with the charges against Ivica Todorić now he's back in Croatia? Stay up to date here.

Click here for the original article by Zoran Korda for tportal

As Sergej Novosel Vuckovic/Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 8th of November, 2018, Zagreb has been chosen in a group of 40 cities across Europe as the seat of the new centre for software in 40 cities of Europe, and has also entered the final six along with Sofia, Bucharest, Belgrade, Madrid, and Lisbon.

Croatian IT experts have thus had a brand new and welcome opportunity to stay in their home country created for them.

The Adcubum company from Switzerland came to Zagreb where it has just opened its Software Solutions Development Centre. The investment is worth 12 million euro over a three year period, as was explained by the director of the Croatian branch of the company, Bojan Poljičak.

"This is a Swiss greenfield investment, related to the development of a service centre for software development. These are high value added services, focused on development and exports,'' stated Poljičak, who was also once the director of Adecco Croatia. Adcubum has otherwise been in existence for twenty years, and has been active in Austria and Germany as well as at home in its parent country of Switzerland, specialising in business information technology solutions for insurance companies. There are 350 employees in total, and in Zagreb there are now seven more.

By the end of this year, there will be ten workers, and what is particularly stimulating for domestic experts is the announcement that they plan to employ 40 people each year over the next five years in order to reach a total of 200 employees in Croatia by the end of 2023.

"Profiles that are of interest to us are engineers for software development. We're very satisfied with the level of knowledge and skills of the existing candidates and at the beginning, we encountered a good level of interest. Just like it is in other countries, the main challenge will be to find, attract, and retain a sufficient number of suitable candidates, but we're positive about it and we expect that we'll be able to bring our plans to fruition,'' explained Poljičak. The main product of Adcubum, which will be done in Zagreb, is SYRIUS, a comprehensive software solution developed specifically for the business of an insurer.

"It allows them to deal with almost all of their processes within that solution and to adapt it, on the other hand, to their business specificities through the parametrisation and flexibility of the software solution," said Adcubum's Croatian affiliate director, noting that their goal in the Croatian capital is to increase additional human resources for further SYRIUS development.

"We're planning to form teams that will work on new software products in the application area called ''front end'', but also processing and analytics in the field of big data,'' Poljičak pointed out.

Just how did the Croatian capital manage to bypass the competition and be of such attraction to the Swiss company?

"They considered the prospects for the availability of IT professionals of high professionalism, foreign language knowledge, cultural similarities, and support from state institutions such as the Investment and Competitiveness Agency," Poljičak revealed.

"We want to use a very good ratio of expertise, professionalism, flexibility, and teamwork that candidates and potential employees have here in Croatia. We also want to provide our employees with work experience with colleagues and clients in Switzerland and Germany - as well as transfer part of our knowledge and our ways of working with colleagues in these countries,'' Bojan Poljičak concluded.

Adcubum's Chief Technology Officer Walter Meister and Swiss Ambassador to Croatia Emilia Georgieva were also at the opening of the Zagreb centre, pointing out that the Croatian branch was a result of the company's accelerated development due to an increased demand for services, expressing hope that this investment would strengthen Switzerland's status in the top ten foreign investors in the Republic of Croatia.

According to CNB/HNB (Croatian National Bank) data, direct Swiss investments in Croatia in 2016 amounted to a huge 6.2 million euro. In the first two quarters of this year, about 5.6 million of Swiss capital entered Croatia, and a total of about 42.4 million euro has been invested in the country since as far back as 1993.

Want to keep up with more news on business, investments and economy? Make sure to stay up to date with our business page.

Click here for the original article by Sergej Novosel Vuckovic for Poslovni Dnevnik

Spain’s manager Luis Enrique said on Thursday that his team would be welcomed in Zagreb to an unfriendly atmosphere and that the upcoming Nations League game has no connection to the one played in September when Spain beat Croatia 6:0.