May 21, 2021 – Interesting research suggests most Zagreb and Split citizens support the initiative to ban working on Sundays.

We have already reported on the Croatian government's initiative to ban retail stores from working most Sundays. It is an unusual idea in a time when businesses are getting more and more flexible with working hours. The initiative has been endorsed by the Catholic Church since the beginning. It promotes the idea of people being allowed to enjoy Sundays with their families or attend mass service if they are religious. How this type of decision would affect the tourism destinations is another issue altogether.

Results of the Poll

The opinion poll was done in the run-up to the last week’s elections. As reported by N1, which organised the research poll, 65,3% of Zagreb voters and 74% of Split voters support the initiative to ban working on Sundays. MASMI agency conducted the poll on a sample of 1300 people. There were eight reasons to choose from for those in support of the ban. The right to have a day off during the week ranked as the most popular reason in both cities. In Split, 43,2% of people in support of the ban chose this option. In Zagreb, that percentage was 45,5.

Seeing how this poll was tied to the election poll, it is interesting to note the differences in political affiliations and choices made. Most right-leaning voters see Sunday as a day for the family. Left-leaning voters see it more as a day of relaxation and rest for the workers. Protection of worker rights is an important reason for SDP’s (Social Democratic Party) voters. 31,8% of them support the ban for this reason in Split. 18,5% of all those who voted positively to the poll question in Split and 15,8% in Zagreb feel this decision would help protect the rights of the workers. In other words, they don’t feel these rights are being protected or respected at the moment. This might be the most interesting and worrying statistic in the entire research.

It is also interesting to note how religious reasons didn’t rank high, scoring only 3,9% in Zagreb and 1,4% in Split. Religious voters believed the church service can be attended in times outside of the person’s working hours.

For more about politics in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

May 21, 2021 - The latest flight news to Croatia as TAP Portugal flights to Zagreb return next month, and Wizz Air announces its second route to Dubrovnik Airport.

Croatian Aviation reports that TAP Portugal returns to Zagreb on June 2! After more than 5 years, the Portuguese national airline will resume traffic on the route between Lisbon and Zagreb Airport.

The airline announced it would reintroduce this line in March last year on March 28, but flights were delayed from month to month due to the global pandemic. The airline has now confirmed that it will start regular flights on this route from June 2.

The line will operate three times a week from the beginning of June, every Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. Although A320 aircraft were originally announced on this route, the airline announced E190 aircraft with a capacity of 106 seats in June.

A total of 2,756 seats will be offered on this line between the two cities in June.

From the beginning of July to the end of October, higher-capacity aircraft (A319, 144 seats) have been announced on this route, so in that period, TAP Portugal will offer 14,976 seats.

From the beginning of June to the end of October, the Portuguese national airline between Lisbon and Zagreb will have 17,732 seats on sale throughout the summer season.

TAP Portugal flight schedule between Lisbon and Zagreb:

Lisbon - Zagreb / 08:35 - 12:40 / 3h 05min

Zagreb - Lisbon / 13:25 - 15:50 / 3h 25min

After TAP Portugal resumes traffic on this route on June 2, Zagreb will become the only Croatian airport from which it is possible to fly directly to Lisbon. In the summer of 2020, there were no direct scheduled flights between Lisbon and Croatian airports.

Regarding travel restrictions due to the global pandemic, entry into Portugal is possible with a negative PCR test. The test result must not be older than 72 hours before the start of the trip.

Return tickets in July with departure from Zagreb can currently be purchased for approximately 130 euros, and the airline often offers discounts on its routes. A few weeks ago, the promo price was only 90 euros.

Furthermore, Croatian Aviation reports that the Hungarian low-cost airline, Wizz Air, has announced its second route to Dubrovnik Airport. This airline has not operated to Dubrovnik for several years, and a few days ago, it announced its first line from Rome (Fiumicino Airport).

Now, tickets were released yesterday on the Warsaw and Dubrovnik line.

The Warsaw - Dubrovnik - Warsaw line will be in operation from July 3, twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The line will be in operation until mid-September (18.09.), and 23 aircraft operations have been announced.

Wizz Air will offer almost 8,300 seats on this new route between Dubrovnik and Warsaw. In addition to this Hungarian airline, the Polish LOT and the Czech Smartwings still operate between the two mentioned cities.

Follow the latest on flights to Croatia HERE and the latest travel updates and COVID-19 news from Croatia HERE.

For more on travel in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

May 19, 2021 - The latest news for flights to Croatia as Zagreb and Split KLM flights have been boosted! 

Croatian Aviation reports that Dutch KLM currently operates twice a day between Zagreb and Amsterdam, and instead of Embraer aircraft, larger capacity aircraft operates on the route. Flights to Split have been running daily since yesterday!

Since the end of March, Dutch KLM has been gradually increasing the number of weekly flights between Zagreb and Amsterdam, adding a second daily flight on certain days of the week. The company now operates twice a day between the mentioned airports, and so far the Embraer E170 and E190 aircraft have mainly operated on this route.

The capacity of the mentioned aircraft is 76 or 100 passengers. Since the beginning of May, KLM has started using larger capacity aircraft on certain days of the week, mainly B737-700 type aircraft that can carry up to 142 passengers. Aircraft type B737-700 are announced for both daily flights to Zagreb until June 14, and again from June 21 to July 4.

From the beginning of July to the end of August, KLM plans to use B737-800 aircraft with a capacity of as many as 186 passengers on the line between Zagreb and Amsterdam. During the peak of the summer season, the -700 version was announced only on Sundays, on one daily flight.

KLM thus significantly increases the number of offered seats to and from Zagreb, counting on higher demand in the summer months. From June 1 to August 31, the Dutch airline will offer more than 56,800 seats on this route!

Increasing the number of operations towards Split

As of May 17, KLM increased the number of operations to Split Airport and now flights to and from Amsterdam are available daily.

One Croatian Aviation reader on yesterday's Amsterdam - Split flight confirmed that the B737-700 aircraft was almost full, so it is not surprising that the company decided to increase the number of operations to Split Airport earlier than in the summer season of 2019. As announced earlier, KLM will run 12 times a week between Split and Amsterdam this summer!

In addition to Split and Zagreb, this summer KLM will also run to Dubrovnik, from June 26, every day. Thus, the Dutch national airline, the oldest airline in the world, will have as many as 33 flights a week to three Croatian airports in the peak season this summer, which is a significant increase in the number of operations compared to the year before the global pandemic. Air France, also part of the same group, is present in three Croatian airports - Zagreb, Split, and Dubrovnik.

Although the E170 and E190 are very well received by passengers, the B737 has a significantly higher capacity, and the company will soon be able to use the Internet on flights within Europe (free for social networks), so this additional service will be available on flights to Split and Zagreb. Considering that good bookings are expected on the new route to Dubrovnik, there is no doubt that the company will use aircraft from the B737 family on this route as well.

Apart from those traveling between the mentioned cities, it should be noted that the share of transfer passengers on KLM lines is extremely high, and within Europe, this applies mainly to destinations such as Dublin, London, Manchester, and Oslo.

KLM has significantly increased its presence in the Croatian market in the last two years, and it is to be expected that this will continue in the future. A completely logical choice of the company would be the establishment of regular lines from Amsterdam to Pula and Zadar.

Follow the latest on flights to Croatia HERE and the latest travel updates and COVID-19 news from Croatia HERE.

For more on travel in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

ZAGREB, 18 May, 2021 - During the local elections held throughout Croatia on 16 May, a total of 70 cities managed to elect their heads in the first round of voting, while others will have mayoral runoffs on 30 May.

Of those 70 mayors, who clinched the victory in the first round of voting when they gained the support of more than 50% of the voters who turned out for the elections, 36 winners are from the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), or six fewer than in 2017, whereas 13 Social Democratic Party (SDP) mayoral candidates gained outright victory, or one more than in the first round of the local elections in 2017.

Seven female mayors winners in first round

Of those 70 mayors elected in the first round of the elections, seven are women.

According to the report provided by the gradonačelnik.hr portal, there is a rising trend in the election of mayoral candidates who are not members of political parties and who are introduced as independent candidates. Ten independent mayors were elected on Sunday.

Donja Stubica mayor reelected with support of more than 83% of voters

Of the winners with an outright victory on 16 May, the most successful mayor who managed to gain the largest support was independent Nikola Gospočić, who was reelected for another term in Donja Stubica with 83.01% of the voters who went to the polls voting for him. In the previous term, he was a member of the SDP party and left it before these elections.

Another independent mayor, Dinko Burić, won 82.15% of the support for his new mayoral term in the eastern city of Belišće.

In terms of the percentage of support, Darijo Vasilić of the regional PGS party ranks third, winning 80.26% of votes for another mayoral term in the City of Krk.

Of the regional parties, the Istrian Democratic Party (IDS) remains the strongest. In the first round of the voting, five IDS candidates were elected mayors.

Four biggest cities to have mayoral runoffs

Zagreb

Tomislav Tomašević of the We Can!, New Left, ORAH and For the City coalition took the lead in the mayoral race for Zagreb on Sunday, winning 45% of votes, and will face-off with Miroslav Škoro of the Homeland Movement party (12%) in the second round of the elections.

Split

In the biggest Croatian Adriatic city, Ivica Puljak (Centre) and Vice Mihanović (HDZ) will face off in the 30 May runoff. Puljak won 26.82% and Mihanović 23.23%.

Rijeka

In the northern coastal city of Rijeka, the current deputy mayor Marko Filipović (SDP, HSU, IDS, HSS) won 30.25% of votes, followed by independent Davor Štimac (16.10%).

Osijek

In the eastern city of Osijek, Ivan Radić (HDZ) won nearly 39% of votes, ahead of independent Berislav Mlinarević, backed by the Homeland Movement and Bridge (about 20%), and they will vie in the second round of the elections on 30 May.

For more about politics in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

ZAGREB, 18 May, 2021 - The Green-Left Coalition's candidate for the mayor of Zagreb, Tomislav Tomašević, said on Tuesday that after the 30 May runoff, which he expects to win, the coalition would embark on a reorganisation of the city administration and ask the heads of its 27 departments to offer their resignation.

"If we want a change, it is our right to ask the city ministers, as well as directors of city-owned companies... to offer their resignation," Tomašević said at a news conference.

He noted that he would ask current office-holders to submit reports and evaluate their work, while new department heads would be chosen in public procedures and the number of city departments would be reduced due to reorganisation.

Tomašević said that he would not make any rash moves and would hold meetings with all department heads and ask them to report on what had been done so far.

"The only criterion will be one's performance, and I have been familiar with that, having been a city councillor for the past four years," he said.

Citizens urged to apply

He called on citizens who believe they have the necessary qualifications to apply once vacancies are advertised, noting that they would be expected to implement the political goals of the Green-Left Coalition's platform.

Tomašević also commented on the statement by his rival Miroslav Škoro of the Homeland Movement, who on election day, 16 May, referred to him and his coalition as the far left.

"That kind of tactic does not and will not work in Zagreb, as shown by the election outcome," Tomašević said, noting that he did not intend to demonise his political rivals.

He noted that in the first round of the election Škoro had led a smear campaign.

This was proved by the Croatian Regulatory Authority for Network Industries (HAKOM) as it has turned out that Škoro had hired an agency that phoned voters and vilified his rivals, Tomašević said, noting that he would continue a positive election campaign.

He called on voters to give him the largest possible support in the runoff, adding that every vote would count as it would enhance the legitimacy of the planned changes.

The coalition of the We Can! platform and its partners won 23 of the 47 seats in the Zagreb City Assembly, and Tomašević said that they would discuss forming the majority, based on programme cooperation, with the Social Democratic Party (SDP) but not before the runoff.

He noted that he had already discussed this with the SDP's mayoral candidate, Joško Klisović, and that he did not expect any problems with the formation of a stable majority.

Tomašević said that he expected to be supported in the runoff by candidates from the centre to the left, which Klisović already did after the first round of the election, calling on SDP voters to support Tomašević in the 30 May runoff.

Danijela Dolenec, a candidate for Tomašević's deputy, said that the results of elections for local government units, showing that their slate was the strongest in 16 of the 17 of Zagreb's districts, proved that citizens had recognised that their coalition's relationship with citizens was based on partnership.

For more about politics in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

ZAGREB, 18 May, 2021 - Thomas Waitz, a European Green Party co-chair, has said in an interview for Hina that green policies are neither left nor right but rather focused on dealing with the consequences of the human beings' actions on the climate and environment.

Waitz, an Austrian member of the European Parliament, visited Croatia in early May at the invitation of the leader of the Croatian OraH party, Zorislav Antun Petrović, to support the Green-Left Coalition's candidates in the campaign in the run-up to the local elections which Croatia held on 16 May.

On Monday, this Austrian MEP congratulated Tomislav Tomašević of the Green-Left coalition for a convincing victory in the local polls in the City of Zagreb. Tomašević  mustered 45% of the vote in the first round of the elections for the mayor of the Croatian capital city and will face off Miroslav Škoro of the Homeland Movement (12% of the vote) in the runoff set for 30 May. The coalition led by Tomašević won the elections for the city assembly and was short of one seat for an absolute majority.

On Monday, Waitz tweeted: "Congratulations to the Green-Left coalition for their great result in the local elections in Zagreb yesterday."

"The Green-Left coalition won 23/47 seats in the City Assembly! Zagreb deserves a citizen-led & democratic movement to lead the recovery efforts," the Austrian politician added.

The European Green part also stated that its partners in Croatia were focused on the green post-quake recovery and that they promised to put an end to clientelism and poor management of the city.

Waitz, whose Greens Party is a junior partner in the ruling coalition led by Chancellor Sebastian Kurz in Austria, says in the interview which Hina published on Tuesday that the preservation of the planet could be considered generally a conservative policy as we would like to protect the planet  for the future generations.

EU expects Croatia to invest in rail lines

Commenting on possible demands stemming from the European Green Deal for Croatia, Waitz recalled that the Council of the EU and the European Parliament had reached provisional agreement in April on the climate legislature whereby the EU set an intermediate target of reducing net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels. 

The reduction of greenhouse gas emissions implies the reduction of dependence on fossil fuels. Therefore Waitz recommends that Croatia should invest more in the rail network.

The European Union expects Croatia to implement such projects. Please invest in rail lines to Ljubljana, Maribor, Graz, Budapest and Belgrade, the Austrian MEP said.

He recalled that the EU policy "From Farm to Fork" envisages the reduction of the use of pesticides by 50% until 2030 and in this context he urged Croatia to  invest in the education and training of young farmers about sustainable farming.

He also commented that the mass tourism could be sustainable and in this context advocated providing  hotels and establishments catering for tourists with locally produced food..

For more about politics in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

ZAGREB, 16 May, 2021 - French comic book artist, colorist, and writer Cyril Pedrosa will pay a visit to Zagreb from 19 to 26 May to participate in several public events, including the opening of the exhibition of original boards "The Golden Age" and attendance at the Zagreb Crtani Romani Šou/Zagreb Comic Con festival.

Pedrosa will hold a creative and cartooning workshop for beginners and masterclass for undergraduates at Zagreb's Academy of Fine Arts.

Pedrosa's artist-in-residence program is part of the French-Croatian cooperation in cartoon and comic art. A bilateral agreement to this effect was signed by the governments of France and Croatia in February 2021 during events marking the centenary of the French Institute in Croatia.

For more news about events in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

ZAGREB, 16 May 2021 - The Zagreb Book Festival (ZBF) will be held from 24 to 28 May at the Urania venue in Zagreb, and the seventh edition of the ZBF will be held under the slogan "I want your story!".

This year's festival features Jul Maroh, Nebojša Lujanović, Vedrana Rudan, Korana Serdarević, Monika Herceg, Boris Jokić, Dino Pešut, Ece Temelkuran, Robert Torre, Zoran Ferić, Sena Puhovski, Barbara Matejčić, Rujana Jeger  and some other writers.

Since its founding in 2014, the Zagreb Book Festival has been designed as an annual literary event with the clear goal of encouraging reading and critical thinking.

"After six successful editions, it has become an unavoidable point on the cultural and literary map of Zagreb and beyond," the festival says on its web site.

This year's program includes an international project called "Every Story Matters" which "raises awareness of the role of literature, especially for children and youth, in building an open democratic society. Although European society implies diversity, it is not in fact reflected in all its segments: literature and the book world are still quite homogeneous in many respects."

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May 16, 2021 - The first post-Covid wedding pilot party in Croatia was held on Saturday in Zagreb with 130 maskless guests.

Jutarnji List reports that on Saturday night, after more than a year, wedding guests hugged, danced, kissed, and enjoyed fine food and drinks with the hope that in one week, they will all test negative and thus prove that such celebrations can take place without any problems.

The president of the Independent Association of Caterers, Žaklina Troskot, opened the "wedding ceremony" on Saturday night at the Riverside Golf Club in Zagreb. It is an experimental gathering organized by the association in cooperation with the Croatian Institute of Public Health and the National Civil Protection Headquarters.

Emica Elvedji / PIXSELL

About 130 participants gathered for the ceremony. Ladies wore formal gowns, men donned suits, and the band “Prava Stvar” dusted off famous hits. As the organizers said, everything was done to simulate a real wedding ceremony as we were used to in the time before the coronavirus pandemic. There were no masks, no social distancing, or any measures, but the rules for entering the most anticipated “wedding” of the year were rigorous. Only those who have been vaccinated with both doses, have recovered from the coronavirus, or have a recent negative test for coronavirus could enter the wedding hall. Journalists also had to take the test to maintain maximum safety.

Emica Elvedji / PIXSELL

The wedding menu was also festive. Guests were served Dalmatian prosciutto as an appetizer, accompanied by a selection of homemade cheeses and salamis, smoked tuna salad, spring rolls, and sushi. This was followed by gorgonzola with marinated peaches, pears, nuts, baby octopus salad with vegetables, Istrian olives and cheese, a selection of salads, rump steak, and homemade baked štruklji. Among the main dishes were pork rolls stuffed with bacon, forest fruit sauce with homemade gnocchi, chicken medallions in panko crumbs with risotto, and roasted veal "ala peka" with potatoes and vegetables all finished with desserts.

Emica Elvedji / PIXSELL

Among the guests was a prominent Zagreb doctor Dr. sc. Damir Eljuga, who has recovered from the coronavirus. He expressed hope that this is just one “pilot event” that gives us all hope that we will return to normal life. Of course, he said, provided we all get vaccinated to “beat this unfortunate disease.”

A member of the band "Prava Stvar" also addressed the press, saying that he was delighted that the band could perform at a wedding like this after a long time.

"Prava Stvar has not performed since September 2020, but if we take into account that the corona has been going on for more than a year, we are talking about fifty canceled weddings and other events. This resulted in a large financial loss and a drop in revenue of about 80%, which is not reflected only in the band's six members, so we are talking about twenty people who were greatly affected by the coronavirus and inability to play. I must mention that some of us are only engaged in this business and have no other income, so they had to start doing other jobs to survive. When I talk about these fifty lost opportunities/gigs, I also mean abroad, such as Austria, Germany. In Slovenia, too, we were supposed to be engaged in several wedding ceremonies. To add that this band has been performing for twenty years, it’s our anniversary soon. We all love it very much, we love music, it fulfills us, and that is our way of life. We really miss gigs, and we can't wait for everything to return to normal so that we can start living, working, and functioning as we used to. I am very proud that our band Prava Stvar was chosen for this pilot project and that we have the opportunity to participate in it, it means a lot to us, and I hope that we will return to the old way soon," he said.

The organizers hope the project will be successful. This will be evidenced by negative tests after a week, given that all participants in both events, as they agreed, will be tested for the coronavirus. If everyone is negative, they hope that this kind of study will open the door to a return to wedding halls, banquets, and the way of life we are all used to.

The president of the Troskot Association said she was extremely pleased with the project.

"After a very successful first pilot project held on Thursday, which more than 80 people attended, tonight was the second pilot project to show that wedding ceremonies are safe. Three groups of guests are present: those who have recovered, have been vaccinated, and have been tested. Tonight, this is a simulation of a real wedding only without the bride and groom, but with a rich dinner and the performance of a live band," she said in conclusion.

For all, you need to know about coronavirus specific to Croatia, including travel, border, and quarantine rules, as well as the locations of vaccination points and testing centers up and down the country, make sure to bookmark our dedicated COVID-19 section and choose your preferred language.

ZAGREB, 14 May, 2021 - The head of the Zagreb-based Hospital for Infectious Diseases, Alemka Markotić,  said on Friday that the European Commission would in future be authorised for the purchase and distribution of the Pfizer vaccine and that Zagreb would be one of the centres included in producing DNA templates.

That means that only mRNA vaccines will be used in the EU, not because the AstraZeneca vaccine is not of a good quality but to ensure secure production and the possibility of responding quickly to new variants of the virus given that a vaccine can be produced within 100 days, said Markotić.

In addition to a high level of antibodies that remain for about six months, it is worthwhile developing cell immunity, which need not be the case with certain vaccines, she said.

"In 2022 and 2023, Zagreb will be one of the centres that will be included in the phase of producing DNA templates, which is important for Croatia's tradition and for Zagreb regarding the production of vaccines," she underscored.

For more about health in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.