ZAGREB, June 7, 2020 - A coalition of six left-wing and green parties are launching a petition on Tuesday to ask President Zoran Milanovic to call an emergency meeting after the formation of the new parliament to adopt a new reconstruction bill after a strong earthquake struck Zagreb on March 22.

The initiative is being launched by the coalition of the parties We Can!, the New Left, the Workers' Front, Sustainable Development of Croatia (ORaH), Zagreb Is Ours! and For the City.

The petition will be open for signature at several locations in the city and online, Tomislav Tomasevic, who will head the coalition's slate in the July 5 parliamentary election, told a press conference outside the government and parliament buildings in St Mark's Square in Zagreb on Sunday.

Tomasevic recalled that it was about two and a half months since the earthquake had struck the capital and its surroundings and that many problems remained unsolved. "Two months after the earthquake the Croatian parliament was dissolved without passing a bill on the reconstruction of Zagreb which the present government had been announcing for weeks," he said.

Given the forthcoming elections and the fact that parliament would take a summer break from July 15 to September 15, Tomasevic said that the coalition parties had decided to launch a petition to President Zoran Milanovic because under the Constitution the President can call an emergency session of parliament. In that case, the new parliament would start work immediately after its inaugural meeting, and lawmakers would not go on holiday but would work on a new bill on the reconstruction of Zagreb and its surroundings.

Tomasevic said they were angry because only 16 families whose homes were severely damaged in the earthquake had been granted state-funded accommodation. "Many families cannot find rented accommodation because owners are reluctant to rent their apartments for a longer-term and because they don't want to pay tax to the state," he said, accusing the government of tolerating the black market for an apartment rental for decades.

Tomasevic said they were also angry because the government had still not reported the damage to the European Solidarity Fund so that money could be drawn for Zagreb and its residents.

In conclusion, he said he believed that because of all this the citizens would punish both Mayor Milan Bandic and the government of Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic at the ballot and would put their confidence in this coalition to fight for better laws.

June 5, 2020 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for flights to Croatia with updates from Zagreb, Split and Dubrovnik, Rijeka and Pula. 

Croatian Aviation reports that in its latest statement, Emirates further postponed the start of traffic on the Dubai-Zagreb route.

The company first postponed the line to July, then to August, and the latest news is September. Emirates is currently offering sales on the Dubai-Zagreb route from September 1 this year, four times a week; on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

Boeing 777-300ER aircraft have been announced on the route, which has several different configurations in the fleet of this airline, so depending on the registration of the aircraft, they can carry between 354 and 442 passengers.

Considering that Emirates turned the Zagreb line into a seasonal service, and that the partner FlyDubai operates on the route in the winter flight schedule, the chance that Emirates will return to Zagreb this summer is slim. According to the plan, the already mentioned FlyDubai should take over the line from the end of October.

Qatar Airways, a competitor to Emirates (along with Etihad), is still on sale for 3 weeks from the beginning of July to Zagreb, but changes are also possible with this airline in the next two weeks.

The largest aircraft (both in terms of technical specifications and the number of seats in the passenger cabin) in Zagreb was Emirates, while Air Canada Rouge and Korean Air flew with long-range and capacity aircraft to the Croatian capital. However, both have canceled their flights completely for this summer. Air Transat still has a line between Toronto and Zagreb on sale, 3 times a week since the beginning of July.

Furthermore, Avio Radar reports that Swiss airline Edelweiss Air resumed its service from Zurich to Split on June 4. The week, Edelweiss will also arrive on Sunday, June 7. By the end of June, this line will be in service twice a week,  on Thursdays and Sundays, with the Airbus A320 aircraft. From July, the route will operate 5 times a week, or every day except Wednesday and Friday. 

The other two Edelweiss lines for Croatia are planned from July, i.e., the Zurich-Dubrovnik line twice a week, on Mondays and Fridays from July 3, and the Zurich-Pula line, also twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays from July 1. 

Finally, Avio Radar reports that Latvian airline Air Baltic will establish a route between Riga and Rijeka from June 17. Flights from Riga were scheduled for July 29, but the carrier decided to launch a month and a half earlier despite the current corona situation. The line will operate on Wednesdays with an Airbus A220-300 instead of last year’s Boeing 737-300.

Air Baltic also announces flights to Split and Dubrovnik from June 20.

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June 2, 2020 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for flights to Croatia with updates from Zagreb, Split and Dubrovnik, and Zadar.

Ryanair plans to resume traffic to Zadar on selected lines from July. The first line from Stuttgart to Zadar, on which Lauda operates, will run from June 28. All other lines are planned to begin operations from the first week of July. 

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There is not a single new line planned for this year with aircraft based in Zadar. Also, no routes from France, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom are on offer. 

Furthermore, on all routes operating from the beginning of July, the number of flights per week has been significantly reduced. Most flights per week have been announced on the Vienna-Zadar route, twice a week from the beginning of July, with reinforcements to three times a week in August. 

In other flight news, Ex Yu Aviation reports that Aegean Airlines has delayed the resumption of all of its flights to Croatia until September. While the airline planned to fly from Athens to Zagreb, Dubrovnik and Split from the beginning of July, they will not resume operations until September 1 to Split, September 2 to Zagreb, and September 3 to Dubrovnik. 

Finally, Croatian Aviation reports that Austrian national carrier Austrian Airlines has confirmed it is re-establishing the Vienna-Zagreb-Vienna route from the end of June.

As announced earlier, Austrian will fly from Vienna to Split and Dubrovnik again this month, so it was logical to expect the introduction of a route to Zagreb, on which, in addition to Austrian, Croatia Airlines also operates regularly.

From June 29, Austrian Airlines will once again connect the capitals of Austria and Croatia with one flight a day.

In the morning, a departure from Vienna to Zagreb is planned at 06:40, with arrival in Zagreb at 7:35. Departure from Zagreb to Vienna is planned for 8:15 am, with arrival in Vienna at 9:15 am.

In the afternoon, the plane will take off from Vienna at 13:10, and the arrival in Zagreb is planned for 14:05. The return to Vienna is at 15:15, with arrival in the Austrian capital at 16:10. In addition to direct (p2p) demand, passengers from Vienna are being offered a large number of destinations in Europe that Austrian will restart from the end of this month.

The smaller capacity aircraft, the DashQ400 and Embraer 190, are planned for the flights.

The company is currently working on a new flight schedule for July, but Austrian is expected to continue flying once a day on the Vienna-Zagreb-Vienna route in the first half of July.

June 1, 2020 - The 15th edition of the INmusic festival, which has been postponed to June next year due to COVID-19, will feature the international punk world music sensation Gogol Bordello, the festival organizer announced on Monday.

Led by the charismatic Eugene Hütz, Gogol Bordello brings together a diverse group of musicians and performers from all over the world, whose cultural influences also form the unique sound of the group.

Roma and Eastern European influences in Gogol Bordello's songs and performances are combined with energetic punk and dub elements accompanied by violin, accordion and saxophone.

With seven studio albums behind him, one EP, a series of guest appearances with other musicians and in documentaries and feature films, including Lie Schreiber's "Everything is Illuminated" and Madonna's directorial debut "Filth and Wisdom", in two decades of work, Gogol Bordello has established his status as one of the most attractive and unusual phenomena on the world music scene, according to the organizer.

Gogol Bordello joins the already confirmed premiere Croatian performances of The Killers, Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets and Belle and Sebastian as part of the postponed edition of INmusic Festival #15, which will take place at the Jarun Islands in Zagreb from June 21 to 23, 2021. 

Recall, the Zagreb music festival announced it would be postponed last month:

"On April 23rd 2020, the Croatian government has announced updates to the national epidemiological measures and limitations introduced in March to fight the spread of the coronavirus epidemic in Croatia, which include the expected and necessary continuation of bans for large public gatherings and events. In line with similar decisions and bans on public gatherings well into the summer months announced over the past weeks by many European governments, the expected postponement of INmusic festival #15 for June 2021 has now become official. Although we were expecting this decision, it is with a heavy heart that we accept the reality of not being able to attend live concerts and festivals this summer, but we are working hard on delivering the anniversary edition of INmusic festival to you all in 2021.

We would like to thank each and every one of you for your support, kind words, understanding and patience – you were the reason we made it this far, you remain the reason to push through this as well. 

Stay safe, take care of the people around you and keep your spirits up – this too shall pass!

See you in 2021!"

To read more about lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

May 29, 2020 - Animal lovers - rejoice! The Croatian capital has something new for your four-legged friends. Introducing Pas Palace in Zagreb. 

There are various reasons why you might need someone else to care for your dog temporarily, so why not do it in style?

As the most modern boutique hotel for dogs in the region, Pas Palace opened just a few weeks ago in the Croatian capital, spreading across an area of 750 m2. It Zagreb's luxurious new spot for your favorite furry friends to relax and have fun.

"Our goal is to provide clients with top service, attractive accommodation and a safe and sanitary impeccable environment. Through comprehensive services of overnight stays, day playrooms, beautification and relaxation (SPA treatments), we also provide individual walking services to dogs-clients.

Our unique and highly designed resort is designed to give the impression of a dog town, which consists of houses that are adapted in size, decoration and designed for the client - the dog. We have paid special attention to the choice of materials, colors and size of the apartment and the architectural solution is characterized by originality and high aesthetics.

Pas Palace’s dedicated and professional staff ensures safety, care and love for all pets, and provides owners with irreplaceable peace and freedom," reads the Pas Palace Facebook description. 

Pas Palace is the first certified member of IBPSA (International Boarding & Pet Services Association) in Croatia, which allows for quality education of staff, and connection to all luxury hotels in the world, so they can exchange news and advice and thus keep pace with the latest trends in this industry.

"Paspalace wants to stand out with its excellence, distinctiveness and top luxury services," concludes the new pet-friendly hotel. 

Pas Palace is located at the entrance to Zagreb, next to the new Zagreb roundabout, 5 minutes from the highway, and is well connected to all parts of the city.

Will you be sending your dog away for a spa day or more? You can learn all about Pas Palace HERE.

To read more about lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

May 29, 2020 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for flights to Croatia with updates from Zagreb, Split and Dubrovnik. 

Slobodna Dalmacija reports that Spanish airlines Iberia and Vueling announced on Thursday that they would return some flights from Madrid and Barcelona to foreign destinations, including Dubrovnik and Split, from July 1, after those flights were suspended due to the coronavirus.

Since the state of emergency was declared in Spain on March 14, Iberia has only operated foreign flights to London and Paris so that passengers can reach their destinations in an emergency. Tourist travel is banned, and border police check the documents and certificates of those rare foreign passengers at airports.

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But after the Spanish government announced on Monday that it would allow foreign tourists to arrive in the country from July 1, Iberia and Vueling announced the gradual return of their flights.

In July, Iberia will fly between Madrid and Dubrovnik, which will be one of its 15 foreign destinations. It will introduce an additional 28 destinations in Europe and North Africa in August.

"In order to restore customer confidence, we will not charge penalties for changing tickets purchased from today until June 30, for flights until December 31," Iberia said in a statement posted on its website on Thursday.

Iberia also had flights between Madrid and Zagreb and Zadar, but it is unknown at this time what will happen with them. The company did not respond to the inquiry until the news was published.

Iberia's operations in July and August will be at 21 percent of capacity compared to previously forecast this summer, and in the event of increased demand, capacity could increase to 35 percent.

Flights between Madrid and Split can also be booked via Iberia's website from July 1, and passengers will be transported by Vueling Airlines.

Iberia and Vueling, in fact, have a joint owner, the company International Airlines Group.

"We can confirm that we will gradually return flights from Barcelona to Dubrovnik and Split from July," said Vueling's spokesman Xabier Martinez Serrano.

Flights from Spain to other continents have been suspended until further notice.

"We also plan to return long-haul flights to distant destinations when the situation allows it and when quarantine and travel restrictions are lifted," Iberia said.

Spain, one of Europe's most affected countries by the coronavirus, currently has closed borders, so only foreign cross-border workers, aircrew, truck drivers, healthcare professionals and patients ordered for surgery or people with a certificate of emergency entry are allowed to enter the country.

The Spanish government is easing measures of limited population movement through four phases (0 to 3) and trying to bring the country to a "new normal" by the end of June.

The largest and hardest hit cities Madrid and Barcelona are in phase 1 and most of the territories are in phase 2.

Iberia will also increase the number of domestic flights in Spain from July 1, because now its planes fly from Madrid only to the Canary and Balearic Islands, Barcelona, Bilbao and the northern provinces of Asturias and Galicia.

Furthermore, Croatian Aviation announced that Austrian Airlines announced the relaunch of international routes, after all the company's planes were grounded for almost 90 days.

The establishment of international flights is expected from June 15, and in the first week of operations, Dubrovnik Airport is among the destinations.

Austrian Airlines will fly from June 21 on the Vienna-Dubrovnik route twice a week (Wednesdays and Sundays). An A321 aircraft with a capacity of 200 passengers has been announced.

As of June 24, Austrian is introducing the Vienna-Split route, which will run 4 times a week (Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays). A321 aircraft have also been announced on this route.

In a recent statement, the company announced that it would initially operate its routes with smaller capacity aircraft (Embraer 195 / DashQ400), so a change of aircraft type to Dubrovnik and Split is still possible.

Austrian Airlines is currently preparing a flight schedule for July and will be announced soon, it is expected that the company will return the Zagreb-Vienna route in July.

Finally, Croatian Aviation announced that it is re-establishing another international route. From Monday, June 8, Croatia Airlines will fly between Zagreb and Zurich.

From that date, Zagreb and Zurich will be connected four times a week (Mondays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays) with a DashQ400 aircraft with a capacity of 76 passengers. As of June 15, daily flights between the largest cities in Switzerland and Croatia are on sale.

The plane will depart from Zagreb at 09:10, the expected arrival in Zurich is at 10:45. The return flight will take off from Zurich at 11:45, and the expected landing in Zagreb is at 13:10.

After June 15, the introduction of several international lines to Croatia is expected, given that the borders of many countries should be opened from that date.

From June 8, Croatia Airlines will operate on international routes from Zagreb to Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Zurich, along with domestic routes to Split and Dubrovnik.

ZAGREB, May 28, 2020 - Regional Development and EU Funds Minister Marko Pavic said on Thursday that soon Croatia would apply to the European Solidarity Fund for the reconstruction of Zagreb after the March 22 earthquake and that it expected to receive over €500 million.

Responding to questions from the press ahead of a cabinet meeting, Pavic said the deadline to apply was June 14 and that he expected Croatia, i.e. the City of Zagreb, to receive over €500 million.

The estimate of the damage will be finished this week and it must be done according to a methodology recognised by the European Commission, Pavic added.

He said a €100 million advance from the ESF was expected this summer, the maximum amount that could be received.

He recalled that a US$ 200 million loan was being arranged with the World Bank for dealing with the effects of the quake and that the government set aside HRK 141 million for urgent repairs.

May 27, 2020 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for flights to Croatia with updates from Zagreb and Zadar.

On May 25, Croatia Airlines launched regular flights from Zagreb to Amsterdam, which is currently the only EU destination the national carrier is flying to, along with Frankfurt, which was maintained during the coronavirus pandemic. 

Flight OU450 to Amsterdam from Zagreb departs every day at 8:20, while the departure from Amsterdam to Zagreb OU451 is scheduled for 11:35.

Avio Radar announced that from June 1, Croatia Airlines would also start flying to Copenhagen with five flights per week, after which it will operate daily (from June 8).

Flight OU480 to Copenhagen from Zagreb departs every day at 8:10, while the departure from Copenhagen to Zagreb OU481 is scheduled for 11:20. 

The A319/320 and DASH 8-Q400 aircraft will be exchanged on this route, depending on the demand. 

With the planned opening of borders, announced for June 15, we should expect more direct flights to other destinations. The airline will also resume nonstop flights from Split to Frankfurt on May 29.

Ex Yu Aviation reports that SAS Scandinavian Airlines has canceled its new seasonal service from Copenhagen to Zadar because of the coronavirus pandemic. The new flight was meant to begin on June 30 and was meant to run twice a week. 

Recall, we recently reported that Ukrainian airline Windrose announced a new planned start of operations on the Kyiv-Zagreb route.

The line has not existed so far, so this summer season was supposed to be the first in which there would be a direct connection between the capitals of Ukraine and Croatia, and it was originally supposed to start operating in May.

Due to the pandemic and the crisis it caused, the company initially postponed the start of operations to the end of May, then to June, but after Monday's changes, the company decided to further postpone the planned start of operations to July 21.

Windrose kept three weeks of flights on this route in the reservation system, with a small capacity aircraft (48 seats), ERJ-145.

Additional delays are also likely, as well as the complete cancellation of the line for this summer season and the start of traffic only in the summer flight schedule in 2021.

To read more about travel in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

Lidl Croatia is without a doubt one of the most popular shops from which you can purchase food and other items at a more than fair price. Since the company's arrival in Croatia, Lidl has become the place to go for many people's weekly shops.

Owing to Lidl Croatia's continually rising levels of popularity, yet another shop has been opened in the Croatian capital, and on one of its busiest streets. As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 25th of May, 2020, the opening hours of the new store are Monday to Saturday from 08:00 to 09:00, with a disinfection break from 13:30 to 14:30.

With this latest move, Lidl Croatia is continuing to expand its already impressive sales network. The brand new modern store has been opened on one of Zagreb's most famous streets, more precisely at Ilica 201, meaning that Lidl can now boast of having 102 stores operating across the Republic of Croatia.

This modern store in the wider centre of the City of Zagreb has been built according to a new concept of construction and design, which implies an even more pleasant purchase experience for customers and greater energy efficiency levels overall. The new store is located on the ground floor of a residential and commercial building, and parking spaces for Lidl's customers are located on floor -1.

The opening of this new Lidl store on one of Zagreb's most famous and heavily frequented streets has delighted many of Zagreb's residents who were in need of a store like Lidl located in the very heart of the city, as the large stores are usually located a little further out. The team working for the newly opened store, led by the new manager Liduška Veseli, welcomed their first customers with smiles on their faces.

In addition to its modern conceptual design, the new store in the wider centre of Zagreb is located near the tram station on Ilica, which makes it even more accessible to many Lidl customers.

As stated, the opening hours of the new Lidl Croatia store are Monday t0 Saturday from 08:00 to 09:00, with a disinfection break from 13:30 to 14:30. The store will be closed on Sundays and on public holidays.

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May 26, 2020 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for flights to Croatia with updates from Zagreb.

Croatian Aviation reports that Ukrainian airline Windrose announced a new planned start of operations on the Kyiv-Zagreb route.

The line has not existed so far, so this summer season was supposed to be the first in which there would be a direct connection between the capitals of Ukraine and Croatia, and it was originally supposed to start operating in May.

Due to the pandemic and the crisis it caused, the company initially postponed the start of operations to the end of May, then to June, but after Monday's changes, the company decided to further postpone the planned start of operations to July 21.

Windrose kept three weeks of flights on this route in the reservation system, with a small capacity aircraft (48 seats), ERJ-145.

Additional delays are also likely, as well as the complete cancellation of the line for this summer season and the start of traffic only in the summer flight schedule in 2021.

Furthermore, on Monday, Croatia Airlines performed the first rotation on the Zagreb-Amsterdam-Zagreb service after a long break caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Although it was planned that initially smaller aircraft (76 seats) would be on the route, Croatia Airlines rotated the A319 aircraft (reg. Marks 9A-CTH) with a capacity of 144 seats.

The plane took off from Zagreb at 08:40 in the morning towards the capital of the Netherlands, with 78 passengers. The return flight from Amsterdam was delayed on arrival in Zagreb by only 12 minutes, but, interestingly, on the first day of the re-establishment of this line, there were as many as 124 passengers on the flight (load factor of 86% cabin occupancy).

After 1 hour and 20 minutes of flight through the airspace of the Netherlands, Germany, Austria and Slovenia, the plane landed at Zagreb Airport and made an afternoon flight to Frankfurt, also the first after a long break.

Following the announcements of airlines in the region and Europe in general, we can expect the normalization of air traffic soon, but certainly not to the extent that it existed before the outbreak of the pandemic.

To read more about travel in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.