ZAGREB, 27 April 2022 - Croatia has recorded 1,390 new coronavirus cases and seven COVID-related deaths in the last 24 hours, the national coronavirus response team reported on Wednesday.

The number of active cases in the country now stands at 5,248, of whom 435 infected persons are being treated in hospital, including 22 placed on ventilators, while 3,114 persons are self-isolating.

Since 25 February 2020, when the first case was confirmed in Croatia, 1,119,916 people have been registered as having contracted the SARS-CoV-2 virus, of whom 15,808 have died and 1,098,860 have recovered, including 264 in the last 24 hours.

A total of 4,776,342 people have tested for COVID-19 to date, including 5,413 in the last 24 hours.

By Tuesday, 5,241,301 vaccine doses had been administered, with 59.48% of the total population, or 70.74% of adults, having been vaccinated. A total of 2,312,896 people had received at least one dose and 2,241,380 of them had been fully vaccinated, which is 68.67% of the adult population.

For all you need to know about coronavirus specific to Croatia, make sure tobookmark our dedicated section and select your preferred language if it isn't English.

April 27, 2022 - About 10 tons of humanitarian aid, food, and hygiene supplies were delivered to the residents of the Chernivtsi region of Ukraine, with which Varaždin County has friendly relations.

Varaždin County said that on the eve of Easter, according to the Julian calendar, humanitarian aid was delivered through the border crossing at the Romanian-Ukrainian border, to the Olimpia humanitarian aid depot in the city of Chernivtsi, reports HRT News.

Groceries and supplies were delivered thanks to citizens, local governments, and companies that, after the appeal of Varaždin County Prefect Anđelko Stričak, in just a few days, donated ten tons of groceries with a longer shelf life and hygiene supplies.

In addition to Varaždin County, aid was collected by: Varaždin, Varaždinske Toplice and Lepoglava and the municipalities of Petrijanec, Trnovec Bartolovečki, Cestica, Sračinec, Beretinec, Gornji Kneginec, Breznica, Breznički Hum, Mali Bukovec and Veliki Bukovec. The companies Ivančica, Hudek-Trgotrans, Siga, Krešimir Futura, Helcom Trade, Trgograd - BP Šilec and Nika konstrukcije also joined the initiative.

The city of Chernivtsi is the capital and largest city in the Chernivtsi region of Ukraine, the region with which Varaždin County signed a Cooperation Agreement in 2013.

Prefect Anđelko Stričak thanked everyone who responded to brighten up the Easter holidays to friends in Ukraine.

- As the Ambassador of Ukraine to the Republic of Croatia Vasil Kirilich informed us, who asked for help, today the region is a temporary residence of many Ukrainians from war parts of that country, so they urgently needed help, primarily in the form of long-term food duration, stressed Uncle.

As the devastation of the war in Ukraine does not stop, the Varaždin prefect announced that he would organize the collection of humanitarian aid for a friendly region in Ukraine in cooperation with cities and municipalities, and companies in the coming months.

For more, check out our lifestyle section.

April the 27th, 2022 - The Croatian NUTRIS Group has made quite the name for itself with a new factory, entirely unique in Europe, using revolutionary technology.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Suzana Varosanec writes, the founder and CEO of the Croatian NUTRIS Group, Zvonimir Sedlic, said that he is very proud of the group for being the very first to implement a revolutionary process in the extraction of plant ingredients from beans as one of the best sources of protein. He is also proud of the fact that the Croatian NUTRIS Group has constructed the very first European hybrid factory.

“The factory will use the latest technology to produce high-quality ingredients of plant origin with an emphasis primarily placed on proteins. By cooperating with Croatian farmers, we're contributing to the revitalisation of Croatian agriculture, and we're proud of the sustainability of the production process based on the principles of the circular economy. The opening of the factory is the first step towards the construction of agro-industrial NUTRIS.park ™ to connect all of these processes in one single location, from primary production, research and development, all the way to industrial production and socially useful, educational and sport facilities for all those who believe in our nutritional, innovative and sustainable concept,'' said the founder and CEO of the Croatian NUTRIS Group, Zvonimir Sedlic.

With an investment worth a massive 220 million kuna, the Croatian NUTRIS Group officially opened the very first European hybrid factory for the production of high quality ingredients of plant origin by processing beans and potatoes in Novi Senkovac near Slatina. The investment was realised in partnership with the Danish company Sicca Dania, one of the leading companies in the field of engineering solutions for the food industry.

The factory applies revolutionary technology, which the University of Copenhagen has been developing for more than a decade now, and Sicca Dania and NUTRIS.tech ™ have intensively tested, further improved and, as they claim, proven their application in the industrial environment. However, according to the founder and President of the Management Board of the Croatian NUTRIS Group, this is only the first phase of a major investment cycle, which includes the expansion of the existing plant by the year 2025 and the construction of the NUTRIS.park ™ by the year 2030.

The factory produces protein, starch and fiber isolates from beans and potatoes and currently cooperates with more than 250 farmers and employs 50 experts. Their goal is to reach a production capacity of 70,000 tonnes of high-quality ingredients for the food industry by the year 2025 in cooperation with more than a thousand family farms, as well as to create another hundred new jobs.

The process of obtaining isolates is sustainable and represents the pinnacle of the global food industry from the perspective of complexity and in terms of the sheer level of investment. Their ingredients of plant origin enter the market under the name NutriSmart and are of superior quality, adapted to vegetarians and vegans, don't contain gluten or allergens and have a neutral taste, and are produced from local raw materials from the EU. They're aimed at the food industries in the fastest growing markets, which include the EU, North America and Asia.

"I'd like to congratulate you on the realisation of a project that applies innovative technology and a sustainable approach to doing business, using the principles of the circular economy. This is a very high-tech investment in the rural area of ​​Slavonia, it will create jobs and it has the aim to have the largest possible share of raw materials for production procured from local producers is in line with the Croatian Agriculture Strategy until 2030.

The Group is also a producer that successfully uses the funds of the Rural Development Programme to invest in potato warehouses. This tender was created as a quick, long-term sustainable and development solution of the Ministry of Agriculture for the problem faced by Croatian potato producers due to the ban on plant protection products (such as chlorpropham), and the contracted value of aid for it stands at almost 103 million kuna,'' said the Minister of Agriculture, Marija Vuckovic, adding that so far in Virovitica-Podravina County, the agreed value of aid is 1.1 billion kuna and 967 million kuna has been paid, along with almost 33 million kuna COVID-19 aid measures.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated business section.

April the 27th, 2022 - The Croatian company Premifab has presented its innovative idea to tackle the issue of distillation sludge. The company is already very well known and respected in hazardous waste regeneration.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, Marija Brnic writes, last week, during the visit of the Minister of Economy Tomislav Coric, the Croatian company Premifab from Sveta Nedelja, which is the regional market leader in hazardous waste regeneration, revealed that it is continuing to develop and invest 80 million kuna in a new plant in Ivanic Grad, and it has recently taken a step even further.

In cooperation with the Faculty of Geotechnics at the University of Zagreb, the Croatian company Premifab began to develop innovative piece of technology in the development of the recovery of distillation sludge into a useful raw material for further production processes in industry. The value of the project stands at more than 13.3 million kuna, half of which is being co-financed by European Union (EU) funds.

Igor Podravac, the co-founder of Premifab and the director of the company's business development, associate professor Aleksandra Anic Vucinic and Silvija Petkovic, a PhD student at the Faculty of Geotechnics and the head of quality control and labs at Premifab presented the significance of this project for industry and a more sustainable economy at a conference which was held at the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK).

This was otherwise the inaugural conference of the IRI2 project "The development of new technology for the more efficient recovery of solvents and other types of hazardous waste", one of 23 Croatian projects in the field of research, development and innovation.

In the five years since it appeared on the market, the Croatian company Premifab has introduced a new standard in the regeneration of hazardous waste by converting as much as 95 percent of waste into raw materials, which it then returns to the shipper in the form of reusable solvents.

It deals mainly the automotive and pharmaceutical industries, as well as in the production of food packaging, and it already recovers more than 1,900 tonnes of solvents per year.

For more, make sure to check out Made in Croatia.

April the 27th, 2022 - The Brioni Cup, an international sailing regatta which is likely to attract all lovers of this popular passtime, is set to take place in the waters of Pula, Fazana, and the stunning Brijuni National Park (NP Brijuni).

As Morski writes, from April the 29th to May the 1st, the 18th Brioni Cup will be held - an international sailing event regatta organised by JK Delfin from Pula and co-organised by JK Brioni from Fazana.

The manifestation programme is set to kick off on Friday, April the 29th at 20:00 at the Rijeka pier in Pula with a TECHNO VIKINGS concert, an offer of sparkling wines, craft beer, prosciutto and more.

The regatta itself is set to begin on Saturday, April the 30th at 11:00 So far, the arrival of more than 50 sailboats of all kinds have been announced. On top of that, the arrival of sailors from several countries is also expected. In addition to sailors from up and down Croatia, sailors are due to arrive from Italy, Slovenia, South Africa and Austria.

They are participants of various ages and interest groups, meaning that there will be sailors who are professionals, but there will also be those who sail for recreational purposes, children and adults. Enthusiasts who will sail for the first time as part of the Brioni Cup will do so in teams with an experienced crew.

The Brioni Cup is regarded as one of the most beautiful regattas on the entire Adriatic, starting from the popular Istrian city of Pula, then sailing around NP Brijuni, which is very widely known for its exceptional nature and the beauty of its archipelago. The Brioni Cup regatta is particularly attractive owing to the very specific conditions that can be imposed as a challenge when sailing, such as changes in wind conditions. The regatta will then move away from this area and sails towards Fazana and in the area around the Brijuni National Park itself.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated lifestyle section.

April the 27th, 2022 - Could Economy Minister Tomislav Coric become the most powerful name in the domestic banking sector?

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Ana Blaskovic writes, while Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic is busy calculating with the government reshuffle, which has (once again) been eroded by varying scandals, there is speculation on the sidelines that Economy and Sustainable Development Minister Tomislav Coric could continue his career as the vice governor at the Croatian National Bank (CNB).

Since the return of Martina Drvar to the European Central Bank, the position of Vice Governor for Supervision has been open since the middle of last year. It's a proverbial "hot seat" in which a key person sits in order to supervise the legal operations of banks. In her hands lies the power to prescribe millions in fines to the most powerful players on the Croatian market, which is why, both directly and indirectly, she is often open to the barrage of pressures from the banking sector, especially when their profits are touched.

Damir Odak doesn't have adequate support

Although it has been mentioned that Damir Odak could return to the post, he allegedly lacks the support of those in power who resent him for being close to Governor Boris Vujcic. Unofficially, it can be heard in the parliamentary corridors that the seat is "reserved for Tomislav Coric" and that (for now) there are no other candidates being looked at. It's unclear at this moment in time whether it is possible to have a kind of rotation of vice-governor positions and in that case, Tomislav Coric might take over another department, and one of the current vice-governors would take over that role in supervision.

"At the moment, only Tomislav Coric is being mentioned, but there will probably be no official proposal before the prime minister announces the details of the reconstruction," it has been said among circles close to the parliamentary Committee on Finance and the Budget.

Regarding his possible departure to the CNB, Tomislav Coric briefly said that he is "without comment on all non-departmental topics". Therefore, Coric, a doctor of science and former assistant professor at the Department of Finance at the Faculty of Economics in Zagreb, doesn't seem as if he's rejecting this option.

Dissatisfaction within the CNB

The CNB is allegedly resisting all notions of Tomislav Coric, believing that this is a key function that requires exceptional knowledge of the banking system and the way in which it functions.

There has as yet been no official comment from the CNB on the alleged idea. Governor Boris Vujcic is a member of a Croatian delegation led by Finance Minister Zdravko Maric, who travelled to the International Monetary Fund's annual assembly in Washington last week. Unofficially, however, the choice didn't really please them much, especially since the return of Odak was expected.

"Within the CNB, the entrance of Tomislav Coric is being resisted. This is a key function that requires exceptional technical knowledge of the banking system, as well as of many domestic and European Union regulations. This is one of the most responsible technical positions in the entire country. It's problematic to recruit from the political sphere to an extremely demanding professional position,'' claimed a well-informed source.

The collapse of integrity

On the condition of anonymity, those who spoke about the matter commented that regardless of Tomislav Coric's indisputable educational qualifications, his appointment would be a firm step in undermining the integrity of an institution that should be totally independent of politics.

The last two rounds of appointments at the very top of the CNB's structure were politically coloured, with the key exception that Martina Drvar, as the undisputed expert, was the governor's choice back in 2018. To briefly recall, before the amendments to the law on the central bank, the governor chose his own closest associates.

"We're practically facing a situation in which the CNB Council is the majority politicised body, and that's the defeat of the independence of yet another of this country's institutions. In that sense, it's probably good that we do go ahead and introduce the euro (join the Eurozone) and that the ECB takes control of systemically important Croatian banks,'' concluded one of the aforementioned well-informed sources.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated politics section.

April 27, 2022 - Meet DisCloud, a new product of the Liberato Association that meets the needs of people with disabilities in Split.

At the University Department of Professional Studies in Split, an unusual smart bench with an interactive screen appeared, unique in its complete accessibility for people with disabilities. It is a new product of the Liberato Association, recognized for products that meet the needs of people with disabilities. Named 'DisCloud,' the software of other innovations from this student laboratory can also be installed, such as "LiberatoMap," which provides users with information on the accessibility of public and private facilities, reports Slobodna Dalmacija.

This interesting installation supports all other software according to the customer's wishes, such as a guide in the mall, a kiosk for selling tickets in the ferry port, etc., and is rounded by solar power. Its creators, students Stipo Margić, a wheelchair user, and Mijo Marijević, the founder of the association, envisage a mobile application for it.

"Since DisCloud is powered by solar energy during its installation on surfaces, construction work is unnecessary to bring power to the city network. It also provides a wheelchair motor charging function and has the option of offering marketing services. In addition, institutions will be able to switch a lot of their services to a custom kiosk to make up for the shortcomings of their architectural inaccessibility of the facility."

Although it will be available to all citizens, it is primarily intended for people with disabilities because it will provide them with a new dimension of accessibility in the city and help tourists with disabilities.

The Liberato Association has the tremendous support of the University of Split and the University Department of Professional Studies in Split, the Student Union of the University of Split, while Professor Slaven Šitić made a significant contribution to the construction. In addition, the association has more than 20 volunteers, says they have big plans and goals, and are currently working on a mobile version of the app and better adapting it to blind and partially sighted people.

"This is not our beginning, it is not our end, but our path towards creating a world without barriers," is how they present their innovations.

And they already have several large projects behind them, including the mentioned "LiberatoMap" - an interactive map for people with disabilities, which provides easier and faster access to information on the accessibility of facilities in the city with a focus on technical infrastructure and implementation of new cities. The map is available online, and the team works every day on developing mobile applications and expanding to the entire territory of Croatia. The cities currently covered by the map are Split, Trogir and Omiš.

The LiberatoTalk project includes various events/lectures/panel discussions for high school students and citizens to increase the representation of topics about people with disabilities in the broader social context and discuss the problems they face. There is also a Guide for Students with Disabilities, iLiberatoTech. 

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated lifestyle section.

April 27, 2022 - The latest flight news to Croatia as the Air Transat Toronto-Zagreb line returns from May 8!

Canadian leisure airline Air Transat will resume traffic on the regular seasonal line between Toronto and Zagreb in just over a week, reports Croatian Aviation.

As earlier announced, Air Transat will connect Toronto and Zagreb again on May 8 this year with a regular line that will operate twice a week during the peak summer season.

This airline introduced a regular seasonal route between the two cities back in June 2016, and the number of weekly rotations gradually increased, so that in the summer of 2019, three flights a week were available on the route. Recall that in the summer of 2019, the daughter company of the Canadian national airline, Air Canada Rouge, operated on this route four times a week, running as many as 7 flights a week between Zagreb and Toronto. 

After the global pandemic hit, Air Canada Rouge retired all wide-body aircraft and canceled the route to Zagreb, and the plan was for Air Canada to operate on this route with A330-300 aircraft, but no flights were made.

Air Transat planned to return to Zagreb in 2020, but due to low demand and passenger restrictions, this did not happen, as in the summer of 2021.

After a long time, this airline returns to Zagreb International Airport on May 8 this year. In May, one flight per week was announced with departure from Zagreb to Toronto every Sunday, and from June two flights per week have been announced, additionally on Wednesdays.

The line should operate until the end of October (October 30), so this summer Air Transat will operate a total of 47 return flights between Toronto and Zagreb with its wide-body aircraft type A330-200. It is also the only confirmed overseas route to Zagreb Airport this summer season, and the only line on which wide-body aircraft have been announced.

Given that Air Transat aircraft has a capacity of 332 seats, around 31,208 seats are available on the route from May to October. Namely, most economy classes have a 3-3-3 configuration, while the standard legacy carrier on this type of aircraft is 2-4-2. For example, Korean Air also used this type of aircraft on a regular route between Zagreb and Seoul, which had a capacity of 218 seats, or 114 seats less than Air Transat.

The return of Air Transat to Zagreb is certainly positive news for the airport itself, which had several lines with wide-body aircraft before the pandemic. The average duration of a direct flight between Toronto and Zagreb is 9 hours and 20 minutes.

For more on flights to Croatia and other travel announcements, check out our dedicated travel section.