February 14, 2023 - According to the idea of the Ministry of Science and Education, pupils in Croatian schools from the first to the fourth grade of primary school will receive a new subject called Practical Skills. The curriculum of the new subject was mentioned for the first time in the Public call for the selection of members of the working group to work as part of the experimental program of full-day school, published on the website of the Ministry.

As Jutarnji writes, starting in the autumn with the new school year, about 50 schools will start the experimental implementation of the full-day school project, which means that pupils will stay at school until the afternoon hours (it has not yet been defined how long, nor in which schools), doing extracurricular activities. One of the goals is to reduce private lessons that pupils often have on the side, considering that they would use part of the time spent at school for additional work in certain areas, which would help with learning.

The ministry has not yet presented the complete project, but as Jutarnji wrote on Sunday, one of the news is that classroom teachers will no longer teach physical education and health education classes. That will be the job of kinesiology graduates. At the same time, in the fourth grade of primary school, the hours of physical education will be increased from two to three weekly. The new Practical Skills subject should be one of the teaching contents through which classroom teachers will compensate for the physical and health education hours.

The subject Practical Skills would be taught one hour a week, and the basic elements of the new curriculum were - independence and self-care, safety, traffic and first aid, design and handicrafts (and other products), home and household environment, finances (and economy) and participation and entrepreneurship.

According to the first outline of the Practical Skills subject, pupils would learn, among other things, about healthy nutrition, hygiene, quality organization of the day. It is obvious that this subject brings back to schools some of the skills that former generations learned through the subject Housekeeping. That part will include learning about household chores - cleaning, cooking, maintenance, recycling, etc. Teachers would also teach their pupils how household appliances work, and how to fix simple household malfunctions. For example - how to replace batteries, repair a tire or "replace" the chains on a bicycle. At the same time, children would be taught about energy saving, the basics of entrepreneurial skills, but also about independent and safe movement in traffic. Through one of the elements of the new curriculum, which still needs to be defined by members of the working group, children from first to fourth grade would be prepared for traffic safety when using bicycles and scooters.

Some schools have been using part of these contents in their curricula for years, and according to the new plan, all students from the 2027/28 school year (and before that also gradually in the experimental phase) should be learning design and handicrafts. They would be introduced to different tools and techniques such as cutting, joining, bending, which would encourage the development of motor skills and innovation. The goal, as the Ministry envisioned, is to encourage students' interest in working with their hands.

Among other things, the plan is to acquaint schoolchildren with the history of craftsmanship and for them to get to know the (remaining) local artisans...

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

February the 14th, 2023 - The Croatian VIDI-TO company has received a very welcome investment of 600,000 euros from the Feelsgood VC fund. This generous cash injection will no doubt see the company which develops systems for intelligent education go even further in that pursuit.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Josipa Ban writes, the social impact VC fund Feelsgood has invested an impressiv e  600 thousand euros in the Croatian VIDI-TO company, marking the ninth investment of the fund, which has been operating for one year and a half and whose value is 30 million euros. Its main mission is to invest in startups that have a positive impact on society and the environment.

The Croatian VIDI-TO company will as such invest this fresh sum of 600,000 euros into the development and global sale of tools that connect children and teachers in the transmission and acquisition of knowledge. In particular, they produced the VIDI X tool for learning STEM skills, which is already available in sixty schools across the Republic of Croatia, and to which more than 24 thousand students have access to.

The Croatian VIDI-TO compant says that public schools from across the pond in the USA, as well as the educational systems of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Singapore, Argentina and much closer to home in Germany are also very interested in this tool and its new adapted versions.

"With this investment, our employees, our external collaborators and our development teams will all receive in a strong platform on which we can together make original strides in the development of new high-tech services through VIDI, as well as products that we can be very proud of," says Tomislav Kotnik, the founder and CEO the Croatian VIDI-TO company.

Renata Brkic, a partner from the Feelsgood fund, added that they're more than happy that they have made another significant investment in a domestic company that works very hard to ensure it makes a measurable positive social impact. "Our investment will certainly help VIDI-TO make significant strides in the education sector, both in Croatia and globally," she points out, noting that in the year and a half that they have been operating, they have talked to about 400 teams who have presented their projects to them. Feelsgood normally invests in Croatian and Slovenian startups. BiteMe Nutrition, Juicefast, BE-ON are examples of companies in which this fund has invested.

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

February the 14th, 2023 - The Croatian DOK-ING company more than succeeded in attracting significant attention at the recently held Combat Engineering conference in the Polish city of Warsaw, marking yet another important move for the company.

Croatian companies are being thrust into the limelight across Europe and indeed the rest of the world, for the Croatian DOK-ING company, a recent event in Warsaw is likely to pay off.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the recently Combat Engineer conference in the Polish city of Warsaw managed to successfully gather together an impressive number of niche experts (800 of them in total), in both the industrial and military fields. They then had the opportunity to network, discuss, learn and shape the future of military engineering, and the very successful Croatian DOK-ING company saw it as an excellent opportunity to present its winning innovations.

The focus was primarily placed on advances in technology development and service-based solutions, as well as on understanding future threats and their various solutions.

Dino Isasegi, the sales manager of the Croatian DOK-ING company, gave a presentation on how robotics can improve solutions for the advanced implementation of the above.

After the presentation, military experts showed great interest in the Croatian DOK-ING company's set of impressive products and their experience in post-conflict zones, which proved that their MV-10 machines are an excellent solution for anti-tank mines.

With the war still raging in Ukraine following the shock Russian invasion this time last year, more and more in the military field are looking at the Republic of Croatia as an expert in dealing with post-conflict situations as it has had the unfortunate experience of war itself a mere thirty years ago. While the geopolitical situation is dire, current events are likely to prove important for numerous domestic companies.

For more on Croatian companies, entrepreneurs and innovation, make sure to check out our dedicated business section.

February 13, 2023 - Summer is coming, and the Adriatic will be a paradise of sun, sea, festivals and everlasting memories. Combine them all with the ultimate party and cruising experience - the Ultra Europe VIP Cruise. But hurry, there is VERY limited availability. 

It is a decade since the festival scene changed completely in Dalmatia with the arrival of the Ultra Europe Music Festival, the largest festival in the Adriatic Region which has been a magnet for tourism in Split over the 8 editions so far. Its initial home at the Poljud Stadium for the main event in Split was followed by a beach party in the cascading pools of Hotel Amfora on Hvar.  

Over the years, Ultra Europe has evolved, and its impact on the city of Split has been immense. Last year alone, the festival welcomed more than 160,000 Ultranauts from an impressive 141 countries. The main event is still held in Split, albeit in a new location - – Park Mladež (Youth Park) which has a larger capacity to prior venue. The concept after Split is changing to include more intimate parties at prime locations in top spots on the islands of Brac, Hvar, and Vis. 

And while the majority of Ultranauts are regular festival goers, over the years, Ultra Europe Festival has developed a very attractive VIP offer, which attracts plenty of higher spending guests looking for that something extra, and one can see a marked increase in private planes at Split Airport in the days of the July festival. Indeed, in a recent interview with TCN, Ultra Europe Music founder Joe Basic explained that the average spend of an international Ultranaut was in the region of 3000 EUR. 

But for those looking for a little extra...

What better way to enjoy a holiday on the Adriatic as an electronic music lover than a VIP cruise which takes in all the parties by yacht between the Dalmatian capital of Split to the follow-on parties of three of Dalmatia's premier islands of Brac, Hvar and Vis?

The Ultra Europe VIP Cruise is a unique opportunity to enjoy the Ultra experience from a viewpoint of luxury, comfort, hospitality and fabulous views as you cruise around the Adriatic, recovering from the previous night's partying, while preparing for the long night ahead. 

The 7-day journey takes in the four festival locations of Split, the regatta party by Zlatni Rat at Club 585 on Brac, Carpe Diem Beach on the Pakleni Islands off Hvar, and historic Fort George on Vis, as well as an extra day on the island of Hvar, Croatia's sunniest island. 

There will be three boats in the Ultra Europe VIP Cruise offer, and as you can see from what is included below, the only thing to worry about is what cocktail to start the party with. The first two boats are already sold out, and there is now limited availability on the third, a lovely vessel called My Way. 

The 150-foot yacht, complete with jacuzzi, sun deck, restaurant, salon and air-conditioned cabins, is the perfect way to relax and island hop. With 19 double cabins and one single, the maximum number of guests for this unforgettable week is just 39. 

And the benefits don't end there... The Ultra Family VIP Package is also included. 

There are many ways to experience the magic of the Adriatic, and there are options to suit all budgets. But as COVID-19 is hopefully a distant memory this summer, there can be few better options to combine festivals, parties, and the magic of Dalmatia's premier islands than the Ultra Europe VIP cruise. 

Reserve now with payment of €2.400/person, 2 people per cabin, for a total of 4.800€. This early bird price is until the end of February, after which the price will rise to €6.000€/cabin. Do not miss out the Ultra Vip Cruise which includes yachting on the Adriatic sea under the sun and partying all night with VIP Family access to all Ultra Europe Events making this the experience of a lifetime.

For more information, and to book, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

And I leave you with a reminder of the 2022 Ultra Europe Festival experience, with the 2022 aftermovie, below.

February the 13th, 2023 - If you're interested in linguistics at all, you'll more than likely have heard of the Kajkavian dialect. As one of the main ''pillars'' of modern standard Croatian, it is spoken by a large amount of people. You might have even heard of the Northwestern Kajkavian dialect. What about the Eastern Kajkavian dialect, however?

We've explored many of the dialects, subdialects and indeed languages in their own right as some linguists consider them to be which are spoken across modern Croatia. From the Dubrovnik subdialect (Ragusan) in the extreme south of Dalmatia to Northwestern Kajkavian in areas like Zagorje, the ways in which people speak in this country deviate from what we know as standard Croatian language enormously. That goes without even mentioning much about old Dalmatian, Zaratin, once widely spoken in and around Zadar, Istriot, or Istro-Venetian. 

A brief history of the Eastern Kajkavian dialect

The Eastern Kajkavian dialect, one of the main dialects which make up Kajkavian as a whole, was once considerably more widely spoken than it is now. Sometimes referred to as the Krizevci-Podravina dialect (Krizevacko-Podravski), it is characterised primarily by several ''far-reaching'' alterations when it comes to accentuation, and the placement of the accent is more or less entirely limited to the last two syllables of any given word.

In the past, the spread of spoken Eastern Kajkavian spanned different areas of the ''old'' Krizevci County, and continued on into the Scakavian-Kajkavian regions of the wider Danube Region.

Where is it spoken now?

Fast forward to the modern day, and the Eastern Kajkavian dialect is spoken in the general area of Moslavina and Podravina from Koprivnica all the way to the parts of western Slavonia which are more or less entirely diominated by Neo-Stokavian-Jekavian (also known as the southern dialect) speakers. In the eastern part of that same region, it intertwines with the Podravina subdialect of Slavonian Skakavica, with which it was once more closely linguistically connected.

Like with many lesser spoken languages, dialects and subdialects, there is always at least a little bit of controversy, and the Eastern Kajkavian dialect, like an array of others, can be divided into several smaller subdialects which some linguists consider to be independent dialects of their own.

Mijo Loncaric, a very well respected Croatian linguist and an expert in not only dialects but in Kajkavian itself, is one of those language experts who consider the so-called ''subdialects'' of the Eastern Kajkavian dialect to be dialects in their own right.

For more on the Croatian language, including information on dialects, subdialects, history and even learning how to swear in Croatian, make sure to keep up with our dedicated lifestyle section. An article on Croatian language is published every Monday.

February 13, 2023 - Croatia's best basketball player, Bojan Bogdanović, revealed that he has no intention of playing for Croatia anymore in an interview for the Spanish nationwide daily sports newspaper Mundo Deportivo.

The basketball player answered honestly about why he could not achieve significant success with the Croatia national team.

After another debacle at EuroBasket, where Croatia was eliminated in the round of 16, there was little hope that Croatia would see Bogdanović again in the Croatia jersey. However, he has only now confirmed the decision to end his national team career:

"My attitude is the same as last summer, and I don't think it will change."

Croatia has not achieved good results in major competitions for years, like missing the World Cup and failing at EuroBasket, and all this while Croatia still has several NBA players on the team. It's not entirely clear why better results have not been achieved:

"We had a lot of problems with injuries. It's been like this practically my whole life; we always lacked the best players due to injuries. It is assumed that good players should make some result, and why we can't is a million-dollar question. We should be better, I don't know what to say, but there were always injuries."

Last night, Bogdanović became the top Croatian scorer in NBA history, overtaking the legendary Toni Kukoc. He also has the best numbers this season in the Detroit Pistons jersey. There was a lot of interest in Bogdanovic, and his fans wished he'd be traded to a better NBA team that would compete in the playoffs, but that did not happen:

"I did not know the details, the clubs were negotiating, and it was not in my hands. Detroit decided to keep me. It meant a lot to me to see how much they love me here, so we'll see what happens next season. There is room to bring in good players. I hope that next season we will be much better than now."

Bogdanović also revealed that he has no intention of playing in Europe:

"I don't think I will play in Europe anymore. I wish the European rules were like the NBA, but I don't care. I like that debate; the style of basketball is different, the European mentality is different, and every game is played fiercely."

Source: HRT

To follow the latest sports news in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

February 13, 2023 - It finally happened - Croatia has chosen something other than a mellow love song to represent the country at Eurovision. Though there are some exceptionally talented artists in Croatia, and those who represented it so far no doubt fall into this category, let's admit it - it has been formulaic, and that was never enough for the Eurovision contest. Let 3 prove as much with their song Mama ŠČ. For the first time in a long time, they stirred it up and evoked all sorts of reactions, both in Croatia and abroad.

This year's winner certainly brings more than talent. They are a cult Croatian rock band formed in 1987 in Rijeka. Their music and performances have never fallen into any category of normal and ordinary. If you've never seen them, it will be confusion at first sight. They have zero problems with nudity, makeup, or latex. They are no strangers to performance art and love using phallic metaphors. They are not afraid to speak up with social commentary, be it on conservative politics, church, feminism, or the rights of marginalized groups. Whether you love or hate them, one thing is for sure - no one remains indifferent to Let 3. Compared to them, as Večernji points out, even the 2021 Eurovision winner, Maneskin look like made-up theatre puppets.

Who are they?

24Sata summarizes some of Let 3's most brilliant moments. They released their first album 'Two Dogs Fucking' in 1989. From the beginning, Let 3 (Flight 3) were recognizable for their specific humor and bizarre performances.

What was probably their most drastic concept was released in 1997, the album 'Nečuveno' (Unheard of). There was absolutely nothing on the CD, not even recorded silence. Out of 500 copies, 350 were sold. The 'album' contained the band's artist vision - pieces of plastic with serial numbers inserted in a sleeve. The project was accompanied by the video clip 'Neviđeno' (Unseen) - a blank blue screen. It was promoted on the main square in Rijeka.

Their sixth album 'Jedina' (The Only One), was released in 2000, and initially only one copy of the album was made. Let 3 refused to distribute the album, but they did so a few months later.

On February 26, 2001, the band donated the 'Babin kurac' (Grandma's Dick) monument. The monument, four meters high and made of bronze, was revealed in Zagreb, Rijeka, Pula, Split, and Ljubljana. And that wasn't their only sculpture design. In May 2015, they exhibited the sculpture 'Angela Merkel sere' (Angela Merkel Shitting) in Zagreb's Lauba, which they used to criticize the political situation at the time, but also promote the album of the same name.

Members of the band, Mrle and Prlja are also known for their controversial guest appearance with Aleksandar Stanković in HRT's show 'Nedjeljom u 2'. Although they had agreed that there would be no cursing or stripping, they kept 'forgetting.' Finally, ten minutes before the end of the show, Stanković decided to interrupt the broadcast. As they started undressing, the host covered their behinds with a jacket, deciding that the limits were reached when they 'popped' corks out of their buttocks.

What is Mama ŠČ about?

As per the lyrics, mama bought a tractor, and she'd been loving on a moron. There's mention of armageddon, war, and psychopaths. The sound ŠČ confirms it. According to the band, 'ŠČ' is a universal word that can be used in both positive and negative contexts.

"Blessed is our dictionary in which you can say everything with just one word. Until now, we would say jebiga (Croatian for fuck it), and I believe that ŠČ will soon enter the dictionary", said Prlja and added that they are worried about what will happen now, that they have won because undoubtedly their ŠČ products will also become popular in England, and the United Kingdom is no longer in the European Union.

They added that ŠČ is an old Croatian word, sound, and letter. They also emphasized that the theme of their song is the most current topic and that everyone sings it because they want to remain current. They described 'Mama ŠČ' as a socio-political mirror on several levels, writes Večernji. As they said for N1, it is an anti-war song in which they are "sending a message to those who think the planet is their toy and want to control everyone like puppets".

All in all, whether viewed as performance art, social commentary, or just a publicity stunt - it worked. We are endlessly amused by the world discovering Let 3.

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

February the 13th, 2023 - Who is set to get the most paid back to them via the Croatian tax refund? More details on who can expect what have now been published by the Tax Administration (Porezna uprava).

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, tax returns can be submitted via the ePorezna (eTax) system, the mPorezna mobile application (app), by using an internet banking token or any NIAS minimum level three application credential, or to the competent branch of the Tax Administration according to your registered place of residence.

It's important to note that the Income Tax Act stipulates that persons in employment (not those who are self-employed) who are up to 25 years old are completely exempt from paying income tax entirely. In other words, all the tax and surcharges paid by them will be returned to them through a tax refund. Employed persons between the ages of 26 and 30 are also exempt from paying 50 percent of this tax and half of the paid amount will also be returned to them, according to Srednja.hr.

Who will get half back and who is set to get a 100% Croatian tax refund?

This is the regulation that has been valid as of the year 2020, and for 2022, according to it, people up to the age of 30 will receive the highest Croatian tax refund of all. It should also be noted that this regulation doesn't apply to students who are employed through a student contract through the student service.

"According to the regulations on income tax, natural persons up to the age of 30 who earned a salary during 2022 will, as they did back during the previous year, have a reduced amount in the annual calculation of the tax liability calculated on part of the tax base up to 360,000.00 kuna (47,780,28 euros). Individuals born in the period from 1992 to 1996 have the right to a reduction of their tax liability for the annual income tax calculation for 2022 by 50 percent, while individuals born in 1997 and later have the right to a reduction of their tax liability by 100 percent,'' the Tax Administration explained.

The Tax Administration also stated that, if persons are not obliged to submit an annual tax return (DOH Form), the right to a refund of overpaid tax during the year 2022 will be determined by the Tax Administration ex officio by a decision in a special procedure without the obligation to submit the ZPP-DOH Form.

In the event that they're also liable for submitting the annual tax return, they will exercise their right to a refund through the submitted annual tax return. Persons liable to submit an annual tax return (DOH Form) are natural persons who, during 2022, earned income from self-employment and activities on the basis of which the income will be determined and taxed as income from self-employment on the basis of business books (e.g. trade activities, etc.) and taxpayers/residents for income from self-employment that, according to a special law, they earned as crew members of a ship in international navigation, regardless of the number of days they spent on the ship in international navigation, as explained by the Tax Administration.

They estimate that a similar number of people will receive a Croatian tax refund under this regulation as last year - approximately 153,000 people, in the total amount of around 91 million euros. They also revealed when these people can roughly expect the returned funds to show up in their bank accounts.

"It's expected that the majority of refunds according to the annual income tax calculation for 2022 will be made by the end of May 2023. Croatian tax refunds will be issued to those taxpayers who meet the conditions for a refund, continuously according to the order in which the decisions will be issued," says the Tax Administration's response to Srednja.hr.

You can calculate the approximate amount that will be returned to you...

There's an informative calculator on the Tax Administration's website, which you can use to calculate how much your Croatian tax refund will be, as well as the surcharge you can expect on your bank account. You can access the calculator by clicking here.

When using the form, you first need to enter the year for which you want to calculate the return, i.e. 2022. Then, in the drop-down menu, you select the age group you belonged to in 2022, and then enter your salary information. Gross receipts paid, contributions paid, annual personal deductions, income tax and surtax paid, and the surtax rate according to the place where you live are requested - all this is on an annual basis. By clicking on the icon which says ''Annual calculation of taxes and surcharges'', you will get to the return calculation, which, it should be emphasised, is of an informative nature only.

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