Western Part of Cres Port Taking on New Look, Works in Full Swing
As Morski writes on the 3rd of December, 2019, the implementation of the project at the western part of Cres Port will definitely ensure better connectivity of the inhabited islands of the surrounding archipelago, and by connecting the bus and maritime terminals, it will also facilitate the daily life and movement of the inhabitants of the gorgeous island of Cres.
At the beginning of September this year, preparatory work on the project for the reconstruction and upgrading of the western part of Cres Port began, and the outlines of the future new vision and identity of the city of Cres, more specifically the entire island itself, are already visible. It is an investment worth almost 40 million kuna, of which almost 30 million kuna was co-financed through the Operational Program for Competitiveness and Cohesion 2014-2020.
''The results of two months of intensive work are already visible and are rising above the sea's surface, and I'm glad that everything is going according to the planned dynamics. So far, the construction has been demolished and the pilots have been drilled, reinforcement nets have been set, and all of that has been fitted to its proper positions. The first seven pilots were set, and at the same time, the construction of prefabricated elements began at a separate site,'' explained the director of the Cres County Port Authority, Anton Opatić, adding that the realisation of this valuable project brings a new level of quality to Cres Port that will enable year-round ship lines, and thus enhance connectivity with surrounding medical and educational centres.
The project will see an external breakwater with a total length of about 185 metres and a width of about 6 metres built, it will also arrange a land port of about 280 metres in length.
The completion of the Cres Port project is planned for the end of 2021, which will provide the necessary protection of the aquatorium within the port area of Cres Port, that is, the protection of the bay against the effects of waves and wind and other harsh elements, which directly affect the preservation of the property (vessels) of the inhabitants of Cres during bad weather.
In addition to all of the above, adequate mooring and berth security will be provided for liners in all-year liner navigation, better access will be arranged for persons with reduced mobility, bus and maritime terminals will be connected, the passenger terminal will be more accessible to delivery vehicles and emergency service vehicles, and the overall quality and safety of pedestrian access will be increased.
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Digital Croatia Finally Arrives for Company Founders: Meet Start.Gov.Hr
The user of this, the currently most advanced public service so far in Croatia receives accurate documentation from public registers. Meet Start.gov.hr, the first real step into Croatia's desperately needed digital transformation.
As Poslovni Dnevnik/Suzana Varosanec writes on the 2nd of December, 2019, Start.gov.hr, a new digital service launched by the Ministry of Economy to help people start a business, is designed to support as many as 200,000 users.
It has been available for public since the 1st of December, 2019, and it remains to be seen how many of the otherwise 15,000 new Croatian companies will choose to use this new service annually. It is currently Croatia's most advanced public service, integrating numerous partners, databases and registers, so it will only take two to three days to start a new business, as opposed to waiting in line after line and being asked for things which can only be described as insane by pan-faced state employees. At this stage, only what are known as ''physical'' persons from Croatia can use the service, but in 2020, it is expected that foreign company founders will also be able to utilise it.
IT solutions for Start.gov.hr have been developed by Fina and will maintain and develop a system whose benefits for the founders of small companies are enormous. In addition to being fast and significantly shortening the average of about 25 days to register a company, as well as skipping numerous visits to notaries, just one entry and one step is required. The e-citizen (e-građanin) system is accessed by the user themselves (there's no power of attorney) with a Level 4 credential to authenticate the certificate. Stepping into creating your own business now means merely filling out a unique online form that takes up to half an hour to complete.
What Start.gov.hr's form is, is a type of registry with the name of the company (there is a search engine to see what is taken and what isn't), activities and the TC amount, and a set of statements, one of which needs to be able to show the absence of any debts to the state. Specifically, the tax debt check is left for the first phase of the upgrade. For everything that follows and what sets the Start.gov.hr system apart from the rest of the market and from Hitro.hr, is that the user receives accurate and standardised documentation from public registers. This is an result of the interconnectedness of the relevant institutions, and the startup business is simplified.
After the application is completed, from the next click, everything is done by partner institutions, ie, for the first time all stakeholders are integrated, from the CBS, to the Tax Administration and HZMO onwards, in total there are about 10 institutions which are all connected. The cost is minimal and excluding the share capital payment (TC), the startup fee is 30 kuna for a simple d.o.o., 200 kuna for a normal d.o.o. and 250 kuna for an obrt. In order to reduce the possibility of errors, all fields filled in by the user, along with the instructions, have logical controls, and in order not to enter information for other persons there are ample security settings.
In the case of more than one founder, they receive a message from one that the documentation has been prepared and an invitation to sign a social contract with their OIB and to pay the TC. For this, a special account is opened to which the money is paid via credit or debit card (Visa, Maestro and Mastercard). The transfer of money will go to the transaction account as soon as it is opened, which is already possible with PBZ and Erste Bank, and according to announcements, will also soon be available with RBA, Addiko Bank and Zagrebačka banka.
Make sure to follow our dedicated business page for much more.
Plenković Pleased with Compromise with Teachers Unions
ZAGREB, December 3, 2019 - The agreement reached with the teachers unions is a good compromise that will ensure a cessation of the strike as of Tuesday morning, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said after a meeting with union representatives on Monday.
"Schools will resume classes as of Tuesday. A compromise has been reached in the interests of children, pupils, parents, teachers and normal functioning of the education system," the prime minister told a press conference.
The government and the unions have agreed an increase of the job complexity index of 3% as of December 1 this year, an additional 1% as of June 1, 2020 and a further 2% as of January 1, 2021.
In this way the unions have agreed to what was agreed through the basic collective agreement, namely the 2+2+2 percent increase, the increase of the Christmas bonus from 1,250 to 1,500 kuna, the increase of the holiday allowance from 1,250 to 1,500 kuna, the increase of a gift for children from 500 to 600 kuna, and the increase of severance pay by about 2,100 kuna, the PM said.
"A decree on job complexity indices is expected to be adopted at a cabinet meeting on Thursday," Plenković announced, adding that the decree would regulate the status of secretaries, accountants, principals, lecturers and artistic assistants in higher education.
He said that the issue of non-teaching staff would be settled by an annex to the branch collective agreement which would be valid until December 2022.
Apart from entitlements, the agreement also provides for the adoption of an action plan against violence in schools, and the repeal of the possibility of filing anonymous reports against teachers by amending the Education Inspections Act.
Reiterating that the agreement could have been reached without a strike, Plenković announced an analysis of the entire wage system to ensure a sustainable system in the long term. "We are trying to be accommodating as much as we can. This government is a friend, first of all to taxpayers, because it is not running up debts for future generations like some previous governments."
He said that the days spent on strike would be paid for. "If the strike is paid for, it is only fair that the compensation classes are not," he added.
Plenković recalled what the government had offered the unions in the past weeks, noting that in the current year the government did not have additional funds to increase the indices as of September 1, as initially demanded by the unions.
"During the term of this government the total pay rise for the public and state administration sector will have been 18.3%, which is a consistent policy of this government to increase wages," the prime minister said.
Asked if he regarded this as his personal defeat, Plenković said that this government was raising wages for everyone and should not be criticised for it.
More education news can be found in the Politics section.
Minister Says Croatian Police Commended for Protecting EU's External Border
ZAGREB, December 3, 2019 - Croatian police have been commended in the EU for protecting the EU's external border, Minister of the Interior Davor Božinović said on Monday in Brussels, where he was attending a meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs Council.
"EU ministers of the interior know best how to assess the role of the Croatian police, who at the moment are irreplaceable in the EU," Božinović said, adding that he had a lot of meetings with his colleagues.
"There is a consensus on the issue of protection of the external border. Everything that needs to be done with regard to the common asylum policy and legislative changes in that area actually depends on whether we have secure external borders, that is the precondition, and what Croatia and several other countries represent at the moment is the EU's security," Božinović said.
He said that on Tuesday he would meet with the EC Vice-President for Migration, Margaritis Schinas, and Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson.
Asked to comment on criticism regarding excessive use of force by Croatian police and two cases when migrants were shot at and wounded, Božinović said that nobody had even mentioned it.
"Nobody mentioned the two cases. Right after it happened, we took the necessary activities, the prosecutorial authorities have been involved, and I contacted my colleagues in Europe right away. Everything should be done to prevent incidents but, I repeat, Croatian police act in line with national and European legislation, they are recognised in the EU and we will continue pursuing our policy," said Božinović.
More news about the migrant crisis can be found in the Politics section.
Will President Bring Zagreb Mayor Cakes to Prison?
ZAGREB, December 3, 2019 - Prime Minister and HDZ party leader Andrej Plenković said on Monday that he believed President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović was joking when she said that if Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandić, who has been indicted for corruption in several cases, was convicted, she would visit him in prison and take him cakes.
"I believe she was joking," Plenković told reporters after a session of the HDZ Presidency and National Council when asked to comment on Grabar-Kitarović's statement to Media Servis.
Earlier in the day, responding to criticism over her singing at Bandić's birthday party, Grabar-Kitarović said that everyone was innocent until proven guilty and that if Bandić was convicted, she would take him cakes to prison.
Asked how many signatures of support for her presidential bid Grabar-Kitarović would hand in to the State Election Commission on Tuesday, Plenković said that the last signatures arriving from all over the country were being collected and that tomorrow "a large number of signatures of support for the president will be handed in."
More news about presidential elections can be found in the Politics section.
Istrian Wines Win 24 Awards at London International Wine Challenge
December 3, 2019 - Istrian wines have ended the year on a high and once again picked up the most Croatian medals in the autumn wine judging round at the prestigious International Wine Challenge (IWC) in London.
Moreover, Glas Istre writes that of the 40 awards received by Croatian wines in total, the only gold medal was won by the 2018 Graševina from Ilok Cellars. Still, in all other awards, Istrian wines lead over the rest of Croatia. Istrian winemakers thus received four silver medals (other Croatian wineries - 3), 11 bronze medals (other Croatian wineries - 5) and nine recommendations, respectively "commended" (other Croatian wineries - 7), totaling 24 awards for Istrian wines, and 16 for wines from all other Croatian regions.
The silver medals were thus awarded to Benvenuti teran Anno Domini 2016, Fakin malvasia La Prima 2017, Veralda malvasia Ambra 2017, and Degrassi cuvee blanc Terre bianche riserva 2015 (malvasia, sauvignon blanc and viognier). Bronze medals were awarded to Benvenuti malvasia Anno Domini 2017, Benvenuti malvasia 2018, Bertoša malvasia 2018, Giulio Ferenac malvasia 2018, Valenta sauvignon blanc 2018, Fakin teran 2018, Veralda malvasia Xtriana 2018, Vina Laguna Castello Festigia 2016 (merlot, cabernet sauvignon, syrah), Vina Laguna malvasia riserva Vizinada 2015, Vina Laguna malvasia riserva Vizinada 2016 and Veralda Xtrian Brut 2016 (Teran sparkling wine).
The ‘commended’ labels, which is a kind of consolation prize for those who came close to medals, were awarded to Agris Malvasia 2018, Deklić Familia 2015 (teran, merlot and cabernet sauvignon), Deklić Familia 2016 (teran, merlot and cabernet sauvignon) , Franković malvasia 2018, Lunika pinot sivi Makiništa 2018, Vina Laguna riserva LV 2015 (teran, merlot, cabernet sauvignon), Vina Laguna Castellblanc Festigia 2018. (malvasia, chardonnay, viognier), Vina Laguna cabernet sauvignon Festigia 2016, and Degrassi Terre bianche cuvee rouge riserva 2008 (merlot, cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon).
The International Wine Challenge, which was held from November 11 to 15, saw more than 200 of the world’s top wine experts from 23 countries sample and judge thousands of wines from around the world. The results were published on November 28, 2019.
To read more about lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page.
Future Ecovillage Blaca on Brac Answers to Climate Change
December 3, 2019 - A closer look at the future ecovillage Blaca on Brac island.
The latest photos of the future ecovillage Blaca on Brac are truly breathtaking. Slobodna Dalmacija writes that the creator of the conceptual design of this ecovillage is Hrvoje Bota, a Bachelor of Architecture and permaculture designer, and also the director of the social enterprise "Održivo" from Split and Vice President of the Permaculture Association of Dalmatia.
In agreement with investors, Hrvoje Bota and the project team at Održivo have arranged everything needed for the eco-community using natural construction materials, energy systems from renewable energy sources, while enhancing and conserving biodiversity and ensuring a comfortable stay for guests.
“The project task was to build five family farms (OPG) on ten hectares of farmland. Given that this area is further away from existing settlements, we proposed the concept of a small eco-community, which is independent of the infrastructure network.
We wanted it to be self-sufficient and to meet all the needs for water, food and energy, and at the same time, we wanted to blend in all the scenery and the view that stretches from this steep terrain. There is a growing awareness in the world of using healthy materials and preserving a healthy environment, and this eco-community on Brac is also a response to climate change.
Here we are working specifically to combat climate change, increasing biodiversity and resilience of ecosystems,” emphasizes Hrvoje Bota.
In keeping with Bota’s life philosophy, everything Održivo does is focused on socially and environmentally conscious business and environmental design.
Bota’s life philosophy is also evident in this future ecovillage. The whole space is conceived as one production unit, consisting of several parts.
“In addition to five units, each of which has a residential and economic part, there is also a common area for socializing, a tavern, a court for bocce ball, a space for children to play, and various facilities in the open-air lounge.
All OPGs will cooperate in olive growing, sheep farming, viticulture, growing fruits in a polyculture orchard and vegetables in their own vegetable garden for those who will live there and visitors who come to the ecovillage. Aromatic Mediterranean herbs and honey will also be grown in the village. There will also be chickens that will be in mobile homes (the so-called Chicken tractor),” Bota adds.
Each OPG is designed for ten people, each cottage in the olive grove will have five rooms, and Robinson accommodation is planned renovated with stone, and glamping tents. There will be communal restrooms.
The land on which the ecovillage will be built is steep terrain, water washed away the soil, and the fires that burned on that part of the island contributed to the erosion.
How to regenerate the soil is one of the key questions that Hrvoje Bota answered through holistic management. He says the pioneer of such a smart management model is the globally renowned Savory Institute, whose methods have helped restore soil in many parts of the world.
“With holistic management, which means a combination of perennials and biomass, and with smart, controlled grazing, soil fertility is increased. We have a combination of durable trees, such as holm oak, black Dalmatian pine, we plant olives, carob, mulberries, cherries, almonds - everything must be drought resistant.
It is also important that the vineyard fits in the drywall, that the protection of the Dalmatian cultivated landscape is in place in the ecovillage. We have corridors to protect against wind, fire, erosion, and everything is designed according to the Keyline model, so anything planted follows the natural configuration of the terrain by contour lines,” Bota adds.
He further points out that the use of local and natural materials such as stone, which is not lacking on Brac, is envisaged to the greatest extent, followed by wood, lime, sheep's wool, and hemp.
“Natural materials have a positive effect on the health and quality of housing; these are all breathable, non-allergenic materials. For example, the houses will be stone outside, the inside will be blocks of hemp, while wood will be used for the roof, as well as the windows and pergolas,” Bota said.
He adds that investors are interested in an independent energy model and the use of renewable energy sources, so the emphasis is on solar, low-wind wind energy, and biogas production from animal and vegetable waste.
Also, passive measures of solar design, i.e., natural cooling and the use of thermal mass, will maintain the optimum temperature in residential and commercial space.
There is no water supply in the area, so the goal is to collect as much rainwater as possible and store it in underground tanks.
“The eco village will have a common tank that will be filled from the large floodplain at the highest point, from where it will fill the tanks of residential and commercial buildings. They will also have smaller tanks along with objects to be filled from their roofs as well.
Furthermore, water will be collected in natural pools of biological and plant filter systems, and this water will also be used for irrigation. Gray water in households will also be purified and used,” explains Bota.
And when it comes to water supply and irrigation, mixed orchards and olive groves are designed according to the slope of the terrain so that their root systems absorb any excess rainwater or wastewater, thus preventing soil erosion and creating a resilient microclimate.
He also points out that the very increase in organic matter in the soil can be expected to significantly increase moisture retention, which will favor the development and survival of the crop.
“Each drop should be caught and retained, which is planned on several levels. Over time, as the system is established, it will affect the local microclimate and water will be a growing problem,” says Hrvoje Bota, pointing out that in designing and building such a system it is initially important to start designing the parts that are the most durable.
Thus, first, they must look at the climate, the configuration of the terrain, the water supply options, the road access, then the trees, buildings, fences, and soil, Bota concluded.
To read more about lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page.
Want to Pay for Your Stay with Cryptocurrency? Head to Vir Island
December 3, 2019 - With ninety-six apartments offering advance payment and reservations via cryptocurrency thanks to the blog Ostrov Vir, and given the size of the island, its population, and the number of accommodation units, Vir has become one of the world's leading providers of crypto services.
HRTurizam reports that this story was recently published by the Czech portal Arbolet, whose internet team provides consulting and work in the crypto market. Arbolet member Václav contacted Miriam Kelečić, who runs the Slovakian blog Ostrov Vir and mediates apartment rentals on Vir to tourists from Slovakia and the Czech Republic, so the island's crypto market is almost immediately open to members of this community.
“I thought for a long time about using cryptocurrency payments, but did not know the area well enough. This is where Mr. Václav helped me the most,” says Miriam, thanks to whom accommodation on Vir can now be paid by cryptocurrency, that is, by booking through Ostrov Vir. Those 96 apartments paid in cryptocurrency represent 2.51 percent of the total Vir accommodation capacity, consisting of 3,819 accommodation units. In fact, the percentage in foreign exchange is higher because the number of apartments is an absolute figure of 100% occupancy with payment by card or cash, which means that the share of cryptocurrency in foreign exchange by the summer season will surely be even higher.
Miriam is the most influential promoter of Vir in Slovakia and the Czech Republic, and through her work and bringing the Travel Channel television team to Vir, the island has opened to the booming Slovakian tourist market. The Vir influencer and blogger at the same time represents the Slovakian and Czech apartment owners associations on the island of Vir, some of whom have already started receiving payments for cryptocurrencies BTC, BCH, LTC, ETH, and USDC. According to Arbolet, the service is connected to the Coinbase Commerce system, whose user interface is simple, intuitive to use, and extremely easy to understand.
Cryptocurrencies, known as virtual or digital currencies, only exist online; it is not issued or controlled by any central bank. Bitcoin is the most well-known cryptocurrency, also known as digital gold, and is globally accepted for online payments. There are several bitcoin ATMs in Croatia today - in Zagreb, Split, and Rijeka, and the popularity of bitcoin usage is also being contributed by entrepreneurs, such as those on Vir, who accept it in online payments for tourist accommodation or other services.
Apart from cryptocurrencies being used for online payments, they are traded like any other currency. Thus, the value of bitcoin nine years ago was $0.003 USD, and more than $9,000 last year. Today, there are hundreds of other cryptocurrencies and new ones are emerging almost daily. Some survive and grow, some fail, but the growth of the crypto market is persistent. Thus, more and more online stores are offering cryptocurrency payments, while digital wallet owners are looking for deals where they can exchange their cryptocurrency units for products or services.
To read more about travel in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page.
British School in Zagreb Hosts International Day, Fundraises for a Hospital
British International School in Zagreb hosted their now traditional "International Day", with the goal of raising money and other means, donated to the Emergency Operative Ward of the Surgery Clinic at the Sisters of Mercy Clinical Hospital in Zagreb.
The school announced it on their webpage, and Romina Peritz wrote about it for Jutarnji list. The event had an interesting format: the parents of the children who attend the school prepared the traditional delicacies from their countries of origin, which were then sold and all the funds were collected for the hospital. There were almost 20 countries represented at the food market organized at the school (the teachers' strike didn't affect the event!). The truly international nature of the school was shown: although all of the classes are held in English, the students (and their parents) have arrived to Zagreb from all over the world, from Russia, China, Italy, Middle East and others.
The British International School of Zagreb has started working in Zagreb in 2003, but their sister school, the elementary school Kreativan Razvoj (Creative Development) started in 1995. dr. Martin-Tino Časl, the founder and principal of the school explained that nobody gets asked where they're from in the school (in the negative sense), and the fact that the students arrive from all over the world is a gift for students attending the Cambridge program. There are quite a few Chinese students in the school, and more and more from Russia have been enrolling recently.
Croatian parents also participated in the event, preparing Croatian delicacies, but not just those: some of the South-American parents provided the recipes and spices, so Croatian parents were able to create Peruan and Venezuelan delicacies as well!
The International Day was held in the school in Šestine neighbourhood of Zagreb for the third year running, this year visited by the British Ambassador to Croatia, Andrew Dalgleish. A famous Croatian cellist Ana Rucner and her brother Marijo Rucner performed at the event, and it was a wonderful day for everyone who attended.
Zagreb Landlords Evicting Tenants for EU Officials in 2020
A big cash cow will be coming to Zagreb early next year, just after Christmas, when thousands of European diplomats and officials who need accommodation will arrive in the city for Croatia's six-month EU Council presidency.
Up to 30,000 EU Officials Expected
According to Deutsche Welle, official sources are saying that about 25,000 people will descend on Zagreb in early 2020, while other estimates say that the figure will be closer to 30,000. Many won't be staying in Croatia for the entire six months nor will they all be arriving at the same time. In any case, this is creating real chaos in the tenant world. Simply put, Zagreb landlords can earn more by expelling their current tenants and renting their apartments to EU officials.
Zagreb does not have many hotels. In fact, Jutarnji List notes that there are only 24 four or five-star hotels in the city, which is by no means enough capacity to accommodate the large number of high-level diplomats and EU officials arriving soon.
Zagreb Landlords Are Evicting Tenants
Stanka, a student from Zadar, experienced the nightmare of moving because of the upcoming EU Council presidency, according to Zagrebinfo on December 2, 2019. She had just moved to Zagreb to pursue her college degree.
“My landlady bought my apartment and acquired me with the inventory. During our negotiations, she indicated that she would be upgrading the furniture and raising the rent. She also disclosed that we would not be signing a lease because she had plans to rent the apartment to diplomats in early 2020 for a much higher price. However, then she decided to completely renovate the apartment prior to their arrival, so I had to move out in September,'' the student reported, and claims she had less than a week to move everything out of an apartment where she had lived for only three months.
With the boom in Zagreb tourism over the last few years, a sizeable chunk of apartments which used to be rented monthly, are now being rented out to tourists by the day. This has greatly increased the average apartment rental rates.
“Of the approximately three and a half thousand who are officially registered, there are perhaps ten thousand available beds. And I believe that a large portion of this housing pool is ready to respond to the demands of the Eurobureaucrats," said Zoran Dragun, administrator of the Zagreb Private Landlords Association to Jutarnji list.
He claims that Zagreb has now become a year-round tourist destination, but also believes that rents in Zagreb have not increased as much as publicly reported. The current focus for private landlords is Advent (December); then they'll begin preparing for the big EU opportunity.
No Tenant Rights
Nedjeljko Marković, president of the Pragma social association, has a different opinion.
"The unpredictability of market movements is our biggest problem, because nobody in Croatia oversees these changes. We simply do not have any public housing policies,” he emphasized while referencing the unfortunate circumstances that many Zagreb tenants will soon face.
He claims that his sources from the association, which deal with tenant issues, have already received reports that scores of Zagreb tenants are facing eviction, and will soon be without a roof over their heads due to the arrival of EU bureaucrats and diplomats.
For more information on the housing situation in Croatia, check our our Lifestyle page here.
