Zagreb Luxury Hotel Slated for Construction Near Vjesnik Building
Savka cesta, an important, busy and visually neglected Zagreb street will welcome a 4-star 17-story luxury hotel with bars, shops and lounges; which will help revitalize this part of the city.
The winning submission has recently been selected for the architectural design competition of the complex, which will span a long-neglected plot at the intersection of Savska and Nova cesta, across the road from the Vjesnik building.
Unidentified German Group to Invest 40 Million EUR
A German entrepreneur is investing 40 million EUR into the hotel, and if all goes according to plan, they could break ground this year, so in about a year and a half the hotel, part of a large unnamed hotel chain will open its doors, according to Lana Mindoljević/Matej Devčić/Jutarnji List on January 5, 2020.
On Friday, an exhibition was held to showcase the submissions for the open competition, where architect Dario Travaš, from the Zagreb branch of ATP Architects and Engineers, a Central European design house, entered the winning design.
Travaš and ATP Firm Designed Zagreb Shopping Centers
Architect Travaš and Vienna-based ATP have designed, among other things, the Zagreb-Westgate Shopping City Center, Pula Shopping Center, the Western Shopping Center in Rijeka (ZTC) and IKEA Outlet Center in Rugvica. Travaš is also the chief designer for the expanded tourist zone at the Marina Harbor in Primošten and several tourist facilities for Falkensteiner resort chain.
Street View of Hotel Location
“We have adapted the conceptual design for the hotel to the spirit of the location. We simply decided to work with the urban conditions which were outlined in the competition. The 65-meter-high hotel will have 219 units, which includes rooms and suites and 17 floors,” Travaš explains.
Ground Floors for Commercial and Business Space
“The ground floor of the building will have spaces for commercial and business purposes. The entrance lobby and the reception will be housed on the fourth floor, which is one of the unique aspects of the hotel design. The ground floor will have a about 1150 square meters of office space, with one store occupying 800 to 900 square meters, and a bakery,” Travaš points out.
The first three floors will have an above-ground garage. Travaš indicates the building’s facade will be designed so that it passers-by won’t be able to detect that it is a garage. The ground floor and the first three floors will hug the border of the plot and will be on par with the houses on Savska cesta, which have four floors. On the fourth and fifth floors, he explains, there will be restaurants and a conference area which will be connected by a magnificent set of stairs, as Travaš maintains.
“Since the rest of the building will rise away from the façade to continue the scale of the buildings on Sava cesta; the fourth and fifth floors will have large terraces which can be accessed from the restaurant and conference area,” he adds.
Upper Floors Will be Used for Hotel and Sky Bar
“The rooms are oriented in all four directions. If you look South, you’ll see the Sava river. You can see the Zagreb Cathedral and the old part of the city by looking North. If you look West, you will have a view of the Western part of Medvednica. Every room will have a beautiful view,” Travaš claims.
The 17th floor, which is also the top floor, will house a sky bar and a fitness room. The tower section of the hotel is set back from the curb and will line up with other skyscrapers on the Sava river. “It was very important that this tower be in sync with Vjesnik because that is the closest and most prominent building,” he explains.
The exterior design of the hotel will connect the windows of rooms on several floors vertically to give the impression that the hotel is taller than it really is. “Full sections of walls will be made of micro cement panels which look like Brač stone. Slavonian oak will dominate the interior, which will be full of greenery,” says Travaš.
Dario Travaš | ATP
He adds that the hotel is a good example of sustainable construction because pylons will be used for energy-efficiency, for example. This would not normally be the case as ATP does not consist of designers and engineers who worked together on the hotel innovations.
“Creating an urban dialogue and taking environmental standards were the challenges put before us, and we tried to create an attractive and modern facility that will define the spirit of Savska cesta, which has an architecturally unattractive lower section,” Travaš declares.
Four types of hotel accommodation will be offered: standard, comfort and junior rooms, and suites. The average floor area of every rooms is 25 square meters.
Identity of German Investor and Hotel Chain Kept Secret
Eduard Vasilj of Kamelia Promet, the investor’s mediator, says that the Travaš/ATP Design submission was exactly what they had in mind when conceptualizing the project. Investors are delighted with the aesthetics, functionality and the practical solutions offered by the winning submission, he adds. He also notes the emphasis on business facilities, conference rooms and attractive sky bar on the top floor, which is the type of accommodation Zagreb currently lacks.
The identity of the German investors has not been revealed, except that they are from a family in the Hesse province, which has been in the real estate business for four generations. They invest in hotels, public facilities and the design of entire neighborhoods. They do not want to identify themselves publicly, nor do they wish to reveal the hotel chain the new hotel will operate under.
“While we are in a delicate period because several contracts have to be signed, this will be the German investor’s and hotel chain’s first entry into the Croatian market,” says Vasilj. He added that now that the conceptual design is completed and the lot has been purchased, they are hoping to begin construction soon with the support of the City of Zagreb.
Aerial View of Hotel Location
“We hope that our project will revive the entire Sava river area, which has been a bit neglected, and introduce a new element to the area. There will be shops and hair salons in the complex, so we believe that this will contribute giving the street a real European feel and offer an attractive view at the entrance to the city,” concludes Vasilj.
Follow our Business page for more information on hotel projects underway in Croatia.
Pupovac Says It's Important How President and Prime Minister Will Cooperate
ZAGREB, January 6, 2020 - Independent Democratic Serbian Party (SDSS) Milorad Pupovac has said that it is less important how he will cooperate with the newly elected Croatian president than what cooperation will look like between Zoran Milanović and the current government.
That is of great importance and need for Croatia, said Pupovac on Monday, expressing hope that he shares the feeling of the majority of Croatian citizens considering the messages sent by the president-elect Milanović and incumbent president Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović upon the completion of the presidential runoff on Sunday evening when they called for dialogue and understanding.
That means, the ethnic Serb leader believes, that the society should live in an atmosphere of dialogue and understanding "because we've spent too much energy on conflicts, arguments and they have not brought anything good."
The SDSS chief expects Croatia to achieve that sort of political culture, that type of political responsibility, to share political responsibility between the government and president.
Pupovac recalled that the status of Serbs in Croatia was described by the Serb National Council (SNV) president Boris Milošević when he spoke about some unfortunate events for the Serb community in Croatia in 2019.
Despite all those experiences and those before that, I am not losing hope nor faith that with different actors, the office-holders, colleagues and partners, we can change the atmosphere and free the society of intolerance and create that sort of feeling that we have today, we who have gathered here to celebrate Orthodox Christmas Eve, said Pupovac after the event organised by the SNV to mark the Christmas Eve according to the Julian calendar in Zagreb.
Asked by the press whether the president-elect should have been at that event also Pupovac answered that Milanović would have an opportunity to do so.
Pupovac went on to say that that the most important thing for Milanović is that he prepares himself for taking over the responsibility of the presidency and to start developing his message into his political agenda for his term in office.
Pupovac also said that he would meet with the president-elect when there was an opportune moment for their meeting.
He believes that the president is a co-creator of policies and a political culture that we have not had since Croatia joined the European Union and that is a policy dedicated to common goals, which means freeing oneself of the bad and being dedicated to the good cause
It is important for us, he underscores, that the Croatia-Serbia relations are no longer burdened by bad policies from the past.
All of us who are at the helm of the Serb community will do our best to open the channels and bridges so as to prioritise the communication and the relations between Croatia and Serbia, between the Serbs and Croats, said Pupovac.
More news about the status of Serbs in Croatia can be found in the Politics section.
Croatian Presidential Elections 2020: Were There Ties?
Just like TCN's owner, Paul Bradbury, I too am very interested in statistics and the numbers that appeared after the elections like yesterday's Croatian runoff of the presidential elections 2020.
But, unlike Paul, who was aiming to analyse the big picture of what the data was telling us about Croatian politics and the population, I was looking for the weird and the bizarre. It started yesterday evening when I was browsing around Croatia, looking at the State Electoral Commission site and the results that were shown there as the votes were counted. One of the things I noticed was that Lumbarda, a village on Korčula island, a municipality with just one polling station, was split right down the middle: both Zoran Milanović and Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović got 271 votes in Lumbarda!
Then I was told an unofficial piece of information that Žrnovo, another village on Korčula, 10 kilometres away from Lumbarda, was also divided perfectly between the candidates! I wasn't able to verify that right away, but as soon as I got my hands on the full spreadsheet of the results of presidential elections 2020, published today by the Electoral Commission, that was the first thing I checked. And, yes, they were right, polling station no. 4 in Korčula municipality, located in Žrnovo, had the result 303:303.
Of course, when you have 2 candidates, it's not at all surprising that there will be situations where the number of votes per polling station would be exactly the same. But I had to go and find out, how many were there? Lumbarda is the only municipality in Croatia that really doesn't know who they'd prefer for Croatian president. Other ties happened at the level of polling stations, and there were exactly 44 of them. About a dozen of those were in Zagreb County, a few in the City of Zagreb, a few in Bjelovar-Bilogora County and a couple in each of the remaining counties (the two on Korčula are the only ones in Dubrovnik-Neretva County). Oh, there's another one: in the Croatian Embassy in Finland, in Helsinki, 5 people voted for Zoran Milanović, while 5 other Finnish Croats voted for Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović!
Most of the total votes were cast at several polling stations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Zagreb and one in Kastav. On the other side of that spectrum is a polling station in Vladisovo in Brod-Posavina County, located in a private house, where two people voted: one of the ballots was invalid, while the other person voted for Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović!
To find out more about the results and see graphical representations of them, visit viborc.com, who also helped me handle the data for this article.
Serb Orthodox Believers in Croatia Celebrate Christmas Eve
ZAGREB, January 6, 2020 - Orthodox believers of ethnic Serb origin on Monday held their traditional celebrations in Croatian towns to observe Christmas Eve according to the Julian calendar, and for instance, in Vukovar, their local leader, Srđan Milaković, organised the distribution of about 500 fried fish to the faithful.
The tradition of delivery of fish for fasting on Christmas Eve, observed by the Orthodox faithful on 6 January, started four years ago in this eastern Croatian town.
During today's event, Milaković, who is a deputy mayor of Vukovar and the leader of the ethnic Serb DSS party, said that upon the election of Zoran Milanović for the fifth Croatian president, he expected the "normalisation of relations in many segments of Croatian society."
Local dignitaries of the Orthodox Church handed out about 1,500 meals for the fast at the port of Rijeka on the northern Adriatic coast.
Rijeka Mayor Vojko Obersnel attended the ceremony held in Koblerov Trg Square. He extended his best wishes to local believers for Christmas in line with the Julian calendar.
Obersnel recalled that the first ceremony of distributing meals for fasting on Christmas Eve to Orthodox faithful was held ten years ago in this coastal Croatian city.
Religious rites were also held today and are scheduled for tomorrow during Christmas according to the Julian calendar.
More religion news can be found in the Lifestyle section.
Croatian Fish More and More Popular Abroad, Export Figures Speak Volumes
Everyone knows that fish and seafood in general makes up a huge part of the Croatian, particularly Dalmatian and Istrian diets. Fresh fish caught from the sparkling Adriatic sea paired with a domestic wine from grapes grown and harvested from local vineyards is nothing abnormal, but it seems that Croatian fish is becoming a big hit abroad as well as at home.
As Novac writes on the 6th of January, 2020, it would seem that Croatian fish is an increasingly popular delicacy abroad, far beyond not only Croatian and EU borders, as has been evidenced by impressive export figures.
More specifically, in the first eight months of 2019, the Republic of Croatia exported fresh or chilled bluefin tuna worth a massive 31.2 million euros (a whole 2,800 tonnes of it) outside of Croatia's borders, which is almost in the ranking of total exports in the year 2018 as a whole, reaching 33.9 million euros (or 3,000 tonnes in total).
The total exports of Croatian fish, crustaceans and molluscs back in 2018 amounted to an impressive 170.4 million euros (47,000 tonnes), of which fresh or chilled fish accounted for 108.2 million euros (21,000 tonnes in total).
In addition to tuna, which is a favourite in Japan, the largest exports to the European Union markets are fresh or chilled sea bass (26.4 million euros or 4.300 tonnes), sea bream (23.6 million euros or 3.800 tonnes) sardines (3.6 million euros or 4,500 tonnes) and anchovies (3.5 million euros or 2,200 tonnes).
This encouraging export data clearly shows that the international market recognides the very high quality of Croatian fish that comes from sustainable farming. This quality is promoted by the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK) through the project "The fish of Croatia - eat your worth", which aims to encourage citizens to consume fish as often as possible and thus contribute positively to not only this trend but to the development of the Croatian economy as a whole.
By the end of August 2019, Croatia had exported a massive 14,100 tonnes of fresh Croatian fish worth 82.6 million euros. The majority of Croatian aquaculture production is exported to the European Union (Italy, Slovenia, Spain) and as far away as Japan.
Make sure to follow our dedicated business page for much more.
Svijet Prirode (World of Nature), a Healthy Hidden Diamond of Varaždin Breg
January 6, 2020 - Looking to get back to nature and a healthy start to 2020? A wonderful family business highlighting Croatian indigenous goodness - Svijet Prirode near Varaždin Breg.
The Lukač family is the proud owner of a little zoo with various native species of Croatia. They have about 80 animals who enjoy living in a spacious meadow and eating healthy food. This heaven on Earth is in Varaždin Breg, along the old Varaždin-Zagreb road.
Back to 2014
About five years ago, Nikolina and Josip wanted their kids to eat healthier, so they got a donkey, goat, and sheep to get milk and to make cheese. After some people heard that the Lukač family owns different kinds of animals, not just domestic ones, people start to call them and asked them if they can come to visit. Step by step, they started gathering many species of animals. As they met one guy in Hrvatsko Zagorje and wanted to buy a turkey (Zagorska purica), he told them something that led to all that they have now. He said to them that not long ago, a bus full of Chinese tourists came to his place to see his turkeys. Then Josip said: “Why wouldn't we have a private zoo with the native species of Croatia? People could see all of those animals in one place!”
This whole thing started five years ago as an OPG (Family Farm), but as they also organize children's birthdays, they needed to open a company. All those years, they are continually making something new, building wooden houses, or extending the fences. Mostly they do it all by themselves or with the help of close family members. They have increased not only the numbers of animals but also in the area of the property. Now their animals are free to roam in an area of about 55 thousand square meters! Every animal has its part of the meadow and wooden house. The walking trail is about one kilometer long.
Ever since Josip was a kid, he wanted to work with animals. A combination of circumstances led him to have his company and worked in it for about four years. He was so disappointed with people that he decided to leave this job and start working with animals. I quote (with permission): "I wanted to show certain people that it's easier to work with animals than with livestock."
...
Living with 80 animals, a man could think they get up at 5a.m., but...
…but they get up whenever they want. Their schedule depends on kids' obligations such as kindergarten or school. In the summer, there isn't a lot to do. They give animals food and water in the morning, and in the evening, they put the animals in their cottages. In the winter, it is a different story because the animals are in cottages, so Josip does the cleaning both in the morning and evening. It takes him 2-3 hours to do that. But, he said with the smile: "I am tired in the morning, of course, but when I come to these animals, I feel relaxed more than anything else."
Kids (ages 1, 3, 5, and 7) show interest in animals and spend their summer holidays with them. These kids are raised without phones, computers, or PS4, but they aren't sad because of it. They sincerely enjoy playing on vast meadows along with the sheep and donkeys.
Out of the many activities they organize, The Christmas Story steals the show
They host children's birthdays which are led by entertainers, while Nikolina and Josip provide food. The best indicator they are doing a great job is that 90% of the kids who once celebrated their birthday there, come back the next year. As the saying goes, children are the most honest beings, so it is all clear here. ;)
Besides the birthday parties, they organize summer children camps, a search for Easter eggs, Chestnut evenings (popularly called Kestenijada), weekends with knight orders, carnival days... But when it comes to their favourite activity, The Christmas Story is their favourite. Three years ago, Nikolina was Mary, and Josip was, well... Joseph. They even had a baby back then who was in charge of being Jesus. This was their first big deal as a family. Today, they have a whole program and people who are acting, making fire show, or play drums. Traditionally, at the end of the program, visitors release lanterns of good wishes.
Big dream and none of the help from the county
The county loves to promise them support and publicity for their events, but – as is often the case in Croatia – this support remains as just promised. Nikolina and Josip remain disappointed about the county, so now they rely on themselves and close friends. Their plans for next year include gathering all of the native species of Croatia. Besides that, they would love to have an orchard and plantations of Croatian species of trees. Among the plans for the future are more wooden houses for barbeque, sports terrains, and even some little apartments.
The reason why this what they do is so special lies in their unique approach to guests. They don't have an ordinary playground for children, nor do they want one. Parents are sometimes disappointed by this fact. Yet they stayed amazed at how their kid plays on his own without any toys around. While parents enjoy their coffee with the owners of the farm, children find something exciting or play with the animals. "You could often hear parents saying: "Oh Gosh, I forgot that our kid is also with us here!" and that is what makes us happy."
What visitors appreciate the most is the friendly and open relationship the owners have with them. If visitors want to discover the farm by themselves, they can. But if they prefer to have the owners as their guide, Nikolina and Josip will gladly join them. After they see everything they want, they enjoy the coffee, ice cream, beer, mulled wine, or something else.
The Lukač couple was concerned about having a farm near a road, but visitors often say to them that there is no feeling that they are near the road. They are completely relaxed and pay no attention to passing cars.
And if you are still making you mind about visit them, check this out:
Every group of kindergartens and schools plant their trees. Soon there will be educational trails with different species. For example, A Path of Acacia (Put bagrema) is already in the making.
If you have a family, this would be a perfect trip for every member. Owners said that more and more young couples like to come to their farm as a date. And if you don't have plans for Valentine's Day 2020, there will be a movie night in a cozy wooden house.
And if this story amazed you a bit more than usual, you can come and volunteer. The whole family would be happy to have you around occasionally.
Make sure you follow them on Facebook and on the official web site.
Croatia's Gilt-Head Sea Bream and Branzino Sought-After More and More in EU
ZAGREB, January 6, 2020 - The gilt-head sea bream also called Orata and the sea bass also known by its Italian name branzino are exported more and more from Croatia to the European Union's market, while the top exporting fish from Croatia to Japan is tuna, according to the data provided by the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK) on Monday.
In the first eight months of 2019, Croatia exported fresh or chilled Atlantic bluefin tuna in the amount of 2,800 tonnes, worth 31.2 million euro, as against 33.9 million euro for 3,000 tonnes exported in the whole of 2018.
In 2018, the value of the export of fish and other seafood products, including Ostracods, sometimes known as seed shrimps, and molluscs, was 170.4 million euro (47,000 tonnes). Of that amount, the export of fresh or chilled fish made up 108 million euro (21,000 tonnes).
Apart from tuna, which is exported to Japan in large quantities, 4,300 of fresh or chilled branzino were exported to the European Union in 2018, and the value of this export stood at 26.4 million euro.
The export value of 3,800 tonnes of gilt-head sea bream was 23.6 million euro.
Also, Croatia exported sardines in the amount of 4,500 tonnes, worth 3.6 million euro, and 2,200 tonnes of anchovies, worth 3.5 million euro.
In the first eight months of 2019, the total value of the export of fish and seafood products came to 121.1 million euro.
The major markets for the export are Japan, as the most important destination for Croatian tuna, while within the EU, Italy, Slovenia and Spain are the main export destinations for fresh and salted fishery products.
More fisheries news can be found in the Business section.
Officials Extend Orthodox Christmas Greetings
ZAGREB, January 6, 2020 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Monday extended greetings to all believers who celebrate Christmas according to the Julian calendar.
"Merry Christmas to all Orthodox believers. May these days of celebration bring peace, health and happiness to your homes and your families," he said in a note.
Christmastime ennobles and strengthens the spirit so that we can continue to promote dignity, social justice and moral values for the benefit of our country, he said.
President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović and Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković on Monday extended greetings to believers who celebrate Christmas according to the Julian calendar.
"To all the Christian worshippers who celebrate Christmas according to the Julian calendar with the greeting Mir Božji, Hristos se rodi (Peace of God, Christ is born), I send Christmas wishes of joy and peace on the occasion of Christ’s birthday. With the gift of life, in hope and optimism, let us find the strength to promote understanding and trust among each other and nurture positive values in our society, the president said in her note.
"To all Orthodox believers who celebrate Christmas according to the Julian calendar, my sincerest wishes on behalf of the members of the Croatian parliament and myself. May the merriest Christian holiday of Christmas give you peace, love, strength, hope and spiritual well-being which will empower you on your life journey," Jandroković said in his note.
"I also wish that this Christmastime bring us all the optimism, trust and determination needed so that we can build Croatia, in the spirit of dialogue, cooperation and tolerance, as a our common prosperous homeland," he added.
More religion news can be found in the Lifestyle section.
US Embassy, European Council President Congratulate President-Elect Milanović
ZAGREB, January 6, 2020 - The US Embassy in Zagreb on Monday congratulated Zoran Milanović on winning Sunday's presidential election, saying Croatia was a US ally and friend and that it was looking forward to a continued partnership during his term.
"Croatia is a steadfast friend and ally of the United States, and we draw strength from our shared values and commitment to transatlantic security, economic cooperation, and energy diversification. We fully support Croatia’s presidency of the Council of the European Union and its commitment to Southeast Europe’s Euro-Atlantic future. We are grateful for the last five years of close and productive collaboration with President (Kolinda) Grabar-Kitarović and look forward to a continued partnership throughout President-elect Milanović’s term," the embassy said in a press release.
On Sunday night, Milanović was congratulated by European Council President Charles Michel.
"I believe that Croatia will contribute to the future development of the European Union especially during its first presidency of the Council of the EU," he posted on Twitter.
US Ambassador Robert Kohorst on Monday congratulated Croatian President-elect Zoran Milanović on his victory and would not comment on the support President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovicć received for her re-election by Julienne Bušić, saying Bušić was not worth commenting.
We are glad that Croatia had a very active campaign and, it seems to me, a fair election. I congratulate the president-elect on his victory and am looking forward to our collaboration, Kohorst told reporters ahead of a reception for Orthodox Christmas organised by the Serb National Council and the Zagreb Serb National Minority Council.
Kohorst expects to have good cooperation with Milanović because, he said, he seems to be a capable person who watches out for Croatia's best interests which, he added, also means good partnership with the United States.
He would not comment on Julienne Bušić's support to Grabar-Kitarović. Her late husband Zvonko Bušić was sentenced to life imprisonment in the US for hijacking a passenger plane and planting a bomb which killed New York police officer Brian Murray.
I don't want to comment because I think she is not a person worth commenting about, said Kohorst.
More news about relations between Croatia and the United States can be found in the Politics section.
Croatian Zoran Milanović First Former Prime Minister Elected President
Although only 53 years old, Croatian President-elect Zoran Milanović is already a political veteran. Since Croatia's independence, he is the only politician to be elected to two of the most important state functions, first as prime minister and now president.
He was born on October 30, 1966 in Zagreb. In private conversations, he likes to point out that Zagreb shaped his identity, but was also intrigued by his family history, according to Robert Bajruš/Jutarnji List on January 6, 2020. Therefore, Milanović researched archives from Austrian barracks and the Sinj monastery in a quest for information on his ancestors and their life paths. Zoran Milanović's family is from western Bosnia and arrived in the Sinj region as part of a mass migration led by Franciscan Friars in 1687. His mother Đurđica Matasić's family has lived in Sinj for almost two centuries.
Father Held Key Zagreb Government Positions
His father, Stipe Milanović, performed several important roles during the socialist regime: he was Cabinet Secretary to Miko Tripalo, a Zagreb city council member and chaired the Vatroslav Lisinski Hall Construction Committee. In the early 1990s, he joined HDZ (Croatian Democratic Union) and became Assistant Minister to Vlatko Pavletić.
Milanović's claim that his grandfather was an Ustasha member (Croatian WWII Fascists) was one of the more interesting developments in the 2016 election campaign. He was referring to his mother Đurđica’s stepfather, Petar Plišić, but had kept silent about him until then.
He graduated from the Faculty of Law in Zagreb in the early 1990s where he was an excellent student. He received the Rector's Award and participated in the "Telders" competition in public international law at The Hague.
Began Post Law School Career in Foreign Diplomacy
Milanović landed his first job at the Commercial Court in Zagreb and then the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1993, where he arrived upon the recommendation of Ivan Šimonović, professor at the Faculty of Law and Permanent Representative of the Republic of Croatia to the UN. He became advisor to the Croatian Mission to the European Union and NATO in Brussels in 1996 and completed a postgraduate certificate in European Union law there two years later.
He joined SDP (Social Democratic Party of Croatia) immediately after his return to Zagreb in 1999. After SDP won the January 3, 2000 elections as part of a coalition, he was entrusted with a position in communications with NATO. Three years later, he was appointed Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs under Tonino Picula. However, he left diplomacy and was brought onto the SDP Executive Board at the invitation of Ivica Račan after the HDZ won the 2003 elections.
Assumed SDP Leadership Role After Račan
The SDP party membership overwhelmingly chose Milanović as their new leader when Ivica Račan died in 2007. He had defeated Željko Antunović, Milan Bandić and Tonino Picula; the party’s old guard. While Račan had not considered him his successor; within a month Milanović had taken control of SDP and set about overthrowing Ivo Sanader.
Diana Pleština, widow of the former SDP leader, spoke about the Račan-Milanović relationship. While she has always thought well of Milanović; she also noted:
"Ivica Račan understood that Milanović was young and well-educated, and had experience communicating with the outside world, but he was not referring to Zoran Milanović in the phrase 'New SDP Force'. Instead he was referring to Milanović along with other members of the party. Therefore, the ‘New SDP force’ was not referring to one person, but an overall proposal to continue the rejuvenation of the Social Democratic Party, and one of those players was Milanović,” Dijana Pleština recalled.
However, he lost to Ivo Sanader in the 2007 parliamentary elections and spent the next four years leading the opposition. During that time, he was able to marginalize the old guard within SDP and surround himself with a new generation of associates including Ranko Ostojić, Siniša Hajdaš Dončić, Rajko Ostojić, Ante Kotromanović, Igor Dragovan and Gordan Maras.
Defeated Scandal Ridden HDZ With Kukuriku Coalition
In November 2011, under Milanović’s leadership, the SDP-HNS-IDS-HSU coalition overwhelmingly defeated HDZ, which had been rocked by a series of corruption scandals. Their coalition ruled Croatia for the next four years. Before that victory, Milanović played a crucial role in the election of SDP presidential candidate Ivo Josipović. Josipović's victory had a strategic effect on the downfall of HDZ and Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor, and subsequent victory of the four-party coalition.
Milanović's political experience did not often reveal itself during his first three years in office. In the face of poor economic performance, he was subject to widespread criticism for refusing to make severe cuts to a bloated and inefficient state administration, which was stifling the economy. In addition, almost nobody believed he could make a comeback after he barely succeeded in expelling Slavko Linić from SDP in June 2014. Those doubts were strengthened after Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović narrowly defeated Ivo Josipović in the 2015 presidential election.
"Who would have thought that we were capable of regaining voter confidence back in January," Milanović recently suggested in a private interview.
Political Personal Evolution and Move to Right
Nevertheless, he changed tremendously and became much more accessible while choosing to remain silent about the confrontation with Linić. Even then, a well-known SDP politician revealed that he had been closely observing Milanović's career for seven years, and denied the widespread belief that the SDP chief was incapable of transforming himself:
"After losing the election to Ivo Sanader in 2007, Milanović realized that he had to change. He succeeded because he strengthened the party with new young talent. I’ve also changed and have begun displaying a better part of my character in interactions with people. That’s why I believe he can also change in a positive way,” claimed this member of government.
Praise for Franjo Tuđman and Croatian Nation in Knin
After all, Milanović's metamorphosis, which manifested itself in a slight turn to the right, was first noticed in Knin on August 5, 2014 when he gave a speech commemorating Dan domovinske zahvalnosti (Homeland Thanksgiving Day), which suggested a more patriotic direction. It was then that he first came forward with the conviction that his government was a people's government elected by the Croatian nation, comprised of people who are of primarily Croatian background. "As long is that is the case, we will oversee this country and lead it on the right path with Croatian interests in mind," Milanović said.
Milanović also paid respect to the first Croatian president, Franjo Tuđman, "because he was the Croatian president during a most difficult and challenging time."
“We have been waiting for a thousand years to have our own state and are grateful to those who gave everything for our country. For thousands of years we have worked, fought and died for foreigners, who treated us like foreigners, but they are not our enemies today. We are united with them in the EU and are building a better future together,” said Milanović in Knin.
It was the beginning of a 16-month campaign in which Zoran Milanović decided to tackle the stigma of (Croatian) leftists and present himself as a self-aware national leader. A social democrat who respects Tuđman, frequently mentions Croatia and condemns chauvinism then became his election-winning formula.
He also hired PR expert Alex Braun and his government achieved positive economic results in 2015. However, Milanović narrowly lost the parliamentary elections, remained at the helm of the SDP and defeated his old rival, Zlatko Komadin, in party elections.
Withdrawal from Politics After 2016 Defeat
After the fall of Prime Minister Tim Orešković’s short-lived administration in late 2016, Milanović led the People's Coalition into the elections, but lost, and then announced that he was withdrawing from politics.
In November 2016, he founded EuroAlba Advisory. Earlier this year, the media reported that the company's total 2018 revenue was 744,970 HRK (99,700 EUR), about a 20 percent increase from a 2017 reported revenue of 625,000 HRK (83,600 EUR).
Milanović lost his father Stipe and his younger brother Krešimir, who died after a short illness, during his election campaign late last year.
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