ZAGREB, January 25, 2020 - The Ministry of State Assets plans to speed up the activation of state property in 2020 to increase revenues from state assets, Minister Mario Banožić told Hina in an interview.

"We believe that this year we will accelerate the activation of state assets by amending the State Property Management Act and adopting the Unappraised Construction Land Bill, which passed first reading in Parliament last week," Banožić said.

He said that state-owned financial assets were expected to bring in HRK 870 million in revenues this year, adding that an additional 1.1 billion kuna was expected from profits made by state-owned companies and 240 million kuna from non-financial assets. He noted that last year the plan had been exceeded by more than 130 million kuna.

"We are facing the implementation of the State Property Management Strategy 2019-2025, which is based on the State Property Management Act, the Business Space Lease and Sale Act and the Unappraised Construction Land Act. After years of negligence towards state property, we finally have a legislative framework which will be used to put state assets to the best possible use socially," the minister said.

The Unappraised Construction Land Act is expected to settle property relations and ownership of unappraised construction land which has been used for more than 20 years by tourism businesses following privatisation processes, and to lay the groundwork for more efficient property management and attracting new investment.

As of this year the portfolio managed by the Restructuring and Sale Centre (CERP) includes 358 companies, in 21 of which the government's share exceeds 50%, in 332 the government's share is below 50% while in five companies the government is not engaged in business. In the last five years, this portfolio has been reduced by 491 companies; in 2019 alone 58 companies "exited" the portfolio, mostly by sale, while at the same time 29 entered the portfolio, mostly after termination of the contracts, Banožić says, adding that the government plans to sell its stakes in both groups of companies.

By no later than April this year, the Ministry will issue a public call for the sale of shares or stakes in the remaining 30 companies in which the government has a minority stake of up to 25%.

"In the first two public calls in 2019, we sold government stakes in 60 companies. In the first call, about 2.6 million kuna worth of shares and stakes were sold in ten companies, while in the second call 234,600 kuna worth were sold in eight companies," Banožić said.

More news about the State Assets Ministry can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, January 25, 2020 - The national day for prevention of cervical cancer, known as Mimosa Day, was marked in Zagreb's Cvjetni Trg square on Saturday with a traditional charity sale of branches of mimosa flowers.

The event, organised for the 13th year in a row to raise public awareness of the importance of cervical cancer prevention, was attended by Mayor Milan Bandić, who called on women to undergo regular medical check-ups and get vaccinated against the HPV virus.

The secretary-general of the Croatian Anti-Cancer League, Neda Ferenčić Vrban, called on parents to have their children, both girls and boys, vaccinated against HPV in eighth grade, as recommended by the national HPV vaccination programme.

Cervical cancer is caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) in 99.7 percent of cases. Since there is no effective cure against HPV, regular medical examinations are important to detect HPV infection as early as possible. The cervix is one of the most frequent cancer sites in women aged 20-49, and the most critical period for infection is adolescence.

About 300 women in Croatia are diagnosed with cervical cancer every year and every third day one woman dies from it, the event was told.

Mimosa Day is organised by the Croatian Anti-Cancer League and the City of Zagreb Office for Health.

More health news can be found in the Lifestyle section.

January the 25th, 2020 - As soon as news of the potential epidemic spread of the new coronavirus broke in the international media, the Croatian public also started worrying about the deadly virus and started asking what has been done to prevent the spreading of the disease into Croatia.

DAILY UPDATES: Total Croatia News provides LIVE daily updates on the coronavirus epidemic here.

There is no clear answer to that question.

As soon as the situation on the international scale became clear, warnings that there's an increased probability of the virus coming into Croatia because of the number of Chinese workers working on Pelješac bridge surfaced, and that lead to Croatian journalists and columnists examining the imminent danger to the Croats and the state's health system. While it's not entirely clear how worried we should be about the emerging threat (with numerous scientists and publications saying that the mortality rate for the patients suffering from the coronavirus-caused pneumonia is significantly lower worldwide than the mortality rate related to seasonal flu, which nobody is really worried about), some of the institutions in Croatia have reacted to the potential threat. 

The Croatian Ministry of Health has published their very brief set of recommendations (opens a .doc file in Croatian) for the travellers to and from China, and the Croatian Institute of Public Health has published their overview of the situation.

The Ministry warns those travelling to China to avoid sick persons, to avoid animals (both living and dead) as well as markets, not to eat any raw or semi-cooked animals, to wash their hands often (!) and to notify their doctor of their plans to travel to China.

For the travellers returning from the regions of China where coronavirus has been confirmed, and if you have a fever, cough or have trouble breathing, they want you to seek medical attention (but call before coming to your medical professional to inform them you've been to China), not to travel while sick, to avoid contact with other people, to cover your mouth with a handkerchief while coughing or sneezing and to wash your hands often (!). 

The Croatian Institute of Public Health (HZJZ) has published a more comprehensive review of the situation, explaining more about the disease and its spread in the population. Their recommendations for the travellers to and from China (especially the Wuhan region) are similar, although they do provide the list of the epidemiologists on call to assist with any questions and worries.

At the same time, the Croatian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs allegedly informed the public, and subsequently it was reported by the Croatian media, that four Croatian citizens are believed to be in the Wuhan region: three of them working there, and one visiting. All of them are reported to be healthy, but the Ministry doesn't recommend travel to certain Chinese regions (it hasn't been fully specified which) because of the dangers of the infection.

So far, the active measures of protection against the virus at the Croatian airports have not been introduced.

That means that people arriving to Croatia will not have their temperatures taken in order to determine which of them have a high temperature. The airports in Croatia are prepared, though, going through the passive measures and being vigilant, especially as we know that there are a number of managers working on Pelješac bridge expected to return to Croatia after having celebrated the Lunar New Year in China.

DAILY UPDATES: Total Croatia News provides LIVE daily updates on the coronavirus epidemic here.

ZAGREB, January 25, 2020 - Outgoing President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović plans to ask the government to provide her with office space after her term expires on 19 February, Večernji List newspaper writes on Saturday.

Her plan, as she herself has revealed, is to continue working on branding Croatia, promoting national interests, dealing with social issues such as domestic violence and promoting environmental protection. She has no intention to criticise or praise her successor, Zoran Milanović, or comment on his work, the newspaper said.

"I didn't think I was going to take an office, but now I'm thinking that one should have a base if one is to do one's work seriously, and I can't just sit somewhere and do nothing," Grabar-Kitarović was quoted as saying.

The outgoing president may exercise her right under the law to have an office. Before her, only Stjepan Mesić exercised this right, while Ivo Josipović returned to his duties at the University of Zagreb School of Law.

In 2016, on the initiative of the MOST party, the law was amended and the rights of former presidents were considerably reduced, as a result of which a former president is no longer entitled to an office for a lifetime but only for five years.

Once Grabar-Kitarović formally requests an office, the government will have to set aside budget funds for that purpose. She will also be entitled to two office clerks, a car, a driver and a bodyguard, Večernji List said.

More news about Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović can be found in the Politics section.

January 25, 2020 - If 2019 was the year of overtourism, is 2020 the year crowded destinations fight back? CNN reports on various initiatives, including from Dubrovnik. 

Where once Dubrovnik was hailed as one of the must-see destinations of Europe, the Pearl of the Adriatic, in recent years it has been more likely to be featured in the international media as a poster child of a new scourge of modern travel - overtourism. 

Multiiple daily cruise ships, an army of Game of Thrones fans, and the incessant tour bus day-trippers from neighbouring (and not so neighbouring) destinations all played their part to crowd the historic old town that limits to the number of people allowed in were introduced, and locals advised to stay indoors at certain times of the day. 

Dubrovnik was not alone in being a victim of its own success, with top destinations such as Venice, Amsterdam and Barcelona also feeling the strain. It is an issue which needs to be urgently addressed if the charms of what make these destinations so attractive and unique are not to be lost. 

In a detailed feature, CNN looks at the various initiatives being undertaken by five European destinations which have been worst-affected by overtourism - Amsterdam, Santorini, Barcelona, Venice and Dubrovnik:

Mayor of Dubrovnik Mato Franković has cast himself as a crusader against mass tourism, shutting down 80% of souvenir stalls, and restricting cruise ships to two per day.

The stalls remain closed, and the two-ship rule was abided to 70% of the time during 2019, he tells CNN. It will be further enforced (with, he says, higher compliance) in 2020.

"There's not such a big impact to the city now," he says. "Everyone should feel comfortable without any [pedestrian] jams."In November 2019, Franković proposed an effective ban on new restaurants (the vast majority of Dubrovnik restaurants have seating mainly inside, so the legislation has banned any new outdoor tables).

That resolution was passed by the city, and a spokesperson told CNN that it is due to come into force for 2020.

Read the full CNN story here.

To learn more about the city, check out the Total Croatia Dubrovnik in a Page guide. 

January 25, 2020 - The Croatian National Tourist Board (HTZ), which is at the New York Times Travel Show from January 24 to 26, said that Croatia is among the most sought-after tourist destinations, based on the results of market research and the booking announcements by major tourist associations. 

Glas Istre reports that HTZ Director Kristjan Stanicic also visited the fair, along with the tourist boards from Zagreb, Dubrovnik-Neretva, Split-Dalmatia, Zadar and Lika-Senj counties, who are also presenting their offer in New York, HTZ announced.

“Presenting the Croatian tourism offer at the New York Fair is of strategic importance, especially if we know that the US market is one of the most important distant markets for Croatia, from which we generate the largest tourist traffic.

The continuation of American Airlines flights between Philadelphia and Dubrovnik will further stimulate US tourist traffic this year, and the ultimate goal we are intensively working on is stronger air connections between the US and Croatia,” said Stanicic.

He noted that 655,000 arrivals and more than 1.8 million overnight stays were recorded in Croatia last year by American tourists, which represents an annual increase of 12 percent.

During his stay in New York, Stanicic met with representatives of Travel Show Marketing Group, a company that specializes in independent events and brings together tourist entities, buyers and sellers in forums they organize around the world. The topic of the meeting was related to the possibility of Croatia hosting the Travel Agent Forum in 2021, when it is estimated that the forum would bring together 90 European suppliers and travel partners and about 150 US travel agencies.

"This year's appearance at the New York Times Travel Show reaffirmed Croatia's popularity as a leading growing destination for Americans and announced another successful year with double-digit arrivals and overnight stays from the US. Croatia is truly one of the most desirable tourist destinations, supported by the market research results and booking announcements by major travel associations such as USTOA, Virtuoso, Signature Travel Network and Travel Leaders Group, and numerous articles in leading US media such as The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, National Geographic, Financial Times, Conde Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, USA Today,” said Ina Rodin, director of the HTZ New York office.

A meeting was also held with representatives of the platform and mobile application TravPRO MOBILE, the first of its kind in the market to connect mobile learning and sales. It is an agent training and sales consulting program designed to help agents sell destinations more effectively. Currently, they provide services to more than 60,000 professional travel advisors from the United States and are also collaborating with China's leading B2B travel agency, Dragon Trail Interactive.

Otherwise, major trends in Americans' travel last year include multi-generational travel, discovering new destinations and authentic experiences - or “Live Like A Local" experiences, "transformational" travel, responsible tourism, active tourism, and cruises. Americans in Croatia especially love visits to natural and cultural attractions with a focus on UNESCO sites, nautical tourism, active holidays, and especially visits to locations where the famous HBO series Game of Thrones was filmed, as well as one-of-a-kind gastronomic experiences. Americans visit Dubrovnik, Split and Zagreb most. 

The New York Times Travel Show is visited by more than 35,000 visitors who view the offer of more than 700 exhibitors from 175 countries around the world, making this fair the largest tourism fair in North America.

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

January 25, 2020 - The AI revolution is upon us. How much is Croatia lagging behind, and are we going to do something about it?

In my previous TCN article on Artificial Intelligence and Croatia, I mentioned that Croatia could engage in the following actions:

What needs to be defined and followed by regulations is the following:

1. Comprehensive public policy on AI for sustainable development
2. Ensuring inclusion and equality in AI in education
3. Preparing teachers for AI-powered education and preparing AI to understand education

Some of the potential use cases for the AI in Education systems could be:

1. Personalization - remedial students, advanced students, ESL students and the disabled all need to have the same access to learning. AI systems easily adapt to each student’s individual learning needs and can target students with teaching instructions based on their strengths and weaknesses
2. Course Improvement - Teachers may not always be aware of gaps in their lectures and educational materials that can leave students confused about certain concepts. Artificial intelligence offers a way to solve that problem. (Coursera, a massive open online course provider, is already putting this into practice. When a large number of students are found to submit the wrong answer to a homework assignment, the system alerts the teacher and gives future students a customized message that offers hints to the correct answer.)
3. Trial and Error Learning made easier - Trial and error is a critical part of learning, but for many students, the idea of failing, or even not knowing the answer, is paralyzing. Some simply don’t like being put on the spot in front of their peers or authority figures like a teacher. An intelligent computer system, designed to help students learn, is a much less daunting way to deal with trial and error. Artificial intelligence could offer students a way to experiment and learn in a relatively judgment-free environment, especially when AI tutors can offer solutions for improvement.

But even if we start those processes, where would we be in comparison to the rest of the world? What are other countries already doing and what should we be aware of?

Fortunately, a fear of missing out is spreading around the globe or at least among some countries. Numerous nations have developed AI strategies to advance their capabilities, through investment, incentives, talent development etc. As AI’s importance to the next generation of technology grows, many leaders are worried that they will be left behind and not share in the gains.

Many governments, in cooperation with and under pressure from their private sector, have developed formal AI frameworks to help boost economic and technological growth. These range from the US executive order on AI leadership and China’s “Next Generation Artificial Intelligence Development Plan” to “AI Made in Germany” and the “Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy. After concerns that China could take the lead, USA reacted and The White House recently unveiled 10 principles that federal agencies should consider when devising laws and rules for the use of artificial intelligence in the private sector, but stressed that a key concern was limiting regulatory “overreach.

It is no wonder that governments are rushing to foster AI investment, establish education programs, and pursue research and development to support businesses within their borders.

Even between early adopters, there are differences, and some of countries believe they’re widening a lead over the competition or even leapfrogging ahead – China for example and some countries like Australia say they’re using AI only to catch or keep up with the competition

When assessing the risks and potential benefits some countries’ early adopters feel more “fully prepared” for these AI risks than their counterparts from other countries. In the survey from Deloitte, respondents from Germany and China stated that they have a surplus of confidence, with faith in their preparedness surpassing their level of concerns for the bad outcomes.

But not many countries are early adopters. Many others are more or less falling behind. Croatia like many countries, unfortunately, still has to put a lot of effort into the AI subject, just to catch up with the best ones. But there is very significant difference in the awareness and approach between those countries that are lagging behind. A great example is Finland which embarked on an ambitious challenge to teach the basics of AI to 1% of its population, or 55,000 people. Once it reaches that goal, it plans to go further, increasing the share of the population with AI know-how. The scheme is all part of a greater effort to establish Finland as a leader in applying and using the technology. Latest reports show that the course, originally launched in 2018, has already enrolled more than 220,000 students from more than 110 countries. Finland now aims to teach 1% of all Europeans basic skills in artificial intelligence through a free online course. The course is available in English, Finnish, Swedish and Estonian so far, and Finland will translate it into all official EU languages in 2020.

Citizens can take an online course that is specifically designed for non–technology experts with no programming experience. In 2019, more than 10,500 people, including at least 4,000 outside of Finland’s borders, had graduated from the course. More than 250 companies have also pledged to train part or all of their workforce.

India also decided to reap the benefits of the AI and plans to become the first country to deploy artificial intelligence and machine learning in the tax assessment process, as their Finance Minister has promised to adopt faceless assessment system from October 2019. But that is not the only area, the Indian government has set up a task force with a comprehensive plan to boost the AI sector and leverage the capabilities associated with related- technologies, infrastructure, data usage and research. Again, they are aware that right now India is far from competing globally due to lack of skills and poor infrastructure to support AI technology.

In 2018, as a part of the Digital India program, their Finance Minister announced an investment of 40 million Euro in setting up ‘Centres of Excellence’ that will focus on research, big data analysis, quantum communication and IOT to improve digital literacy in the country. Additional to that following the concept of “Every time, Everywhere Education,” the government has also launched a website with 244 Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), covering aspects like AI, data analytics, etc.

Canada, in March 2017 made AI a research priority and pledged to spend CAN$125 million over five years. The University of Toronto and the University of Montreal have become world leaders for research in deep learning machines, and the Canadian government is working to support university graduates skilled in AI development and recruit foreign talent

In Denmark the focus here has been on setting up strong protections to regulate AI. In March of this year, Denmark established an AI ethics board and released the Danish National Strategy for AI focused on protecting self-determination (ensuring machines do not make decisions for us), protecting human dignity and equality. Denmark has stated the next steps are to increase investments and improve knowledge, with a newly created AI science centre at the University of Copenhagen.

Japan has ambitious goals for digitization, and sees AI as a part of a 5th societal transformation, called Society 5.0. The vision for Society 5.0 imagines inclusive and sustainable cities powered by digitization in all aspects of life to solve Japan’s greatest challenges. Society 5.0 is looking to use AI to help an ageing population and reduce pollution, in alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. This vision has received major support from the Japanese public and industry alike.

Japan is also using AI to revitalize its economy, planning $87 million in robotic investments, with the market for internet of things (IoT) poised to hit $6 billion in 2019

In comparison, the Croatian Government and the ministries in charge, promised to prepare an AI Agenda for our EU Presidency, by the end of November (which was already quite late), then changed it to December, and last responses were that it should be done in January 2020!

Some initiatives are not surprisingly again coming from the private sector, and enthusiastic individuals, as we now have, recently founded the AI association that will start to work in 2020. CRO.AI is non-governmental organization that is connecting many organizations and individuals that are working in the field of artificial intelligence, with some common vision, values and mission how they want to use AI but also what they want to develop and deploy in their own solutions. A good call for that is also the strategic direction that European Union is giving us - for the next Digital Europe program, there is more than 2,5 bln EUR in the artificial intelligence focus area. The president of the newly founded CRO AI is Mislav Malenica, and vice president is Hajdi Cenan.

One of many areas of improvement, often mentioned in the local media is the low efficiency of our private sector. It is interesting to note as OECD states, that governments can leverage the power of AI to innovate and transform the public sector in order to redefine the ways in which it designs and implements policies and services. As AI technology evolves, administrative and process-driven tasks will be able to be automated, boosting public sector efficiency and freeing up public servants to focus on work that is more meaningful.

Around the world, at least 50 countries (including the European Union) have developed, or are in the process of developing, a national AI strategy. Of these, 37 have (or plan to have) either separate strategies in place for public sector AI, or a dedicated focus embedded within a broader strategy. (you can check latest updates per country here)

To conclude:

Some authors are making comparisons with the times when governments funded research and public declarations such as President Kennedy’s bold promise that the US would land on the moon within a decade, propelled scientific achievement forward leading to important milestones in human history. While perhaps less controversial, today’s race to lead the world in artificial intelligence is again prompting national governments to play a major role in science. Government efforts influence the level of support for research and development, and more importantly shape the new AI rules and regulations. Let us all hope that the Croatian Government will have enough sense and wisdom to take this topic very seriously. Because one thing is sure, Croatian citizens will feel the impact of those decisions very soon.

To read more from Aco, check out his author profile. 

As we reported yesterday, a Slobodna Dalmacija journalist, Andrea Topic, was abused and threatened by construction workers building one of Health Minister Kujundzic's incorrectly registered houses, with another one being constructed next to it. They abused her, frightened her, trapped her in her car and to make matters even worse, at least one of these people is Milan Kujundzic's relative.

As Index writes on the 25th of January, 2020, a man approached Andrea after she parked along a public road, yelling at her for filming a house, which belongs to Health Minister Kujundzic, that they were working on. This man, as the journalist herself says, is Health Minister Kujundzic's close relative who she had even spoken to before during an interview about the local election results. A few more men later came up to her and the journalist recounted everything, which can be read by clicking on the link in the first paragraph.

She eventually locked herself in her car and called her editor, who then called the police. The men surrounding her car said they were relatives of Health Minister Kujundzic. The police arrested them, but they were released shortly after.

One of the men who entrapped and abused the journalist told his side of the story for N1. He says they thought someone was lost.

"Look, it turned out a little reckless. I don't know how to describe it to you, because it's a very interesting situation. The vehicle was moving up and down, and we saw a girl driving and we thought that someone was lost. that the person was lost in the area, as this [area] is a little bit out of the way. There, she parked up against the wall and we approached her and asked her if she needed help and if she was lost, seeing that her phone's navigation was turned on. She refused any cooperation, she didn't say anything to us and at that moment we moved away from the vehicle. She continued to sit in the car and do what she was doing, I don't know what.''

Then one of them went on to explain that they feared the journalist was a thief. He revealed that they called Health Minister Kujundzic's brother.

''After a few minutes she got out of the car and then she went over the wall and at that moment, after she'd gone over the wall, she took some pictures and maybe took a video. We then approached her, well, my neighbour did, and asked her - Excuse me, who are you? This is private property, you've climbed up there over someone else's wall. Who sent you? Why did you come? She got down, he approached her, and she got back in the car.

She didn't want to talk to us, we didn't even know she was a journalist. We didn't know who or what she was, and we were a little worried since the house had already been stolen from twice and we didn't know what kind of person she was, or for what purpose she'd come to take a video, and then we surrounded her car. In the meantime, a neighbour called the minister's brother to tell him that an unknown person had come to take pictures and videos of the house - we were asking whether we should call the police or let her take photos or record freely. He said that she could, but that she shouldn't climb around the house and go into the garden, but that she could take photos and videos from the road. We then got off her car and nobody said a word to her afterwards,'' said Josip Kujundzic.

The Slobodna Dalmacija journalist mentioned that Josip Kujundzic had already spoken to her before because she had previously interviewed him.

"I don't remember, it was brief. About ten minutes or so. If I knew her, I'd greet her and approach her in a different way since I know the person. This is how I approached an unknown person. If she knew me and if she saw that she did an interview with me a year ago, I think it would be fair and correct that she came up to me and said ''Sir, I did an interview with you a year ago, I'm a journalist from Slobodna Dalmacija, I'm here to do an interview regarding Mr. Milan Kujundzic. I’ll be here for a short while and I won't bother you, and so on,'' he said.

He also commented on the footage showing them surrounding Andrea's car. He admits that they played around a little.

"We played around a little. We didn't behave decently. We'd been working, we were a little playful. With didn't bother her or stop her with any bad intentions. But you know, we didn't know who she was and then we had to wait around a bit until we were told what to do - whether to call the police because she's an unknown person or to let her record and do as she pleases. We played around the car for a while, we didn't damage the vehicle nor did we want to hurt the girl, I didn't, and nor did my colleagues. Yes, the footage of that turned out a little lame, but we didn't do that with any ill intent,'' concluded Josip Kujundzic.

Make sure to follow our dedicated news page for more.