ZAGREB, February 11, 2020 - Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović opened the German-Croatian economic forum in Frankfurt on Monday, highlighting the importance of economic relations between the two countries and the high priority which Croatia attaches to economic cooperation with Germany.

"The development of economic cooperation with Germany as one of Croatia's most prominent economic partners in the European Union continues to be our priority," Grabar-Kitarović said in her opening remarks.

The forum was organised on the premises of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange as part of the Croatian Business Day event marking the Croatian presidency of the European Union.

It was Grabar-Kitarović's last trip abroad in her capacity as President, and she stressed the importance of holding such meetings at this level.

"This economic forum is very important to us because it puts special emphasis on innovative companies and their smart solutions in the context of Industry 4.0, which is an additional chance for us to promote our economic cooperation," the Croatian president said.

She said that Croatia was interested in attracting more German investments, particularly in science, technology and innovation, as well as greenfield investments in the car industry and elsewhere. She noted the support Croatia had extended to a highly innovative project called "Vallis Solaris Croatia", which is aimed at joint implementation of applied research in renewable energy sources.

Grabar-Kitarović also mentioned Croatian citizens working in that part of Germany, saying that their number had increased significantly since Croatia joined the EU in mid-2013 and that their experience could be used in further promoting the partnership between the two countries.

"Many of them, I am confident, could help create a valuable platform for various business partnerships that could achieve two-way mobility or brain circulation, instead of brain drain, between our two countries," the Croatian president said.

She announced another Croatian Business Day event as part of the Croatian EU presidency for May in the northern city of Hamburg.

The Croatian president is also scheduled to visit Mainz, just southwest of Frankfurt, where she will present charters and medals to Croatian associations.

More news about relations between Croatia and Germany can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, February 11, 2020 - There were 297 road fatalities in Croatia in 2020, the fewest in the past 60 years, but the country is still far from the goal of having fewer than 213 road fatalities annually by the end of this year, a conference on road traffic safety heard on Monday.

The conference on the 2011-20 national road traffic safety programme was organised by the Zagreb Faculty of Transport and Traffic Sciences and the Interior Ministry.

Speaking to the press afterwards, Minister Davor Božinović said the results were visible as the best steps forward in all segments over the past 60 years were made in 2019.

He underlined the importance of prevention from the youngest age. Speaking of problems in road traffic safety, he mentioned repeat offenders, saying penalties were much stricter under the new Road Traffic Safety Act, as well as old cars, as a large number of crashes are caused by vehicles that are ten or 15 years old, and the condition of roads themselves.

Josip Mataija, head of the Road Traffic Safety Service, said there were 426 traffic-related deaths in 2010 and 297 last year.

He said the goal of having fewer than 213 by the end of this year could be achieved thanks to stricter penalties as well as focus on risk groups such as young and elderly drivers, bicyclists and motorcyclists. He said over 4,200 repeat offenders were caught last year.

Mataija said police would also watch out for speeding, drunk driving, use of mobile phones while driving and not wearing a seat belt.

Asked about the point of stricter penalties if courts assessed offences differently, he said the courts had upheld more than 300 prison sentences, including for one driver who was sentenced to 120 days behind bars.

Faculty of Transport and Traffic Sciences professor Željko Marušić said it would be tough to have less than 213 traffic fatalities by the end of this year. He pushed for amending the strategy, making the punishment of drivers a certainty, and lower taxes on safe cars.

More news about driving in Croatia can be found in the Lifestyle section.

ZAGREB, February 11, 2020 - The 60th anniversary of the death of the Blessed Alojzije Stepinac was commemorated with a Mass and a formal meeting of the municipal council in his native town of Krašić on Monday.

The events were attended by Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković, several government ministers and local government officials.

Mass was celebrated by Bishop Ratko Perić of Mostar-Duvno, who said that "communist authorities feared Alojzije Stepinac more when he was dead than when he was alive because he was an intrepid defender of human and church rights, a resolute promoter of people's freedoms, while he himself was without external freedom."

After the Mass government officials laid wreaths at the monument to Stepinac and the faithful visited the memorial home where he died under house arrest 60 years ago.

At the municipal council meeting, Plenković pledged financial support for the renovation of the presbytery, a cultural heritage monument, and for other purposes relating to growing religious tourism in the area.

Plenković said that this was necessary because of the greatness of the Blessed Alojzije Stepinac who knew how to stand up to the racial laws of the Nazi-allied Ustasha regime during the Second World War. "He was persecuted by communist authorities, but successfully defended the Catholic Church and its affiliation with the Holy See," he said.

The Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Željko Reiner, said that Stepinac refused to abandon his people even when his life was in danger, when he was offered to go abroad and save himself from persecution and death.

"This is shown by the fact that on 4 June 1945 he declined Tito's proposal to establish a national Catholic church separate from Rome, which would have put a stop to persecutions of him and the Church," Reiner said, adding that for him Stepinac was a saint even before his formal canonisation.

More news about Alojzije Stepinac can be found in the Politics section.

February 11, 2020 - Croatian basketball player and Utah Jazz star Bojan Bogdanovic features on the official FIBA website this week. 

In an interview with FIBA on Monday, February 10, Croatia captain and basketball star Bojan Bogdanovic said that he wanted to repeat the summer of 2016 when Croatia qualified for the Olympic Games.

Then it was played in Turin, and this time, the qualifying tournament is held in Split. Croatia is the host and only the winner of the tournament goes to Tokyo.

"We have to play every game as if it was a final, as if our lives depended on it." - ?️ @44Bojan#FIBAOQT | @CbfHks ??https://t.co/921Cxwyari

— FIBA (@FIBA) February 10, 2020

"We were in warrior mode in 2016. We want to achieve the same thing this summer, too. The mentality has to be - win, win, win and not to overthink. We all know that every team that is coming to the (FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament) is going to battle for a spot in the Olympics, because every player dreams about competing on the Olympic stage. I mean, basketball in the Olympics is one of the most followed competition, and every player has memories from the Dream Team, Team USA, their own national team or the Olympic Games in general,” Bogdanovic said, and added:

“When I heard we were going to play in Split, I was so happy! It's a huge basketball city and it's one of my favorite places in the whole country. Playing at home has to be a plus for us, we have to take advantage of this and show our country that we can win at home. The fans are already talking a lot about it, according to the feedback and information I got from my family and friends back in Croatia. We talk about it, too, between the players. Playing at home is a privilege, and we want to make the most out of it. It's going to be great, and don't want to  and can't disappoint them. We count on them to be our sixth man.”

Croatia lost to Serbia in the quarterfinal at the Rio Olympics, where Bogdanovic scored 25.3 points per game.

“Oh man, I have so many good memories from the Rio Olympics! The atmosphere was unique, the people and the crowd were very good and noisy and the overall Olympic experience was very good,” Bogdanovic concluded.

Recall, the Olympic Qualifying Tournament will be held in Split from June 23 to 28, 2020. Croatia will face Tunisia and Brazil.

You can read the full interview on the official FIBA website.

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

February 11, 2020 - The Laser Sailing World Cup begins in Melbourne and runs through February 16. Two Croatian representatives, Tonci Stipanovic and Filip Jurisic, are representing JK Mornar in the race.

Gol.hr reports that Tonci Stipanovic of Split and Filip Jurisic of Hvar are representing JK Mornar at the Laser Sailing World Cup in Melbourne, which is also an opportunity for one of them to secure a spot at the Tokyo Olympics.

"We have had excellent conditions so far and I am pleased with how we are progressing. Since we arrived in Melbourne, everything has gone to plan; there has been wind, so the training has been done under ideal conditions and we cannot wait to start the regatta. As for the fight for a spot at the Tokyo Olympics, everything is currently focused on the upcoming regatta, and after that, we will see how things are going,” said Tonci Stipanovic.

Hvar's Filip Jurisic is one of the young and promising JK Mornar lasers, and this is an ideal opportunity to show his strengths amongst fierce competition.

"I am very motivated, the preparations in Split and Malta have been great and I think we have made the most of the conditions. The weather in Melbourne is quite variable and temperatures fluctuate, but there is wind, and according to forecasts, there will be wind on the first days of the regatta,” said Filip Jurisic.

Sailing.org reported that Stipanovic is already off to a great start, and described his success as ‘one small step’. 

Stipanovic noted that the conditions continue to impress.

“In the second race, I managed to pass two boats on the downwind, then picked up another place when Irishman Finn Lynch overstood the top mark."

The Laser World Championship lasts for six days, with 130 sailors from around the world participating. The first three days are qualifying, followed by three final days, after which we will uncover the best lasers in the world.

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

When you think of prosciutto, you probably think of Italy, but if you've ever spent any time in Croatia, then it's likely you automatically link that word with Dalmatia - places like Drnis in particular. But what about Istria? The region is well known for its excellent cuisine, and Tinjan, an Istrian municipality, is now building its image on exactly what it does best - prosciutto. Grt acquainted with the up and coming Istrian Prosciutto House.

As Glas Istre/Mirjan Rimanic writes on the 10th of February, 2020, the Municipality of Tinjan is building its tourist image as the Municipality of Istrian prosciutto, with ISAP - the International Prosciutto Fair remaining the central event. Last summer, the first FIP ​​- Istrian Prosciutto Festival was held, which produced excellent results, and these two events, one in the autumn and one in the summer, will be connected by the Istrian Prosciutto House.

''The idea of ​​renovating the Istrian Prosciutto House was born about ten years ago, when it turned out that ISAP was heading in the right direction. This prompted us to think about bringing the prosciutto closer to guests throughout the year, not just during those three fair days,'' says Goran Hrvatin of Tinjan.

The Istrian Prosciutto House is, according to the him, an endeavor to see Istrian prosciutto in Tinjan be offered to guests 365 days a year. Since the municipality had a building on the road that it rented to various tenants, hairdressers, and at one time there was a market in it, it was decided that the house would be renovated to become the Istrian Prosciutto House.

''To dedicate a house in the centre of Tinjan to prosciutto was a logical decision, says the Hrvatin, because Tinjan area has long been known for its prosciutto. The tradition of excellent prosciutto in this region has never been neglected and good prosciutto could always be obtained in Tinjan. This is how the prosciutto fair was first created.

The building that houses the Istrian Prosciutto House boasts 160 square metres of usable space. Of these, 80 square metres on the ground floor and there are as many upstairs. If the sanitary facilities and storage are added, the Istrian Prosciutto House will cover about 200 square metres. On the ground floor there will be a space for tasting and selling prosciutto, which will be primarily Istrian, but also others which have been exhibited at ISAP.

In addition to prosciutto, there will be other local and indigenous products such as cheese, olive oils and wine. A table in the shape of ham is already under construction and will soon be installed in that space,'' says Hrvatin, expecting the ground floor of the Istrian Prosciutto House to be operational by June this year.

Arranging the floor, otherwise the prosciutto museum space, will take a little longer because of everything involved. Here, multimedia will present the public with traditional methods of the production of prosciutto, but also the more modern way of producing this prized delicacy of Istrian gastronomy.

''The renovation and equipping of the prosciutto museum will cost around 800,000 kuna, and the entire Istrian Prosciutto House will cost between 2.5 and 3 million kuna,'' says Hrvatin, satisfied with the dynamics of the works on this important building for Tinjan.

Make sure to follow our dedicated travel page for more.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 10th of February, 2020, Jadranka trgovina (trade), one of the leading trading houses on the Kvarner islands, has opened the first HoReCa centre on the islands of Cres and Losinj. The newly opened HoReCa centre is located within the Maxi Market in Mali Losinj, and is significant for manufacturers, suppliers and customers involved in the tourism and hospitality industry.

Particular attention is being paid to items for private renters, with over four thousand products now readily at their disposal.

"The opening of the first HoReCa centre in the Cres-Losinj archipelago is of great importance for us, but also for those involved in any form of tourism and catering, as it facilitates the availability of items they have so far had to look for on the mainland. Customers can be assured of the quality of our offer, which consists of more than four thousand items intended for the hospitality industry. Jadranka Commerce is proud of this venture and we look forward to successful cooperation with all interested customers,'' said Milutin Dzebic, the director of Jadranka trgovina.

On the occasion of the opening of the HoReCa centre in Maxi Market, Tourism Minister Gari Cappelli, who was born in Losinj, expressed the importance of raising the quality in all services, and emphasised that Jadranka trade is a positive business example for others through its many years of successful work. In addition to the Minister of Tourism, support for the HoReCa centre was also provided by the Mayor of the City of Mali Losinj Ana Kucic and the Mayor of Cres, Kristijan Jurjako.

The newly opened HoReCa centre in Mali Losinj covers an area of ​​450 metres square within the Maxi Market Jadranka store. Particular emphasis in the centre is placed on the offer for private renters. This opening also reflects the focus of Jadranka trgovina on the needs of all customers involved in tourism and the hospitality industry. On Saturday, February the 8th, all visitors were guaranteed a ten percent discount on the cleaning programme and an additional ten percent discount on the ''renter assortment'' with the presentation of a "renter card". In addition to the discounts mentioned above, customers also had the opportunity to taste delicious products from various suppliers.

Jadranka trgovina operates within the Jadranka Group, which is otherwise the largest hotel and tourism company in all of Kvarner.

It is oriented to the supply of locals and tourists on the islands of Losinj and Cres. In addition to supplying hotels, camps and self-catering establishments, Jadranka trgovina takes pride in the care of the locals. Proof of this lies in the fact that their shops are open year-round providing a constant supply to the citizens of Mali Losinj, small towns on the island of Losinj, and the inhabitants of the island of Susak.

In addition, Jadranka trgovina employs 170 employees, mostly locals, while the total number of employees increases to 340 during the tourist season.

Make sure to follow our business page for more.

Minimum wages in Europe range from 213 euros in Albania to as much as 2,142 euros in rich Luxembourg, according to Eurostat data for January 2020. Just how do Croatian salaries rank?

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 10th of February, 2020, the minimum wage is legally prescribed in most European Union member states and in some other non-EU European countries, the Buka Magazin portal reports.

In countries where the minimum wage is not legally prescribed, a calculation is made according to the usual number of working hours per month.

Recent data show that the differences in the minimum wages across European countries are very large, and there are some much lower than average Croatian salaries, which are typically the subject of a great deal of discussion.

The European Union has also recognised the problem of the large difference in the minimum wage, and the European Commission launched a consultation on European minimum wages in mid-January to examine in the next few weeks whether to propose a new regulation to address this issue at the EU level.

According to Eurostat, in eight European countriesm the minimum wage exceeds a comfortable one thousand euros. Lagging behind as usual, typical minimum Croatian salaries are around 500 euros.

Luxembourg, on the other hand, has a minimum wage of 2,142 euros is followed by Ireland with a minimum wage of 1,656 euros, the Netherlands with 1,636 euros, the United Kingdom with 1,599 euros, Belgium with 1,594 euros, Germany with 1,584 euros, France with 1,539 euros and Spain with 1,050 euros.

Then follow 10 European countries in which the minimum wage is somewhere between 500 and 1,000 euros.

Namely, the minimum wage in Slovenia is 941 euros, in Malta 777 euros, Greece 758 euros, Portugal 741 euros, Poland 611 euros, Lithuania 607 euros, Estonia 584 euros, Slovakia 580 euros, the Czech Republic 575 euros and in Croatia, 546 euros.

At the very bottom of the list with a minimum wage of less than 500 euros, there are a total of seven European countries, namely Hungary with 487 euros, Romania with 466 euros, Lithuania with 430 euros, Serbia with 343 euros, Montenegro with 331 euros, Bulgaria with 312 euros and Albania with a discouraging 213 euros.

According to Eurostat, the minimum wage in Luxembourg, by far the highest in Europe, is an incredible ten times higher than in Albania.

Luxembourg has been firmly at the top of the list of European countries for years in terms of minimum wages. In this small country with a population of about 602,000, the minimum wage back in 2015 was 1,923 euros, and every year it grew regularly, until last year it exceeded the magical figure of two thousand for the very first time, more precisely, reaching 2,089 euros.

Of the EU member states, residents of Bulgaria, Romania and Latvia receive the lowest minimum wage.

Also interesting is the fact that the minimum wage in Luxembourg has increased by 219 euros in the last five years, which is higher than the current minimum wage in Albania of 213 euros.

Make sure to follow our lifestyle page for more on Croatian salaries.