As Novac/Jozo Vrdoljak/Privredni.hr writes on the 1st of February, 2020, the Ministry of the Interior (MUP) has launched a public tender for the construction of two patrol vessels intended for border control worth 39.5 million kuna excluding VAT, but the conditions defined in the tender are such that no Croatian shipyards can fulfil them.

Some who know the business have claimed that according to their analysis, MUP's tender looks like it was done exactly according to the design of something an Italian shipyard could do.

''The tender evaluation criteria was deliberately set up to discriminate against Croatian shipyards. For example, a delivery period of fifteen months is scored with 0 points, while an eight-month delivery is scored with 10 points. This indicates that the contracting authority has the knowledge that the shipyard already has a finished project and therefore has an advantage over other shipyards that don't. Because such a delivery time can only be respected by a shipyard that has the project ready,'' says Tomislav Smirčić, CEO of the Croatian shipyard Tehnomont in Pula.

It is also discriminatory to evaluate how many similar ships a shipyard has built in the last five years: everyone knows, Tomislav claims, that Croatian shipyards haven't constructed more than one similar ship in the last five years because there was no demand for anything like that.

The Dubrovnik-based Global Group, which has taken over Montmontaza Greben shipyard from Vela Luka in its bankruptcy, said they already have two unfinished patrol ships that were to be delivered to the Greek Coast Guard and could be completed within two months.

''Unfortunately, neither of our ministries has shown any interest in these two ships being completed, despite the great need for these ships. These are the best ships of their kind in the Mediterranean,'' claims Milan Dragovic, the owner of Global Group. He adds that a job like this would mean a return to the market for the enfeebled Vela Luka shipyard.

Smircic states that a two-stage limited public procurement procedure has also been designed to benefit some shipyards and not others.

''This is because the first round [of the tender], published on December the 27th, 2019, just in time for the festive period, requires the complete design of the ship and the completion of all of the technical specification and the adjustment of all necessary designs and budgets. Such a job for a shipyard that doesn't have a ready-made project takes a very long time. And one month, over the festive period, is not enough to prepare all the documentation. The new deadline for the client is February the 14th, 2020, but that changes nothing because it still isn't enough time,'' he explains.

The estimated value of procurement isn't realistic either, they believe. Dragovic calculated that the real cost of building each individual ship, when the shipyard will not earn anything, is around three million euros per ship. So about six million euros excluding VAT or 7.5 million euros with VAT would be the real value of the tender.

''No Croatian shipyard has delivered ships worth 39.5 million kuna without VAT within the last five years, which is required by the tender. Namely, in Croatia, there has been no search for or contracting of similar vessels in the last five years,'' he stated.

''The shipyard needs to meet both the financial and the technical criteria, and neither of those things even come into it for Croatian shipbuilders. It's arguable that the two of the criteria are linked by the fact that the ships that would be built must be done within the prescribed budget, which Croatian shipyards cannot do.

In the last five years, no patrol boats have been built in Croatia. Only two were built here in Vela Luka for Greece and one at Tehnomont. The patrol vessels in our shipyard were worth 4.6 million euros, while the patrol boat built by Tehnomont was worth 2.7 million euros, and this tender is asking for a value of 5.3 million euros without VAT as a reference,'' Dragovic explains, believing MUP's tender should be scrapped and replaced with another, fairer one.

MUP: "Everything is being done according to the regulations"

The Ministry of Interior claims that the stated condition of technical and professional competence is defined in accordance with Article 268 of the Law on Public Procurement. They point out that a preliminary consultation was conducted for this procurement process on November the 19th, 2019, during which none of the potential bidders raised an objection, and that the financial framework and basic conditions that the vessel must satisfy were not arbitrarily defined.

''Under the Internal Security Fund (ISF), the European Commission has secured 123.6 million euros for the procurement of equipment to be made available to the European Border and Coast Guard Agency. Using the aforementioned funds, the Ministry of the Interior nominated the project of the construction of two vessels for state border surveillance. Funding is provided by the Fund in the amount of 90 percent, while the remaining 10 percent of the co-financing will be borne by Croatia,'' they explained.

To that end, they claim, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency has set the required minimum maritime requirements for the aforementioned ships, as well as the equipment requirements.

''According to the technical guidelines and requirements related to the characteristics of the vessel determined by the European Agency of the competent service, technical specifications have been drawn up,'' MUP clarified.

Follow our dedicated business page for more on Croatian shipyards.

Dubrovnik is gradually becoming a busier and busier city with less places to enjoy a quiet walk along the shore and listen to the gentle lapping of the sparkling Adriatic on the rocks, but one beloved old Dubrovnik promenade will soon be getting a ''lick of paint''.

As Morski writes on the 30th of January, 2020, following the successful completion of the public procurement procedure, the City of Dubrovnik and the selected contractor, TRAG d.o.o., concluded a contract for the complete and comprehensive renovation of a popular Dubrovnik promenade in Lapad - the Niko and Medo Pucic promenade, named after two brothers who were writers and politicians from a noble Ragusan family.

The contracted value of the investment stands at a massive 4.8 million kuna, VAT included, and the deadline for completion of works is 150 calendar days from the date of the contractor's introduction to the job, which is planned for the very first days of February 2020.

The proposed procedure is intended for the rehabilitation of what are often referred to as lungo mare promenades with the aim of ensuring the safe movement of pedestrians and to enable access and use for persons with mobility difficulties and disabilities. All of the existing qualities of the much loved Dubrovnik promenade in question will be retained and emphasised, and better use of them will be made.

Among other things, the works include rehabilitation of the southern retaining wall, the installation of new public lighting, the renovation of the hydrant network with the placement of underground hydrants, the renovation of the swimming areas dotted along the Dubrovnik promenade, and the removal of old and the installation of new urban equipment.

A security fence will be erected along all of the open southern sections of the walkway, approximately 750 metres in length. Access to this Dubrovnik promenade is provided by a ramp from King Zvonimir's promenade (setaliste Kralja Zvonimira) in the east and a ramp and a few steep stairs from Cardinal Stepinac street (Ulica kardinala Stepinca) in the west.

Make sure to follow our lifestyle page for more. If it's just Dubrovnik and the extreme south of Dalmatia you're interested in, give Total Dubrovnik a follow and check out Dubrovnik in a Page.

ZAGREB, February 1, 2020 - Croatia regrets the United Kingdom's departure from the European Union (Brexit), but the Union remains strong even without it, the Croatian government said in a statement on Friday, the last day of the UK's EU membership.

While regretting the departure of one member state from our European family, "we are heartened by the reinforced unity that the 27 of us have demonstrated in the past three years," the statement said.

"The European Union will be smaller in numbers, but remains strong and unified as ever," it added.

Croatia, which currently holds the rotating EU presidency, sees Brexit as an opportunity for "an ambitious and long-lasting" new partnership with the UK, the first country to leave the bloc.

"The UK’s departure from the EU is also a new beginning in our relationship. Both as the Council Presidency and bilaterally, Croatia remains determined to invest all its efforts to keep the United Kingdom as one of our closest partners," the Croatian government said.

Zagreb believes that efforts should be made during the transitional period until the end of the year to facilitate the transition for citizens and businesses on both sides.

"Croatia highly appreciates the hitherto tireless work of EU Chief Negotiator Michel Barnier and his team. They have our full support and confidence in the forthcoming negotiations about the future relationship with the United Kingdom as well," the statement said.

More news about Croatia and Brexit can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, February 1, 2020 - The European Commission presented about 30 projects at the Cities Forum 2020, held in Porto on Thursday and Friday, including the digitisation of the City of Zagreb's administration and the conversion of a former factory into a cultural centre in Rijeka.

The Cities Forum is a European Commission initiative aimed at presenting positive examples of the absorption of cohesion funds including the future of the Urban Agenda for the EU. This year's forum attracted about 800 representatives of cities, countries and the EU.

The City of Zagreb decided in 2012 to introduce "smart administration procedures," and in 2016 and 2018 it participated in projects to digitise public administration procedures.

The European Commission cited the project "Organisational development - managing the City of Zagreb's business processes" as an example of good urban practice. The project was exhibited along with projects from Rotterdam, Paris, Brussels, Brno, Turin, Lille, Bielefeld and Ghent.

The City of Rijeka launched a project in early 2019, which is expected to be completed by 2021, with the intention of transforming four buildings which once housed sugar, cigarette and engines factories into the city's main cultural centre. The centre will house the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Arts, the City Museum, a children's house and the city library.

The EC said that the project is an example of how to revitalise industrial heritage in an urban environment and how to combine different sources of financing.

The project received €13.2 million from the European Regional Development Fund which is aimed at strengthening economic and social cohesion in the European Union by correcting imbalances between its regions.

More Rijeka news can be found in the Lifestyle section.

February 1, 2020 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for new flights to Croatia with updates from Zagreb, Split and Pula. 

Ex Yu Aviation and Avio Radar report that Ukrainian Windrose Airlines has announced that it would launch a new service between the capitals of Ukraine and Croatia.

Namely, Windrose will launch the first nonstop service between Kyiv and Zagreb since the 1980s. Recall, Aeroflot was the last to connect the two cities with a nonstop flight before the break-up of Yugoslavia.

The new route between the two capital cities will run three times per week, on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, beginning June 2. The new service will be seasonal and run until the end of October, though the airline could reevaluate its frequency given the performance. 

The Embraer E145 jet, which has a capacity of 50 seats, will be used on both routes. Windrose has six aircraft of this type in its fleet and all were taken from the flat of the regional Ukrainian carrier Dniproavia, which officially ceased operations. However, all six aircraft continue to wear Dniproavia’s coloring. Dniproavia flew to Croatia on regular charter flights from Lviv to Pula and Split. 

Ex Yu Aviation adds that Croatia Airlines thought about connecting the two capitals back in 2009, though it never came to fruition. Furthermore, Ukraine International Airlines announced they were looking to connect Kyiv and Zagreb back in 2018, though nothing has come of it yet. 

There are, however, various seasonal connections from Kyiv to the Croatian coast. Namely, like in previous years, Windrose will also fly on seasonal scheduled flights from Kyiv to Pula and Split. Both lines will run twice a week, which is the same as last year. Windrose will fly to Pula on Tuesdays and Saturdays, and to Split on Thursdays and Sundays. The Airbus A321 aircraft will fly to the Adriatic destinations. 

Ex Yu Aviation adds that based on traffic flow, Zagreb Airport has named Kyiv, Basel, Geneva, Riga and Sofia unserved European destinations with the potential to sustain direct flights. 

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

February 1, 2020 - The construction of the Stancija Grande Golf Complex near Vrsar, with an investment led by Maistra, has been in the public eye for a long time, especially for the residents of Vrsar. 

Namely, Glas Istre reports that a golf complex with a 27-hole golf course should be built on an area of one hundred hectares, in the area determined by the Spatial Plans of the County of Istria and the Municipality of Vrsar, based on the prepared Environmental Impact Study and Urban Planning Plan (UPU).

The same documents envisage landscaping along the golf course with four reservoirs that would be filled with collected and purified stormwater, sanitary, technological and drainage waters and from underground sources. The construction part of the complex includes a five-star hotel with a capacity of 200 beds with accompanying facilities, which should be high quality with a diverse offer, and an integral part of the complex. The existing residential building at Stancija Grande would be transformed into a golf clubhouse, with a golf academy, the Murtić Gallery and a service complex with a nursery.

The golf course would be a Championship Golf Course, signed by world-renowned golf player and golf course designer José María Olazába. It would not belong to the classic "tourist" courses found in most golf destinations in southern Europe. The landscape, course, hotel, clubhouse and related facilities are designed to allow the most demanding professional golf competitions organized by the European PGA Tour, which would place Stancija Grande in the top 100 courses in the world.

The Stancija Grande Golf Complex will be connected to the southern main access road by extending the existing road from four to eight meters, while the construction of the western access road is the responsibility of the Municipality of Vrsar. The service road to the complex will be built by widening the field road from three to six meters. For connection to the public water supply network of the Istrian water supply system, a water tank and a supply pipeline up to 800 meters long will be constructed, as well as a supply pipeline to the golf complex 500 meters long. HEP will conduct cabling to the golf complex.

The existing quarry at Stancija Grande, which is now practically in the function of a wild landfill, will be arranged and integrated as part of the golf course. 

With the construction of this golf complex, Vrsar would be classified as a golf destination of European and world rank. The broader goal of this project is to diversify the tourist offer, improve the tourist destination and improve the quality of the tourist service in Vrsar, which is known so far, mostly as a quality camping destination. This would also extend the tourist season, and this project aims to implement a new tourist offer in the existing offer, which is geared towards carefully selected groups of higher spending guests.

When asked about the status of the project, public relations associate Vanja Mohorović said that in the next three-year period, out of the planned HRK 4 billion, the Adris group plans as much as HRK 3 billion for tourism, of which HRK 450 million is planned for investments in Vrsar. Three hundred fifty million will be earmarked for the Eden Hotel and Camp Amarin this year, and the renovation of the Panorama and Westin hotels in Zagreb will begin at the end of the year. This year's investments in Vrsar will include the Koversada Naturist Camp and Porto Sole Camp.

"As for inquiries for the Stancija Grande Golf Complex, there are no new facts, and the project will be notified to the public when all its details have been defined," Maistra concluded.

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

February 1, 2020 - Toni Kukoc, the famous Split basketball player who became one of the first established European players in the NBA, is once again in the NBA spotlight.

Anyone that followed the NBA in the 90s knows that Croatian basketball player Toni Kukoc contributed to the golden era of the Chicago Bulls - the age of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman. With the Bulls, Kukoc won the NBA championship three times. He then went on to win the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award in 1996, and was the 4th and currently the last player to win the award and the NBA title in the same year. 

Today, Kukoc still plays a part in the NBA - he is the Special Advisor to Chicago Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf. 

Despite his success, Kukoc is still often overlooked as one of the NBA greats. Author Sam Smith tries to persuade readers that Kukoc was far more vital to the NBA then he’s given credit for.

“There's this misconception about the world's most famous basketball team, the 1992 Olympics Dream Team of NBA legends, Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Charles Barkley, Scottie Pippen, Karl Malone, David Robinson, Patrick Ewing and the rest. The conventional wisdom is that the team was assembled to display the brilliance of basketball in the United States.

And, to some extent, that is accurate.

But the overriding reason why USA Basketball began scrambling around to gather its greatest was because they'd pretty much given up trying to beat Vlade Divac, Dino Radja, Drazen Petrovic and Toni Kukoc, the core of the Yugoslavian national team,” author Smith begins. 

In the piece, Smith highlights Kukoc’s European basketball career and international success with Yugoslavia. 

“Kukoc's international resume is almost a hall of fame of its own. In addition to the medals from those victories over top U.S. teams, Kukoc was repeatedly honored in Europe.

Kukoc won the European Player of the Year award five times. He won the media's player of the year award as Mr. Europe four times. He led his team to three straight European championships and was final four MVP three times. He was a four-time Yugoslavian league champion and MVP of the team that included Petrovic and Radja, the latter his boyhood neighbor. He was MVP of the world championships in Argentina. He was the slickest ballhandler this side of Magic Johnson and was known as, ‘White Magic.’"

His Yugoslavian teammate Vlade Divac even chimed in.

"His impact in the NBA was great. Especially that second threepeat; he was a main guy, Sixth Man winner," noted Divac. "He was someone who sacrificed. He was a big, big thing in Europe and he came here and sacrificed to be a role player.”

Divac goes on to say that Toni should have been inducted in the NBA Hall of Fame even before him or Dino (Radja). 

Sam Smith believes that now is his time.

You can read the full article on the NBA website here.

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

As Morski writes on the 31st of January, 2020, virtual immersion in the rich underwater archaeological site of Cavtat is now possible at the BLUEMED Centre for the Promotion of Knowledge, which was opened within the Archeology Department of the Konavle Museum and Gallery in the Franciscan Monastery of St. Blaise in Pridvorje.

The importance of archaeological treasures and their presentation weas discussed by County Prefect Nikola Dobroslavic, Deputy Director of the DUNEA Regional Agency, Bruno Bebić, Konavle's Ivo Radonic and the Director of the Konavle Museum and Gallery, Antonija Ruskovic.

Prefect Nikola Dobroslavic congratulated everyone involved on the successful realisation of this project, which is raising awareness of not only the cultural heritage of Cavtat and southern Dalmatia, but of Croatia as a whole.

''It's a great pleasure for me to be here today to congratulate you on this beautiful project, just one in a line of projects which raise awareness of our area, in this case, what's under the sea, and to have the opportunity to show it to our fellow citizens and guests.

I'm sure that the Knowledge Promotion Centre will be a nice addition to the existing museum. Yesterday and today I participated in the celebration of several projects funded by European Union funds, and it all goes to show that we know how to use EU funds, and that their potential is huge. Each project has its value, no matter how much money is withdrawn, and we'll continue to work on withdrawing funds with the DUNEA Regional Agency. We wouldn't be able to realise this many projects with our own funds, nor with funds from the state budget, and many projects await us,'' concluded Dobroslavic.

DUNEA Deputy Director Bruno Bebic explained the activities carried out by the DUNEA Regional Agency over the last three years, emphasising that the Cavtat project is a step forward in promoting cultural heritage.

''The establishment of the Knowledge Promotion Centre marked the end of the BLUEMED project implemented by the DUNEA Regional Agency with partners from Spain, Italy, Cyprus and Greece, and the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Zagreb. Konavle's museums and galleries, the Konavle Municipality, the Konavle Tourist Board and Epidaurum Diving Centre were all extremely important for this project.

On this occasion, the director of the Konavle Museum and Gallery, Antonija Ruskovic, commented on the importance of local community cooperation on such projects.

''Museum work and materials are mostly uninteresting to the general public, especially nowadays when we're living in a fast pace and are aware that new technologies are the only attractive way of presenting museum material. Through this project, I can say that we at the museum have made the most profit. We've received one presentation that we will be able to offer to a wider audience, and the impact on the overall popularisation of cultural heritage is much greater and more significant. Many thanks to the DUNEA Regional Agency, the Konavle Municipality and the Konavle Tourist Board, as well as all our staff who will assist tourists in exploring the new setting,'' said Antonija Ruskovic.

Make sure to follow our dedicated lifestyle page for more.