One of Europe's most highly-regarded tech entrepreneurs opens UK office on Brexit Day aiming to reinvigorate high streets with smart street furniture. Include opens office in London.

• ● Croatian tech prodigy Ivan Mrvos, CEO of Include, created revolutionary smart street benches while at high school and has now sold more than 1,300 units worldwide
• ● Include opens its first UK office with a plan to become the largest provider of wi-fi enabled smart benches in the UK in five years
• ● Mrvos – ranked in Forbes’ top 30 talents under 30-years of age – believes Include’s smart city solutions can help to revitalise towns, cities and high-streets where 1 in 12 shops have closed in the past five years

Solin, 31.01.2020.

In 1998 former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was awarded one of Croatia’s highest honours for her "exceptional contributions to the independence and integrity of the Republic of Croatia".

Now, young Croatian tech prodigy Ivan Mrvos believes it is time for his country to show its belief in Britain.

While millions of people worry about what will happen to Britain after Brexit Day, one of Europe’s most highly-regarded tech entrepreneurs has opened its first UK office as a show of support and demonstration of confidence in Britain.

Ivan Mrvos believes his company is part of the solution to some of Britain’s most pressing local economic and community challenges.

The number of shoppers heading to British high streets, retail parks and shopping centres has declined by 10% in the past seven years.

With 1 in 12 shops having closed in the past five years, local authorities, property owners and developers are looking to re-model Britain’s high streets away from retail and into residential, experiential and community spaces.

Enter the arrival of smart street furniture.

Young Croatian tech prodigy Ivan Mrvos created his first ever smart bench in 2014 while still a teenager at high school.

Now 24, Ivan has sold more than 1,300 items of smart street furniture around the world – but only three so far in the UK, in Wales.

Opening the London office is part of a plan to become the largest provider of smart benches in Britain over the next five years and a partner for local authorities looking to develop smart city solutions.

Smart, wi-fi enabled street furniture is expected to be a huge global growth market over the new decade as towns and cities upgrade their high streets and parks to make them more attractive, increase dwell time and move to creating more connected, better informed smart cities.

Include’s range of minimalist, iPhone-inspired benches are among the most highly regarded in the world.

Solar-powered, energy-efficient, vandal proof and protected by CCTV, Include smart benches allow members of the public to access wi-fi and charge their smartphones while on the go or relaxing and chatting to friends on the street. 

Include believes the UK has the potential to be one of the world’s largest markets for smart benches as the UK is one of the world’s fastest adopters of digital and smart technology.

Smartphone use on the move is very popular in the UK with more than half (53%) of 16-75-year-olds using their smartphones while walking. For younger consumers aged 16-24, the proportion rises to 74%. 

Like much of Europe the UK is upgrading infrastructure to 5G and has now rolled out the technology to 70 towns and cities.

Ivan believes the smart benches are a highly-visible, comfortable and cost-effective way for businesses to improve internet connectivity in towns, cities, universities, science parks, business parks and communities.

Ivan took the symbolic decision to open Include’s first office in the UK on Brexit day.

Britain and Croatia have deep diplomatic ties. In March 2007, both countries signed the UK-Croatia Strategic Partnership, through which the United Kingdom fully supported Croatia's European Union and NATO entry bids. 

Margaret Thatcher was awarded the Grand Order of King Dmitar Zvonimir in 1998 in recognition of being one of the world’s leading voices calling to recognise the independence of Croatia from Yugoslavia.

Ivan Mrvos, CEO of Include, said: “High streets across Britain and the rest of the world are changing as more and more people choose to shop online rather than in physical stores.

“At the same time towns and cities across the world need to become better places for people to live, work and travel across.

“We know as with many countries there are issues with connectivity and infrastructure in Britain.

“Include’s smart street benches help to solve all of these problems by increasing dwell time in towns and cities, and creating better, more connected places and communities.

“Britain has been one of the world’s strongest supporters of Croatia over the past 30 years. We want to repay the faith that Britain had in my country by showing our faith and belief in Britain.

“While we know Brexit brings worries for some we don't see any potential problem for us with Brexit, mainly because we strongly believe that the British market is strong and very developed.

“Britain is one of the leading adopters of new technology, not just in Europe, but across the world.

“Like many people in Britain, Include is committed to making towns and cities better connected, so although Britain is leaving the European Union we are positive we will find many friends and allies here.

“We also know that the British public sector is focused on smart city projects and for this market we believe Include is their natural partner.”

While Britain’s leading Smart Cities -London, Bristol, Manchester, Cambridge, Birmingham and Leeds -have the potential to be significant markets, Ivan also believe there is a real need to improve internet connectivity in Britain’s lesser known towns and cities. 

As part of the UK’s move towards developing smart cities Include’s smart benches can provide in-depth analytics offering insight on: number of users, public dwell time, differing usage depending on time of day and seasonality, amount of data downloaded, etc.

From its new office in Finsbury Circus, Include will introduce two main product lines of smart benches Steora and Monna.

Equipped with CCTV for security and built-in LCD displays for advertising, Steora is believed to be the world’s most advanced smart bench.

While Monna, which also includes bike racks for cyclists, is believed to be the best equipped multifunctional street bench for both urban and rural areas.

Include's selected products for the UK market are:

- Steora CCTV smart bench model which is developed to improve the safety of public spaces

- Steora Urban the first street bench ever with a built-in LCD

- Monna models - Monna Street, Monna CITY and Monna COUNTRY, each equipped with the options of charging smart devices, Wi-Fi, street light, digital advertising, sensors, data collecting – and a unique solar-powered cycling point that comes with bike racks, repairing tools, and electrical sockets for charging electric bicycles.Include’s UK office is based at 25 Finsbury Circus, London, EC2M 7E.

About Include Ltd.

Include is a leading European hardware technology company in the development and manufacturing of smart city equipment. Based, in a high-tech production facility in Solin, Crotia, Include has more than 50 highly educated employees, and is recognized as a serious development IoT technology company. Include is growing rapidly in terms of company size, sales volume and global reach. With a global footprint of more than 1,300 benches on 51 markets around the world, Include is involved in major ‘Smart city’ projects and have made its presence known in 260 cities and municipalities across 6 continents.

Please find more information on company web site - www.include.eu .

As Morski writes on the 31st of January, 2020, on Thursday, the Croatian Government adopted the Decision on the Presidency of the Republic of Croatia over the European Coast Guard Forum from the 1st of September 2020 to the 1st of September 2021.

State Secretary of the Ministry of Defense, Tomislav Ivic, said that the European Coast Guard Forum acts as an organisation on a voluntary basis. which includes representatives of the coast guard function holders of EU member states and the Schengen area, as well as representatives of various EU agencies.

''The tasks of the European Coast Guard Forum are to exchange information, improve co-operation, joint training and the implementation of laws to combat security challenges in the fields of border protection, navigation safety, search and rescue, marine environment protection and fisheries control. The assumed presidency of the forum would be from September 2020 to September 2021,'' said Tomislav Ivic.

He emphasised that the presidency of the European Coast Guard Forum is of the utmost importance as it enhances Croatia's national capacity to protect the rights and interests of the Republic of Croatia and the European Union at sea and at the same time represents an improvement of the country's security system through the synergy of numerous state bodies.

Established back in 2009, the European Coast Guard Forum is an independent, non-political forum, accessed on a voluntary basis and composed of 25 EU member states, Schengen countries and EU institutions and agencies who hold responsibility for the implementation of coast guard functions.

The objectives of the forum are to enhance data sharing and confidence building among members, to enhance international, interagency co-operation, as well as joint training and the implementation of regulations, to encourage the identification of common solutions through the exchange of best practices and to promote the development of common operational and technical standards and training procedures.

The tasks of the European Coast Guard Forum are the exchange of information, the promotion of co-operation for border control at sea, the safety of navigation, search and rescue missions, the protection of the marine environment, fighting against human and narcotic trafficking, the control of fisheries, and the development and improvement of joint projects.

With its current EU Presidency, Croatia intends to position and strengthen its role within the European Union, actively participate in enhancing the co-operation of member states in the protection of individual and common interests at sea, raise the level of readiness in carrying out joint coordinated activities and operations at sea within and outside the European Union, and promote Croatia as a whole as a country with a regulated system of maritime security and as a safe tourist destination.

Make sure to follow our lifestyle page for more.

Sibenik tourism has risen over the past few years, with this gorgeous historic Dalmatian town popping up on the ''must visit'' radars of more and more people, but just how can the situation outside of the warm summer season be improved, and how can Croatia's rising star of EU fund withdrawal succeed in extending their season?

As Morski writes on the 31st of January, 2020, the Sibenik City Tourist Board, in cooperation with the City of Sibenik, has for the second time now made an announcement of a public invitation for the application of manifestations and events for the award of grants from the programme "Let's go to the city" (Idemo do grada) in 2020 for the area of ​​the old city centre.

The subject of the public invitation is the award of grants from the Sibenik Tourist Board for events held outside of the main summer tourist season as the main motive for the arrival of locals, Croatian and foreign visitors to the destination, which contribute not only to Sibenik tourism as a whole, but also to the following goals:

- Attracting locals, domestic and foreign tourists to the old town of Sibenik;
- The development of tourism and the valorisation of cultural and historical heritage;
- Raising the quality and quantity of Sibenik's cultural and tourist offer;
- The development of content that enables the improvement of the quality of Sibenik tourism's season, as well as its extension;
- The promotion of the city of Sibenik, and especially the old city centre both at home and abroad;
- The creation of a recognisable image of Sibenik tourism

The public call for grants from the ''Let's go to the city'' grants refers exclusively to the events held during the pre-season, ie, in the months of February, March, April and May, and then in the post-season, respectively in the months of October and November. The public invitation also regards events that will take place exclusively in the area of ​​the old town of Sibenik as a defined cultural and historical entity.

The budget funds for this public call are 200,000 kuna in total and are provided by both the City of Sibenik and the City of Sibenik Tourist Board.

The deadline for submitting applications is February the 17th, 2020.

Follow our travel page for more.

ZAGREB, January 31, 2020 - The Constitutional Court on Thursday suspended the 2019 waste management regulation, until a final decision on constitutionality is established, and therefore waste management prices will remain unchanged for the time being.

"Even though this decision on temporary suspension does not pre-empt a final decision, we consider that this refers to a very important issue which requires special attention and a detailed debate particularly in light of the possibility of a threat to one of the fundamental values of constitutional order and that is to protect nature and environment and the constitutional right to a healthy environment," Constitutional Court Chief Justice Miroslav Šeparović told Hina.

Now that the Constitutional Court decision has been made, the cost of the services of waste management will remain unchanged, which means that cities cannot increase their price as some had announced they would.

Several cities, municipalities, utility companies and some individuals, applied to the Constitutional Court to test the constitutionality of the regulations of waste management that the government adopted in May 2017 and in September 2019 related to the Law on Sustainable Waste Management.

All the applicants proposed that until the Constitutional Court adopts its decision, the regulation and pertaining operations should be temporarily suspended, underlining that the enactment of the regulation could lead to "grave and irrevocable repercussions for consumers of public services, providers of those services as well as for local government units."

The applicants, among other things, said that the contested regulation could hamper the waste management system's functioning, and it could also lead to the model of payment of utility services contrary to the "law and EU directives."

They underlined that unclear criteria determining the ratio between the fixed and variable portions of the cost of waste collection requires a detailed opinion by the Constitutional Court and that the "introduction of ambiguously defined various groups of legal subjects brings into question the applicability of measure aimed at achieving one of its basic objectives and that is to sort waste at the doorstep."

More waste management news can be found in the Lifestyle section.

Croatia seems to have more conferences than most countries, some more useful than others. A fabulous addition for 2020, however, a new Croatian tourism initiative which should bring about dialogue, cooperation and change. Why One Day or Day One #hrturizam2030 is different and deserves your support. 

A few months ago, I finally accepted a longstanding invitation from a chap called Goran Rihelj to visit him in Vinkovci in eastern Croatia. Until I first met Goran, I had never heard of Vinkovci and I was astonished to learn that it was the oldest continuously inhabited town in Europe, dating back 8,300 years (there is plenty to learn about this amazing town - here is a taster from my trip). In case there was any danger that I might forget the fact, each of Goran's emails were signed off with a greeting from the oldest continuously inhabited town in Europe. 

Goran is well-known in Croatia as the man behind the biggest and best tourism portal in Croatia, HR Turizam, an impartial B2B platform which does a great service to Croatia's tourism industry, even its the industry stakeholders do not recognise the quality and importance of his work as they should. He is a man with a vision of how things should be, with a quiet determination to see things through. Having put Vinkovci very firmly on the map, his most notable achievement last year was to move the entire tourism industry from a sexy destination on the coast to multiple locations in Slavonia and eastern Croatia for the annual Days of Croatian Tourism awards. 

When Goran first mentioned the idea on his portal, there was derision in certain quarters from conversations I had. There was no way that Slavonia could stage such an event, and the coast was a much more attractive venue for tourism officials to party at the end of the season. But Goran did not give up, and slowly his campaign got traction, and then the official announcement - Days of Croatian Tourism 2019 was to be held in Slavonia! It was a really good few days, and eastern Croatia put on a really good show, especially Osijek, and I lost count of the number of tourism officials who were not only on their first visit, but also astonished by the quality of the offer. It was a very important step of progress for tourism in eastern Croatia.

And so there we were, sitting at Goran's dining table in the oldest continuously inhabited town in Europe with his lovely wife Mirjam, discussing the problems of Croatian tourism, the potential, the dysfunctionality of the relationship between the public and the private sector. 

"Why don't we organise a conference? Cal lit something like Croatian Tourism Beyond Bullsh*t, a 2030 Vision?" I ventured. "Get the stakeholders together and talk about the real issues."

We laughed.

And then Goran told me that he had been planning a conference for a couple of years.

And then he went on to explain his concept. And his concept was rather good, much better than mine. All he needed was a little push to make his dream a reality - which it will be on April 2 at Forum Congress Centre in Zagreb. 

Although our styles are different, TCN and HRTurizam are similar in that both portals want a better future for Croatian tourism, and looking at - and learning from - best practices elsewhere, as well as engaging in constructive criticism, are tools to get to that end. Goran would rather focus on a problem and work towards a solution, which he did to such good effect with Days of Croatian Tourism and the promotion of Slavonia. 

I don't think I am revealing any State secrets when I say that there is a large disconnect between Croatia's public tourism bodies and its private businesses. And for all the potential we talk about, very little of that potential is realised. Rather than name-calling and criticising, why not accept that there are certain things that will not change and focus instead on working to change things were public and private sector can agree and move forward together? 30% change is better than zero change, and once relationships are built, who knows how much further things could progress? After all, the idea - even two years ago - that Days of Croatian Tourism could come to Slavonia was laughable. 

And Goran's determination made it happen. 

After that late-night dinner table conversation in Vinkovci in October, I left Goran to get on with his plans and then we met a month ago to chat about his progress. 

One Day or Day One - #hrturizam was a concept that was coming along nicely. Will we keep on talking about realising the potential of Croatian tourism and one day it may happen, ot shall we make this conference Day One of meaningful change?

And this was not just a one-day conference concept. His plan was to take the discussions and agreements from the conference and put them into a transparent white paper, with road maps and timeframes on how to achieve interim goals. And then to meet at the same conference the following year to discuss progress, made, resolve issues preventing that progress, and to make a road map for the following year. And he is offering the neutral HR Turizam project to be the platform to monitor progress and effect change. 

A conference which would engage stakeholders from all sides - from the openly, albeit constructively, crtiical such as myself, to the Minister of Tourism, Gari Cappelli, who has confirmed his attendance. The focus will be on positivity, looking forward, and developing strategies and initiatives together. I will be speaking, for example, on the topic - 5 Tourism Gifts Croatia is Ignoring, and How to Fix This.

I have seen the planned list of speakers, not all of whom are confirmed, but there is a nice blend from the public and private sector. In addition to Minister Cappelli, Denis Ivosevic, Istrian Tourist Board director will be talking about the synergy between the public and private sector with brands such as BMW and Bayern Munich. The pioneer of Croatia's medical tourism industry, Ognjen Bagatin, will be presenting with Deputy Minister of Health, Mate Car, on public-private cooperation in the health tourism industry. Petra Butkovic will speak on the success of clusters in Lika, Berislav Sokac from the phenomenal Run Croatia project, and PR and branding gurus, Kresimir Macan and Bozo Skoko. There were also be keynote speeches from international tourism experts, the details of which are being finalised. 

And, lest we forget the potential of Croatia's gourmet potential, a cooking show run by celebrity chef Mate Jankovic, and the wines of Croatia introduced by Sasa Spiranec, will ensure that there will be much more than just food for thought for the conference participants. 

There is a quiet determination in several quarters to improve both the quality and the cohesiveness of Croatia's tourism promotion and execution, and One Day or Day One #hrturizam2030 is an outstanding opportunity to begin that journey together. 

TCN will be fully supporting the conference, and we look forward to seeing you there. You can learn more about Goran's thoughts in this early announcement of the conference (Croatian version and link to HRTurizam website here). 

ZAGREB, January 31, 2020 - Women are still unequally represented in the European audiovisual and media sectors, which makes the public promotion of gender equality and diversity extremely important, it was concluded at a European meeting on gender equality in the audiovisual sector in Zagreb on Thursday.

At the meeting, which took place in the Croatian Journalists Association (HND) offices, information mapping on gender equality in the AV sector was presented and conducted, and good practices identified so far were described.

The results of a research project were also partially presented. The project lasted for two years and was conducted in association with various organisations, including the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF), the European Audiovisual Production (CEPI), the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and the International Federation of Actors (FIA).

According to data presented at the meeting, only 24% of all radio, television, and newspaper reports published in 2015 worldwide were about women, in 2014 female journalists received three times as many offensive comments on Twitter as male journalists, and as many as two-thirds of female media workers were harassed or threatened on social media in 2018.

The situation in the audio-visual sector is, unfortunately, not good, as far as gender equality is concerned. However, we can see some improvement over the last two or three years, as well as a considerable rise in hiring female directors, producers, and screen writers, said Dearbhal Murphy from the International Federation of Actors, who presented the project.

At the panel, members of the Croatian audiovisual sector presented data on women as audiovisual authors in Croatia, and pointed out the small percentage of women working on film and TV series sets.

Director Katarina Zrinka Matijević presented data on the participation of women in Croatian film making from 1990 to 2018, according to which only 7% of films made in the period were directed by women, and women composed only 2.7% of soundtracks, while they were much more represented in production (23.6% -26%), and they played the most important role in costume design (94.2%).

More news about gender equality can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, January 31, 2020 - During a parliamentary debate on the report on the work of prisons in 2018 on Thursday, members of parliament warned about prison overcrowding and poor prison conditions as well as poor working conditions of judicial police.

In the period covered by the report, 11,352 persons were imprisoned and the total prison capacity was 3,900 places. Of the total number of persons arrested in 2018, 4,119 were serving their terms, a drop of one percent from 2017, said the State Secretary at the Justice Ministry, Juro Martinović.

The report also shows a significant increase in the number of foreign nationals in the prison system of close to 73% compared to 2017.

"That is mostly due to the migrant crisis," said Martinović.

Vesna Pusić of the opposition GLAS party said that the figures in the report indicated overcrowding, notably in investigative custody facilities, with three prisoners sharing one place, she said.

Ante Babić of the ruling HDZ party wanted to know if it was true, as stated by the Ombudswoman, that some prisoners do not have access to health care services while illiterate prisoners cannot exercise the right to legal protection because they cannot write their requests.

"Individual omissions are possible but... as far as health care is concerned, I state responsibly that inmates undergo more medical check-ups than some groups that are outside the prison system," said Martinovic.

Stjepan Curaj of the HNS party said that electronic bracelets could help reduce prison overcrowding, and he proposed interviewing prison personnel and inmates on prison conditions.

MPs also warned about job vacancies in the prison system, with slightly more than 2,600 persons employed in 2018 and a total of 3,558 jobs available.

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

January 31, 2020 - A new wave of stars have been announced for the ULTRA Europe 2020 festival at Park Mladezi in Split this summer.

The multi-award-winning techno and house music concept RESISTANCE announces its return to one of the most unique stages in the region. The movable roof, special lighting and visual effects, as well as state-of-the-art production and a view of the old Brodosplit construction site, give this world brand an extra edge. Under the baton of Croatia’s biggest festival, ULTRA Europe 2020, this year, RESISTANCE in Split will go one step further. Due to its cult status and to the demand of the fans, this dance arena will hit the biggest release so far, with the first performers announced - Adam Beyer, Anna, Charlotte De Witte, Maceo Plex and Marco Carola who will perform from July 10 to 12, 2020, at Park Mladezi. A special underground spectacle for everyone is promised for all at this magical stage.

For the third year in a row, RESISTANCE has been the centerpiece of entertainment at Ibiza's largest and most renowned Privilege Club, attracting more than 50,000 fans over the course of nine weeks. Sold out dates in South Africa and South America also followed, and drew attention in Croatia for the first year. 

RESISTANCE continues to pull out all of the stops with this year’s line up, which is confirmed by Adam Beyer, a Swedish techno and tech-house producer, who gladly returns to the playing in front of the most energetic European festival audience.

Anna is the first female name on the list and is considered to be one of Brazil's trademarks. The lightning-fast rise of the electronic scene can be thanks to her seductive yet powerful techno sound, and this will be her first appearance in front of the Split audience. Charlotte De Witte returns to ULTRA after two years. This Belgian DJ and producer released her label KNTXT last year and has announced the release of a new EP called Vision for February 17.

Maceo Plex also returns this summer. This Cuban-American award-winning DJ and producer whose music manuscript can be described as a deep, progressive and tech-house can also boast one of the most visited residences at the Pacha Club in Ibiza. Marco Carola is a Split favorite. Originally from Italy, this techno and minimal techno producer and DJ has become globally recognized with his Music On program, which quickly became one of the most visited in Ibiza.

Joining the list is the already announced Richie Hawtin, a Canadian-British techno authority and three-time DJ Awards winner. Richie Hawtin was announced at the end of last year, when the first nine stars were announced for ULTRA 2020. These include superstars Afrojack, Armin van Buuren, David Guetta, DJ Snake, Galantis, with Marshmello, Pendulum Trinity and Steve Aoki. The musical magic of ULTRA Europe 2020 certainly does not stop there - and just weeks separate us from even more new names.

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