The Croatian demographic crisis is continuing to bite and its grip is becoming tighter in many areas, with the labour force being one of the most pressing issues caused by the country's increasingly poor demographic outlook. Still, in some areas, such as Novigrad Podravski in continental Croatia, more babies are being born as demographic measures are employed in hope of persuading families to stay.
As Novac writes on the 14th of January, 2020, the municipality of Novigrad Podravski finally welcomed a real ''baby boom'' in 2019 after years of extremely poor demographics. Given the Croatian demographic crisis which has spread far from the region of Slavonia, where there have been major issues for a long time, to the rest of the country, Novigrad Podravski's Zdravko Brljek has reason to be pleased.
As was announced on the municipality's website, a total of 165,000 kuna was paid out to parents residing in the municipality for the births of their newborn children in 2019, local portal Podravski reports.
Since the individual amount per child is 5,000 kuna, it can be seen that the money had been paid out to the parents of 33 newborns, two of whom are twins.
''I'm pleased that we were financially able to pay 5,000 kuna per child to parents within less than five working days of the request having been received,'' said Brljek.
He also recalled the fact that in a local primary school in Novigrad Podravski, fifteen students enrolled in the first grade back in 2016, fifteen students enrolled in 2017, a further fifteen students enrolled in 2018, and then nineteen students enrolled last year.
''This year has greatly improved the municipal demographic. I hope that most of these young people will stay in our municipality and that as many young people as possible come back here or move here,'' Brljek concluded.
Unfortunately, the demographic picture regarding newborns in Koprivnica-Križevci County, in which Novigrad Podravski is situated, is otherwise not so positive and reflects the overall Croatian demographic crisis accurately.
Namely, in 2019, according to data from the aforementioned county, 866 children were born, which is fifteen less than one year before when 881 children were born. Thus, the positive trend that started in 2018 compared to 2017 when 860 children were born came to a halt once again.
Make sure to follow our dedicated lifestyle page for much more on the Croatian demographic crisis.
As Morski writes on the 12th of January, 2020, the governing board of the Crikvenica County Port Authority has adopted the port authority's work and development plan and programme for 2020, and this year the largest investment cycle in its history, which will realise projects worth 60 million kuna, is set to continue. This investment for Crikvenica will involve several projects and phases.
Namely, the annual program of work and development of the ports under the care of the County Port Authority for 2020 envisages the continuation of investments for Crikvenica in the upgrading of the port opened for public traffic, which is considered to be important at the county level. The project has secured nearly 33 million kuna in European Union (EU) grants to be invested in the construction of the secondary breakwater and the extension of Mala palada.
''The fact that this project was the second in Croatia and the first in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County among the projects financed by the Competitiveness and Cohesion operational programme emphasises its importance,'' stated Mario Kružić for Novi list, noting that in addition to the realisation of the main bulk of the works, we can also expect the installation of a hydrant network and horticultural landscaping and much more during the first half of 2020.
In addition, as part of this massive investment for Crikvenica, part of the coastal wall in the port of Selce will be reconstructed.
At the end of 2019, a valid building permit was finally obtained for the project of upgrading the port open to public traffic (Podvorska), and the plan is currently to secure more funds through tenders from the competent ministry and from Primorje-Gorski Kotar County for the realisation of this project.
This project foresees the demolition of the existing middle pier, with the exception of the very top of the pier, and the construction of a brand new pier at approximately the same position, followed by the construction of yet another pier. The concession plan also envisages an arrangement being reached to lead to the realisation of the project's legalisation and the upgrading of the Črni mul port, which is open to public traffic, in order to better protect the vessels in the port, and to increase the number of communal and nautical berths available.
''As a key to sustainable development, the Crikvenica County Port Authority has opted for transparent and responsible operations, which we'll continue with in the coming years,'' Mario Kružić told Novi list.
Make sure to follow our lifestyle page for more on investments for Crikvenica.
ZAGREB, January 14, 2020 - In an interview with the Croatian Radio national broadcaster on Monday, leader of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) Davor Bernardić said that he was absolutely going to go for the prime minister's office, rejecting the possibility of a grand coalition with the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ).
"I'm absolutely embarking on a fight for the prime minister's office. SDP is preparing for the parliamentary election and we've already formed a campaign team," Bernardić said, rejecting criticism that there is not one woman among the coordinators in the ten electoral constituencies. "Women will, as always, have their deserved place in SDP. I am proud of the statute that we adopted two years ago which ensured full gender parity on election slates - half men and half women. We already applied that model to the European parliamentary election which proved to be more than successful," he said.
He is pleased that according to some public opinion polls, SDP is in first place, but added that the only true opinion poll is an election. Over the past year we have demonstrated how work, unity, abstinence and good quality candidates can achieve an excellent result, he said.
"We recorded two victories in 2019 and now, following the presidential election, we are continuing on our winning streak. It is important to ensure essential changes in the country. Citizens voted for that at the presidential election, with 75% saying they wanted changes. Croatia is at a sort of watershed and I am pleased that citizens have in fact recognised SDP as the party that can reinstate reputation and dignity to Croatian politics," Bernardić underlined.
Bernardić commented on a contentious tweet by Croatian Peasants' Party (HSS) leader Krešo Beljak regarding political murders by the former Yugoslav secret police UDBA. "He apologised for that. He obviously made a mistake and I would leave it at that. Beljak has a peculiar style. However, it's time that as a society and as normal politicians who take account of how the people will live tomorrow, we turn to the future. Sincerely, I'm sick of historical divisions. Enough of returning to the past which divides us as a people and turns our attention away from real problems like emigration, poverty, the poor situation in the health system," he said, adding that downplaying political murders was not good.
Bernardić said that "SDP would certainly lead the winning bloc at the parliamentary election," reiterating that it had established the Anti-corruption Alliance as a platform to fight corruption, which has attracted several opposition parties, and that they will continue negotiations with other parties that share that mindset and which nurture values like anti-fascism and anti-corruption. He believes that the alliance is a good basis for a future coalition, adding that he would talk with others who currently are not part of the alliance.
He said that coalition, however, will not have room for the likes of Mirando Mrsić's Democrats because anyone who left the SDP have picked their path. "We wish them luck. However, we will not discuss any pre-election alliance with them," he said and added there will not be any return of those MPs supporting Zagreb mayor Milan Bandić either.
Any grand coalition with the HDZ, as hinted by Mrsić, is out of the question for Bernardić, who rejected the idea with disgust. Bernardić also does not see a possible coalition with the Croatian People's Party (HNS) because, he underscored, they chose their path in this "grand bartering majority, and good luck to them, but far from us."
Bernardić underscored that Bandić is the HDZ's main coalition partner but that, based on recent statements by Economy Minister Darko Horvat and MEP Tomislav Sokol (HDZ), it's obvious that the relationship has broken down. Bernardić called on Prime Minister Andrej Plenković to call the parliamentary election as soon as possible.
This government has not done anything during its term and I do not expect absolutely anything in the last year either, he said and underlined that it was necessary to call the parliamentary election as soon as possible so that a government led by the SDP can start working on increased wages and pensions, improving the quality of life, restoring citizens' confidence in institutions and a better Croatia in all segments.
Commenting on a fire in a nursing home in Andraševec in which six people lost their lives and a triple murder that occurred in Split over the weekend, Bernardić said that the chaos in institutions was obvious and citizens do not trust the system and are taking matters into their own hands which, he added, should be an alarm for all.
"There's a general atmosphere of mistrust in institutions, the police and the security system of the country, and absolute chaos and disorder is prevailing in the country. The first task for a decent and responsible government is to once again establish order in Croatia and, in addition to restoring citizens' confidence in institutions, that will be one of the main things that we will do when we come into power" SDP's leader said.
More SDP news can be found in the Politics section.
ZAGREB, January 14, 2020 - Council of Europe Secretary-General Marija Pejčinović Burić and Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Monday announced that they would work on strengthening cooperation between the two organisations during Croatia's EU presidency, while Pejčinović Burić called on Croatia to adopt the CoE's recommendations on migrants.
Plenković met with Pejčinović Burić, a former Croatian foreign and European affairs minister, in Strasbourg while on Tuesday he will present Croatia's priorities during its presidency of the European Union to the European Parliament.
The two officials assessed that Croatia had proved to be successful when a year and a half ago it chaired the CoE and that its chairmanship of the Council of the European Union will be just as successful.
The prime minister congratulated Pejčinović Burić, who took the helm of the CoE, which has 47 member states, in September last year, on the initiatives that she has managed to implement in such a "short period," such as the financial aspects that "related to normal budget functioning of the organisation."
Pejčinović Burić said that relations between the CoE and the EU are strategic relations. "In that regard, in the context of relations with the EU, we are working together on implementing European standards or establishing European standards in a series of countries."
"Primarily they are countries in the Western Balkans and Eastern Europe, and in the context of Croatia's presidency of the Council of the EU, the European prospects of Western Balkan countries are exceptionally important," Pejčinović Burić underlined and said that with its expertise in meeting human rights standards, the rule of law and democracy, the CoE is prepared to assist with the preparations of the EU-Western Balkans summit to be held in Zagreb in May.
Plenković said that Croatia would enhance the EU's international activities during its presidency of the Council of the EU, which is one of the priorities of Croatia's presidency, and that "in that regard close dialogue and cooperation with the Council of Europe is one of the EU's natural reflexes." "That is why my coming here is a message and political signal of respect toward the Council of Europe," said Plenković.
Addressing a joint press conference, Pejčinović Burić pointed out some of the topics the two officials discussed such as migration, recalling that in a report in May 2019 by the CoE's Special Representative on Migration and Refugees, Tomaš Boček, issued some recommendations for member states regarding migrants.
Boček underlined that operations on the borders should "respect human rights and not prevent identifying those people who require international protection," the CoE' website says.
Croatia needs to establish "credible complaint mechanisms and investigations to address the allegations of ill-treatment at the border," Boček said in his report for 2018.
"I called on the prime minister to work on the recommendations in that report and that they be implemented," Pejčinović Burić underlined.
"For the Council of Europe, it is exceptionally important that all standards of international law and human rights are respected with regard to the issue of migrants. This institution considers that children migrants are a particularly sensitive issue, particularly unaccompanied migrant minors," Pejčinović Burić added.
CoE Human Rights Commissioner Dunja Mijatović in December criticised the way Croatia's police was treating illegal migrants arriving from Bosnia and Herzegovina, claiming that security forces were violent towards migrants and that evidence of that existed. She underscored that pushbacks that Croatia's police were allegedly applying was a violation of the Convention on Human Rights.
Pejčinović Burić called on Croatia to ratify an additional protocol regarding the Convention on the Prevention of Terrorism and to quickly ratify a revised version of the European Social Charter. Plenković said "that should not be a problem."
Pejčinović Burić said that the EU had announced relaunching negotiations on the EU's accession to the European Convention on Human Rights, which is an obligation that stems from the Lisbon Treaty.
"That is exceptionally important for us, the Council of Europe, because we would not like court practice, as well as other different instruments for the implementation of human rights, develop on two tracks. Hence, we believe that apart from being an obligation from the Lisbon Treaty, that is exceptionally important for European citizens and citizens of the Union and citizens of the CoE member states," said Pejčinović Burić.
Plenković announced that together "with the Commission and other members, Croatia will see how to improve or accelerate the process of the Union's accession to the system of the Council of Europe Convention on Human Rights which, we can freely say, is the backbone of the entire organisation, the alpha and omega of the entire system of conventions."
More news about the Council of Europe can be found in the Politics section.
ZAGREB, January 14, 2020 - Croatian Peasant Party (HSS) leader Krešo Beljak on Monday apologised for his tweet in which he said that the number of killings carried out by the Yugoslav intelligence agency UDBA was insufficient.
Two days after the controversial tweet, which has been interpreted as his condoning of politically motivated assassinations of emigrants by UDBA during the time of communist-ruled Yugoslavia, this parliamentary deputy and mayor of Samobor on Monday tweeted that he was sorry about his "clumsy and unfortunate tweet", justifying his reaction as being part of a broader discussion that was full of insults and lies.
"I am sorry if my tweet was construed as my support for political assassinations. That, of course, is not true. I am sorry If I insulted anybody. I made a mistake," Beljak wrote today.
Two days ago, he wrote that if UDBA killed over 100 people in the Croatian emigrant community in the USA, Germany, Canada and Australia, "then it was not enough. We could see who did all sorts of shit and caused the wars from 1991 to 1999. Fascists in the former Yugoslavia and other countries who, unfortunately, managed to escape UDBA."
Beljak's comment was prompted by a tweet written by a person named Renato who said that "Yugo-nostalgics fail to realize that there were over 100 political assassinations outside of Yugoslavia from 1945 to 1990. The UDBA was active in every Croatian immigrant community in the USA, Germany, Canada and Australia."
More politics news can be found in the Politics section.
January 14, 2020 - After a three-day voyage from Greece, and under the command of Captain Sandro Rundic, the 'Faros' ferry arrived in Croatia on Monday. The newest ferry in Jadrolinija's fleet should primarily connect Split and Stari Grad on Hvar before Easter this year.
Slobodna Dalmacija reports that the ‘Faros’ boasts a capacity of 600 passengers and 160 vehicles, was built ten years ago in Greece under the name "Stelios Filiagkos", and the state-owned shipping company purchased it from Agios Nikolaos (Saint Nicholas) from Salamina for just over HRK 63 million or EUR 8.5 million.
The Faros thus became the 52nd member of Jadrolinia's fleet. It is 104.9 meters long and 17.5 meters wide, and two Caterpillar machines with a total of 2000 horsepower provide a speed of 14 knots. The ferry is named after the ancient name of Stari Grad, the first Greek colony on the Adriatic.
The deal on the ferry, which was offered to the market five years ago, was concluded this fall, but the handover to the Croatian crew was made only ten days ago at the port of Kavala on the eastern Aegean coast, some 100 kilometers from Thessaloniki. The ship was then inspected by inspectors of the Croatian Register of Ships, who found no deficiencies and issued provisional certificates for navigation to the Adriatic.
Until recently, Stelios Filiagkos sailed from Kavala on a regular line to the island of Thassos, about 13 nautical miles away. The distance is twice as long to the main ferry port on the island of Hvar, which will be a real test for yet another Jadrolinia acquisition from Greece.
“I am extremely proud that we are connecting the Jadrolinija fleet with a ship which, by its capacity and speed, will significantly contribute to improving the quality of passenger transport service, especially in the summer months. The ferry will be at the Kraljevica Shipyard for the necessary equipment and preparation for the season, and we expect it to run from the spring. We believe that this offering in the fleet will satisfy the growing demands for passenger and vehicle transportation services in the Split area,” said David Sopta, President of Jadrolinija's Management Board.
"This is another step in modernizing our fleet, all to successfully fulfill the concession contract obligations with the state. In addition, this investment also achieves optimization of technical maintenance costs and long-term business stability. The ferry ‘Faros’ is primarily intended for navigation on the line Split - Stari Grad, but if necessary, it can be used for other lines concessioned by our company. With its large garage and passenger lounge capacity, it will make a significant contribution to improving the quality of service, especially during the summer months,” said the management of the Croatian company.
At the end of November, contracts were signed between Jadrolinia and a Russian company to buy two second-hand ferries, worth almost HRK 38.5 million, which also have Greek roots. However, since negotiations are still underway on conditions, handovers are expected in late January or early February.
These ships have long sailed on lines across the Kerch Strait, at the "junction" of the Black and Azov Seas. Still, since Russia has linked its territory with the occupied Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea by bridge, maritime connections are slowly losing their significance.
To read more about travel in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page.
January 14, 2020 - Continuing our 'TCN Down Under' series, Daniela Rogulj interviews former Jug captain and assistant coach to Croatia, and current Australia water polo coach Elvis Fatovic in Sydney.
On a sunny Wednesday morning, Elvis Fatovic and I met in the Bronte neighborhood of Sydney, in front of Australia's famous Iggy's Bread, owned by Igor Ivanovic of Belgrade. It was the Bronte Balkan experience, as passersby greeted us in Croatian and spoke of preparing sarma for Orthodox Christmas. We were served freshly-baked bread and hot coffee to complement the Bajadera I brought over from Split.
For a moment, I'd almost forgotten where we were.
After exchanging sentences mixed in English and Croatian, Elvis shared his life story about how he, a Croatian water polo legend from Cavtat, moved his life to Sydney to lead the national team of Australia.
Elvis hails from Cavtat, just 30 minutes south of Dubrovnik. Water polo is the pulse of that area, and Elvis grew up in Jug Dubrovnik’s youth system.
“That is the natural path. Cavtat is probably one of the smallest, most successful water polo towns in the world. For example, in the London Olympics, you had three gold Olympians from Cavtat. Sukno, Boskovic, Obradovic are all from the area.
In Cavtat as a kid, you have two options - one is to play water polo, and the other is to play in the brass orchestra. And I’ve done both, haha. But I thought that I was more talented in sport, and at some stage, you have to decide which way you want to go. It’s also common that the more talented players follow the steps of the successful players and move to Dubrovnik, so that is how I ended up in Dubrovnik. Water polo then was very big; we are talking about the ‘80s, a long time ago when Jug won the first European Champions League title. It was hard not to fall in love with the sport.
It was crazy to watch, and during that time, 4-5,000 people would be at every game.
Thankfully I had quite a solid career. It’s a dream for the majority of water polo players to play for a great club in your city, and I had that privilege."
From Jug, Elvis played one season at rival club Mladost Zagreb.
“Yes, that was one season when a lot of things happened in my life. It was after the war, and Jug was at a good level but without a light at the end of the tunnel. It didn’t seem like something big was going to happen. Because of my career, I went to Mladost. Before that, I refused to go to Italy, and at the beginning of the ‘90s, I preferred staying in Dubrovnik, but then I decided okay, it’s time to take a step in my career. The best part of that was that I met my wife in Zagreb. Though she is not from Zagreb, she’s from Primosten. Not only did we meet there, but it was quite a successful time for the club, and I also met some of the greatest friends I could have, like Vjeko Kobešćak. After that season, my wife and I married and had kids.
Around '94/'95, Jug started to build something great. It was the beginning of the Jug we have now.”
While Elvis played for Jug, they won 5 Croatian Championships and 6 Croatian Cups. He also led Jug to win the European Championship in 2001 and 2006, and won the LEN Europa Cup in 2000.
“The highlight was definitely winning that first European Championship. We played in the old pool, in front of 5,000-6,000 people. I can’t imagine it ever being so packed again. We played against Bečej, which was a Serbian club. In that period, they were an unbelievable team and a big rival. In two years, they didn’t lose a single game. We beat them with a buzzer goal, which I scored, and that was probably the highlight of my career."
What was it like living in Dubrovnik in the middle of Jug's success?
“It was amazing. During that time, athletes were like celebrities. Especially because Jug wasn’t so successful before, and that’s probably part of the reason why maybe even fewer people follow them now. Winning has become the norm, the people expect it, so maybe Jug needs to lose for a while in order to bring the people back, haha. But no one wants that.
At that time, the majority of the players were from Dubrovnik, and the people really followed us. When we played in Hungary, students from Zagreb would follow us - they’d even travel to Italy. It was extraordinary to be a part of that story.”
We switched gears to the Croatia national team, where Elvis had 128 appearances. Elvis spoke about the moments that stood out.
“To be honest, I wasn’t the happiest with my national team career because there was a huge gap. I didn’t start playing for Croatia until when I was almost 28, and that's because of a situation when I moved from Mladost to Jug. But even so, I played two Olympic Games and we won the European silver, which was also great. I think, even as a national team player, I had more disappointment than greatness. Especially in the two Olympic Games when we were one of the favorites to win the gold medal. Here in Sydney, during the most crucial moments, half of the team had the flu, and we lost the quarterfinal game, and that was an enormous disappointment. As a player, you need at least six months to recover from that.”
Elvis finished his career as a player in 2007 and moved onto coaching. But was a coaching career always in his cards?
“It probably was because I captained Jug for ten years and was the right hand of the head coach. We always joked about the staff positions the senior players would take and more or less, everything happened that way. I was always interested in that job and one of the youngest coaches to ever lead Jug. I was the coach of the junior program for one year, and then immediately after, I became the head coach.
At the same time, as I became head coach of Jug, I became the assistant coach of Croatia under Ratko Rudić. It was a fantastic experience to work with someone like Ratko. It’s one thing when you are a player, another when you are the assistant, but it is completely different when you are the head coach. And I am so grateful that I had the chance to work with the best one. Ratko is the most successful coach in the history of water polo, and maybe not only water polo - perhaps of all sports. It was great to learn and see how the game is not only about the tactics; it is about many other things aside from that.”
Croatia water polo won the gold at the 2012 Olympics. Elvis was the assistant coach then.
“I believe that 2012 was not only about the summer when we won gold. It’s even more important for us, especially with our Croatian mentality, to look at what happened in January that same year. We played the European Championship and finished 9th. We lost so many games and were not performing well, and that was a huge disappointment, but it happened at the right time. We had seven months to set our goals and prepare, and if you ask me, that was perhaps the key to Croatia's success."
After a fruitful period as the assistant coach of Croatia, Elvis was asked to be the head coach of Australia. He moved to Sydney in 2013.
“For me, as a coach, I needed some time to adjust to everything, because it is entirely different here than in Europe. Europe and Australia have nothing common when looking at the sport, and to be honest, I didn’t expect much. The priority of the players is also different. The majority of them do not play professionally. I had to adjust the training, to read their priorities. It is also different here because there is a significant difference between the Olympics and any other competition, and I believe it shouldn’t be that way. In Australia, the Olympics are huge.
The most important thing for Australia is to keep consistency with the players. We managed that in the last couple of years and were able to deliver some great results, especially in the previous two years. We have become very competitive with everyone. I think there is still a considerable difference in the approach here and there are definitely a lot of advantages in the European teams, especially with how the national leagues are set up and how much time the teams spend together. If you try to explain to someone how it works in Australia, the majority won’t believe you. I am really enjoying working with the players here. They are a little bit different than us, so when they have a session at 5 or 6 am, they don’t complain, and they do it properly. They don’t just show up. I respect that a lot and I love working with them.”
Elvis has led Australia against Croatia multiple times since 2013. The first time was in the quarterfinal of the World Championships in 2013, while the two nations most recently met at the test series in Sydney last December. Elvis spoke about the emotions that come with facing his homeland.
“The first time was a bit weird and that was the game when we almost beat them in Barcelona. No one expected that. Croatia came as the Olympic champion and we lost in overtime. It was strange, but you are focused on your team, your performance, as that is your professional job, and from that point of view, that was the first time and maybe the hardest time. Things maybe changed a bit for me when my son joined the Croatia national team - and he always looks especially inspired when they play against us. But again, we beat them last year once, which was a great success for us as we beat them in the quarterfinal of the World Cup. If we talk about quality, Croatia is always in the top two, and they really showed us that in the World Championship this year when they demolished us, even though we were very keen to beat them that game. But okay, that was our bad game and their great game. I respect Croatia as a team a lot, but on the other hand, we will always try to win.”
Elvis is leading Australia to the Olympics for his second time. What are the expectations in Tokyo?
“I want to take it game by game, because if we say ‘we will win the gold’, that is too easy to talk about and a lot harder to do. On paper, you have many stronger teams. On the other hand, I believe the gap between the strongest teams (Croatia, Serbia, Spain, Hungary) and the rest of us is smaller. When there is the special pressure of the Olympics, I believe that anything is possible. I want us to keep progressing. 60-70% of our team has been together for the last 6-7 years, which makes a difference, and I just hope we can keep delivering the results we have over the last few years.”
All eyes are on the European Championships this month. Croatia needs to win the tournament qualify for the Olympics. What do they need to do to make this happen?
“There is just one spot for the Olympics to be won at the Euros. Three teams are coming without pressure - that’s Italy, Serbia, and Spain. Croatia, Hungary, Montenegro, and Greece are looking for that one spot. Especially Hungary, who is playing at home. Hungary has a pretty good looking road to the semifinal. Still, I believe that Croatia has a great team, a great chance, and even if they don’t qualify here, I have no fear because the remaining qualifying tournament is this March in Rotterdam, and they are too quality not to qualify.”
Three Croatian clubs are competing in the Champions League this season, while Croatian clubs always lead the Regional League. How does Elvis see the current state of Croatian water polo?
“Croatia surely has the best teams in the Regional League. The club structure is still one of the strongest. The only stronger league is probably the Hungarian league, which brings over a lot of international players. The structure and competition in Croatia is quite good, but the problem with European clubs is that they play too many games. In my opinion, Croatia has slowed down a bit in the development of the players, which I believe could be better. Some of Croatia’s junior and youth results in the European and World Champs are outside the top eight, which means that something is wrong, and something needs to change.”
To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.
January 14, 2020 - Via Brattia, the new 135 km long hiking trail around the island of Brac, will connect almost the entire island. This excellent new tourist product will undoubtedly be the new trump card of Brac tourism.
The hiking trail will connect the 12 most attractive historical sites and most of the picturesque locations on the largest Central Dalmatian island. Via Brattia will be a challenge for recreationists and hikers, as well as for real adventurers in search of a new experience.
The trail will pass through the centers of Supetar, Mirac, Sutivan, Bobovisca na moru, Lozisce, Milna, Murvice, Bol, Sumartin, Povalje, Pucisca, Postir, Skrip, and along the parish churches, reaching some of the most beautiful bays on Brac, like Farska, Rasotica, Lovrecina, and Smrka. The trail is expected to be active from spring 2020.
Via Brattia is a project of all the tourist boards on the island of Brac together with the Split-Dalmatia County Tourist Board. Recall, Brac boasts seven tourist boards that have not yet cooperated until now. The synergy through this project is commendable.
"With the support of all local self-government units on the island of Brac and the Split-Dalmatia County Tourist Board, this trail around Brac is a joint project of all the tourist boards on our island and the municipalities of Pucisca and Nerezisca. The maps are nearly finished, and the markings have been taken over by the Mountaineering Association Profunda. After the areas are marked and the maps are printed, Brac will finally receive a beautiful hiking and tourist trail they have long dreamed of. Movement, learning and sustainability are new tourism trends that enrich travelers with invaluable experience, and the sun and the sea are just a bonus in this story,” said Ivan Cvitanic, director of the Supetar Tourist Board, where Via Brattia begins and ends.
You can find more information on the Supetar Tourist Board website.
To read more about travel in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page.
The Croatian brain drain is second only to the Maltese demographic crisis, recording the second largest brain drain in the European Union. The entire region and the countries of the former Yugoslavia are massively affected by the departure of the population, but where does Croatia stand in comparison to other ex-YU countries?
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 13th of January, 2020, In 2019 alone, the most people to have ever departed to date left neighbouring Bosnia and Herzegovina, about 60,000 citizens, while in 2018, about 40,000 left that country.
The departure of residents, especially young people, from the Balkan countries to the economically highly developed countries of Western Europe is one of the biggest problems facing all the countries in Croatia's immediate region in recent years, writes Anadolija. Although accurate official data from state institutions on this crucial social issue is still lacking, it has long since become clear that this is a worrying demographic trend and that the Croatian brain drain is reaching alarming depths.
According to unofficial data and estimates of certain Croatian and international organisations and associations, almost every country in the Balkans is annually left without a population the size of a smaller city. There has been a steady increase in departures from Bosnia and Herzegovina over the last six years. Since 2013, more specifically since the Bosnia and Herzegovina Sustainable Return Union has been keeping actual records, until the end of last year, more than 200,000 people have abandoned that country.
This data shows that in the past two years, approximately 50,000 persons emigrated from Bosnia and Herzegovina and headed abroad. Serbia is facing a similar demographic problem, if not a much more difficult one, which, according to the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), has seen around 654,000 people leave, most of them between the ages of 15 and 24, from the beginning of this century to the end of 2018. Eurostat figures also show that 51,000 people left Serbia to go to the EU in 2018.
The Croatian brain drain isn't something new, but it has become much worse despite the fact that the country has been facing the problem of population exodus for years, which is especially pronounced in its smaller communities, and it is particularly worrying that Croatia is struggling to retain its population even large cities. According to unofficial data, around 190,000 people have left Croatia in the last five years alone.
Examples are municipalities such as Civljan and Ervenik in the Šibenik-Knin County, which lost 39.3% or 37.8% of the population in five years, which means that every third inhabitant left the area in five years. A report by the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) also showed that 39,515 people emigrated from Croatia in 2018 alone, which is the second largest number after 2017, where a record 47,352 people emigrated.
The results of a World Bank report "Migration and brain drain in Europe and Central Asia" from last year showed that after Malta, the highest rate of emigration in the European Union is Croatia, with 21.9 percent of the population having left, which means that more than a fifth of its former population now lives abroad. According to Eurostat, around 62,000 people left Albania to go the the EU in 2018 alone. According to the latest World Bank report on migration, about 40 percent of the population has left that country so far.
A dramatic trend of emigration has been present in Northern Macedonia for years, from which, according to the latest Eurostat data, 24,300 people left in 2018 alone, while World Bank data shows that over 25 percent of the population, or a quarter of Macedonians, now reside outside of this non-EU Balkan country. According to the latest Eurostat data, 34,500 people emigrated from the territory of Kosovo in 2018 and about 3,000 from Montenegro, both of which are not EU member states.
If just Eurostat's 2018 data and other unofficial data is taken into account alone, it can be concluded that over the past few years, an average of 200,000 people, or even more than this number, have left the Balkan countries annually.
For more on the Croatian brain drain, keep up to date with our dedicated lifestyle page.
A much needed and huge investment of 3.5 billion euros is in the works for Croatian railways.
As Poslovni Dnevnik/Josip Bohutinski/VL writes on the 13th of January, 2020 the total length of the network of railway lines operated by HŽ Infrastruktura (HŽI) is 2617 kilometres, of which 2343 kilometres are single tracks and only 274 kilometres are double tracks.
Croatia has invested tens of billions of kuna in the construction of highways, and now the turn has come for Croatian railways. Sveti Ivan Zabno - Gredec, the first new railway in the last 52 years in Croatia, opened at the end of last year, and the 258 million kuna invested in the construction of this railway line is only one small part of the 3.5 billion euro investment cycle launched for Croatian railways, Vecernji list writes.
The total length of the network of railway lines operated by HŽ Infrastruktura (HŽI) is, as stated, 2617 kilometres, of which 2343 kilometres are single tracks and only 274 kilometres are double tracks. According to data, 980 kilometres of the network were electrified. But in the next ten years, and mainly thanks to European Union funds, this should change significantly. Thus, by 2030, Croatia should have up to 681 kilometres double-track lines and 1,022 kilometres of electrified lines.
Thus, the length of two-lane lines should increase by 361 or 407 kilometres, depending on the future route of the section of the lowland railway. HŽI explains that along the RH2 corridor, ie the Croatian part of the Mediterranean corridor, the length of two-track lines will increase by at least 145 kilometres, which includes the sections Križevci - Koprivnica - the state border, Dugo Selo - Križevci, Hrvatski Leskovac - Karlovac and Škrljevo - Rijeka - Jurdani.
For the sections Karlovac - Oštarije and Oštarije - Škrljevo, study documentation is being prepared which will define the routes. For the section Karlovac - Oštarije, the possible length of the route is 40 kilometres, and for Oštarije - Škrljevo, 67 or 113 kilometres. HŽI also says that the length of two-track sections will increase by 82 kilometres on the RH1 corridor, and that will be on the Dugo Selo - Novska section. In addition, 42.6 kilometres of single-track lines will be electrified in this investment cycle, namely the Zaprešić-Zabok (23.9 km) and Vinkovci-Vukovar (18.7 km) lines.
EU co-financing is currently underway for the reconstruction of the existing track and construction of the second track on the 36.4 kilometre long Dugo Selo - Križevci section. The project is worth 196.9 million euros. Work on the reconstruction of the existing and construction of the second track on the section Križevci - Koprivnica - state border, totalling 42.6 kilometres, should begin soon.
The decision to select a contractor for the job with an estimated value of 283.9 million euros was made, but appeals were also lodged.
A tender for the reconstruction and construction of the second track on the Hrvatski Leskovac - Karlovac section will also be announced this year. The estimated value of the works stands at 315 million euros, and this section is 44 kilometres long. For the Karlovac - Oštarije section, however, as HŽI claims, a public procurement procedure is underway to select the designer of the study documentation, as it also is for the Oštarije-Škrljevo section.
The estimated value of works for the Karlovac - Oštarije section is 400 million euros, and for the line from Oštarije to Škrljevo - 667 million euros, depending on the selected technical solution of the route. For the project of the construction of the second track, modernisation and reconstruction of the Škrljevo - Rijeka - Jurdani section, the main project is underway. The section is 27.5 kilometres long and the estimated value of the works is 270 million euros.
Financing has not yet been resolved for the sections of the lowland railway from Karlovac to Jurdani, but it is possible, according to the announcement of the Minister of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure, Oleg Butkovic, that Croatia will receive EU funds for the construction of these sections.
Chinese companies have shown interest in building these Croatian railways under a concession model. The estimated value of the works on the Dugo Selo - Novska section is 570 million euros, which would make the entire RH1 corridor two-lane. The design speeds for these new lines are 160 kilometres per hour. There will be new trains on the new tracks.
HŽ Passenger Transport has so far contracted the purchase of 28 new trains with a maximum speed of 120 km/h. It intends to finance the acquisition of 21 trains with 1.1 billion kuna in grants and the remaining 19 with a loan from the World Bank and Eurofima.
Other major projects include the Zaprešić-Zabok railway (the value of the modernisation and electrification project is 80.8 million euros), the Vinkovci-Vukovar railway, the Rijeka port (a project worth almost 36 million euros) and the Rijeka railway station where work is already underway.
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