CBS Publishes Latest Data on Average Salaries in Croatia
May 20, 2023 - The Croatian Bureau of Statistics published its latest data on the average salaries in Croatia. The report compared the average salaries in March to those in February, as well as this year's wages to last year's.
As Index writes, the average monthly paid net salary per employee in legal entities in Croatia amounted to 1,130 euros in March, which is nominally higher by 11.9 percent and 1.1 percent higher in real terms, according to the data from the Croatian Bureau of Statistics.
According to the report published on Friday, the average salary of 1,130 euros is nominally higher by 2.2 percent and in real terms by 1.3 percent than in February.
The highest average monthly payment of net wages was paid in the field of information service activities, in the amount of 2,327 euros, while the lowest average monthly payment of net wages was paid in the area of protective and investigative activities, in the amount of 738 euros. According to the data from the Croatian Bureau of Statistics, the median net salary for March was 946 euros, which means that half of Croatian employees had less and half more than that amount.
The largest number of paid hours was in the water transport industry
The average monthly gross salary per employee in legal entities for March was 1,556 euros, which is nominally higher by 2.2 percent and real by 1.3 percent compared to February. On an annual level, the average gross salary was nominally higher by 13.5 percent, and in real terms by 2.5 percent. In March, there were an average of 182 paid hours, which is a 15.2 percent increase compared to February.
The highest number of paid hours was in the water transport sector (191), and the lowest number of paid hours was in the social welfare sector without accommodation (160). The average monthly paid net hourly wage for March was 6.08 euros, which is 10.7 percent lower than in February, and 11.8 percent more than in March last year.
For more, make sure to check out our dedicated News section.
A Week in Croatian Politics - Floods, Healthcare Woes and a Trip to Iceland
May the 19th, 2023 - This week in Croatian politics, we've had visits from a Belgian diplomat, the Council of Europe summit in Iceland, flooding issues, ongoing healthcare salary woes and the origin of mysterious threats against the government.
Plenkovic holds a working meeting about the Croatian floods and tells people to go on Google to see how bad it is in Italy
As Index reports, the Karlovac County building played host recently to a working meeting between Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and his ministers, the local community and competent services on the further activities of all components of the homeland security and civil protection system with the aim of helping the population and preventing damage due to rising water levels.
"Huge water levels in several counties, flood defenses, and abnormally high river levels are continuing. Unfortunately, the situation is similar, maybe even worse, in other European countries," said Plenkovic at the beginning of the working meeting, as reported by N1. The PM thanked everyone who participated in flood defense and those who helped other people before noting that these are record water levels.
"Our defense system could maybe be better"
When asked if there could have been a better reaction in certain places, he said: "As far as I know, the River Una was over five metres in Hrvatska Kostajnica. The situation is complex, but efforts have been made. The defense system may be better. That said, it is better than it has been in the past. Look at the bigger picture, go on Google, see what's happening in Italy. These are huge natural disasters, and there was excellent coordination."
He added that there are about 500 households covered by the Red Cross/Crveni kriz: "If someone didn't manage to get help, it doesn't mean that it won't happen and that that help won't arrive. Minister Tomo Medved will go to Sisak because there are problems with the dams there."
"These are very high water levels"
"In the context of spatial planning and the selection of the locations for facilities, we must take into account the risks in certain areas. Croatian waters have a risk map where flooding is likely to occur, so we need an element of self-prevention. We need to work further on retentions. We heard how important natural retentions are which we have in Lonjsko polje, but now the same will need to be done with the Kupa. Care must be taken to insure these facilities. The mayor said that there are locations where people have constructed things, they're risky areas and because of that, insurance companies don't want to provide insurance policies. These are very high water levels. What used to be a once-in-a-hundred-year defense standard is changing. Why do we have these meetings on global climate change? Because changes happen quickly," Plenkovic concluded.
Another meeting has been scheduled following yet another protest about wages in the healthcare sector
Neither the Nurses' and Technicians' Union nor the Independent Union are satisfied after a meeting with the Ministers of Health, Labour and Finance, and have now demanded an increase in their salaries in any way. Ministers have stated that they will find a solution, and a new meeting regarding those demands has been arranged for Monday.
Minister of Health Vili Beros said after the meeting with the trade unions, which he judged to have been constructive, that they agreed today that some things in the past were really not good, that the stability of the system was disrupted by numerous changes to the regulation on coefficients, and that they have to improve on all of that going forward.
The unions are asking the powers that be within the world of Croatian politics for a ten percent salary increase for all employees working within the healthcare system and say that they cannot just keep sitting, twiddling their thumbs and waiting for the new law to come into force in 2024.
"In good faith and through concrete talks, I believe that we'll manage to find a solution, and the continuation of these talks will take place on Monday. We aren't going to sit and talk about the specific elements of any would-be wage increases for now, and we'll be looking at the broader issue and what lies ahead of us," repeated the minister, adding that the will of the government to improve things is very much there, given that there were three ministers at the meeting who all want to solve these problems together in the context of the arrival of the new law and different regulations.
When asked if these continued talks are leading to the fact that under the new law, healthcare employees will receive not only a ten percent increase but perhaps a larger one, Beros replied that this possibility exists and that a methodology for calculating future coefficients will be presented to all of the ministries, and union representatives will also participate in those calculations.
When asked if the unions could expect a ten percent salary increase before the aforementioned new law was passed, Beros stated that Finance Minister Marko Primorac said at the meeting that "it's difficult to expect changes in the coefficients as such before the new law is passed", but that there are a number of other elements that are very much available. Minister of Labour Marin Piletic said that the new wage law should come into force on January the 1st, 2024, and it will include new coefficients and the base rate. The law will be referred to the parliamentary procedure in June.
Minister Piletic also stated that after the government session, he intends to invite all representatives of the involved unions to sign the addendum to the Basic Collective Agreement and the Collective Agreement, where after three rounds of negotiations they agreed to increase the amount of compensation for all 235,000 employees in state and public services. They decided to raise the compensation from 199 euros to 300 euros for union members, and to 250 for all other employees.
The President of the Main Council of the Croatian Professional Union of Nurses and Technicians, Anica Prasnjak, clarified that on Monday they will continue to discuss their demands, while today they discussed the issue that led to the situation in which they felt that they had to protest.
"We aren't satisfied, but for now we can't really say anything else until we see what another round of talks brings and whether things will move in a different direction as a result. We can't hang onto anything at the moment except for the next meeting, which will be the crowning moment," Prasnjak added.
The president of the Independent Trade Union, Stjepan Topolnjak, said that he will not and cannot wait for until next year for Croatian politics to act in terms of the introduction of a new salary law, nor can he wait for the rules on new coefficients to come into force.
"We aren't interested in how the government will raise our salaries. We're asking for an increase in our salaries, and when it comes to how that will be done, we'll leave that to the minister and possibly to the prime minister," he said. Topolnjak also confirmed that a full strike is still an option that is very firmly on the table should their demands continue to be kicked into the long grass.
Plenkovic attends the Council of Europe's summit in Iceland
Having experienced war and the attempt to wipe out a country and its identity just thirty years ago, the Republic of Croatia has continued to show solidarity with Ukraine in the wake of Russian aggression. The figures we see in Croatian politics may be a lot of things, but their united and unwavering support for Ukraine ever since the Russian invasion has been firm.
Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic spoke about Russian aggression against Ukraine at the recently held Council of Europe summit in Iceland. Croatia also officially signed the damage register, a legal instrument that will find ways to compensate Ukraine for the enormous amount of war damage it has suffered at the hands of the Russians, the prime minister said.
"Fundamental values are currently under attack. Freedom is under attack. Democracy is under attack. Russian aggression against Ukraine somehow woke all of us up from the peace that the whole of Europe had enjoyed for decades after the Second World War, as well as the aggression during Milosevic's regime in the countries of the former Yugoslavia, including Croatia," Plenkovic said in an address at the summit meeting of the Council of Europe, an organisation that included Russia until last year.
The heads of state and government of the Council of Europe members adopted the declaration at the end of the summit. "This declaration has one main message - that we're united around common values and that we're all united in solidarity and support for Ukraine," Plenkovic told reporters after the summit.
It's worth noting that the Republic of Croatia became a full member of the Council of Europe on November the 6th, 1996, not long after Yugoslavia collapsed and it gained its independence as a nation. At the summit, Plenkovic recalled the fact that he was part of the team that worked on Croatia's entry into the Council of Europe back in the mid 1990s.
Croatian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlic-Radman meets with his Belgian counterpart, Hadja Lahbib, in Zagreb
After having recently flown on a commercial flight to the British capital for the coronation of King Charles III earlier this month following Zoran Milanovic's trip to London being cancelled due to a government plane issue, he spent this week busy welcoming a Belgian diplomat.
His counterpart, Hadja Lahbib, made a visit to the Croatian capital this week, and they spent Monday in Zagreb touching on the importance of strengthening Croatian-Belgian bilateral relations in view of the current situation in Europe, and also discussed multiple mutual challenges such as the war in Ukraine and its ongoing negative economic consequences. The ministers emphasised the importance of maintaining contacts between Croatia and Belgium in order to progress at the EU level, as well as to jointly find solutions to current challenges such as decarbonisation. Lahbib also met with PM Andrej Plenkovic.
Since Belgium will preside over the EU Council from January next year, the pair from the spheres of Belgian and Croatian politics also talked about the Schengen area, of which Croatia became a part on the first day of this year, the suppression of illegal migration, the situation in the Western Balkans and the future of the enlargement process as well as the future of the European Union itself.
Grlic-Radman emphasised the importance of unity in decisions that will ensure "solidarity and commitment on the part of EU member states", according to the press release of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs.
The death threats made to Plenkovic and his government ministers which made headlines last week appear to have come from abroad
Most of us have complaints, but there are those who will take it a hundred steps further in their dislike for those in Croatian politics, and death threats aren't that uncommon of an issue. The powers that be within the Croatian police (MUP) recently that they are continuing to conduct a criminal investigation into the threats made against Plenkovic and numerous government ministers last week "with the aim of determining all of the circumstances and identifying those responsible.''
In the police's press release, they stated that on Friday morning, the Zagreb Police Department "received a report from an unknown person who expressed threats towards the Prime Minister and members of the Government of the Republic of Croatia".
In view of the received report, i.e. the seriousness of the threats, additional police forces were dispatched and deployed to St. Mark's Square (Markov trg). RTL Danas/Today has since learned that the threat was made by a man by phone from abroad. Government spokesman Marko Milic also confirmed earlier that the police came to the headquarters of the Croatian Government because of threats to kill the prime minister and his ministers.
Plenkovic has since touched on the issue, noting that this isn't the first time he and his government have received such threats, and that most of them don't end up getting media attention.
For more on Croatian politics, make sure to keep up with our dedicated section. A dedicated Week in Croatian Politics article is also published every Friday.
Second Edition of MUZZA Science Week Kicking off in Zagreb Today
May 19, 2023 – The second edition of MUZZA Science Week, which was a huge hit last year, is kicking off today! From May 19 to 21, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., visitors can expect 60 workshops, interesting lectures, and nine panels at this festival for young and old at pavilion 10a of the Zagreb Fair.
As Poslovni writes, the second edition of MUZZA Science Week, to the delight of children and young people, as well as adults, is taking us into the world of science from May 19 to 21, 2023, in pavilion 10a of the Zagreb Fairgrounds from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. This year's edition is titled Smart Futures and will have 40 partners present on the latest achievements in science, the future in the STEM field, and humanistic, natural, and social topics. In three days, nine panels will be held on the subject of Smart Future.
Entrance to MUZZA Science Week is free for all visitors. Science Week is a new experience for children, young people, and students. It gathers the academic and technological community and entrepreneurs; through interactive learning and networking, its visitors meet the scientists.
"We are delighted to present the best of Croatian science to the most important audience, children and young people. We believe it is essential to promote real values and emphasize education and science as pillars of an advanced society. We invite children, young people, their teachers, and parents to visit us and enjoy the fun aspects of science." - said Đurđica Protić, president of the MUZZA association.
This year's MUZZA Science Week covers all relevant topics, dividing the program into 14 areas: Looking into space, Humanities - the science of man, Superorganism, Future of robots, Future of traffic, Little scientists, Sensational science, Muzza LAB, E-LAB, Ecology and climate, Film and media literacy, Play to health, Plant and animal world and Interactive workshops.
"The Tourist Board of the City of Zagreb is happy to support MUZZA Science Week. The goal of this educational and tourist event is to promote science and bring it closer to children and young people, and this is important not only for the citizens of Zagreb but also for the guests who visit our city precisely for such events." - said Martina Bienenfeld, director of the Zagreb Tourist Board.
This year, MUZZA Science Week offers nine panels where competent participants will talk about the impact that technology has on the present and future of the global community. Based on the development so far, many processes can be predicted, so it will be interesting to hear how scientists, researchers, entrepreneurs, and educators think about the future. Some participants include university professor Bojan Jerbić from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Shipbuilding; president of the Society of Architects Zagreb Tihomil Matković; dean of the Zagreb Polytechnic Prof. dr. sc. Jana Žiljak Gršić, dean of the Faculty of Transport Sciences, associate professor, Ph.D. Marko Šoštarić; Mislav Malenica, president of the CroAI association and CEO of Mindsmiths; board president of Končar d.d. Gordan Kolak; Hrvoje Balen, CEO of Algebra and president of HUP ICT; Vjekoslav Majetić, innovator and CEO of DOK-ING; associate professor, Ph.D. Ana Sović Kržić, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing; Ph.D. Lovro Palaversa and Ph.D. Vibor Jelić from the Ruđer Bošković Institute, and many others.
Last year, more than 9,000 children and young people visited MUZZA Science Week. With a new location and a significant increase in exciting content and programs, this year's "Smart Future" is not to be missed!
More information on the MUZZA Science Week official website, as well as on their Facebook and Instagram.
The project partners include: Tourist Board of the City of Zagreb, City of Zagreb, Ministry of Science and Education, Croatian Foundation for Children, Croatian Employers' Association, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Shipbuilding, Technical Polytechnic in Zagreb, Faculty of Transport Sciences, University of Zagreb Faculty of Chemistry of Engineering and Technology, Faculty of Kinesiology Zagreb, Croatian Catholic University, Faculty of Mining, Geology and Petroleum, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture, Open University of Algebra, Faculty of Medicine in Zagreb and Croatian Institute for Brain Research, Croatian Society for Medical Biochemistry and laboratory medicine, Sveti Duh Clinical Hospital, Ruđer Bošković Institute, Ericsson Nikola Tesla, Končar, Rimac, Tesla, Croatian Museum of Natural History, Typhological Museum, I want a book, Ida Didacta, Plavi svijet, Fizika Express, Petica - play for health, Atos, Alert - full service marketing agency, Zvona Catering, CircuitMess, Robokacija, Deloitte, FINA, Erste Card Club d.o.o. and Erste&Steiermärkische Bank d.d.
For more, make sure to check out our dedicated Lifestyle section.
More Than 480 Airlines to Bring Tourists into Croatian Airports in 2023
May the 19th, 2023 - More than 480 airlines are set to bring masses of tourists into Croatian airports and then off to various destinations this year from across Europe and beyond.
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, more than 483 airlines are expected to bring passengers in and out of Croatia this summer, mostly from European countries like Germany, Great Britain, France, the Netherlands and Italy, and if it is planned and implemented, it will bring a double-digit increase in the number of air operations compared to the summer of 2022, as was reported this week by the Croatian Tourist Board (HTZ/CNTB).
Information on the expected number of unique airlines in this year's summer flight schedule was collected by HTZ from Croatian airports, where they noted that these are announcements, that is, changes are still possible as time goes on.
The director of HTZ Kristjan Stanicic emphasised the importance of air transport in connecting Croatia with the rest of Europe and indeed the world, and this is especially the case with the far south of Croatia despite Peljesac bridge having made driving that bit easier.
"Far better transport connectivity of Croatian destinations compared to last year suggests a further recovery of air transport and is great news ahead of the main, summer part of the tourist season. A large number of airlines confirms the popularity of the Republic of Croatia on the tourist map of the world and is a continuation of the positioning of Croatia as an aviation destination, well connected with many foreign airports,'' Stanicic assessed.
According to HTZ data, during the summer flight season, Croatian airports will be flooded with passengers as the plan is to have direct connections with 130 cities, or a dozen more than in last year's summer season, in 38 countries, mainly here in Europe, while connections with destinations on other continents are planned from the US market, Canada, Israel, Qatar and the UAE.
According to the announcements of the Croatian airports so far, the most air operations are expected at Split Airport, 32 percent of the total number, and at Zagreb Airport (30 percent), followed by Dubrovnik Airport (22 percent). All these lines to Croatia are planned by 57 different airlines, which is also more than last summer, when there were about 50 of them, and among them the most flights are planned by Croatia Airlines, Ryanair, Easyjet, Eurowings and Lufthansa.
HTZ added that this summer, there will be lines of both regular and low-cost or charter carriers, such as Aeroitalia, Air Connect, Braathens Airlines, Enter Air, Jettime, Peoples Viennaline and others. As a reminder, at the beginning of May, the leading European airlines reported large amounts of summer bookings, as travellers plan their summer holidays despite the ongoing crisis due to the rising cost of living and inflation.
IAG, which owns British Airways, Iberia, Vueling and Aer Lingus, said stronger-than-expected summer and winter ticket sales would drive higher profits this year than earlier estimates. Such positive assessments of that company are also in line with other major European airlines. Current expectations from Lufthansa, easyJet and Ryanair also point to strong summer bookings.
For more, make sure to check out our dedicated news section.
Valamar Enters into Long-Term Cooperation With Italian Cerea Family
May the 19th, 2023 - The well known Croatian brand Valamar is bringing more Michelin stars to Croatia thanks to their long-term cooperation with no less than the Italian Cerea family.
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, Valamar has entered into a long-term cooperation with the world-famous Italian Cerea family, the holders of as many as three Michelin stars, which will raise the international recognition of Istria and indeed the rest of the Republic of Croatia to the level of a globally recognised gastronomic tourist destination. The first act of cooperation is the opening of the restaurant Miramare by Fratelli Cerea in the Valamar Collection Isabella Resort on the island of Sveti Nikola near Porec.
This season's opening of Miramare by Fratelli Cerea will bring a new dimension to the Croatian and Istrian gastronomy scene. The Miramare by Fratelli Cerea restaurant will offer classic Mediterranean and Italian cuisine, including several signature dishes from the famous Da Vittorio restaurant crowned with the three aforementioned Michelin stars, as well as a specially created tasting menu. Valamar's cooperation with the Cerea family also includes several months of training for Valamar's chefs, restaurant managers, sommeliers and other restaurant employees in both Croatia and Italy in the Cerea family's restaurants, in which the Miramare restaurant team, as well as numerous other food and beverage specialists in Valamar, will participate.
"Enrico "Chicco" and Roberto "Bobo" Cerea are two of the most influential European chefs of today, whose Michelin stars have done a great deal for the Italian area of Bergamo, as well as for all other destinations where they've opened their restaurants. It's an exceptional honour for us to be able to collaborate with these gastronomic virtuosos again, and even greater that our employees will have the opportunity to learn their craft from them. This beginning of this cooperation is the basis for building relations with the Cerea family and joint projects of the highest level in the future,'' said Dario Kinkela, the director of the food and beverage sector within Valamar.
The Cerea family otherwise nurtures a culinary tradition spanning more than 55 years, ever since they opened their very first restaurant in Bergamo, after which they opened several more in the following years, including in St. Moritz and in China. Da Vittorio is one of the few Italian restaurants with the famous three Michelin stars and is among the most prestigious restaurants in all of Italy.
For more, check out our news section.
Croatian Infobip Shift Conference Ready for First USA Edition
May the 19th, 2023 - The Croatian Infobip Shift conference is ready for its very first edition across the pond later this month in the American city of Miami, bringing together American and European speakers.
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the Croatian Infobip Shift conference, aimed at developers, will have its very first US edition on Tuesday, May the 23rd in Miami. The Perez Museum, a recognisable landmark of Miami, will host speakers, companies and visitors who mostly come from the US, South America and Europe. With its first event on another continent, this absolute favourite Croatian developer conference will take a big step towards achieving its goal - connecting and strengthening the global developer ecosystem.
"After months of organisation, everything is finally ready for the Croatian Infobip Shift conference in Miami and I believe we have a great event ahead of us that will showcase Shift to the American developer audience in the proper way. The conference is smaller in size than the one we have here in Croatia, but its content and programme remain in line with our high standards, which is how we want to stand out on the challenging American tech scene. We've prepared an impressive list of speakers, since we want to present ourselves as being top quality and leave a real impression following the first edition, and I'm sure that we're going to achieve that on Tuesday,'' Nikola Radisic, the head of the Shift Miami project at Infobip, stated.
In addition to this gathering of developers, the goal of the Croatian Infobip Shift conference is to bring this remarkable domestic company closer to the American developer community and thereby continue to strengthen the footprint of the first Croatian unicorn across the pond over in the USA. The organisers pointed out that Miami was chosen because it's a city that is rapidly developing as a new technology centre, and they want to make Shift an annual event in Miami that will grow over time and become recognisable on the American and international tech scene.
The all-day programme of Shift in Miami will be opened by John Romero, a video game developer behind more than 180 titles, among which the most famous are Doom, Quake and Wolfenstein. Romero is also called the ''father'' of this type of video game, the so-called First Person Shooter (FPS), and when in Miami, he will share his rich experience gained during more than 30 years of work in the challenging gaming industry.
In addition to him, fifteen other speakers, developer experts from well-known technology companies, including Postman, Gitlab, Cloudlfare, Elastic and Hashicorp, will give lectures at the conference. The topics which will be discussed will cover various aspects of today's industry, including the pervasiveness of artificial intelligence (AI) and its impact on the development profession.
"The Croatian Infobip Shift conference in Europe is undoubtedly one of the most impressive conferences I've spoken at, and I believe that the same awaits us in Miami. I appreciate the fact that the organisers put a lot of effort into the quality of the speakers, topics and programmes, and such a level of invested effort is always seen and felt at the conference," said Gift Egwuenu from Cloudflare, whose technology supports more than 25 million websites, and who will be one of the speakers at the conference.
During more than a decade of being held in Europe, Shift has distinguished itself on the technology scene thanks to a strong focus on the quality of the programme that it combines with a relaxed atmosphere where developers can more easily connect with their colleagues. It will try to repeat this exact formula in Miami.
"Developers come to conferences not only to listen to lectures, many primarily come to meet other developers and companies, that is, potential clients, partners, colleagues and employers. That's why we prepared the EXPO part with the sponsor's exhibition stands, the lounge parts for meetings, and we'll end the day-long gathering with a party in the Wynwood district, the artistic heart of the city,'' concluded Radisic.
This combination of high-quality educational, business and entertainment content provided by Shift has put Croatia on the map of must-see tech destinations in Europe. In addition to Miami, the Croatian Infobip Shift conference will also be held in Zadar on September the 18th and 19th this year, and two editions in one year will further strengthen the position of this conference as an event that successfully gathers the global developer community around it.
For more, check out our news section.
Croatia Floods: Worst Seems to be Over, Situation Under Control
May 18, 2023 - The fight against the Croatia floods is ongoing, but the situation seems to be under control. During the night, it was the most difficult in Karlovac and Hrvatska Kostajnica, where a state of emergency is in effect for the rivers Korana, Kupa, and Una, said Tomislav Novosel from the Main Center for Flood Defense in Croatia.
As Index writes, prime Minister Andrej Plenković will visit Karlovac and hold a working meeting with ministers, the local community, and competent services on further activities of all components of the homeland security and civil protection system to help the population and prevent damage due to rising water levels. After the meeting, the Civil Protection Headquarters will make statements to the media and tour the surrounding areas.
The Directorate of Civil Protection announced last night that the situation in Karlovac County is serious but under control. All services are constantly on the ground, building embankments, filling additional sandbags, and distributing them to threatened areas.
The peak of the water wave was around midnight for Kupa and Korana and around 10, 11 pm for Una.
The wave in Karlovac reached 840 cm in 2 hours, the third-largest water wave since 1926. The first one was in 1939, only about 20 cm higher than this one. The Una reached 499 cm in Hrvatska Kostajnica; it is currently declining and has dropped by about 20 cm compared to midnight and its highest water wave, Novosel told Hrvatski radio.
"In the next 24 hours, we expect Kupa and Korana in Karlovac to drop by about half a meter. The weather is calming down today and tomorrow, which will help the situation to calm down on the field as well", he added.
The water level is decreasing in Hrvatska Kostajnica
The mayor of Hrvatska Kostajnica, Dalibor Bišćan, said that the water levels in the area are somewhat decreasing, but not the bypass waters, and they continue to work.
"After the extraordinary measures, there was a state of emergency caused by the high water levels, seepage through the ground, and bypass water that came into the streets, but what we successfully did in the fight itself was to reduce the water level in the streets compared to the water level in the river Una," said Bišćan for Croatian Radio.
Throughout the night, crews from volunteer firefighting companies, the Croatian Army, and subcontractors of Croatian Waters worked on replenishment, that is, monitoring the operation of the pumps themselves. At the moment, we have a slight decrease in the water level, he added.
We can say, pointed out Bišćan, "there is no tendency for these bypass waters to decrease, so we continue to work so that there is no increase again in the streets because we see that heavy rainfall causes a slight accumulation, that is, seepage, and a further inflow of water, only not from the river, but from the surrounding hills or higher terrain," said the mayor of Hrvatska Kostajnica.
He noted that he hopes the worst is over but added, "This is still half a meter higher than the situation that we can call extraordinary measures, so we have several days of fighting and maintenance ahead of us because the drop is 1 cm".
For more, make sure to check out our dedicated News section.
New Cars in Croatia Sold 3x More Often Than in the Rest of EU
May 18, 2023 - According to European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) data, 19,284 new cars in Croatia were registered in the period from January to April, which is 38.8 percent more than in the same period last year.
As Poslovni writes, car sales in the EU increased strongly again in April, and in Croatia, the growth rate was almost three times higher than the European average, according to a report by the manufacturer's association ACEA on Wednesday.
In April, 808,188 new cars were registered in 26 EU countries, excluding Malta, which is 17.2 percent more than in the same month last year, ACEA found.
In March, sales jumped by 28.8 percent, the highest since May 2021.
In the group of leading markets, the number of registered new cars in Italy and France increased the most in April, by 29.2 and 21.9 percent, respectively.
Germany also recorded a double-digit growth rate of 12.6 percent. Sales in Spain grew the most modestly, by 8.2 percent.
According to ACEA data, 6,125 new cars were registered in Croatia in April, 44 percent more than in the same month last year. In March, their number increased by 61.5 percent.
Germany remains modest
In the period from January to April, the EU passenger car market grew by 17.8 percent compared to the same period last year, with 2.5 million vehicles registered, ACEA found.
In the group of leading markets, sales in Spain rose the most in the first four months of this year, by 33.7 percent.
Italy and France follow with sales growth of 26.9 and 16.7 percent, respectively. Finally, the most modest growth was recorded by Germany, at a rate of 7.9 percent, still modest compared to the rest of the 'four.'
According to ACEA data, 19,284 new cars were registered in Croatia in the period from January to April, 38.8 percent more than in the same period last year.
For more, make sure to check out our dedicated News section.
Osijek Mosquitoes Problem to be Approached Systematically
May 18, 2023 - As the regional center of Slavonia and Baranja, Osijek is known for its history, culture, being the greenest city in Croatia, and other interesting things. Among them, unfortunately, the Osijek mosquitoes. So much so that there are statues and artwork dedicated to the little flying nuisances, festivals that have one as their logo, and even an enclosure in the bushes of the city zoo with their name. Summers in Osijek are equally fun and itchy.
This year, the city of Osijek will, for the first time, approach its mosquito problem from a wider angle by including the area of several neighboring municipalities from whose floodplains the mosquitoes come to the city. As announced by the City Administration, they expect that a more systematic approach will gradually reduce the mosquito population.
Deputy Mayor Dragan Vulin said at a press conference that for the first time since Croatian independence, the city of Osijek reached an agreement on the financing of larvicidal treatments in the area of the surrounding municipalities of Petrijevci, Darda, Bilje, and Erdut, where the largest floodplains from which mosquitoes come to the city can be found, writes Index.
Research has shown that 95 percent of mosquitoes in Osijek come from those flood areas, so the city has taken on the obligation to finance and carry out the treatment to prevent the emergence of mosquitoes in those areas, explained Vulin.
The city will finance the larvicidal treatments in total, and in addition, Vulin points out, it was agreed with the municipal authorities that 90 percent of the amount will be co-financed from the Osijek city budget for corrective adulticidal mosquito treatments, intended for mosquitoes that survive the larvicidal treatment, while the municipalities will provide the remaining 10 percent.
Planes will dust over the residential areas
Given that larvicidal treatments are not fully effective anywhere in the world, Vulin announced that Osijek would also carry out adulticidal treatments from the ground and the air in the city, and the first treatments are scheduled for this Thursday and Friday. He noted that the City Administration is having discussions with the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development regarding obtaining a permit for the larvicidal treatment of the peripheral areas of the Kopački rit Nature Park, as a large number of mosquitoes come to Osijek from the park's southern parts.
Vulin reported that 700,000 euros have been provided in the city budget for mosquito control this year, while the Osijek-Baranja County will participate in financing with an additional 200,000 euros.
When the funds allocated by individual municipalities are added, it amounts to more than 1.1 million euros. In addition, the City of Osijek expects help from the government, from which Mayor Ivan Radić requested funds.
Vulin believes that more than 1.5 million euros will be available for the fight against mosquitoes this year, which is more than in the past few years.
Regarding the agreement with the surrounding municipalities, Vulin says that they wanted to fight mosquitoes outside the city, which will also help municipalities that cannot provide enough funds for an effective fight against mosquitoes. This does not mean that there will be no mosquitoes at all, but it is certain that with this systematic approach, the mosquito population will decrease this year and in the following years, Deputy Mayor Vulin said.
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TZV Gredelj Completing 'De Luxe' Night Carriages for Siemens Mobility
May the 18th, 2023 - TZV Gredelj (Zagrebacka tvornica zeljeznickih vozila Gredelj) is completing a set of so-called de luxe night carriages for the transport of passengers across Europe.
As Poslovni Dnevnik/Suzana Varosanec writes, TZV Gredelj boasts a tradition spanning longer than 120 years in the provision of services for the production and repair of railway vehicles, and it has now seemingly having recovered following the introduction of a new ownership structure. TZV Gredelj got itself out of somewhat troubled waters and is now performing beyond successfully with all of its international competition, and in April this year, it began cooperation on night train carriages Siemens Mobility, which is one of the absolute global leaders in the railway industry.
As such, with Siemens Mobility as its customer, TZV Gredelj will ensure the final completion of 35 carriages for night trains, and as they say, this represents highest level of quality intended for passenger transport across Europe.
"Approximately seventy production workers, logisticians, technologists and engineers will be employed. The project began in April and the completion of the first part is planned for the end of 2023, with the possibility of further continuation of other selected projects", they stated from TZV Gredelj. According to the President of the Management Board of TZV Gredelj Ivan Petricek, the expert teams from both Siemens Mobility and TZV Gredelj are actively cooperating on their first project together.
"We expect for this cooperation to bring us not only new business opportunities, but also significant orders from the rest of the railway industry and the strengthening of our position on the market of railway vehicles,'' stated Petricek. As for this new job which is significant business for a customer like Siemens Mobility, they pointed out that several months of negotiations resulted in the eventual signing of a cooperation agreement, which made Croatia's TZV Gredelj a success among its international competitors.
The first eight such wagons were taken over at the Resnik freight station on April the 20th, 2023. After their delivery to the production facility of TZV Gredelj, a technical inspection of the condition and preparation for the execution of the contracted works began according to the previously agreed schedule.
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