Monday, 14th lipnja 2010
Beer sellers lament Croatia´s absence from World Cup
Beer sales in Croatia are likely to suffer during the World Cup since the national team isn't playing.
Statistics show that Croatians drank around 10,000 hectolitres of beer during national team games. That statistic is changing, to the disappointment of the sellers and the state that will lose, experts say, around one billion kunas (138 million Euros).
Last year, during the hottest summer months, beer sales fell 10 per cent. Even during the European championship when Croatia did play, there was a disappointing rise of sales by only two per cent.
The only business segment related to the World Cup that can expect a record result in the entire of Europe, and in Croatia, are the betting shops, the Croatian daily Jutarnji List writes.
Croatia's biggest betting venue SuperSport expects the number of bets to increase by 20 to 30 per cent while the World Cup is on. Other shops expect similar results.
According to data from the Ministry of Finance, betting shops receive some 420 million kunas (58 million Euros) of bets per month, which means they can expect around 550 million kunas (76 million Euros). croatiantimes.com
Monday, 14th lipnja 2010
Croatian firms visit China
Two Croatian firms Luka Rijeka (Port of Rijeka) and Jadranska Vrata (Adriatic Gate) made a joint presentation at the Chinese fair Transport logistic China that took place between 8 and 10 June in Shanghai.
The presentation entitled Croatian Port - Port of Rijeka/ Central European connection for best logistics network aimed to inform the company's business partners of the developments of projects that are expected to propel the port to the position of one of the largest container terminals in the Adriatic.
Transport Logistic China is an international fair for logistics and transportation started in 2004 as the extension of the European fair Transport Logistic Munich to China and other Asian countries. Some 431 exhibitors from 46 countries presented at the fair, the Croatian portal Business writes.
croatiantimes.com
Monday, 31st May, 2010
Croatian marketing campaign in Serbia may fall short of desired 100,000 visitors Croatia has launched a marketing campaign worth 234,000 Euros in Serbia in a hope to attract 100,000 visitors this year.
With its "tourism attack" of billboards and TV commercials, Croatia is beating all its competitors. Greece, Turkey, Montenegro and Tunisia have been overshadowed by the Croatian campaign. The only potential marketing competitor is Serbia itself which is planning on launching its own domestic campaign "My Country, my travels."
Croatian Minister of Tourism Damir Bajs hopes to bring 100,000 Serbian tourists to Croatia, 30,000 more than the last year.
But Croatian hotels may be losing the battle to historically lower prices in Greece, Turkey or Tunisia. Another difficulty is that purchasing power in Serbia has fallen recently.
Greece is expected to further lower its prices because of the depth of the crisis. On the other hand, Montenegro offers seven days in private accommodation and a return train ticket for only 99 Euros. For those for whom money is not a problem, new destinations such as Italy and Spain have been opened with the elimination of visa requirements for Serbia.
Aleskandar Susa from National Tourism Organization of Serbia said that while the campaign is likely to attract more Serbian tourists, the goal of 100,000 sounds too ambitions. "Croatia's offer is based on hotels. And from here, an all-inclusive hotel in Turkey, with aqua park costs 25 Euros per day."
"Such offers cannot be found on the Croatian coast under 80 or 90 Euros."
Nebojska Stikic, product manager from Jolly Travel agency in Belgrade says that they have been receiving inquires, but that so far sales equal to last year's demand when there was no big marketing campaign.
"The most popular places are Istria and Kvarner. Most often it is the couples that are inquiring, or groups of two or three, while families with children are hesitating."
"But this market is unpredictable," he added. "Serbians decide at the last minute, so in the end we might be surprised by the numbers," he said. croatiantimes.com
Friday, 28th May, 2010
Apartment prices in Dubrovnik jump 8.4 per cent in May
Dubrovnik is the only city to register a significant increase in apartment prices, according to the latest research by real estate portal Crozilla.com.
For one square metre in Dubrovnik, a buyer would have to pay 3,597 Euros on average in May, which is an 8.4 per cent increase on the previous month.
None of the other Croatian cities registered such a sharp increase. In Split, the prices went up by 2.5 per cent to 2,180 Euros. In Rijeka, only 0.5 per cent growth was noted (1,709 Euros).
The biggest decrease was registered in Osijek with 4.5 per cent, where the prices fell from 1,075 Euros on average to 1,027 Euros. In Zadar in May the average price was 1,671 Euros which is 20 Euros less than the actual price in April.
A small decrease of 0.8 per cent was also noted in Pula, where a square metre costs 1,470 Euros, the Croatian business portal Poslovni Dnevnik writes.
Zagreb is also slowly losing on value, with the average prices for May at 1,864 Euros, a difference of 0.7 per cent from previous months.
croatiantimes.com
 Wednesday, 26th May 2010.
NEW BOOK
Croatians of Chicagoland
autor:Maria Dugandzic-Pasic
Book Description:
Chicago was once known as the "Second Croatian Capital." Lured by economic, political, and social freedoms, Croatians, like other immigrants, came to Chicago in search of the American dream. The first documented groups settled mainly in Pilsen, Bridgeport, and the South Side in the late 1800s. By the turn of the century, these immigrants toiled in Chicago's steel mills, meatpacking plants, and construction sites.
more
Tuesday, 25th May, 2010.
Nobel Prize winner Harald zur Hausen lectures in Split
Nobel Prize winner Harald zur Hausen will give a lecture at the Split Faculty of Economics entitled: "The search for viruses - cause of the malignant tumour" on 25 and 26 May in Split.
Harald zur Hausen is a German virologist who has done research on cancer of the cervix, where he discovered the role of papilloma viruses, for which he received the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine 2008.
His lecture is part of the project NobelST, which the City of Split is putting together in co-operation with Medils, Split International Centre of Excellence for Scientific Research and Education.
The project NobelST should bring Nobel Prize winners as lecturers to Split. Also it should be seen as Split promotion.
The lecture is open to the public and will be held tomorrow (Tues) at 6 pm.
Harald zur Hausen's host and moderator will be well known Croatian scientist Ivan Djikic.
croatiantimes.com
Tuesday, 25th May, 2010.
Croatian air race starts
The 1st "Croatian air race" will be held from 29 -31 May in the skies above the south island of Brac.
The air spectacle will be held to mark 100 years of aviation in Croatia.
The main organisers are air traffic controller Ivan Simic and professional pilot Ivan Jaklenec.
Their aim is to present aviation as a profession, sport and way of living.
The first Croatian air race will feature more than 40 planes and even more pilots from Croatia and abroad.
The audience will also have chance to meet pilots and to learn more about planes.
croatiantimes.com
 Tuesday, 18th May, 2010
THE YEAR WAS 1903
Notes from the history of Croatians in Chicago
Introductory note
Croatians in the homeland and around the world quite often sing:
It was the year nine hundred and three,
When trouble befell our Croatia.
Hedervary raised the Hungarian flags
Trying to forcefully Magyarize Croatia.
Rise, oh ban, Croatia calls you, calls you,
Rise, oh ban Jelačić!
The above lyrics are an expression of a resistance to the oppressive rule of the infamous Ban Khuen in Croatia which culminated in 1903. In response to people's protests against the on going Magaryzation, Khuen introduced a wave of bloody terror that was heard around the world. Chicago Croatians held a mass-meeting on May 21, 1903 in order to protest the use of terror in their homeland, to express their support for the people in Croatia, and to collect money for the victims. The local Czech paper Denni Hlasatel/Daily Herald published the following report a few days after the meeting
Friday, 14th may, 2010
Slovenia catching up with Croatia in tourism competitiveness
Slovenia has jumped nine places in tourism competitiveness in the last two years to 35, coming just behind Croatia.
Croatia meanwhile climbed only four places, according to the latest research by World Economic Forum that looks at prices and offers in the travel and tourism sector.
Croatian daily Jutarnji List reports that Croatia's 34th place is admirable given that the research covered 133 countries from around the world. But considering that the first three places have been held for years by Switzerland, Austria and Germany - countries that do not have a sea - the situation is worrisome, the paper says.
Hungary, which has neither sea nor mountains like Austria and Switzerland, is only three places below Croatia.
Tourism forms 12 percent of Slovenia's GDP, a negligible 0.5 percent less than in Croatia. Numbers suggest that Croatia's offers must match the prices (or vice versa) if the country is to keep its old guests and attract new.
The Tourism Competitiveness Index measures success of certain countries in the travel and tourism sector. It is divided into three categories that take into consideration legislative regulations, environment for business development and the quality of human resources together with the wealth of cultural and national assets.
"The Index is not based on beauty competition nor is it a mirror of attractiveness of certain countries. The goal is to measure the factors that encourage development of travel and tourism industries in certain countries," said Jennifer Blanke, economist at the World Economic Forum.
Croatia was rated well in terms of tourism infrastructure, but the report mentions a lack of professional personnel and air traffic connections.
The biggest criticism came in terms of price competitiveness. More simply, prices are too high for the quality of offers.
"In turbulent times of global economic crisis, tourists will become even more cautious about planning their expenses and choosing destinations. Because of that Croatia must work harder on the price competitiveness of tourism offers in order to keep the old and attract new guests" the National Competitiveness Council said.
Some of Croatia's direct rivals like Cyprus have climbed three places since last year to 21st and Montenegro is up to 52nd from 59th place last year.
The ten highest-rated destinations are Switzerland, Austria, Germany, France, Canada, Spain, Sweden, United States, Australia and Singapore.
croatiantimes.com
Wednesday, 12th May, 2010
Australian police arrests "Captain Dragan"
Australian Federal Police (AFP) have arrested suspected war criminal Dragan Vasiljkovic.
Better known as Captain Dragan, the 55-year-old wanted for war crimes committed during the war of Independence in the 1990s was arrested in an undisclosed location.
In March Vasiljkovic - who was living in Australia under the name Daniel Sneddan - disappeared after the Australian High Court ruled he should be extradited to Croatia.
The AFP said today he had been arrested thanks to collaboration with Dutch police who sent them some key information which helped locate him.
croatiantimes.com
Wednesday, 12th May, 2010
Croatian tourism growing
Germans are the biggest spenders when it comes to travel with 63.7 billion Euros spent around the world and 1.5 billion in Croatia.
Close to 23 percent of Croatia's visitors are Germans.
In terms of their travels around the world, Germans are closely followed by Americans, British and Chinese, the World Tourism Organisation (WTO) said.
The WTO said it had also noticed a slight recovery in the market during the last quarter of 2009 when there was a two percent increase registered after 14 months of continuous fall. It expects three to four percent growth this year.
The demand for Croatian tourist destinations is good in various foreign markets, said experts at the CROTour 2010 tourism fair held last April in Zagreb. They said they expect at least as many if not more visitors than last year. croatiantimes.com
Friday, 7th May, 2010
138 million Euros "change" for taxpayers after reforms, Minister says
New tax reforms will mean one billion kunas (138 million Euros) back into taxpayers' pockets, the Minister of Finance Ivan Suker said today (Thu).
The tax relief will amount to approximately 1.5 billion kunas (207 million Euros) after new tax brackets and corresponding rates are introduced. But the elimination of certain tax privileges will take an additional 500,000 kunas (69,000 Euros), leaving a difference of 138 million Euros of savings for taxpayers.
At today's press conference Suker said the government was satisfied with budget activities, especially for April when revenue and expenditures were equal.
He added that the tax revenue fell by only 0.3 percent in the first four months of the year.
"The things are clearer now after four months, and that is why we were against budget rebalance two months ago," Suker said.
But expenditures rose, with pensions being the main reason behind the increase, the Croatian daily Jutarnji List writes. The government spent 350 million kunas (48.2 million Euros) more on pensions this year than for the same period in 2009.croatiantimes.com
Tuesday, 4th May, 2010
Prime minister wants harsher punishments for rowdy fans
Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor announced today (Mon) that she wanted harsher punishments for people who engaged in disturbances at sporting events.
She was reacting to an outbreak of violence during Saturday's soccer game in Zagreb during which a policeman lost an eye.
Kosor said that she wanted longer prison sentences, currently capped at 60 days, and higher fines.
"I am interested in the human rights of the policeman who was left without an eye and of all others who were in the stadium," she added.
The policeman, Kristijan Trokter, 33, was injured when a fan of Zagreb's team Dinamo threw a firecracker under his visor during a violent skirmish with fans of rival Hajduk Split.
Trokter lost an eye, and his hearing was badly damaged. "I have gone through a lot in the 14 years that I have been working as a policeman, but that was war," he told the Croatian daily Jutarnji List. croatiantimes.com
Friday, 30th April, 2010
Croatia and Serbia to sign military cooperation agreement
Croatian and Serbian military officers could start participating in educational exchanges if a bilateral agreement is signed by the end of the year as planned.
The agreement would also outline the cooperation in the area of security politics, defence planning, military science, training and medicine among others. It would not include the exchange of security information. The Croatian Ministry of Defence (MORH) says, however, that such cooperation has not been ruled out for the future.
The agreement is expected to ease up the entry onto Serbian markets of Croatian manufacturers of weapons and other military equipment.
At a recent military fair in Bucharest, Romania, Serbian military representatives expressed interest in uniforms produced by the Croatian company "Kroko" for Croatian and Montenegrin soldiers. They also liked the helmets made by another Croatian company "Sestan-Bush" and had said that both will most likely be invited to participate in a public tender.
The two countries have been negotiating the agreement for over a year, but the process has been delayed since Croatia's recognition of the independence of Kosovo, the Croatian daily Jutarnji List writes.
Even without the official agreement the technical cooperation has existed for years, MORH sources say. croatiantimes.com
Friday, 30th April, 2010
President addresses nation for Labour Day
Workers are the biggest victims of bad economic politics that encouraged borrowing and spending instead of savings and production, the Croatian President Ivo Josipovic said to the nation in his Labour Day greeting today (Thu).
Josipovic said that the Croatians are marking this year's holiday "with pride, but also with worry, aware of the difficult state of the economy that endangers jobs, a decent standard of living and the prosperity of the entire society."
He warned about the daily violations of rights of those who continue working for little or no pay. The basic duty of every country is to ensure that everyone has a job and a fair salary, the President said.
"Unfortunately in this time of crisis we are further from that goal." He added that the burden of getting the country out of the crisis must be borne equally by all levels of the society.
The president ended his Labour Day greeting by thanking those who "with their dedication to their work are investing in the good of their families, the public good and in the development of our homeland."
croatiantimes.com
Tuesday, 27th April, 2010
Sisak-Moslavina County to subsidise medicinal herbs
Sisak-Moslavina County in central Croatia will subsidise the cultivation of medicinal herbs in order to make the region's farmers more competitive.
There is a large potential for cultivation of these plants in certain parts of the country where conventional agriculture has not developed. Sisak-Moslavina County is such a region, which has ensured 14,000 Euros of government money for new plantations.
Zoran Vasic the head of the County's agricultural department said that the subsidies are meant to make the local producers more competitive. "Imported and refined camomile from Egypt is less expensive than the camomile here, so we decided to help the farmers growing medicinal herbs rise to their competitors."
For every new hectare dedicated to medicinal plant production the County will give 5,000 kunas (688 Euros) plus 2,000 kunas (275 kunas) of subsidies. That could double the current surface.
There is also a big interest on the part of the food industry in horseradish. No one in the region is currently producing it, so a part of the subsidies could go towards stimulating its cultivation.
Last year Croatia imported 750 tons of medicinal herbs out of which many could (or already do) grow in Croatia. Although statistics do not register the exact species imported, the experts say that Croatia buys everything from stinging nettle that grows in the wild, to lemon balm, mint and lavender that thrives in Dalmatia and has proven successful in other areas as well.
For companies that use these herbs it is often more cost effective to import than organise production within the country as this is, in addition to being expensive, also strictly regulated because of EU standards that forbid pesticide use.
Croatia exported six million Euros worth of medicinal herbs last year. Camomile formed 80 percent of those exports with Germany and Italy being Croatia's main buyers. The value of just the camomile exports was 5.3 million Euros. croatiantimes.com
Friday, 23rd April, 2010
Croatian delegation to attend World Bank Spring Meeting in Washington D.C.
The Croatian delegation led by Minister of Finance Ivan Suker and the Governor of Croatian National Bank Zeljko Rohatinski will be heading to Washington D.C. from April 23rd until the 25th for the World Bank and IMF Spring Meeting.
They are expected to discuss Croatia's current projects as well as future steps regarding preparation and approval of new projects, including the Bank's support for economic development of Croatia and financing of activities needed for EU accession.
The current macroeconomic situation in Croatia will be another one of the topics, as well as the measures Croatia is undertaking amidst the global economic crisis, the Croatian daily Vecernji List reports.
croatiantimes.com
Friday, 23rd April, 2010
Government abolishes toll privileges for handicapped
The Croatian government has abolished toll privileges for some 24,334 disabled persons who until today (Thu) were able to use the roads without paying the toll fees.
It hopes to save 30 million kunas (4.1 million Euros) by implementing this measure.
The Minister of Transport Bozidar Kalmeta explained that the war veterans and the disabled must pay the fees until "better economic times" arrive, Croatian daily Jutarnji List reports. croatiantimes.com
Tuesday,20th April 2010.
Davor Suker to Hold "Mini-Clinic for Charity" in NYC
The Croatian American Charitable Foundation (CACF) announced today that Davor Suker will be holding a "Mini Clinic for Charity" on Saturday, May 15th 2010 at the New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) campus in Old Westbury, Long Island from 10am-1pm.
The clinic will be for children between the ages of 9-14 and all proceeds will benefit the CACF and its ongoing battle for removing mines in Croatia.
The Davor Suker Soccer Academy ( www.sukeracademy.com ) was established at the end of Mr. Suker playing career with training camps in Zagreb, Croatia and other cities around the world. Over the past 4 years, Mr. Suker has held camps in the US (New York), Canada (Calgary & Toronto), Austria, Switzerland, Croatia and Bosnia & Hercegovina.
In November 2003, to celebrate UEFA's Jubilee, Šuker was selected as the Golden Player of Croatia by the Croatian Footall Federation as their most outstanding player of the past 50 years. In March 2004, he was named by Pelé as one of the 125 greatest living footballers and was the only Croatian player to be added to the list. After the 2002 World Cup, he retired from international football and went on to be a icon for many children around the world, but mostly in Croatia where he was seen as national hero. Šuker won a total of 71 international caps during his professional career, 2 for Yugoslavia and 69 for Croatia, and scored a total of 46 international goals. With 69 international caps, he is currently only the third most-capped player in the Croatian national team, but his goalscoring record of 45 goals for the team will probably remain unbeaten for decades, since the nearest followers have all scored less than 30 goals.
For further information or to reserve space, please contact Zvone Antolos at (212) 904-0422 or David Rosini at (917) 912-1621 or visit the CACF website at www.croatiancharities.com .HIC-portal
Wednesday, 14th April, 2010
Tight security for Josipovic - Tadic meeting on Friday
Death threats will mean security forces are on high alert this Friday when Croatian President Ivo Josipovic meets Serbian head of state Boris Tadic in Hungary.
The security boost comes after Tadic and other members of his government received death threats from a drug cartel led by Darko Saric.
The threats have been taken very seriously in Serbia and a source quoted by the Croatian daily Vecernji List said security in Hungary will be high for both presidents.
"There can't be two bodyguards for one president and four for the other. It shouldn't be forgotten also that Croatia and Serbia cooperate very closely in the fight against organized crime.
"Both leaders are determined to put an end to this and that on its own provokes the underground criminal networks," he told Vecernji List.
The presidents will meet the Hungarian head of state Laszlo Solyom to talk about preservation of the Danube river. They will then continue to Vojvodina region in Serbia where Josipovic is expected to speak with its Croatian national minority. (croatiantimes.com)
Thursday, 8th April 2010
Austrian dancing stars teach tourists in Croatia
Stars from the Austrian version of Dance With Stars will teach tourists in Croatian tourist resorts.
Valamar tourism group says guests at three Valamar-owned hotels in Porec and Rabac will now be able to dance with Latino dance world champions Alice Guschelbauer and Balazs Ekker.
"By adding this opportunity we wanted to show that guests know how to recognize 'value for money," Valamar's board member Zrinko Kamber said. (croatiantimes.com)
Tuesday, 6th April, 2010
Low demand for pandemic flu vaccines
Only 20,000 doses of pandemic flu vaccines have been used in Croatia, out of 340,000 ordered.
Due to low demand, the Minister of Health Darko Milinovic cancelled the additional 1,5 million doses on order. 300,000 doses remain in storage at the Immunology Institute in Zagreb and are likely to be destroyed since they expire in August.
But contrary to expert's expectations, the public interest in seasonal flu vaccines was much higher this year, with 13 percent of the population getting the shots. 600,000 doses of the vaccine were bought in record time, the Croatian daily Vecernji List has reported.
Only this year the seasonal flu seems to have skipped Croatia.
"This is truly absurd and upside down! Thirty times more people received protection from a flu that did not even come than from the pandemic flu from which some patients were dying on respirators," said epidemiologist Dr. Bernard Kaic. (croatiantimes.com)
Tuesday, 6th April, 2010
Croatians happy despite the crisis, research shows
The first Croatian National Index of Happiness results show that Croatians still believe they have reasons to be happy and satisfied despite the crisis and growing unemployment.
Magazin Banka, Hendal market research agency and Allianz Zagreb insurance company conducted the research which measures the physical and emotional health of the population. With 63,8 points (out of 100), Croatia is in the "positive."
The research will be repeated on the monthly basis and will show a different picture of economic activity and economic politics, independent of the GDP.
"GDP is an economic term that does not say anything about life quality and the development of society," Banka Magazine writes.(croatiantimes.com)
Thursday, 1st April, 2010
Two Croats saved after ship sinks
Two Croats were rescued from a cargo ship that sank on Tuesday off the coast of La Coruna, Spain.
Twenty-two of 24 crew members were saved after the ship had sunk in bad weather. Two people are still missing.
The "Kea" was sailing from St. Petersburg to Santa Marta, Colombia. Most of the crew members were Philippino, with a few Russians, Latvians and Ghanaians and two Croatians, the captain and an electrician.
Rescue services are continuing to look for the missing despite bad weather, the Croatian daily Jutarnji List has reported.(croatiantimes.com)
Tuesday, 30th March 2010
Former minister Polancec is under arrest
Damir Polancec, a former Croatian Minister of Economy and MP, was arrested for possible criminal acts at Podravka food company today (Tues).
Polancec's attorney Ante Nobilo said Polancec was suspected of misuse of his position at the firm, where he was a director and board member.
Police raided and searched Polancec's home in Koprivnica early this morning and took him to the anti-corruption agency (USKOK) office in Zagreb. Police also searched Polancec's apartment in Zagreb.
He resigned as economy minister in October 2009. (croatiantimes.com)
Friday, 26th March, 2010
Dubrovnik to host Mediterranean Fair of Healthy Food and Medicinal Herbs
The seventh Mediterranean Fair of Healthy Food and Medicinal Herbs will take place from 9 to 11 April in Dubrovnik.
The fair will feature educational round-tables, lectures, presentations, and cultural, entertainment and culinary events.
There will be around 300 participants interested in improving health and the quality of life and protecting the environment.
The second Days of Honey in Dubrovnik-Neretva County featuring a tasting of 69 different brands of honey will occur together with the fair.
It will also promote Croatian products with "Originally Croatian" and "Croatian Quality" recognition.
Besides food products and medicinal herbs, the fair will feature electric and hybrid cars, eco-furniture, clothes made of natural materials and souvenirs.
(croatiantimes.com)
Friday, 26th March, 2010
Croatia to begin Euro 2012 qualification play against Latvia
Croatia will begin Euro 2012 qualification play against Latvia on 3 September 2010.
It will also end it by hosting the same team on 11 October 2011.
Sports analysts say that Croatian footballers did not have the luckiest of draws because they will play one of their toughest competitors, Greece, soon after their difficult opening match and a home game against Israel.
Croatia is part of Group F that includes Israel, Greece, Malta, Georgia, and Latvia. (croatiantimes.com)
Friday, 26th March, 2010
Croatia Boat Show to bring world yacht names to Split
The 12th Croatia Boat Show will take place from 10 to 18 April in Split.
The well-known Croatian nautical fair is a stage for the local and international nautical industry from yacht builders to engine and equipment producers, as well as companies offering various complementary goods and services to lovers of the sea and sailing.
This year, the fair will also features more car industry representatives because the Zagreb Auto Show 2010, an international fair for automobiles, motorcycles and supporting industries, has been cancelled because of the extremely-bad situation in the auto market.
The organizer said the show stars would be motor yachts longer than 15 metres, especially the 35- metre-long Elegance 115.
Two motor yachts, the Princess - V 56 and V 78, the Greenline 33 hybrid will make their premier appearances.
In response to the economic crisis, the fair organizer, the firm Profectus, will allow all domestic shipbuilders free exhibition of one of their vessels.
Croatian exhibitors that will take part will include AD Brodovi, Damor, Bravo Makarska, Grginic yacht, Donat Boats and Terra Nauta, among others.
(croatiantimes.com)
Wednesday, 24th March 2010.
Croatia Airlines to offer direct Zagrab-Athens flights
Croatia Airlines will begin direct flights between Zagreb and Athens this summer.
The flights will start on 1 June and occur three times a week, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. The price of a round-trip ticket will be 134 Euros, including fees and taxes.
The Privredni vjesnik website has reported that the flights will be on Airbus A319 and A320 aircraft with 132 and 162 seats, respectively.croatiantimes.com
Wednesday, 24th March 2010.
Association´s gold and silver sold to Austrian company
The Alkar Knight Association in Sinj has sold its gold and silver for 3.3 million kunas or 455,000 Euros to Austrian firm H. D. Rauch GmbH in Vienna.
The Austrian company took part in a public tender announced by Sinj association to raise money for construction of its building "Alkarski dvori" (Alkar Castle).
The association sold 18.5 kilos of gold and 152,425 kilos of silver to the Austrian company.
The daily Slobodna Dalmacija has reported that the gold and silver will be sent by plane to Vienna at the end of this week or next week.
(croatiantimes.com)
Tuesday, 23rd March, 2010
THE SECOND CROATIAN CONGRESS ON RURAL TOURISM
"The Concept of Long-Term Development of Rural Tourism"
Mali Lošinj, Aurora Hotel****, 21 - 25 April 2010
The functional and organised development of rural tourism in the Republic of Croatia started in 1996. The foundation for such a development was the adoption of the Book of Rules for Providing Catering Services on Family Farms in the same year, which created the framework and legal regulations for this type of tourism.
In ten years that followed, rural tourism became one of the most recognisable forms of tourist service. Its significance was particularly evident in the complexity of its services as well as in the development of rural areas, that is, the implementation of tourism in areas where it had not been present before.
The value of rural tourism lies primarily in the importance of interactions between agricultural production, traditional products, and presentation of tradition, traditional cuisine and tourist services, or rather in the exploitation of the existing resources. The development of rural tourism is based on sustainable development, which is implemented through revitalisation of the existing traditional buildings, that is, heritage, which is being given the new purpose - the tourist one. In times when many speak of, write about, and discuss the upper limits of constructing tourist facilities, and when there is a lot of area-related pressure on the same subject, rural tourism offers a completely different approach to area unification, restoration and organisation. Rural tourism need not construct new facilities. On the contrary, it is challenged to utilise the existing buildings the best it can, at the same time meeting high quality standards.
Stakeholders in the process of development of rural tourism have been meeting numerous difficulties in administrative, bureaucratic, organizational, financial and other areas.
The difficulties can also be recognized in the completely undefined category of rural tourism as an activity, followed by a significant number of rules and regulations that are obstructing prosperity growth and substantial investment cycles in this sector.
For all the above-mentioned reasons, there was a great necessity for the organisation of the First Croatian Congress on Rural Tourism, which was held on the Island of Hvar in October 2007. In a scientific and expert manner, it summarised all the activities existing at the time, recognised all difficulties, and set new challenges through practical implementation conclusions thus offering the satisfying framework and simplified procedures for further development. The Conclusions to the First Congress contributed to the solution of various presumptions and enhanced the cooperation at all relevant levels. The Declaration on Rural Tourism was signed in April 2008. In the same year, the three committees of the Croatian Parliament (the Committee for Reconstruction and Development, the Committee for Tourism, and the Committee for Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Development) held a session in June entitled Current state, prospects, presumptions, and guidelines for rural development in the Republic of Croatia. The cooperation with relevant authorities in tourism, agriculture, regional development, culture, and economy, as well as with regional and local self-governing units and various institutions has intensified thus leading to the common goal, which is the Strategy for the Development of Rural Tourism.
By all means, it is necessary to take into consideration a great challenge imposed on family farms and entrepreneurs involved in rural tourism. It lies in the process of European integration and harmonization with the standards of the European Community.
On the basis of all that has been said, and the conclusions to the first congress, we have started organizing the second international congress on rural tourism, which is going to be held on 21 - 25 April 2010. The intention of introductory speeches, specialised topics, examples of the good practices and the roundtable Towards the Strategy for the Development of Rural Tourism is to join forces and make the first giant step forward. Foreign institutions and European Union experts have also been invited to the Congress.
The Congress is open to all who are directly or indirectly involved in rural tourism: stakeholders, family farm owners, existing and future entrepreneurs, professional associations, cooperatives, and other associations, relevant national authorities, regional and local self-governing units, tourist boards, international, scientific and expert institutions.
With all your help you can give, we hope to organise a high quality and useful Congress that will for the second time gather all relevant stakeholders that have something to say about rural tourism, and offer new guidelines in faster and easier development and business practice.
ORGANISERS:
Hrvatski farmer d.d.
Ruralis - a consortium for the development of agro-tourism and rural tourism of Istria
Klub članova "Selo" - the professional association (Member Club "Village")
Friday, 19th March 2010
President wants leaks about his security stopped
Croatian President Ivo Josipovic has asked for an investigation of who has been illegally disclosing information about Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor's and his security measures.
Josipovic disclosed the news in an interview on Croatian national television on wednesday.
The president said such reports could endanger the prime minister, himself and their families.
The Croatian media have reported that Josipovic has reduced his security and has less than former President Stjepan Mesic had.
Josipovic said he had only reduced the number of members of his security team to the allowed minimum, the same as many other senior European highly officials had done.(croatiantimes.com)
Friday, 19th March 2010
Cervar to remain Croatian national handball team coach until 2012
Croatian national handball team coach Lino Cervar will remain in his position until 2012.
Croatian Handball Federation (HRS) management made the decision at its regular meeting yesterday (Thurs).
Cervar will be Croatian national handball team coach until the end of the London Olympic Games.
HRS head Sandi Sola said a contract would be signed soon as both parties had agreed on the details. Sola refused to talk about Cervar's compensation.
Cervar's current contract expires on 31 July.
(croatiantimes.com)
Tuesday, 16th March, 2010
HUMANITARIAN ACTION
Collecting funds for the purchase of an endoscope to Mostar Clinic in Bijeli Brijeg, Mostar
Croatian Woman- Branch 1, Chicago, a charity organization, in cooperation with all Croatian parishes in Chicago, has undertaken a fundraising drive for purchasing of the much needed endoscope/bronchioscope/colonoscope equipment for the pediatric department at Mostar Clinic, Bijeli Brijeg, Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. (more)
 Monday, 15th March 2010
Croatian minister to visit Syria
Croatian Minister of Economy, Labour and Entrepreneurship Djuro Popijac will visit Syria from 13 to 16 March, the ministry announced on Friday.
Popijac will be received by Syrian Minister of Economy and Trade Lamia Assi and meet several other high-ranking officials during his visit.
Possible topics for discussion include enhancement of economic cooperation between the two countries, especially in the energy sector, and tourism. The Croatian minister will also discuss investment opportunities and possibilities for Croatian firms to participate in infrastructure projects in Syria.
With his Syrian counterparts, Popijac will share Croatia's experience in development of small- and medium-sized enterprises and public-private partnerships. Together with Syrian Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Dardari, he will open the Syria-Croatia economic forum at which some 30 Croatian companies will be present.
The Croatian ministry said that Croatian businessmen would have an opportunity to exchange their experiences and knowledge with their Syrian colleagues at the forum and added that one of the reasons for the visit was the strengthening of cooperation between Croatian and Syrian firms.
Just last year, trade between the two countries amounted to 28 million Euros, a 173 percent increase from the previous year. Croatia's exports rose by 212 percent from 2008 to 27,2 million euros. Imports from Syria, however, shrank by 48 percent to only 800,000 Euros, Croatian business portal Busines.hr has reported.
(croatiantimes.com)
Friday, 12th March 2010
Split event raises 9, 500 Euros for Chile
A humanitarian event yesterday (Thurs) evening at Split's Luxor cafe bar raised 69,300 kunas or 9,500 Euros for Chilean earthquake relief.
The humanitarian action featuring an art auction was organized by Chilean Consul General Juroslav Buljubasic in Split with the help of Chileans and Croats connected through family relationships or friendships to Chile.
The highest price was for the painting "Brodovi" (The Boats) by Zvonimir Mihanovic, which was bought by Dragan Banovic for 12,000 kunas or 1,651 Euros.
He also bought a Bible published in 1868 in the southern city of Makarska.
(croatiantimes.com)
Friday, 12th March 2010
Cemex building awards competition begins
The Cemex Building Awards annual international competition that recognizes outstanding construction work has begun and will remain open until 10 April in Croatia.
The competition is open to all architects, construction workers , engineers and investors who wish to submit projects finished in 2008 and 2009.
The awards are given in the categories of housing and institutional and commercial building and infrastructure and a special prize is awarded in the category of sustainable building and accessibility.
Only structures in which at least 50 per cent of materials used came from Cemex may be submitted.
The winning project will be announced on 6 May in Mexico at the 19th Cemex building awards ceremony.
Cemex Croatia board member Zlatko Jelic has called on all Croatian architects and engineers to use the financial crisis to promote quality projects.
Cemex Croatia is a holding company engaged in the production, distribution and marketing of cement. It has been a subsidiary of Mexican company Cemex for the past five years. (croatiantimes.com)
Friday, 12th March 2010
Majority of Croatians happy with their new president
Sixty-eight percent of Croatians are satisfied with their new president Ivo Josipovic two months into his term, according to the findings of marketing research agency GfK.
The survey of 1,000 people showed that a majority of contented citizens are concentrated in the north of Croatia, in Istria and in Slavonija. The 19 percent who are not satisfied with Josipovic live mostly in capital Zagreb and Dalmatia.
The president enjoys large support among those older than 55 (80 percent) and those with higher educations (75 percent), the Croatian daily Vecernji List has reported.
Josipovic was elected in January with 60.3 percent of the popular vote.
(croatiantimes.com)
Tuesday, 9th March, 2010
Kosor to meet with Pope Benedict XVI
Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor will meet with Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican on Saturday.
Kosor will have a private audience, and it is not known what they will discuss.
The first Croatian president, Franjo Tudjman, met with Pope John Paul II in 1991 and former President Stjepan Mesic met with Pope Benedict XVI in November 2009.
As opposed to private audiences, official audiences feature the playing of the national anthem of the country the guest or guests are from. (croatiantimes.com)
Tuesday, 9th March, 2010
Croatian American Charitable Foundation helps Haiti
The Croatian American Charitable Foundation (CACF) in New York has donated 5,000 US dollars to Doctors Without Borders to help the Haitian hurricane relief effort.
Allison Morris, head of the Donor Services Department of Doctors Without Borders said: "We thank CACF for its generous donation. The money will be used primarily for surgical care and post-operative recovery"
John Peros, a CACF board member, said CACF was committed to helping those in need after the devastation in Haiti.
Peros added: "We wanted to make sure that our donation went to the people who needed it most. Doctors Without Borders has an impeccable track record in helping those in need, and we are honoured to be working with them".
CACF is a registered charitable organization based in New York. More information is available at their website at www.croatiancharities.com.
(croatiantimes.com)
Monday, 8th March 2010
Dalekovod to build shopping centre in Buzin
Austrian real-estate holding Gruppe-Supernova is planning to start construction of a new shopping centre in Buzin, Zagreb soon.
Croatian construction company Dalekovod will build the centre costing 80.7 million Euros.
The centre will have an area of 270,000 square metres, and construction should take 20 months. It may be open by Christmas 2011.
There will be around 200 shops, restaurants, café bars, casinos, and cinema and bowling complexes on three floors.(croatiantimes.com)
Monday, 8th March 2010
Free Zagreb tour on International Women´s Day
The "Zagreb Inside" tour-guide association will celebrates International Women's Day by organizing a free-of-charge theme tour of the city called "Women of Zagreb".
The tour will begin at 11am on 7 March at the meeting point in front of the Tourist Information Centre on Ban Jelacic Square.
A team of 10 tourist guides will entertain guests with interesting stories about famous and not-so-well-known Zagreb ladies.(croatiantimes.com)
The tour will be in Croatian. Friday, 5th March 2010.
Croatian economy will shrink further, warns think tank
It will take until 2012 for all the countries in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) to recover from the global economic crisis, according to an Austrian think tank.
The Vienna Institute for Comparative Analysis (WIIW) said today (Fri) some CEE countries will experience economic growth this year. But the body warned it will be another two years before the entire region is back on track.
WIIW said Poland - the only European Union (EU) member state with a positive gross domestic product (GDP) last year - will lead the way among the new EU member states. The think tank expects the Polish economy to grow by 2.5 per cent in 2010.
WIIW also said there was light at the end of the tunnel for struggling Ukraine as the country's economy would expand by around three per cent this year.
It said growth in Slovenia, Albania, Slovakia and the Czech Republic would be around one per cent this year, and Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia and Hungary would see zero growth.
WIIW's research also suggests the economies of Croatia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina will shrink further this year, Austrian Times has revealed.
WIIW was more optimistic for 2012. It said the economies of the CEE region would see two per cent more growth than those of western European countries.
The predictions come the day after the Austrian Institute for Economic Research (Wifo) revealed that the country's companies have drastically reduced investment in the CEE region.
The institution said the companies spent only 0.7 billion Euros on investment activities in the region in the first nine months of 2009.
It said Austrian companies invested 7.6 billion Euros in CEE in the same time span for the previous year.
Wifo said this was a throwback to 1998 figures. (croatiantimes.com)
Thursday, 4th March 2010
Austrian chain Baby and Children Hotels expand to Croatia
Austrian chain Baby and Children Hotels has announced it will expand to Croatia.
The chain has 53 hotels at present in Austria and Germany.
The chain will open a new hotel, the "Vespera," in Mali Losinj, Croatia this Easter, which will be the first children's hotel in the country, and follow up with another in Prague, Czech Republic in the near future.
Siggi Neuschitzer, who founded the chain 20 years ago with Gerhard Stroitz, said: "We have international customers from throughout Europe and abroad who want holidays by the sea, and we would like to attract them to Carinthia in the winter."
Stroitz said: "We have unbelievable demand for the coming summer, in some instances up by 100 per cent."
Some 100,000 families holiday annually at the chain's hotels, which produces annual turnover of more than 200 million Euros and has created 3,000 jobs. (croatiantimes.com)
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Monday, 15th February, 2010
Thursday, 11th February, 2010 
Monday, 8th February, 2010 
