Diplomacy and Commerce No.11

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December 2018 | ISSUE No. 11 | FREE COPY

9772466380002

WE NEED A BETTER REGULATORY FRAMEWORK

ZDENKO ADROVIĆ

Director of Croatian Banking Association (CBA)

EVERY YEAR BRINGS NEW CHALLENGES

22 FIRST BIRTHDAY OF DIPLOMACY & NOV

COMMERCE MAGAZINE IN CROATIA

WE CAREFULLY SPEND EVERY EUROCENT

KRISTIJAN STANIČIĆ

Director of Croatian Tourist Board

THE CONSUMER HAS TAKEN CONTROL

TOMISLAV TOLUŠIĆ

Deputy Prime Minister and Agriculture Minister

BRIDGING OLD AND NEW EU MEMBERS DARIO MIHELIN

Foreign and European Policy Advisor to the President of the Republic of Croatia

MAJA PAK

Director of Slovenian Tourist Board

WE WANT TO REMAIN LEADERS IN MODERNIZATION

IVAN VRDOLJAK

President of Croatian People's Party (HNS)

Greece

H.E. STAVROS TSIEPAS

Ambassador of the Hellenic Republic to Croatia

EDITORIAL

We, the Children of Concrete Utopia

CONTENTS

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WE CAREFULLY SPEND EVERY EUROCENT TOMISLAV TOLUŠIĆ

Deputy Prime Minister and Agriculture Minister

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WE WANT TO REMAIN LEADERS IN MODERNIZATION IVAN VRDOLJAK

Dear readers, A student from Zagreb, born in Bijeljina, Mirko Ilić, has been living in New York for over 30 years. At his studio, in the 32nd Street, he shows me the sketched poster for his play “Croatian Faustus” which will premiere soon at the Yugoslav Drama Theatre.

After his poster for Chekhov's play "Uncle Vanya", Mirko is now playing with multilayered profiles of the human face. Last year, we staged his exhibition ‘Tolerance’ in Novi Sad, featuring over 50 posters on the topics related to tolerance, made by some of the best designers from around the world. It opened on December 10th, on the International Day of Human Rights, by the US Ambassador to Serbia, H.E. Kyle Scott.

Mirko is one of those rare artists from this part of the world whose artwork features in the MoMA (the Museum of Modern Art) collection, I was told by the MoMA curators as they prepared the exhibition "Toward to Concrete Utopia: Architecture in Yugoslavia 1948 - 1980", astonished at the excellent female architects that the former Yugoslavia had. At that time, women architects in the West were a rarity.

The next day, I went to the MoMA to see the exhibition which had been opened since mid-January. Hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world saw this exhibition at the MoMA, most of who probably could not find Yugoslavia on the map, or were completely oblivious to the countries that emerged from its disintegration following the wars in the 1990s. Today, they know what the hotels on the Adriatic, the Avala Tower, and the Tjentište and Kordun monuments look like. They also saw the famous kiosk K67, which is positioned at the very end of the exhibition. I commented on Facebook that more people heard about our cities thanks to this exhibition than from the expensive promotion ads that aired on CNN. Paradoxically, most of these buildings and monuments, judging by the latest photographs, are now in a very bad state. Things that made us famous are now totally neglected. My friend Teodora commented that the reason for that was not only our despise for socialism, Yugoslavia and its architects. The problem is, she says, and she has a point here, that we, i.e. poor societies, have this need for discontinuity which is evidenced in our treatment of the castles left by the Austro-Hungarian Empire, or the fortresses from the Ottoman times.

In Italy, I saw buildings which bore the sign “built in the 9th year of fascism”since they counted time from the moment Mussolini took over power. In Ceuta, a Spanish enclave in Morocco, I saw a monument raised in honour of Franco’s falangists, and a few blocks away, a museum dedicated to his Legion.

Different societies have different ways of discontinuing themselves from the previous epochs. Undoubtedly, there were negative things in socialism too that we should be critical of, but there were also the things that we should be proud of like the blossoming architecture which obliges us to take better care of these buildings and monuments.

I guess the validation that we received from the MoMA is a sufficient proof of it.

ROBERT ČOBAN Director

President of Croatian People's Party (HNS)

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WE NEED A BETTER REGULATORY FRAMEWORK ZDENKO ADROVIĆ

Director of Croatian Banking Association (CBA)

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EVERY YEAR BRINGS NEW CHALLENGES KRISTIJAN STANIČIĆ

Director of Croatian Tourist Board

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BRIDGING OLD AND NEW EU MEMBERS DARIO MIHELIN

Foreign and European Policy Advisor to the President of the Republic of Croatia

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THE CONSUMER HAS TAKEN CONTROL MAJA PAK

Director of Slovenian Tourist Board

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LAPLAND

CROATIA IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PARTNERS VOLKER TREIER

Deputy CEO of the Association of German Chambers of Commerce and Industry (DIHK)

Visiting Santa Claus

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I LIKE TO MAKE PEOPLE HAPPY ANTONIJA ŠIMATIĆ Artist

www.diplomacyandcommerce.hr BOBAN SPASOJEVIĆ Executive editor

boban@diplomacyandcommerce.hr

RUŽA RISTANOVIĆ Magazine director

TANJA BANKOVIĆ Editor-in-chief

ROBERT ČOBAN Director

SVEN DARRER Advertising manager 091 766 5479, 091 377 4358

Photos GETTY IMAGES TOMISLAV SMOLJANOVIĆ

Print ZLATNA KNJIGA Jagodina, Bagrdanski put bb

office@diplomacyandcommerce.hr

ILIJA PETROVIĆ INDIGOCHILD Art director

indigochild.ilija@gmail.com

Translation SNEŽANA BJELOTOMIĆ

sven@diplomacyandcommerce.hr

Predstavnik za RH

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TRADE

The US-China Trade War is on Hold Donald Trump and Xi Jinping agree a fragile truce at the G20 summit

Perhaps it was the dessert of caramel-rolled pancakes, crispy chocolate and fresh cream. Or perhaps President Donald Trump had already decided that, during a working dinner on December 1st, he wanted a deal with President Xi Jinping of China. Whatever it was, after sounds of applause drifted out to assembled journalists, the two announced a “highly successful” negotiation. "This was an amazing and productive meeting with unlimited possibilities for both the United States and China,” said Mr Trump.

A more realistic assessment would be that the meeting produced a truce based on two elements: some murky mercantilism, and a deal to talk about a deal.

China will increase its purchase of American farm produce, energy and some industrial goods. In exchange America will delay an escalation in tariffs, from 10% to 25% on $200bn of goods planned for January 1st. That is on hold until March 1st at the earliest. But because the formal talks between the two countries could well fail, this truce is worryingly fragile.

The Chinese commitment to raise purchases of American goods is by an amount “not yet agreed upon, but very substantial”. That is supposed to reduce America’s bilateral trade deficit with China.

Requiring the Chinese government to manage import flows is odd given how America’s government complains that China still behaves like a non-market economy.

The idea is also economic nonsense. Bilateral trade deficits do not mean much, especially in an age when supply chains are global.

In addition, the bilateral trade deficit is not only a function of Chinese imports, but also of Chinese exports to America. Even if the Chinese state can find ways to boost the purchase of American goods, it cannot determine the behaviour of American consumers. They

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may be eager to buy from China, if only to get hold of products before relations deteriorate again. In the year to date America’s trade deficit in goods has increased by 10%.

The foundations of the deal’s second part are almost as shaky.

In theory negotiators now have 90 days to agree “structural changes with respect to forced technology transfer, intellectual property

some gaps and can be slow. In the past the Chinese authorities have promised to do things bilaterally, but then dragged their feet. And it can be devilishly hard to prove that the Chinese state is culpable.

When the American authorities accuse it of overseeing forced technology transfer, for example, they are complaining about a practice that is not written into

A MORE REALISTIC ASSESSMENT WOULD BE THAT THE MEETING PRODUCED A TRUCE BASED ON TWO ELEMENTS: SOME MURKY MERCANTILISM, AND A DEAL TO TALK ABOUT A DEAL protection, non-tariff barriers, cyber intrusions and cyber theft, services and agriculture.” That list is ambitious, particularly when levels of trust between the two sides are so low.

One of the fundamental problems in relations between America and China is the difficulty of enforcing a deal. The World Trade Organisation (WTO) has a dispute-settlement process, but it has

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any Chinese law. The demands are spoken and statistical evidence of an underlying policy is scant.

Given the number of times the Chinese have broken their pledges not to make transfer of technology a condition of access into their market, America is unlikely to settle for a simple promise backed by the threat of extended tariffs. That means China will have to find mechanisms to demonstrate that, this time, it really

has changed its ways.

A more stable solution to the US-China tensions would involve co-operation with other countries.

The European Union and Japan agree with many American complaints, and there has been some work to come up with new rules to resolve them. In the longer term the WTO could even help to enforce those, though not if the Trump administration persists in undermining its dispute-settlement system.

However, although there was talk during the wider G20 meetings of reforming the organisation, the multilateral trading system did not seem to be much on Mr Trump’s mind. And why should it be? Mr Xi’s offers will have shown that he can squeeze a lot out of China on his own. Why should he act multilaterally when bilateral bullying works so well? After the weekend’s G20 truce, businesses were quick to breathe sighs of relief. But this war is not over yet.

From The Economist, published under licence. The original article, in English, can be found on www.economist.com

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INTERVIEW

We Carefully Spend Every Eurocent Photo: Goran Mehkek / Cropix

“Our goal is to raise competitiveness of the Croatian agriculture and related activities, as well as fisheries. To achieve this, we need investments, mergers, innovative products and value-added products. We are constantly working on this and I believe that the results of this work will put our country and agriculture into a better position after 2020 than it is today

TOMISLAV TOLUŠIĆ

Deputy Prime Minister and Agriculture Minister

I believe that every single eurocent that we withdrew from European funds intended for agriculture will be utilized by the end of 2020,“says Tomislav Tolušić, Deputy Prime Minister and Agriculture Minister, with whom we talked about the results of the Ministry's work over the past two years, namely since he was appointed minister.

Are you satisfied with the results achieved so far?

— I am satisfied, but I am always a bit critical, because I think we can always do better. We have done enough in two years, we adopted umbrella laws aimed at improving the productivity of domestic food production, protected the revenues of family-run agricultural holdings and are more effectively managing land, livestock and fish resources. In the last two years, we have launched millions worth of investments in agriculture and fisheries, we have withdrawn record high funds from the European Union, reduced tendering procedures and their processing time, and executed direct payments to farmers on time. We have reduced VAT on raw

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materials and seedlings, prevented manipulation with subsidies and agricultural land, were the first in the EU to have adopted the law against unfair trading practices in the supply chain, and provided access to affordable loans with a low interest rate of 0.1% to our dairy sector. We are financing the purchase and breeding of heifers and slowly reinvigorating our cattle breeding sector, which has been decimated due to long periods of negligence.

Can we talk about long-term assessment of the effects of EU membership on Croatian agriculture and food processing. Have the results so far been positive?

— The EU membership and the EU funds have enabled us to strongly encourage the development of agricultural production and local infrastructure in the Croatian rural area in order to make it a desirable place for life and work. Along with a total of

WITH THE MONEY FROM THREE EU FUNDS, WE ARE BOLSTERING THE COMPETITIVENESS OF OUR AGRICULTURE AND MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY, FISHERIES AND FORESTRY, AS WELL AS OUR FIELD SERVICES At the EU level, we have won in our fight against the introduction of fishing quotas and drastic reduction in catch of small blue fish, which makes over 90% of our total fishing. But this is just the beginning; now we need to see how everything works in practice and what needs to be fixed or adapted or where we need to act. My position is that the administration must be in the service of citizens, farmers and fishermen. It must listen, solve problems and be a reliable partner.

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7.9 billion kuna of all kinds of payments we have paid to farmers in the last two years, we have also contracted over 4,500 new investment projects in agriculture. New farms are being built, permanent crops are being sown, and farmers are buying new machinery after more than 30 years. There are also public irrigation systems, kindergartens, community centres, water supply infrastructure, and unclassified roads. We would not have been able to make such investments, if we were not an EU

member and had to depend only on domestic sources of funding.

With the money from three EU funds, we are bolstering the competitiveness of our agriculture and manufacturing industry, fisheries and forestry, as well as our field services thanks to modern equipment that increases efficiency and reduces the burden on farmers and fishermen. We are implementing the state-of-the-art crewless aircraft system for fisheries control at the external maritime borders. We have also acquired inspection vehicles and vessels. All of this is done with the EU money.

I believe that we are going to utilize every single eurocent until the end of 2020, i.e. until the end of this financial period.

In terms of benefitis for citizens, the EU has the highest food safety and quality standards in the world, and the foods that are below those standards cannot be sold in the EU market at all. The EU protects its producers and consumers. Think back to when roaming charges were abolished and upholding consumer rights in passenger transport. I think that every country can be proud of being part of such a community, but they must never forget their peculiarities, traditions, heritage, history and the needs of their citizens.

How educated are farmers when

it comes to withdrawing EU funds?

— Education is an integral part of the Republic of Croatia's Rural Development Programme. Our specialists have been continually organizing free workshops for potential users of EU funds and these workshops take place throughout the country. Judging by the number of properly submitted applications at competitions for EU funds available so far, with over 30 of these competitions launched this year alone, our farmers are doing an excellent job.

What will happen after the introduction of the national honey jar? Is there enough of high quality honey in the Croatian market considering that Croatian honey is very much in demand in the Western European market and is much more expensive there?

— The national honey jar is the result of the desire and effort of our beekeepers to position themselves better in the market and to protect their production. We have given them full support and this is an excellent example of getting together and advocating for the general interest. Everybody will benefit from the national honey jar. Beekeepers have a recognizable packaging for their product, consumers can easily find Croatian honey in shops, and the control system is properly networked and aligned. Thanks to a unique number on the honey jar label, every consumer can see the information about the beekeeper that produced the honey and their location. Only the domestic honey of controlled crigin can bear the Honey from Croatian Apiaries label. As far as quantity is concerned, we are doing everything in our power, together with our beekeepers, to increase honey production because the demand is growing too and domestic hon-

ey is becoming more invaluable.

Recently, Croatia hosted the world's largest gathering of fishermen dedicated to the management of the tuna quotas. What were the conclusions from the meeting?

— After eight days of intense work and exhausting negotiations, more than 700 delegates from 45 countries that are part of the ICCAT Commission have adopted the basic international act to manage bluefin tuna stock. Although the scientific community confirmed this year that the stock has recovered and approved more excessive fishing, adopting this act was not an easy task. Regardless of extremely comprehensive management measures and strict control, the fact that tuna stock has recovered after 12 years did not immediately imply a significant liberalization of the management and

Every year, Croatian fishermen have fishing ban that lasts for a few months. How do they react to it and how does this ban affect the supply of fresh fish in fish shops?

— We have decided, together with our fishermen, to implement sustainable fishing, which means the protection of resources, the protection of our small blue fish and the protection of fishermen in a sense that they can earn enough money to have a decent life. In order to reconcile these goals that are, at first glance, mutually exclusive, we have introduced a temporary ban on fishing activities, i.e. using nets to catch sardines during their spawning season. In order to compensate for their loss, we are paying the fishermen a fee that, this year, amounted to 26.4 million kuna. The ban does not apply to vessels that are less than 12 meters long, which means that the fresh

NEXT YEAR, WE ARE GOING TO FOCUS ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE NATIONAL STRATEGIC PLAN AND THE AGRICULTURE STRATEGY FOR THE NEW PROGRAMMING PERIOD AFTER 2021 control system. However, we recognized the peculiarities of tuna fishing and breeding in the Adriatic Sea, and we have more strongly positioned Croatian fisheries on an international level with the special rules now applying to the Adriatic area. Croatia has extended its fishing season, and we are going to increase our fleet capacity by 20% over the next two years. Croatia is at the helm when it comes to responsible marine resource management, and our monitoring, control and supervision system is at a high level and we are going to continue to be responsible for long-term sustainable fishing.

Adriatic sardines will be available to the consumers in our country during the Christmas period.

The relevant data shows that fish farming has dropped drastically in the last twenty years.

Do you have any plans to restore this sector?

— In the entire EU, this sector is rather dependent on third countries because more than 60% of aquaculture products is imported from third countries. We are strategically focusing on the recovery of domestic aquaculture and increasing its production capacity to 24,050 tonnes by 2020. We have

also declared aquaculture as a strategic activity in Croatia. Our comparative advantages are favourable environmental conditions, and producing food with high nutritional value compared to competition, due to the specificity of the Adriatic Sea and our continental waters. There is enough money to do this, and thanks to the measures from the Maritime and Fisheries Operational Programme, 1.2 billion kuna worth of projects are being implemented, which is seven times more than two years ago.

What are your plans for 2019?

— Next year, we are going to focus on the development of the national strategic plan and the agriculture strategy for the new programming period after 2021.

We are planning to improve the irrigation system, build cold storage units and introduce national labeling of fruits and vegetables, so that consumers can easily identify domestic products at any given time. It is also important to consider the way of organizing production, packaging, distribution with the quality mark and buyout, in quantities that will satisfy primarily public consumption. Through EU funds we will support the primary production and investments in processing plants to create new value-added products. In order to achieve a greater competitiveness of Croatian agriculture and related activities, as well as fisheries, we need investments, joining forces, and having innovative and value-added products. Buying local Croatian products can contribute to the development of our farmers and the preservation of rural areas and our islands. We are constantly working on this and I believe that the results of this work will put our country and agriculture into a better position after 2020 than it is today.

DEVISING GOALS AND PROGRAMMES FOR JOINT DISCUSSION Croatia has recently hosted a European meeting on a common agricultural policy. Which long-term lessons can Croatia draw from this meeting?

— Your readers already know how policies are created and communicated. We are the youngest member of the EU and this is the first time that we are participating in the full development of the Common Agricultural Policy. In addition, we will soon take over the chairing and to that end, we are devising goals and programmes for joint discussion. The

inter-parliamentary conference we organized was an excellent opportunity to communicate our views on policy directions in the coming period. Our starting point is the needs of our agricultural producers and their current position in relation to the position of their counterparts in other member states. We advocate financial support for agriculture that will be, at least, the same as in this financial period, the flexibility in policy implementation in terms of national needs and reduction of administrative burdens on agricultural producers.

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INTERVIEW

We Want to Remain Leaders in Modernization Although life in a coalition is not always rosy, the president of the HNS believes that, through cooperating with the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), his party has made a step in good direction. By participating in the government, the HNS is strongly contributing to modernization that exceeds the mandates of the two ministries it helms

IVAN VRDOLJAK

President of Croatian People's Party (HNS)

“We want to be open to new innovative solutions both in politics and in education, as well as in business and all other segments of everyday life of our citizens”, says Ivan Vrdoljak, president of the HNS. Since entering into the coalition with a politically unexpected partner such as the HDZ, the party’s new slogan has been "Neither left nor right - just ahead!"

“HNS responds to the challenges of time we live in, where classic divisions and classic political and economic responses no longer take place”, Mr. Vrdoljak adds.

Looking back, do you think that joining the government with together with the HDZ was a good

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decision to make and how much did that decision solidify the HNS?

— Looking at the concrete results and things that have transpired, we can say that we made the right decision that was also, above all,

a much needed one. After the expected initial shock and having a number of MPs leaving the party, as well as the party being reduced to a rather modest membeship, we can say that we have definitely consolidated and are moving

THEE TWO MINISTRIES THAT THE HNS MEMBERS LEAD - THE MINISTRY OF CONSTRUCTION AND SPATIAL PLANNING AND THE MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND EDUCATION HAVE HAD THE FASTEST REFORM DYNAMICS AND HAVE ACHIEVED THE BEST RESULTS

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upwards. This is also reflected in the results from the last local elections. For instance, in Split and Osijek, we got 16% of votes at the local level. On the other hand, the indicators relating to managing the country are also good – from the growing GDP, industrial production and employment to lower public debt, reduction in certain taxes and declining unemployment. Of course, we still have many problems ahead of us, like young people leaving the country, but I believe that we are capable of dealing with them and that we are responding to these

challenges with concrete solutions and results.

solutions. Our new slogan clearly reflects our prevalent attitude "Neither left nor right - just ahead!"

Croatia is exhausted from living in the past and from trench divisions into “left” and “right” and “them” and “us” so it comes as no surprise that, in the last 10 or 20 years, we have been failing to achieve societal progress that would be doable if we were to have an atmosphere of togetherness and cooperation.

We advocate collaboration with any party that wants to push Croatia forward and are against everyone (mainly populists and extremists) that want to drag us back to the dark past.

Is your position in the government sufficient to implement your programme and the desires of your electorate? How able are you to create policies in other ministries which you are not helming?

— The fact is that the two ministries that the HNS members lead - the Ministry of Construction and Spatial Planning and the Ministry of Science and Education - have had the fastest reform dynamics and have achieved the best results; from new projects and programmes to receiving grants from the EU funds. Our engagement in the government is not limited to only two ministries, hence we have contributed to the tax reform with the special emphasis on lower salary tax and the pension reform with an emphasis on preserving the second pilllar as private individual assets, as well as adopting the Istanbul Convention as a necessary tool for preventing domestic violence and violence against women. We are also contributing to other segments too, but, naturally, our biggest contribution is in the two ministries that we lead and the two major long-awaited reforms – education reform and digitization of public administration in the segment of construction and spatial planning.

In Europe, which has started to lean more towards right wing, is it better to be a part of centre right, if we are talking about the electorate?

— I firmly believe that in today's Europe there is no political struggle on the old one-dimensional "left-right“ scale, but that we now have a two-dimensional political stage that includes the „forward-backward“ determination.

You have parties of the left and right foretoken that have progressive ideas and the desire to push

Last year, you reclaimed your position as president of the HNS. Did the break you took led you to think differently and find new ways of leading the party?

— Of course, no-one is born a minister, politician or party president.

You become active and through this activity you learn everyday.

You also learn from your mistakes and successes.The learning process is lasting and of great significance for future successes which is why I put a strong emphasis on education in my political engagement.

OUR NEW SLOGAN - "NEITHER LEFT NOR RIGHT - JUST AHEAD!" – VERY CLEARLY REFLECTS OUR ATTITUDE their societies forward, but unfortunately, you have other parties too that live in the past, or want to drag Europe down. Furthermore, you have a very dangerous phenomenon of populism that does not have a clear definition of traditional political division, but because of the lack of knowledge how to respond to the real problems of citizens and the lack of vision, it only tries to exploit people's dissatisfaction and thus undoubtedly pulls Europe back into the terrible times of exclusiveness

and intolerance we hoped would never happen again.

How is all of that spilling over into the Croatian politics and what is the HNS view on this issue?

— The situation is spilling over into Croatia too, in many respects.

We, as a liberal party of civic centrism, have made a rather difficult but necessary decision to make changes regarding our traditional political allies. New times and new circumstances require new

Do you think that political parties in Croatia have quality youth?

— You can always find quality people, and of course, it would be much better if there were more of them. To this end, the HNS has launched a kind of political innovation in Croatia by synergizing politics and vocation as seen in the example of our Minister of Science and Education, Blaženka Divjak.

Together with her specialist team, she is engaged in professional aspects of education reform, while the HNS deals with the political support for the whole process. I believe that by having this kind of approach we can draw in more quality people in politics and restore citizens' trust in politicians.

POLITICS IS ALSO IN DIRE NEED OF INNOVATION What is the HNS going to look like in 5 or 10 years' time and which topics that you see crucial for the future are you going to deal with?

— The world is changing at a tremendous speed and it is difficult to give a concrete answer to your question. What we, in the HNS, consider important regarding our future orientation is illustrated in our slogan „just ahead“ – we need to be open to new innovative solutions both in politics and

in education, as well as in business and all other segments of everyday life of our citizens.

New business concepts are emerging, like sharing economy, and we are trying to respond in a timely manner to create legal foundation for the development of such a kind of economy.

I would like remind you that the HNS was the first party to provide institutional framework for regulating Uber's business in Croatia, resulting in a new law and creation of hundreds of new

jobs. Technological changes also change the purpose and methods of teaching in schools, so we respond to these challenges by reforming education. I strongly believe that the HNS will remain the leader in modernization of society and political innovation in the years to come, while being strictly focused on every individual who, with their knowledge and skills and regardless of identity differences, can contribute to the country and society as a whole.

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NATIONAL DAYS

in December & January

ARRIVALS & DEPARTURES

DECEMBER

H.E. MR. ARINDAM BAGCHI

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Ambassador of India to Croatia

Ambassador Arindam Bagchi presented his credentials to H.E. Mrs. Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovich, President of the Republic of Croatia, on 13 November 2018. Ambassador Bagchi is a career diplomat with more than two decades of experience in the Indian Foreign Service. Prior to his current assignment, he served as Deputy High

Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka in Colombo for more than 4 years. Prior to that, Ambassador Bagchi worked as Director in the Prime Minister’s Office in New Delhi. His earlier external assignments have been with the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations in New York and the Indian Embassies in Lima and Madrid.

THE NETHERLANDS Kingdom Day

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KAZAKHSTAN Independence Day

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QATAR

National Day

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JAPAN

H.E. JORGE DEZCALLAR MAZARREDO

ational Day N (Emperor's Birthday)

Ambassador of Spain to Croatia

Appointed by the Royal Appellation no. 1219/2018, from October 1st, 2018.

Jorge Dezcallar Mazarredo served as Ambassador of Spain to the United States of America from 2008 to 2012. After law studies, he joined the diplomatic service in 1971. He first occupied the post of ambassador in Morocco from 1997 until in 2001 when the government of José María Aznar appointed him director of the Center for Advanced Defense Information (Centro Superior de Información de la Defensa). After

the June 2004 general elections, he was appointed ambassador to the Vatican, a post which he held until 2006. Mr. Dezcallar Mazarredo then had a short spell with Repsol as international advisor. In July 2008, the Council of Ministers appointed him ambassador to Washington and he was subsequently succeeded by Ramon Gil-Casares in January 2012.

His brother Rafael is the Spanish ambassador in Germany, and his other brother Alonso is the Spanish ambassador to Mauritania.

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LIBYA

National Day

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SLOVENIA

I ndependence and Unity Day

JANUARY

01

CUBA

National Day

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SUDAN

KONSTANTINOS NEMPIS Konstantinos Nempis comes from the OTE CEO of HT Group, the largest Greek telecommunications operator, where he was chief commercial officer, and has over 20 years of experience in the telecommunications industry, managing national and international commercial teams in ground and mobile telephony companies.

JAMES QUINCEY Chairman of Coca Cola

James Quincey was appointed as the 14th chairman of The Coca-Cola Company, succeeding Muhtar Kent, who plans to retire in April after starting working for the Coca-Cola in 1978 as a delivery truck driver. Quincey will become chairman following the company's annual meeting in April 2019. From 2009 to 2017, Quincey was the Chairman of Managing Board and Chief Executive Officer of Coca-Cola.

Independence Day

01

SLOVAKIA

Independence Day

01

HAITI

Independence Day

04

MYANMAR National Day

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ROMANIA

nification Day of U Wallachia and Moldavia

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AUSTRALIA National Day

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Republic Day

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Independence Day

POLITICS

Text: NIKICA MILOŠ

Immigrants are New Slaves Bitterly divided societies

Immigrants have become new slaves, not in the economic sense of the word (although, that is sometimes closer to the reality) but in the sense of the topic of contention or rather the bone of contention that has become a very bitter one.

AMERICAN DILEMMA

Since the time of the Civil War in the United States, there has been no such topic that polarized the public in the United States to that degree as immigrants. At the time of Civil War, the abolition activists strongly advocated that slavery should be finally abolished, citing the examples of many countries that had already done so, including their ’motherland’, the United Kingdom. The abolition activists were concentrated mainly in the North, and their opponents mainly in the South. The big contention and the "rift" between them ended in a civil war, of all things, which was the biggest armed conflict in the history of the American continent up until that point. It seemed that it would be easy or even possible for the two sides to reconcile, but that was not the case. Even to this day, the continent has not recovered from this war, or any other, for that matter.

The situation today is not as nearly as simple because although the immigrant haters are, for the most part, concentrated in Arizona and Texas, there are a lot of them also in Trump's electoral base, in the Rust Belt and many other places.

EUROPEAN DILEMMA

Europe would be much happier if it took in those very same American immigrants; the ones that come from Honduras or Mexico. In America, the problem of identity is the problem of language and race, in that order. The worst thing that Americans cannot "forgive" the new arrivals is not their origin (pick whatever origin you want, but first and foremost, be an American, and believe that America is the best system and the best country in the world), or the race, to a certain extant (although race is sometimes factored in) but the problem of not accepting the language that all the immigrants before you had accepted – rather, you should reject your native languge or at least use it (be it German, Italian, Yiddish, French or Russian) only at home.

the flock, others speak of the necessity of inclusion, post-religious society, and the globalization of cultures. It is difficult to explain the growing rift between the two options, and they are seen at every step. The centre parties in Germany (CDU or SPD), and their Austrian counterparts have been losing on popularity. In Germany, SPD and CDU are getting weaker, while in Austria, the Green Party and AfD are growing stronger. We can view the Green Party, in lieu of Die Linke, as the extreme left. Alexander van der Bellen from the Green Party (now Austria’s president) and Heinz-Christian Strache (now Foreign Minister) were the two last standing presidential candidates during the last election in Austria.

THE DARK CLOUDS ARE LOOMING

Common sense and moderation are losing the battle. Easy solutions are winning, dialogue is becoming scarce, and more and more people, entrenched in their opinions, are advocating their solutions as being the only right ones. There is no understanding for dialogue.

This happened in America in 1861, when the rift became insurmountable. In Europe, this happened in the 1930s, or more precisely, in 1939, when World War II broke out,

LET’S NOT ALLOW TWO EXTREME GROUPS OF VALUES TO REMAIN AND INEVITABLY FIGHT AGAINST EACH OTHER AGAIN Europeans like the fact that they speak different languages, but in spite of the proclaimed laicism, they react the worst to the people who are not of the same religion as they are, and the religion that disturbs them most is Islam, although they do not want to admit it. While some are fiercely opposed to the "Islamization" of Europe, painting Muslims as black sheep who are slowly but surely throwing the white sheep out of

as well as some 70 years later. After 1917, Europeans started to believe that the system of kings, emperors, bourgeoisie and good manners, capitalism and parliamentary democracy, honour and morale was dead. They wanted to remedy this in two ways – by going “left“ or „right“, starting with October Revolution of 1917 in Russia, through to Bavaria and Hungary and coup d'état in other countries, all the way to the emergence of fascism

in Italy in 1922 and later non-democratic dictatorships, or juntas, or right-wing parties or something along those lines seizing power in most European countries in 1937.

Lest we forget the notorious King Alexander and his so-called 6th January dictatorship. Today, everything is solved either by left or right solutions, which leave no room for the story itself. There are celebrities in the United States that tweet how "it is unacceptable that there is no marriage equality", even though the same-sex marriage was unlawful in most US states only until a few years ago. The political correctness threw Apu out of The Simpsons while every word is nowadays being carefully weighed. Remember a TV anchor who said that, back in her time, it was acceptable to mask yourself into a black, Indian or Chinese person. She was fired for that.

Others are talking about „the leftwing fascism“ and are rejecting all Western values in advance and in their entirety, and we are not only talking about same sex marriages but also about immigration, political correctness and multi-culturalism. Snowflakes, as they call them, are angry about every little thing that destroys „the paradise“ that we are living in. The people from Middle and Far East, who are coming to Europe in droves, are unhappy with the conservatism and poverty in their own countries while opposing the liberalism in their adopted countries, and yet have similar socially conservative attitudes to those who would like to see them going back to their native countries. Total mayhem! This is the Gordian Knot that rose from the identity issues and has resulted in schizoid combinations.

The same thing happened in the US in 1861, and 78 years later, in Europe in 1939. It’s 79 years since the beginning of World War II. Let’s not allow two extreme groups of values to remain and inevitably fight against each other again. Not again!

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INTERVIEW

Bridging Old and New EU Members Central European Three Seas Initiative and the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative complement each other very well, says Advisor to the President of the Republic of Croatia, who is already heading to the next important post of the Croatian ambassador in China

DARIO MIHELIN

Foreign and European Policy Advisor to the President of the Republic of Croatia

Today Dario Mihelin still holds the position of the Foreign and European Policy Advisor to the President of the Republic of Croatia, but as of January he will serve as a Croatian ambasador to China.

Riječ je u ovom trenu u jednoj od najvažnijih veleposlaničkih pozicija za Hrvatsku koja ima velike ambicije kada je reč o razvoju odnosa sa azijskim džinom. Although relations between Croatian EU family and China are not always smooth, our interlocutor explains why he sees the potential for synergy.

Which bilateral issues are you focusing on?

— In recent years we have witnessed the strengthening of overall relations between Croatia and China. Two countries have made great strides in bilateral relations which are, in a single word, marked by trust. In last two years there have been five meetings between Prime Minister Plenković and Prime Minister Li. Economic cooperation is already headed in a very positive direction, highlighting the construction of the Pelješac Bridge and the wind farm project in Senj. In this context, we must jointly take advantage of all opportunities for further developing infrastructure cooperation, whereby we must also take into account the fact that the Central European Three Seas Initiative and

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the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative complement each other very well. Our people-to-people bonds are spreading, from sports and culture to tourism. Chinese tourists visit Croatia more and more, reaching a quarter of a million this year. 2019 will be the Year of Culture and Tourism in our relations, with many events in both countries. We can conclude that we have created a solid foundation for intensifying cooperation, and the official visit of the Chinese Prime Minister Li next year will certainly contribute to this, laying solid foundations for the return state visit of President Xi after the historic state visit of President Grabar-Kitarović to China in 2015.

How delicate it is for an EU country to advance its relations with China at the moment, considering the EU’s position on Chinese investments in region?

— Other EU Member States strengthen their relations with China too, Croatia is not an outlier here. I would say that Member States from Central or South East Europe still have to go a long mile before reaching the level of cooperation and investment that some other Member States already enjoy.

The 16 + 1 summit will be held in Croatia next year, with the Chinese premier expected to attend.

How should we view this visit in the light of Croatia's general ex-

DURING MY MANDATE AS AMBASSADOR IN CHINA, THE ECONOMIC AND PEOPLE-TOPEOPLE COMPONENT OF OUR BILATERAL RELATIONS WILL MOST CERTAINLY BE AMONG MY PRIORITIES Consequently, during my mandate as Ambassador, the economic and people-to-people component of our bilateral relations will most certainly be among my priorities, in addition to further strengthening of our political ties. I should not forget Croatia’s first Presidency of the Council of the EU in the first half of 2020 which will present a major opportunity to highlight this side of our relations in addition to bilateral and cooperation within 16+1 track.

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ternal priorities?

— Croatia is firmly anchored in the EU and NATO, contributing to their policies toward main partners around the world. In addition to that track, we are building strong relationships with key global and regional actors, including the United States, Russia or China.

Can you tell us from your experience as an advisor how complex of a job is for a smaller European Union member like Croatia

to navigate through recent turbulent foreign policy relations, both globally and in Europe?

— You are spot on - it is a growing challenge for all diplomacies, particularly those not with large services. Developing partnerships is even more important, bilaterally and regionally, be it in the economic or in the security field.

Having said that, I cannot stress enough how important it is and how much of a difference it makes having a seat at the table. Croatia has, having gone through the process of accession that taught us a lot, in the last 15 years, truly become a fully-fledged member of NATO and EU, respectfully, and here we have an equal standing and voice that is being increasingly heard.

What do you consider to be Croatia's biggest foreign policy breakthroughs during your mandate?

— I would have to highlight the already globally recognized Three Seas Initiative championed by President Grabar-Kitarović and President Duda which intends to reduce inequalities between the so-called “old” and “new” Europe through boosting economic connectivity through projects such as gas pipelines, electricity networks, highways, railways, telecommunications and digital networks.

Namely, the improvement of infrastructure links in Central Europe is a prerequisite to building prosperity, and stronger economic growth contributes to reducing the gap between the old and new EU

Member States. Likewise, creating linkages within the Three Seas Initiative area strongly contributes to the cohesion, further integration and improved cooperation within the entire EU. The participating States are being offered an opportunity to stimulate investments in the areas that are of vital significance for economic growth, as well as to take advantage of the potential in each country that has thus far been neglected. Together we can achieve the required strengthening of competitiveness and economic resilience, of both our national economies and the entire EU. The Three Seas Initiative provides targeted access to the most vulnerable areas and contributes to the protection of common interests through the strengthening of inter-regional cooperation in energy, transport and communications networks.

How challenging are the relations in the region in the diplomatic sense?

THE THREE SEAS INITIATIVE THAT WAS LAUNCHED BY CROATIA AND POLAND AND WAS ACKNOWLEDGED BY THE US, GERMANY, EC AND GLOBAL MONETARY INSTITUTIONS IS THE MOST RECOGNIZED CROATIA FOREIGN POLICY INITIATIVE EVER

— Relations with one's neighbours are always somewhat challenging, especially when you take into account some complicated shared past. However, I think it is most important to reiterate that we have very friendly and close relationships with most of our neighbours and we should not allow one or two issues to disrupt what is historically a very good relationship.

Furthermore, as you know, Croatia strongly supports the continuation of the enlargement path for all six remaining South East Europe countries. We believe further enlargement to the South East Europe is in the EU’s strategic interest and the EU must be ready and able, once a country is ready for accession, to fulfil its promises

and commitments. Croatia supported and welcomed the renewed commitment to South East Europe by the EU as shown by the WB Strategy in February and the Sofia Summit as a very important milestone – since we have not had such a summit in 15 years. Building on the Sofia summit, and taking into consideration that in 2020 we will mark the 20th Anniversary of the Zagreb Summit, Croatia will organize another summit in the same format during our Presidency in the first half of 2020. Having said all that, we are actively supporting South East European countries on their Euro-Atlantic paths and providing them both with political as

well as technical support, sharing our experiences and know how, having been through the process very recently ourselves. We are also of course familiar with the neighbourhood, its problems but also the solutions. Being one of South East Europe’s biggest champions requires credibility which is only gained by openly pointing to remaining challenges.

Of course, I cannot talk about South East Europe without mentioning the Brdo-Brijuni Process started by Croatia and Slovenia in order to create an environment for open discussion of challenges ahead of the neighbourhood and to support the enlargement policy

of the EU and the process of negotiations for the membership that is based on fair and transparent assessment of individual achievements of each country. I would underline that President Grabar-Kitarović, together with Slovenian President Pahor, hosted President of the European Council Tusk and Vice President of the United States Biden in Zagreb in November 2015, in that presidential framework, sending a strong message of EUUS responsibility for South East Europe.

We know well the situation where a so-called vacuum was created by several years of delay in enlargement perspective, which was filled by third actors that do not necessarily favour Euro-Atlantic prospects for South East Europe.

Still, with such a vision of cooperation, we have undoubtedly made positive steps and helped to once again put the focus of the European Union, the European Commission and the European Council on Europe’s South East.

The position of Croatia is clear and we are continually ready to share our experiences and knowledge in order for the negotiation process with South East European countries to commence as early as possible, and to continue in a concrete manner in line with the expectations of all stakeholders involved. Croatia strongly supports the strict, but fair evaluation based on the individual merits of each country. Here, the most important achievements are in the fields of rule of law, judicial reform, the fight against corruption and organized crime, security, fundamental rights, democratic institutions and public administration reform, as well as in the area of economic development and competitiveness.

INCREDIBLE ATHLETES AND PRESIDENT GRABAR-KITAROVIĆ MADE CROATIA KNOWN AROUND THE GLOBE What are the strongest tools of the Croatian soft diplomacy and how powerful are these tools in the hands of President Grabar-Kitarović?

— I believe there are remarkable achievements by President Grabar-Kitarović in the foreign policy field. First of all the, the Three Seas Initiative that was launched by Croatia and Poland has really taken off and was recognized by the US, Germany, EC and global monetary institutions for its importance for Central Europe as well as cohesion in the EU, being the most recognized Croatia foreign policy initiative ever. President Grabar-Kitarović has developed a set of

strong relations with her peers around the globe.

I also have to mention her enthusiasm and warmth when it comes to sporting events, which is something that made an impact all over the world. Nowadays there isn’t a person in the world who does not know about Croatia, and that, I believe, we can thank our incredible sportsmen for, but also President Grabar-Kitarović.

In the end, I should not forget several million of people of Croatian origin living around the world, what truly creates a foundation for an amazing global soft power reach.

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INTERVIEW

Croatia is One of the Most Important Partners 2018 was definitely a good year for the German-Croatian business relations

VOLKER TREIER

Deputy CEO of the Association of German Chambers of Commerce and Industry (DIHK)

Although being a comparatively small market with only 4.1 million inhabitants, Croatia has attracted many German investors – especially since the country´s accession to the European Union in July 2013.

Which place does Croatia occupy on the map of German investors? What are Croatia's trump cards?

— Croatia is doubtlessly one of the most important partners for German businesses in Southeast-Europe. Croatia´s EU-membership which implies the access to the EU

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domestic market has proved to be one of Croatia´s biggest advantages in comparison to competitors in the region. Besides this, Croatia has a well-developed infrastructure as well as a relatively large

— German investors see potential within Croatia´s pharmaceutical sector, for example. Here, Croatia did already enhance its capacities and increase its exports significantly. Moreover, there are several ex-

GERMAN INVESTORS SEE POTENTIAL WITHIN CROATIA´S PHARMACEUTICAL SECTOR, FOR EXAMPLE. CROATIA DID ALREADY ENHANCE ITS CAPACITIES AND INCREASE ITS EXPORTS SIGNIFICANTLY pool of qualified workforce. Both factors are essential for investment decisions of German companies.

Considering its capacities, which EU's production chains could Croatia fit in best?

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amples of successful Croatian companies that positioned themselves as competitive suppliers for the automotive sector. This is also reflected in the positive development of Croatia´s foreign trade volume.

In 2017, Croatia´s overall trade vol-

ume reached a new all-time high with 36.1 billion Euros. This is an increase of 50 per cent compared to the crisis year of 2009. Similarly, the German-Croatian trade volume has developed very positively. In particular, Croatian exports to Germany increased by almost 20 per cent in the previous year.

What kind of new dimension does digitization bring in terms of the interests of German companies and is Croatia considered in this context?

— Digitalization is indeed a huge chance for German businesses – also with regard to establishing closer ties with Croatia. Possible areas of enhanced cooperation in the future are „smart cities“, meaning intelligent transport, waste management, energy supply and

energy efficiency. But also in public administration German digital technologies could contribute to solving the existing challenges.

From our German-Croatian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (AHK Croatia) we know that Croatia is particularly interested in German investments in a network of charging stations for electrical cars. Here, we hope to establish synergy effects in the near future.

Business communities had a lot of hope for the Croatian government, with PM Plenković at its helm. How visible are the results of the reforms that the government has promised to implement?

— German companies definitely see and appreciate the efforts of the Croatian government in improving the country´s investment climate.

Much has been achieved in this regard already. But of course, German investors still have some issues on their agenda – first and foremost, the reform of the tax system that still places considerable burdens on the employers´ side. Moreover, recent polls among the AHK members show that there is also room for improvement regarding the rule of law as well as the efficiency and transparency of the public administration in Croatia.

Are you satisfied with the dialogue between the German and Croatia?

— 2018 was definitely a good year for the German-Croatian business relations. First of all, there was

GERMAN COMPANIES DEFINITELY SEE AND APPRECIATE THE EFFORTS OF THE CROATIAN GOVERNMENT IN IMPROVING THE COUNTRY´S INVESTMENT CLIMATE. MUCH HAS BEEN ACHIEVED IN THIS REGARD ALREADY the visit of Prime Minister Andrej Plenković to Germany in August 2018. Andrej Plenković did not only meet with Chancellor Angela

Merkel during his visit, but explicitly articulated the desire to meet representatives of the German business community. Therefore,

CROATIA IS AN EU MEMBER, BUT NOT INCLUDED IN SCHENGEN OR EUROZONE How much does this impede trade and investments?

— Without doubt, Croatia´s accession to the Schengen and Eurozone could have very positive effects on business activities. However, this is a political decision. Of course,

we as the business community will continue to address these issues towards political decision-makers by showing the costs of the existing arrangements – also with regard to Croatia´s most important sector, the tourism industry.

the DIHK together with the AHK Croatia organized an exclusive roundtable format. This format enabled a very open and fruitful dialogue on the current state of the bilateral economic relations between German and Croatia and provided the opportunity to the business representatives to address their most urgent issues regarding their business activities in Croatia. This exchange was continued on November 29th at the celebration of the 15th anniversary of the AHK Croatia where we had again the honour to welcome Prime Minister Plenković. We hope to continue and even intensify this dialogue in 2019.

Croatia has joined a number of countries that have introduced dual education to reflect the German model. Will this alleviate the problem of the lack of quality workforce that employers have been facing?

— The more successful the Croatian economy is, the bigger the lack of qualified workforce will become a problem in the future.

Consequently, to secure Croatia´s attractiveness for investors in the years to come, developing and implementing programs to qualify people to the needs of the companies will be one of the crucial duties. Here, the companies can count on the expertise and support of the AHK Croatia which has made the promotion of the dual education system to one of their top priorities.

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CHANGE, BUT NOT TOO MUCH

The Race to Succeed Angela Merkel Germany’s CDU hopefuls duke it out in Düsseldorf

In the 1950s West Germany’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) reassured wary voters that it would deliver “no experiments”. So it is striking to see the party, languishing in opinion polls and tiring after 13 years in government, suddenly revitalised by an almost unprecedented innovation: a leadership election.

Having mustered three serious candidates to replace Angela Merkel as party chairperson, the CDU has become intoxicated with the possibility of change—even as Mrs Merkel hopes to remain as chancellor until 2021. Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, Friedrich Merz and Jens Spahn are a study in contrasts, lending the proceedings an air of competition far removed from the usual CDU stitch-up. This matters, for the winner, to be elected by 1,001 delegates at a congress in Hamburg on December 7th, may sooner or later replace Mrs Merkel as chancellor. “It is very sexy to be a member of the CDU these days,” says Oliver Wittke, a junior economics minister.

Admittedly that was not the

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first word to spring to mind this week as 4,000 predominantly grey-haired party troops packed an exhibition hall near Düsseldorf airport to see the would-be leaders in action. But the party is delighting in its sense of renewal. The heartiest applause of the night went not to a candidate but a questioner from the audience who revealed that he joined the

stronghold, the state’s blend of wealthy cities, rust-belt industry and sleepy countryside mirrors Germany as a whole. The CDU won a surprise victory in a state election here last year, instantly elevating its local leader, Armin Laschet, into one of the party’s national stars (and, say some, a future chancellor). The candidates were thus keen to impress.

IT IS VERY SEXY TO BE A MEMBER OF THE CDU THESE DAYS,” SAYS OLIVER WITTKE, A JUNIOR ECONOMICS MINISTER party three weeks ago. A homecoming feel added to the occasion: Messrs Merz and Spahn are from the surrounding state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany’s largest, and Ms Kramp-Karrenbauer used to run nearby Saarland.

The event was the sixth, and most important, of eight regional beauty contests in the run-up to Hamburg. The 296-strong North Rhine-Westphalia delegation there will far exceed that of any other state. Long a left-wing

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On stage Mr Merz, a former party hero squeezed out of politics

by Mrs Merkel years ago, jabbed at his old rival by urging the party to stop aping the Social Democrats, its junior coalition partner. His charisma appeals to members who have grown tired of Mrs Merkel’s centrist equivocations, but recent gaffes, especially on the asylum guarantee in Germany’s constitution, highlight his long absence from politics. Perhaps for that reason polls make Ms Kramp-Karren-

bauer (pictured) the clear favourite among CDU supporters (of whom the delegates to Hamburg are not necessarily representative).

After a slow start to the campaign, the candidates have begun sniping at each other, albeit in newspaper interviews rather than on stage, over migration and how to defeat the far right. Yet for all the hubbub, the debate has failed to ignite properly. All want to appear fresh, but without rejecting the party’s successful past. In Düsseldorf Mr Merz and Ms Kramp-Karrenbauer, the front-runners, touched on defence, taxation and foreign policy, but seemed most interested in convincing the crowd that they could restore the CDU to its proper place as a Volkspartei, with over 40% of the vote. (Ms Kramp-Karrenbauer points out that she achieved that feat in Saarland, while Mr Merz was off making a fortune in the private sector.) Today it hovers around 27% in polls.

So for all the talk of party renewal, it is difficult to discern a hunger for revolution. Over beer and sausages, party members in Düsseldorf spoke warmly of all three candidates. Many of the delegates to Hamburg, a hotch-potch of state representatives, local politicians and party apparatchiks, have not yet decided whom to back. The mood is Merkelism without Merkel, or perhaps even with her: the candidates all say they will happily cohabit with her as chancellor (though in Mr Merz’s case that seems implausible). “Many people in the party are looking for some change,” says Günter Krings, head of the North Rhine-Westphalia CDU group in Germany’s parliament. “But not too much, otherwise we wouldn’t be Christian Democrats.” Experiments are fine, so long as the result is predictable.

From The Economist, published under licence. The original article, in English, can be found on www.economist.com

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INTERVIEW

We Need a Better Regulatory Framework We will strive to ensure that the laws, which concern the banking sector as well as the economy as a whole, will be drafted in the future by the consensus of the political, business and regulatory sectors. We hope to find enough partners in the society to do this is relatively low due to the degree of development of our economy and the banking system. Banks are also constantly faced with the pressure of technological changes to which they have to respond, so there are no significant internal reserves. Banks are doing this on a continuous basis, but cost efficiency is not so important to interest rates as other factors such as risk and regulatory expense.

What are the key features of the banking market today compared to the time before the crisis?

ZDENKO ADROVIĆ

Director of Croatian Banking Association (CBA)

Long periods of low interest rates have facilitated the bolstering of competition and more favourable loans, which benefitted the borrowers. Unfortunately, the banks cannot say that the operating conditions for them were favourable too. This is primarily due to the

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relatively weak demand for loans, as well as the adverse regulatory environment - says Zdenko Adrović, Director of the Croatian Banking Association. Although our interlocutor's goals are to fight for legal security of business, clear regulation and adhering to the expert criteria, he says that he cannot be satisfied because there are no indications that a stable and predictable regulatory framework for bank operations could be created in the long run.

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Do banks have internal reserves to increase their efficiency?

— Reserves in banks are limited.

The most commonly used bank efficiency indicator, the cost-income ratio, stands at close to 45% which

— Demand for loans is somewhat weaker, and the growth is slower.

There is a much greater demand for kuna loans than for foreign currency-denominated ones, while not much has changed regarding savings and funding sources - foreign currencies, mostly the euro,

LONG PERIODS OF LOW INTEREST RATES HAVE FACILITATED THE BOLSTERING OF COMPETITION AND MORE FAVOURABLE LOANS, WHICH BENEFITTED THE BORROWERS

still dominate, creating a problem of currency imbalance. We do not have kuna sources to finance longterm loans.

What is your assessment of today's regulatory framework in which banks operate?

— The regulatory framework is unfavourable. Firstly, there are high regulatory costs associated with standard costs such as the opportunity costs of the reserve requirement and deposit insurance premium. Secondly, we have the high cost of risk associated with poor regulation. Retroactively changing contractual relations through regulation, such as Swiss franc conversion and risk cutoff, make risks latent and therefore everyone pays the price.

After you have been appointed director of the CBA, you have said that the CBA would focus on fighting legal security for business, clear regulation and compliance with the expert criteria. Are you satisfied with the results so far?

— Unfortunately, for the time being, we are failing to achieve more concrete results that would ensure a stable and predictable regulatory framework, i.e. legal security of business, clear regulation and adhering to the expert criteria in the long run.

However, banks in Croatia will continue to advocate that each regulation, law or by-law should be given an optimal time to be publicly debated, and an evaluation of the impact of the solutions proposed in accordance with the EU methodology, which is also transposed into our laws. We hope that we will have a significant number of potential partners on this path who are also going to insist on this kind of practice, since it would be in the society's best interest for the state to be more responsible and efficient in this segment. We will strive to ensure that the laws, which concern the banking sector

IN THE SUMMER OF LAST YEAR, THE CBA CONDUCTED A SERIES OF ANALYSES AND COVERED THE TOPIC OF INTRODUCING THE EURO AT A ROUND TABLE DISCUSSION, WHICH WE, BY THE WAY, STRONGLY SUPPORT. BANKS ARE READY TO IMPLEMENT THIS DECISION AT ANY TIME as well as the economy as a whole, will be drafted in the future by the consensus of the political, business and regulatory sectors.

How is the dialogue between the banking sector and the state developoing?

— Dialogue exists but we can not be satisfied with the results. We fully understand the situations involving court instances and it is clear that the government cannot do anything in that aspect. We are

all in the situation to have to wait for court rulings. However, more effort can be invested and we can accomplish results in terms of the predictability of tax treatment of debt write-offs, the reduction of deposit insurance premium costs and other outstanding issues. I must point out that the benefits of regulatory progress in this segment will not be felt by banks, but primarily by their clients through more favourable lending terms.

How much work do banks still need to do on introducing the euro?

— This job mostly rests on regulators' shoulders. Banks are ready to implement their decisions at any time. Our IT and financial experts have great experience, and most banks are internationally linked to the banks from the eurozone so there is no problem there. In the summer of last year, the CBA conducted a series of analyses and covered the topic of introducing the euro at a round table discussion, which we, by the way, strongly support. Although banks will lose significant revenue from currency conversions, we believe that reducing regulatory cost and risk will benefit everyone - banks and clients. Finally, introducing the euro is the best way to overcome the problems of currency clause.

ABOUT THE CROATIAN BANKING ASSOCIATION The Croatian Interest and Banking Association – the Croatian Banking Association (CIBA CBA) brings together 17 leading Croatian banks, which make up more than 98 percent of total assets of all Croatian banks - Addiko Bank, BKS Bank, Croatia Banka, Erste&Steiermärkische Bank, Hrvatska Poštanska Banka, Istarska Kreditna Banka Umag, J&T Banka, Karlovačka Banka, KentBank, Kreditna Banka

Zagreb, OTP Bank, Partner Banka, Podravska Banka, Privredna Banka Zagreb, Raiffeisenbank Austria, Sberbank, and Zagrebačka Banka.

The Croatian Banking Association is a member of the European Banking Federation (EBF), the European Money Markets Institute (EMMI), the European Payments Council (EPC), the Croatian Employers' Association (CEA) and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC Croatia).

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INTERVIEW

Every Year Brings New Challenges

Photo: Goran Stanzl, PIXSELL

It's a great challenge to record strong tourism growth year-on-year, but we think that we can succeed in that. Although Croatia is a relatively small country, we offer a lot of diversity and that's our advantage. Along with a stronger promotion and the synergy between public and private sector, we are confident that we can succeed

KRISTIJAN STANIČIĆ

Director of Croatian Tourist Board

Croatia has all the prerequisites to be one of the top tourist countries in the world, says Kristijan Staničić, director of the Croatian Tourist Board (HTZ). But to make that happen, the country has to constantly improve its tourist offer because the times when tourists only wanted a comfortable bed, good food and beautiful sea have long passed.

Are you satisfied with this year's tourist season?

— We base our satisfaction with this year's tourist season on the facts which undoubtedly confirm the importance of tourism for the entire economy of our country.

This year, in the segment of tourist traffic, we have been growing at a 5-7 percent rate, which is an ex-

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cellent result, as growth forecasts for the whole of Europe were set at about 2-3 percent. Outstanding results are also recorded in the revenue segment, i.e. the foreign tourist consumption, which amounted to 3 billion euro in the first six months of this year, which is a 10 percent growth, or 276 million euro more than in the same period last year. Many good investments

Croatian tourist brand.

Could you describe for us an average foreign tourist in Croatia?

Do they fit your desirable tourist profile?

— A few years back, it was middle-aged and senior tourists that were the most prevalent in the structure of our guests. Today the situation is significantly different,

WE WILL HAVE TO FACE THE COMPETITION WITH A MUCH STRONGER PROMOTION, AND A STRONGER SYNERGY BETWEEN THE PRIVATE AND PUBLIC SECTORS have also been realized, and we expect their growth next year too, when over 1 billion euro worth of investments should be realized. In the Croatian tourist community, we are continuing to implement key promotional activities and strategies to further bolster the

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i.e. the Croatian destination offer has been increasingly attracting other tourist profiles as well. This is also validated by the data from the TOMAS research that we conducted in cooperation with the Tourism Institute. According to the collated data, most tourists,

namely 54 percent of them, are between the ages of 30 and 49, 19 percent are under the age of 30, while 27 percent of the tourists are 50 or older. As our year-round offer is becoming more diversified, this attracts a much wider spectrum of guests. Perhaps this is best illustrated by the present status of Croatia as the host country of many prominent and globally famous festivals that mostly attract younger traveling enthusiasts. We will certainly continue to promote the various segments of our offer, from cultural, active, nautical and health tourism to eno-gastronomy and business travel.

You have already said that 2019 would be a challenging year for tourism. What are your biggest concerns?

— Every new year is challenging, especially when you want to keep up the positive growth trends you've successfully realized over

the past years. It is not easy to achieve tourism growth five or more years in a row. Nevertheless, we believe that we can do this because one of our main goals in the coming period will be to occupy new or strengthen the existing positions in distant markets such as China, Korea and America. We will have to face the competition with a much stronger promotion, and a stronger synergy between the private and public sectors. The key will be to achieve a higher level of tourist satisfaction, which is a prerequisite for positive references and continuing to build a stronger and more stable image of an attractive tourist destination that offers a number of reasons to visit it for the first time, or to return to one of our beautiful destinations.

Should Croatia maybe be a more exclusive destination, or more expensive, or cheaper, or maybe more appealing to a larger number of tourists?

— Our country is known for a variety of accomodation types and a quite extensive and diverse offer of destinations where everyone can find something they like. Although Croatia is a relatively small country, we offer a lot of diversity and that's our advantage. Luxury holidays are a very narrow market segment that is also quite demanding. We are very pleased with the fact that certain destinations like Dubrovnik, Rovinj, Zagreb, Split and even islands like Mali Lošinj and Hvar have an offer that is concomitant of the strictest market and luxury requirements.

How important is a strong diversification and growing number of tourists from what used to be uncharacteristic countries for Croatia's promotion and its image? What is your approach to promotion in such markets?

of next year, which will, along with the existing office in New York, have the task of working on even better positioning of our country as an attractive tourist destination.

Which factors determine the popularity of a tourist destination?

ONE OF OUR MAIN GOALS IN THE COMING PERIOD WILL BE TO OCCUPY NEW OR STRENGTHEN THE EXISTING POSITIONS IN DISTANT MARKETS SUCH AS CHINA, KOREA AND AMERICA — Most of the tourist traffic in Croatia, close to 90 percent, is generated by tourists from Europe.

The USA is our strongest, non-European market, and so far this year, we had close to 600,000 arrivals and 1.6 million overnight stays of American tourists with the USA occupying the 14th place on the list of our top tourist markets in terms of traffic. Our long-term strategic goal is to bolster the traffic generated by tourists from distant markets and there are several reasons for this.

Firstly, these are tourists who travel most often in the pre- and post-season, which excellently ties in with one of the key goals

of Croatian tourism – extending the tourist season. Secondly, these tourists are very good consumers.

According to the relevant data, American tourists spend about 168 euro a day which makes them the top spenders. Thirdly, countries like the United States, China or Korea have a large number of people willing to travel to faraway Europe, and that is where we see an opportunity for us. We opened our office in Shanghai, China, in early November this year. We are currently in the process of opening our office in Seoul, South Korea too, and we are planning to open an additional office in Los Angeles, the United States, in the first half

— The best thing to do is to have a rounded-off offer and it all starts with a quality offer of destinations and services. Also, you have to have a good promotional strategy that has to closely follow the offer and the products that a particular destination can deliver to its guests. In all of these processes, it is important to properly address your target group, use contemporary promotional tools, and devise innovative and original activities.

You can see and hear a plethora of various promotional messages and information today which is why it's important for the message to stand out because it should be appealing enough to attract and keep the attention, i.e. to incite a potential consumer to action. Also, there are many segments that we cannot directly influence but also have a strong impact on the market status of a certain destination.

Your said that you would like to see Croatia in the top 20 tourist destinations in the world. Is that achievable?

— I was referring to the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report which includes a list of countries rated by different segments, and which, besides tourism, also include other sectors such as health, finance, infrastructure, security etc. In order to be better ranked on this list, we must maintain a strong interdepartmental cooperation and jointly improve those rating segments that we can. Croatia has all the prerequisites to be one of the top tourist countries in the world and we are approaching that goal.

YOUNG TOURISTS ARE VERY DEMANDING Young people are described today as digital nomads that are constantly on the move. How much has the tourist profile changed and how different are the young tourists that come to Croatia today from those in the past?

— Global trends point to the need for continous monitoring of the needs of the Generation Y, born in 1981 and later. It is important for the Croatian tourism that the Generation Y tourist segment keeps growing with the current share of 38 percent.

These are young people who like to explore, travel to destinations they have not visited before, and during their stay in a country, they often

visit several cities and towns. Also, they are good consumers who know exactly what they want to experience during their stay, they are very well informed, and share their experiences and advice with others. In general, we can conclude that the times, when all that tourists wanted was good accommodation in a hotel, camp or an apartment, and a good place on the beach for swimming and sunbathing, have long since passed. Today, emphasis is on content, experience and quality. Our guests want and look for more, and all the results so far have shown that Croatian tourism is keeping up with all current trends.

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INTERVIEW

The Consumer Has Taken Control In addition to our widely recognized identity of green, active and healthy country in 2019 we are launching a new creative solution “Slovenia - My Way” which provides highly individualized consumers with a plethora of choices, inviting them to experience Slovenia in their own unique way MAJA PAK

Director of Slovenian Tourist Board

“We have adopted a very clear vision of a boutique green country, with premium quality. This is something I personally believe to be of the utmost importance - to have a clear vision, and to get all stakeholders behind it. And I can say that we have succeeded in this”, says Maja Pak, Director of the Slovenian Tourist Board and a seasoned expert in the tourism industry.

You have dedicated your whole career to tourism. What makes the industry so challenging today?

How fast one needs to adapt?

— Yes, indeed, I have been with the Slovenian Tourist Board for over 20 years now, with another 5 years dedicated to private sector tourism product management before that. In this period, the development pace of tourism has

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rapidly increased with consequently a strong impact in the natural environment, as well as in the economic sense. Constant changes require ever shorter adaptation period so the industry remains very challenging and thus exciting.

As for the national tourism strategy, the focus is definitely shifting from marketing to man-

high quality experience, and at the same time support the regions and destinations to respond to and benefit from an increasing number of visitors. Tourism has to cooperate with agriculture, sports, culture, infrastructure development, and so on, to ensure that the tourism development benefits the environment and the local community.

OUR IDEAL LOCATION IN THE MEETING POINT OF THE ALPS, THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA, THE KARST AND THE PANNONIAN PLAIN MAKES IT POSSIBLE TO DEVELOP TOURISM IN ALL FOUR SEASONS agement, which is what we are doing through the new organization of Slovenian tourism. I believe that the need for this is widely acknowledged among Slovenian tourism stakeholders, which I consider a success. As destination marketers and managers, we need to ensure that the visitors enjoy a

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What were your results in 2018, and which goals have you set for 2019?

— The number of visitors and the number of overnight stays in Slovenia have been on the rise constantly for several years now.

We have recorded four consecutive years of tourism records, with

two-digit growth – in 2017, a nearly 18% growth in foreign arrivals and 15% in foreign overnights. This is well above the European average of 8%. What is important is that the increase in tourism export receipts was also higher than in the last years - we recorded a 9% increase.

Our current tourism strategy (Strategy of Sustainable Growth of Sustainable Tourism 2017-2021) defines the vision of Slovenia as a green boutique destination for 5-star experiences. This is the focus of our activities, along with our goal to increase revenue from inbound tourism to EUR 3.7 billion in the next 4 years.

Furthermore, we need to attract the right mix of visitors, who appreciate the experiences we offer.

Slovenia has a relatively good seasonal dispersion, with just above half of all overnight stays occurring during the four summer months (compared to 85% in Croatia, and 40% in Austria). But additional growth will have to happen in spring, autumn and winter.

Our focus is on 365 days of Slovenian tourism. Our ideal location as the meeting point of the Alps, the Mediterranean Sea, the Karst and the Pannonian Plain makes it possible to develop tourism in all four seasons.

In both, the Alpine region and the Thermal Pannonian region, 30% of overnights stays are made, meanwhile 25% of stays occur in the Mediterranean & Karst region and 15% in Central Slovenia, including our capital, Ljubljana.

Last year, Slovenia became the first country in the world to be declared a green destination. Is it too early to estimate the effects of this on the tourism industry, or you can already see some of the results?

— Slovenia is one of the first countries that has started to develop sustainable tourism as one of its key priorities on the national level.

What speaks in our favor is that sustainable development is the way forward, not only for the tourism industry, but for the country of Slovenia as a whole.

The Green Scheme of Slovenian Tourism, an umbrella project implemented since 2014, is a tool developed at the national level and a certification programme at the same time - it successfully supports all sustainable endeavours in our tourism sector. The Green Scheme of Slovenian Tourism brings together all efforts directed towards the sustainable development of tourism in Slovenia, and offers tools to destination and service providers that enable them to evaluate and improve their sustainability endeavoirs, and promotes these green endeavors through the SLOVENIA GREEN brand.

The Green Scheme of Slovenian Tourism encourages the sustainable, environmentally friendly tourism and it has been perceived well on the global level. Slovenia now needs to build on the image of authentic experiences. This is why the Slovenian Tourist Board is encouraging destinations and tourist facilities to create five-star experiences, which will be graded based on their local character, authenticity and inclusion of local specifics.

In 2019, based on our success on the national level, we plan to begin the internationalization process of the Green Scheme of Slovenian Tourism to promote sustainable tourism development in Europe and beyond - this is a joint project with the European Travel Commission and the Global Leaders Network.

How many destinations in Slovenia obtained the green certificates? What does that mean for tourists in search for eco-friendly destinations?

— Today, the Green Scheme of Slovenian Tourism consist of 37 destinations, 22 tourism industry providers, 3 travel agencies and 2 protected areas/parks. There are also 13 destinations in the process of obtaining the Slovenia Green destination certificate.

Today, an increasing number of tourists tend to favour eco-friendly destinations in search for local authentic experiences, meaningful encounters and so-called simple luxuries. Furthermore, in modern day’s travel market, there is a greater demand for unique, sharable, and increasingly personal and

needs. In this regard, we are giving our visitors the tools to curate their travel experiences according to their interests, available time, and individual budgets.

The new “Slovenia - My Way” direction provides highly individualized consumers with a plethora of choices, freeing them up to their senses and inviting them to experience Slovenia in their own unique way.

Every five years the certificate issuer, the Dutch organisation Green Destinations will be checking what Slovenia has achieved in maintaining its character and its green, clean, authentic offer for travellers.

How challenging is that task?

— Slovenia is the first country in

WE WOULD LIKE TO DEVELOP A GLOBAL GREEN SCHEME, AND TO FURTHER BUILD ON OUR POSITION OF BEING ONE OF THE LEADING SUSTAINABILITY-FOCUSED DESTINATIONS IN THE WORLD individualized experiences. The consumer has taken control. They create content, they are the influencers and they have re-defined core ideas like the meaning of “luxury”. Unique trips designed by the traveler are the new norm.

Slovenia is taking advantage of all of its natural and cultural assets to cater to self-indulgent visitors, allowing them to focus and explore the destination based on their specific desires, preferences and

the world which complies with the Green Destinations Standard.

This great honour brings also great responsibility to not only keep but even further raise high standards of sustainability.

With all stakeholders on board behind our commitment toward sustainable tourism and encouraging positive results, the future looks bright.

What programmes and projects

FOCUS Which new markets are you targeting?

— In addition to our major strategic markets (Austria, Germany, Italy, Russia, France and the United Kingdom), we are focusing more on the emerging European markets (Benelux, Switzerland, Denmark, Finland, Hungary and Poland), and we are developing also overseas markets, such as the United States, Canada and China.

will be implemented under the auspices of the European Region of Gastronomy 2021?

— The European Region of Gastronomy Award aims to contribute to a better quality of life in European regions, by highlighting distinctive food cultures, educating for better health and sustainability, and stimulating gastronomic innovation.

The Strategy of Sustainable Growth of Sustainable Tourism 2017-2021 defines gastronomy as one of the leading tourist products.

In the light of the European Region of Gastronomy 2021 award, the gastronomy will succeed culture as the highlight of promotional activities by the Slovenian Tourist Board in 2020 and 2021. Slovenian gastronomy, as defined in the Action Plan for Development and Marketing of Slovenian Gastronomy 2019 – 2023, is praised for local natural ingredients and products, excellent wines, creative chefs and boutique dining experiences.

The projects implemented under the auspices of the European Region of Gastronomy 2021 cherish the gastronomic specialities of Slovenia and their protection, promote the World Bee Day (20 May), underline the close connection between gastronomy and tourism, support active involvement of caterers and citizens in the protection of our gastronomic traditions and present our modern cuisine to the international public. All projects are presented in Slovenia's bid book „Taste Slovenia“.

How recognizable is Slovenia in tourist culinary guides? How many Michelin star restaurants do you have?

— We are very happy to welcome the national version of the French Gault & Millau culinary guide that has published the first edition of the guide in the end of November.

It features 140 restaurants, 50 popular places, 50 wine cellars and 15 craft breweries, thus it embraces the points of interest for a wide range of culinary enthusiasts. So far, the Michelin guide has not rated any Slovenian restaurants, but we are very positive they will consider assessing Slovenian gastronomy in the following years.

In general, culinary guides definitively position a gastronomic destination on the global culinary map and are a well-recognized driving force behind gastronomic innovation, development of catering industry and a promotional trump card in tourist marketing.

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EVENT

First birthday of Diplomacy & Commerce Magazine in Croatia The magazine Diplomacy & Commerce Croatia has celebrated its first year of successful operations at the Museum of Arts and Crafts in Zagreb

Dario Mihelin, advisor to Croatian President, H.E. Diana Madunić, Ambassador of Sweden, H.E. Andrew Stuart Dalgleish, Ambassador of the UK, H.E. Robert Klinke, Ambassador of Germany, H.E Constantin Mihail Grigorie, Ambassador of Romania

H.E. Andrew Stuart Dalgleish, Ambassador of the UK and Mr. Robert Čoban, President of Color Media Communications

Ruža Ristanović and Boban Spasojević from Diplomacy&Commerce and Mrs Akuoma Helen Boromisa from International Women's Club

Mr. Robert Čoban, President of Color Media Communications and Mr. Denis Kuljiš

Svetlana Nenadović Glušac, Boban Spasojević, Ruža Ristanović, Robert Čoban, Sandra Čoban, Sven Darrer, the Diplomacy&Commerce team

The magazine, which Color Media Communications publishes in cooperation with the London-based The Economist, covers the topics related to diplomacy, international relations,

business and culture.

At the celebration, President of Color Media Communications, Robert Čoban addressed those present and announced the launch of Diplomacy & Commerce magazine in Austria in February of

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next year. Executive Director of Diplomacy & Commerce Croatia, Boban Spasojević promised the readers even better content and announced some of the magazine’s plans for next year.

A number of diplomatic, busi-

Boban Spasojević from Diplomacy&Commerce and Mrs Srebrenka Saks, Director of DHL Croatia

ness and public figures from Croatia attended the event including the Governor of the Croatian National Bank. Boris Vujčić, Foreign and European Policy Advisor to the President of the Republic of Croatia, Dario Mihelin, the bard

Boban Spasojević and Tomislav Kero, Palma Travel

Mr. Hasim Koc, from TIKA, and Boban Spasojević

Mr. Damjan Ljuština, Mr. Robert Čoban and Mr. Duško Ljuština

Mr. Robert Čoban and the bard of the Yugoslav Boban Spasojević and Boris Vujčić, Governor of and Croatian diplomacy, Budimir Lončar the Croatian National Bank

Boban Spasojević and H.E. Mr. Reza Sadegh Ambassador of Iran

H.E. Mr. Robert Klinke, Ambassador of Germany, Ruža Ristanović, Boban Spasojević and Robert Čoban

Ivica Jakić, President of the Swiss- Croatian Business Association with his colleagues

of the Yugoslav and Croatian diplomacy, Budimir Lončar, the Ambassador of the United Kingdom, H.E. Mr. Andrew Dalgleish, the Ambassador of Germany, H.E. Mr. Robert Klinke, the Ambassador of Iran, H.E. Mr. Reza Sadegh,

the Ambassador of Romania, H.E. Mr. Constantin-Mihail Gregorie, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Sweden, H.E. Ms Diana Helen Madunić, and the Ambassador of Azerbaijan, H.E. Mr. Fakhraddin Gurbanov. The DC team also played

H.E. Mr. Robert Klinke, Ambassador of Germany and the bard of the Yugoslav and Croatian diplomacy, Budimir Lončar

Mr. Hrvoje Lapić, Brand Manager of Porsche Croatia

host to the representatives of the British, Austrian, Greek, Belgian, Turkish and Slovenian chambers of commerce in Croatia. The representatives of HUP, HOK and trade unions, as well as many public figures including Denis Kuljiš and

Duško Ljuština, attended the celebration.

The event’s sponsor, Porsche Centre Croatia had a spectacular presentation of the new Porsche Macan 2.0 that will be launched in Croatia in December this year.

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PEOPLE & EVENTS

15 ITALIAN NOV

CUISINE WEEK

ICE (Italian Foreign Trade Institute) office in Zagreb presented the Italian Cuisine Week in the World at the restaurant of the Le Premier Hotel In Zagreb which took place for the third consecutive time in countries across the world. This initiative was launched following the idea that the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Coopera-

H.E. Mr. Adriano Chiodi Cianfarani, the Ambassador of Italy, Margherita Lo Greco, Director of the Italian Trade Agency

Srefano Cossatini,Italian chef

15 LE BEAUJOLAIS NOV

NOUVEAU EST ARRIVÉ!

The French-Croatian Chamber of Commerce and Industry marked the opening of this year’s bottle of the best young wine in the world at the traditional celebration that takes place every third Thursday in November, with under the now famous slogan “Le Beaujolais Nouveau

Mrs Višnja Ježić Sorić Višnja Ježić Sorić, President of the French Chamber of Croatia and Mr Ivan Paić, Secretary General of the Chamber and Director General of Schneider Electric

28 NATIONAL DAY OF ROMANIA NOV

tion and the Ministry of Agriculture had after the World Expo 2015, namely to continue promoting the Italian culinary tradition and eno-gastronomy at an international level since they are trademarks of the Italian national identity and culture, plus to additionally improve the distribution and sales of Italian food and agricultural produce.

AND THE CENTENNIAL OF THE GREAT UNION

est arrivé!” (“The young Beaujolais has arrived!”). Before the evening celebration, guests enjoyed another famous French cinematic tradition, with the screening of the French comedy “Le Grand Bain” (“Swim like a man”), directed by Gilles Lallouche at Kaptol Boutique Cinema & WOW Bar.

Mrs Višnja Ježić Sorić Višnja Ježić Sorić, President of the French Chamber of Croatia and Mr Ivan Paić, Secretary General of the Chamber and Director General of the Schneider Electric.H.E. Ms CORINNE MEUNIER, Ambassador of France

The Embassy of Romania in Zagreb held a reception at the Croatian Journalists House to celebrate the National Day of Romania and the anniversary of the Centennial of the Great Union. Political,

parliamentary, diplomatic, economic, cultural, and academic figures, media representatives and numerous members of the Romanian community and Romanian speaking communities in Croatia attended the event.

The Ambassador of Romania to Croatia, Constantin- The Ambassador of Romania to Croatia, ConstantinMihail Grigorie, together with Zvonko Kusic, Mihail Grigorie, together with Josip Jelic, the President of the Academy of Sciences and Arts President of the Croatian Red Cross

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29 AHK MARKS 15th NOV

ANNIVERSARY

The German-Croatian Chamber of Industry and Trade (AHK) marked its 15th anniversary in the premises of the Croatian State Archive. The president of the Chamber, Ralf Blomberg, the German

Ralf Blomberg, President of the AHK, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, H.E. Dr. Robert Klinke, German Ambassador to Croatia , Sven Thorsten Potthoff, Director of the AHK

04 CHRISTMAS LUNCH OF DEC

THE AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Ambassador to Croatia, H.E. Robert Klinke and the Croatian Prime Minister, Andrej Plenković addressed the guests while the celebration was attended by a number of business, political and public figures.

AHK team

Mr. Tomislav Brezinščak, Managing Partner for Croatia and Serbia at McKinsey & Company, presented the results of the survey „Digitization as New Source of Growth in Croatia“

at the AmCham's Christmas lunch that took place at the Sheraton Hotel in Zagreb. The Christmas lunch is one of the events that has rounded off yet another successful year for AmCham.

Andrea Doko, Director of AmCham

05 ADVANTE DEC

AUSTRIA'S ANNUAL RECEPTION

A number of friends, collaborators and guests gathered at the annual reception of Advante Austria at the Dverce Palace to celebrate another successful year. A music quartet was in

Petar Jakić, Mrs . Sonja Holocher-Ertl Advantage Austria, Ivica Jakić

charge of entertainment, playing, among other things, the song „Silent Night, Holy Night“. Otherwise, the atmosphere at the reception was enjoyable and lively.

Antonio Garcia Belgian Embassy , Sonja HolocherErtl Advantage Austria

Sonja Holocher-Ertl Advantage Austria

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PEOPLE & EVENTS

06 CONSTITUTION DEC

DAY OF SPAIN

On the occasion of the Constitution Day, the Ambassador of Spain, H.E. Alonso Dezcallar hosted a reception at the Emerald Ballroom of the Esplanade Hotel in Zagreb. In his first national day speech on his new mission in Croatia, Ambassador Dezcallar said: “Over the last four decades, Spain has established itself as a democratic state; as a country fully committed to the European project, having joined the European

H.E. Alonso Dezcallar, Ambassador of Spain

Mr Stjepan Mesić, the former president

06 BIG ADVENT DEC

PARTY OF FOX NETWORKS GROUP

Fox Networks Group has celebrated another successful business year with a big advent party that took place at the Kontesa Jazz Club & Cabaret on 6th December. Representatives of media and marketing agencies, the biggest Croatian and international companies, journalists and heads of

Petra Ledinek, David Skoko, Miro Bižić

11 CELEBRATION OF THE DEC

BIRTHDAY OF HIS MAJESTY THE EMPEROR OF JAPAN

H.E. Keiji Takiguchi Ambassador of Japan to Croatia

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Union in 1986; as a welfare state with universal healthcare and education systems, and as a world leader in equality, human rights and solidarity.” The reception was attended by the representatives of the Parliament and the Government of Croatia, members of the Public Administration, members of the diplomatic corps in Croatia, members of civil society organizations, religious communities, media and friends of Spain.

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Croatian media houses showcased their original fashion style with the inspiration being ugly Christmas sweater party in the central square in Zagreb, to the amusement of everybody present. Over 300 business partners and friends of Fox Networks Group enjoyed the warm and fun party atmosphere.

Ivana Matoτić, Petra Hranilović, Petra Ledinek, Slaven Kosanović Lunar, Rea Berger

In celebration of the birthday of His Majesty the Emperor of Japan, the Ambassador of Japan to Croatia, H.E. Keiji Takiguchi and Mrs Ayako Takiguchi played hosts to a number of cultural, public, political and business figures, as

well as the members of diplomatic corps. The reception was held at the Westin Hotel in Zagreb where the guests enjoyed the Japanese gastronomic specialties and the exhibition of the most popular models of Japanese car makers.

CORPORATE

Domestic Product of Italian Quality Ducati Komponenti d.o.o. is an integral part of the large Italian group, Ducati Energia s.p.a. from Bologna, and has been operating in Ludbreg since 2005

The group is known for the production of generators, engines, stators, outboard engine parts and other parts for all kinds of motorcycles, parking machines, and automatic toll collection machines. Ducati Komponenti produces rotors, stators, alternators, generators, wind generators, regulators, transducers and inverters in its own production facilities.The production itself is divided into three parts: rotor, stator and electronics. In terms of the green economy, our production is divided into four basic groups: a small FreeDuck electric moped, electric vehicle batteries, small wind turbines and e-wheel called Copenhagen Wheel.

FreeDuck4 is an electric quadricycle for two people, which is produced in two versions: standard, with a 180 litre-trunk, and caravan with a 300-litre trunk. The maximum speed of FreeDuck4 is 45 km / h, and its travelling range, with only one battery charge, is

approximately 60 km. It is ideal for city driving and is a great solution for delivery services, utility services, police, and airports, but also can be used for tourist purposes.

Since it is officially designated as a moped, a category AM license is required, while the helmet and seat belts are not.

FreeDuck2 is an electric bicycle with all electrical and mechanical components integrated into the rear wheel. The fact that the battery, engine and steering system are built into the wheel allows this wheel to be mounted onto any bicycle, to transform it from a classic to an electric one. The wheel functions are controlled by the screen mounted on the steering wheel, but also via the Bluetooth-enabled smartphone application. The bicycle travel range, on one charge of the battery, is about 60 km, and the maximum speed, achieved with auxiliary electric engine, is 25 km / h. Except for private purposes, FreeDuck2 is also suitable for use in bike sharing systems.

DUCATI KOMPONENTI PRODUCES ROTORS, STATORS, ALTERNATORS, GENERATORS, WIND GENERATORS, REGULATORS, TRANSDUCERS AND INVERTERS IN ITS OWN PRODUCTION FACILITIES Bike sharing system is available mainly in larger cities where modern lifestyle presents a lot of challenges like traffic jams, due to whcih you cannot move quickly through the city, and the need to become more physically active to counteract the sedentary lifestyle and work. The logic of using this system is very simple: the user simply chooses a station with available bicycles. You can log into the system in several ways – with the RFID card, entering a user password on the terminal, or using a special key. The system unlocks the desired bike and the user is ready to ride. The bike has to be returned any station within the system before the predefined use period expires. Towns like Čako-

vec, Koprivnica and Pula all use our bike sharing system.

Electric vehicle charging stations can be both for private and public use. Those for private use have smaller dimensions and are suitable for wall mounting, while those for public use can be installed at any location because they have IP44 electrical protection and can charge multiple vehicles simultaneously. They are equipped with an RFID identification reader, liquid crystal display, GPRS connectivity device and local area network connection and are customized for charging all types of electric vehicles. With regard to power, there are 3.7 and 22 kW versions available, but also combinations of different connectors and power.

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COLUMN

PUBLIC SPEAKING ON SPECIAL OCCASIONS

Special occasions are opportunities to say a few words about special people, institutions and events. These kinds of speeches are meant to create atmosphere, positive attitude, and show appreciation. Regardless its briefness as implied with „few words“ it is important to make sure those words sound memorable

JAGODA POROPAT DARRER Business Communications Professional

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

Shimmering lights, jolly atmosphere, soft snow balls, festive carols, excitement and gifts: all spicy December ingredients. At the end of the year it is a time of holyday gatherings, office parties, annual awards, some retirements and certainly new business and professional beginnings. All perfect events and occasions for speechmaking. Say a few words - for some the most horrifying invitation, and for some just a matter of everyday life equally stressful or at least not very comfortable situation. Speeches for special occasions help give the occasion its specialness. They are part of the ceremonial aura that marks the event. Not information or persuasion is their primary purpose. Rather, they aim to fit the special needs of a special occasion (Lucas, 2012). They are developed from ancient epideictic speeches which took place in political assembly and sought to persuade its audience to particular future course of action.

Rhetorical textbooks state that epideictic means "fit for display", sometimes called "ceremonial" or "demonstrative" oratory. Epideictic oratory was oriented to public occasions calling for speech or writing in the here and now. The ends of epideictic included praise or blame, and thus the long history of encomia and invectives, in their various manifestations, can be understood in the tradition of epideictic oratory. Aristotle assigned "virtue (the noble)" and "vice (the base)" as those special topics of invention that pertained to epideictic oratory.

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Despite their short form, ceremonial speeches gain importance because they are part of the ceremonies often broadcasted and celebrated in public.

Although the main function of the epideictic rhetorical genre is entertainment, they belong to the rhetorical discourse and also have a persuasive function (advertising a rewarded work) and appraisal function (emphasizing

best speeches are emotional, personal, original, modest, and of high linguistic style. An excellent preparation (proper choice of words, figure of speeches, originality of the story), and spontaneity of performance (sincerity, emotion, and personality) are the key to a good ceremonial speech (Pletikos, Poropat Darrer 2012).

Proposing a toast is well rooted in Croatian culture. In

BEST SPEECHES ARE EMOTIONAL, PERSONAL, ORIGINAL, MODEST, AND OF HIGH LINGUISTIC STYLE human virtues). Both the wellknown and unknown people who receive the award in their personal name or in the name of a group of people (team, company, etc.) with their short speeches perform their ethos as public speakers. A study conducted on ceremonial addresses within Croatian media shows that the

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this holyday season it is certain that a great amount of speeches would be delivered throughout Croatian offices, restaurants, even houses where coworkers and family gather together to celebrate religious festivities and holydays. The tradition of celebrating Christmas is deeply rooted into the Croatian customs

that are tightly bounded with faith practicing, but also with few pagan rituals. Therefore, the ethnologists find a myriad of wellknown and some less known rituals Croatians practice during the Advent festivities. Among them are common customs of attending the morning Mass, wheat seeding in small vases, advent wreath making, arranging Nativity sets, decorating Christmas tree, putting logs on fire, introducing straw into the house, giving children symbolic ferules to keep them strong and healthy, looking into ashes for auspice of future events, and decorating the Christmas tree with apples, oranges, plums, nuts, and candies.

In the Zagreb area it was quite a common costume to arrange the Nativity settings. The first and oldest one was made of paper, known as Kipci. One of the oldest Nativity set in Croatia, made of wood, was made in 1916 by Croatian artist Vojta Braniš, and is kept in the church of St. Blaise in Zagreb. As every place in the world during the Advent season, Zagreb has its own specific holyday scent too. It comes from fresh baked traditional cookies made with honey, walnuts and pepper, gingerbread, vanilla cookies, poppy's cake, nut's cake, but also main dish delicacies such as mincemeat in cabbage leaves or roasted turkey with dough. Regardless the different recipe, one of the most beautiful Croatian customs is to share the Christmas meal with those in necessity.

Make sure your festivity season if full of love, joy, sharing, food, drinks, best friends, and the most memorable speeches that will warm your heart and rejuvenate your soul. I wish you happy holydays and the most successful New Year!

ECONOMY

Text: NIKICA MILOŠ

Social Equality is Liberalism It is not anticapitalist Liberals are in crisis, both in economics and in politics. The Economist has pledged that economists of the world should endeavour to restore confidence in the liberal economy, since the magazine itself, when it was founded, advocated abolition of the grain tax, which made people hungry.

But at the core of all this was the idea that if we reduce obstacles to trade, the living standard will improve and launching new business will be easier with company owners and their workers earning more, as well as having to deal with an increasing number of created needs which, in turn, will create the need for new products and services. Of course, this was so blown out of proportion and has metastasized over time that imperial capitalism caused the First World War which ended exactly 100 years ago in the devastated Europe and part of the world. As the wise Lord Kaynes once said, his Keynesianism was not motivated by the fact that the Communists wanted capitalism to collapse - on the contrary, he was a great fan of capitalism and wanted to suppress revolutionary movements that would have emerged with the implementation of Keynesianism and social justice. Well, these very revolutionary movements happened when social justice disappeared and imperial capitalism reared its head. Several years before Lord Keynes, Bosmarck also had to defend himself from similar accusations. He introduced health and pension insurance and had to stand ground against attacks from opposition parties which accused him of becoming a Socialist. Bosmarck also said that, by doing what he did, he actually prevented revolutions. Truth be told, the almost perfect social systems in Germany and Scandinavia contributed to the fact that there have never been serious revolutions in these Protestant egalitarian countries.

Although liberalism, in its true spirit, is very important in the context of the removal of protectionist measures, and bolstering the entrepreneurial spirit. The Liberals now have to solve the problem with right-wingers and protection-

PROGRESSIVE INTERNATIONAL

ists taking the place of liberalism only because people are hungry for answers how to improve their living standard. Back in the day, the Liberals had managed to boost the living standard of ordinary people, but today they take the side of the rich and are surprised to see that people voted Trump, known for his penchant for sanctions,

embargoes, taxes and economic wars. Ordinary people do not care about libveralism or fascism. They are interested in living their lives.

As one British woman said, when asked why did she vote for Brexit when Brexit would reduce Britain's GDP:“That’s your GDP, not mine!“ Bull's eye! Or, in translation, where am I in all of this?!

ORDINARY PEOPLE ARE ONLY INTERESTED IN BETTER LIVES FOR THEMSELVES. IDEAS HOLD NO IMPORTANCE IN TODAY’S DAY AND AGE AND FLAG COLOURS HAVE BECOME IRRELEVANT, 101 YEARS AFTER THE OCTOBER REVOLUTION IN PETROGRAD

We might have a solution to this problem. Senator Bernie Sanders, the former candidate for president of the United States, and Yanis Varoufakis, co-founder of DiEM25, have appealed to the progressives from around the world to form an international movement with the aim of fighting the growing authoritarianism that Donald Trump represents.

In the first of a series of exchanges published in the renowned British newspaper The Guardian, both figures describe the urgent need to found a "progressive International" that mobilizes people around the world around a vision of prosperity, security and dignity.

"While the rich continue to enrich themselves, the rest work more and more hours in exchange for ever lower wages and fear for the future of their children," Sanders warns, "authoritarian movements take advantage of these concerns, and they create scapegoats in order to confront the citizens among themselves. " For his part, Varoufakis explains: "Our generation will be remembered for the triumphal march of a Nationalist International that emerged from the sewers of financial capitalism.

Let us fight so that it is also remembered for having given birth to a mobilization that challenged this threat, it depends on the will of the progressives in the United States, in the European Union, in the United Kingdom and in countries like Mexico, India and South Africa, forge a Progressive International."

Are we going to succeed in making Liberals go back to their roots and work on benefitting ordinary people to live better and create new economy, new income and new needs? Or are the Liberals still going to take the side of the wealthy and by doing so, bury themselves even deeper?

Ordinary people are only interested in better lives for themselves. Ideas hold no importance in today’s day and age and flag colours have become irrelevant, 101 years after the October Revolution in Petrograd.

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BUSINESS NEWS

Rimac Automobili

30MLN EURO LOAN

CNB

BANKS RECEIVE 1.4 BILLION KUNA

The Croatian National Bank (CNB) lent banks a total of HRK 1,397 billion at a fixed repo rate of 1.2 percent, in order to boost their lending activity. The re-purchase date is four years, December 13th, 2023. The total amount of bids received for the auction amounted to HRK 1,397 billion, which means that the CNB accepted all the bids received. As a financial security, the CNB accepted securities from the list of eligible securities published on its website, which were transferred to the set of eligible assets with the Croatian National Bank.

Spider Group

BUILDING ONE OF LARGEST TEA FACTORIES IN EUROPE

Vice President of the European Investment Bank (EIB), Dario Scannapieco signed a contract with Privredna Banka Zagreb stipulating a loan guarantee for Rimac Automobili. The EUR 30m loan will be spent on research, development and expansion of capacities in Sveta Nedljeja. Dario Scannapieco has also signed another agreement with Privredna Banka Zagreb worth 25 million euros for innovative small and medium enterprises.

Valamar

TO INVEST 793 MILLION KUNA IN 2019

In the Rakita Entrepreneurial Zone in Kladare, Spider Group has started building a modern tea factory, an investment worth 28 million kuna that will pack 400 million tea bags annually and hire 50 new workers. This will be the biggest tea factory in the region and one of the biggest in Europe.l The Spider Group specialises in the processing of medicinal

and aromatic herbs and the production of teas and preparations based on such herbs. All of the Spider Group companies - Spider Group d.o.o., Biofarma d.o.o., Djolta d.o.o., Jan-spider d.o.o., as well as Herbarium d.o.o., are integral parts of a solid business unit which produces high-quality, finished products in both the domestic and international markets.

RWE

ANOTHER 5,000 HOUSEHOLDS ADDED TO PORTFOLIO

After taking over the electricity business from HT, RWE has also acquired a division of the 220V Company.

In early December, RWE Croatia, the second-largest electricity supplier in Croatia, took over the supply of 5,000 households from the 220V Company. This is the second RWE acquisition in the electricity market in 2018, after having recently taken over the portfolio of Croatian Telecom.

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The Supervisory Board of the largest Croatian tourism company, Valamar Riviera has approved the next investment cycle, with total investments in Valamar destinations to reaching 793 million kuna in 2019.

Investment projects in 2019 are focused on portfolio repositioning according in line with the offer and high added value services. With this investment, Valamar Riviera will round off a three-year investment cycle worth more than 2 billion kuna, which was envisaged in the Valamar growth and development strategy covering the period by 2020. The company says that some of the largest investments in 2019 will be made in the Istria camp sit that, as of next season, will be the first large five-star camp in Croatia, in the opening of the luxury family hotel Valamar Collection Marea Suites 5* in PoreÄ? and the development of many other additional contents and service concepts in other Valamar camp sites, hotels and resorts. The plan also includes the continuation of significant investments in accommodation for seasonal employees in line with the strategic goals of Valamar.

RST Pellet

PELLET FACTORY BEING BUILT IN DELNICE

Construction of a pellet plant in Delnice - RST - Pellet, in the Lučica Business Zone near Delnice, is in its final stage, with the start of production scheduled for next January. The plant's production capacity is expected to be 80,000 tonnes of pellets per year. The factory, which will cost about 85 million kuna to build, will be one of the most modern pellet factories in Europe. The construction site was visited by the Head of Primorje-Gorski Kotar District, Zlatko Komadin, owner of RST Pellet, Richard Stuckler and Mayor of Delnice, Ivica Knežević. The construction work on the lot formerly owned by DIP Delnice started in July, and all the equipment and technology used in the factory were produced by domestic companies. Richard Stuckler pointed out that he had chosen Gorski Kotar to open the plant for several reasons, but primarily because this area was abundant in wood and has good transport links. He also underlined that the company was extremely satisfied with the young workforce, around 30 of them, and that they have been receiving a lot of inquiries for their product from Italy, Croatia and Slovenia.

Volkswagen

END OF INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES

German car maker Volkswagen expects the era of the combustion car to fade away after it rolls out its next-generation petrol and diesel cars beginning in 2026 – the Brand Chief Strategist at VW, Michael Jost has announced. Volkswagen has decided to make this strategic move following the emission's scandal in 2015 when VW violated Clean Air Act and forged its harmful emissions report. As a result, the company had to pay 27 billion euro in fines. VW will continue to adapt petrol and diesel cars to align with ecological standards over their lifetime and has now embarked on radical steps to stop global warming.

MOL

ENERGY COMPANY OF THE YEAR

This is a prestigious annual event that celebrates the most successful companies, projects and innovations in the global energy industry organized by the prominent magazine in the oil industry, Petroleum Economist, which has been continuously coming out since 1934. MOL Group won two awards at the 2018 Petroleum Economist Awards. Along with the MOL Group, which is the only oil and gas company that won two awards, other winners are the US company Tesla for the Clean Energy Initiative of the Year, for its huge lithium battery plant in Nevada,

which is the world's largest, as well as Multinational Total, headquartered in France, which won the Energy Star of the Year Award (Large Cap) and the Italian ENI for the Exploration Company of the Year.

Hyundai

LAUNCHING PRODUCTION IN CROATIA?

South Korean automotive manufacturer Hyundai Motor Company is in talks for the launch a motor vehicle production plant in Croatia. Hyundai started negotiations with the Croatian government regarding the construction of a car manufacturing plant two months ago, a Croatian daily reported, quoting government sources. The plant will most likely be located in Varazdin, in central

Croatia, as there are car parts factories already active in the area, Croatia’s economy minister Darko Horvat has said the government aims to attract car makers wishing to invest in the country, and that the government is in the process of negotiating with a ten or so large investors, especially from automobile industry while offering them better investment environment than regional competitors.

Zara

SURPASSES H&M AND 10 OTHER TOP CLOTHING COMPANIES IN CROATIA

Last year, Zara generating the revenues of 577 million kuna and in its ten stores in Croatia recorded a higher turnover than all the stores owned by the top ten Croatian companies put together, i.e. 514 million kuna. For comparison, Monila, that represents the Galileo brand, made a revenue of 125 million kuna last year and is the only domestic clothing retailer with a revenue exceeding 100 million kuna. Spanish Zara entered the Croatian market eleven years ago and last year, for the first time ever, surpassed its biggest rival, Sweden's H&M, which recorded the best business results in 2013,

only three years after the arrival to Croatia. In 2013, H&M had a revenue of 562 million kuna in Croatia, while last year, the company's revenue dropped to 513 million kuna, unlike Zara's revenue which continued to grow without stopping.

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BUSINESS NEWS

Ericsson

MOBILE SERVICES USERS CONTINUES TO GROW

5G is expected to reach more than 40 percent global population coverage and 1.5 billion subscriptions for enhanced mobile broadband by the end of 2024. This will make 5G the fastest generation of cellular technology to be rolled out on a global scale, according to the latest edition of the Ericsson Mobility Report. North America and North East Asia are expected to lead the 5G uptake. In North America, 5G subscriptions are forecast to account for 55 percent of mobile subscriptions by the end of 2024.

In North East Asia, the corresponding forecast figure is more than 43 percent. In Europe, first commercial subscriptions to services in next-generation networks should start next year, according to the Swedish company. On the global level, the installation of new generation networks should gain momentum from 2020.

General Motors

LAYING OFF 14,000 WORKERS

General Motors will cut up to 14,000 workers in North America and put five plants up for possible closure as it abandons many of its car models and restructures to focus more on autonomous and electric vehicles. The restructuring reflects changing North American auto markets as manufacturers continue to shift away from cars toward SUVs and trucks. In October, almost 65% of new vehicles sold in the U.S. were trucks or SUVs. That figure was about 50% cars just five years ago. The reduction includes

about 8,000 white-collar employees, or 15 percent of GM’s North American white-collar workforce. Some will take buyouts while others will be laid off.

Ryanair

LAUNCHES NEW SERVICES TO SPLIT AND DUBROVNIK

Imperial

140MLN WORTH OF INVESTMENTS IN 2019 Rab-based Imperial plans to make 140-million-kuna worth of investments in 2019 – this tourism company has announced on the Zagreb Stock Exchange. Imperial's Supervisory Board approved total investments in the amount of HRK 139.99 million for 2019. Approved investments are related to the improvement of the Valamar Carolina Hotel & Villas concept, which will increase the capacity and quality of its accommodation and services, as well as investments in further development and implementation of the new concept in the Padova Camping Resort in the premium camping segment, plus the repositioning of the Valamar Padova Hotel through expansion of family offer. Imperial has four hotels, two tourist resorts and two campsites with a total base capacity of 7,400 tourists. Since the end of 2016, after privatization, Imperial has been managed by Valamar Riviera and Allianz ZB.

Dublin Airport has welcomed the announcement by Ryanair that it is to launch new services to the Croatian cities of Dubrovnik and Split in 2019. Both new services will operate twice weekly from June as part of the airline’s summer 2019 schedule. Ryanair will have 13 new services from Dublin Airport next summer to Bodrum, Bordeaux, Bournemouth,

AquafilCRO d.o.o.

US AMBASSADOR VISITS FACTORY

The US Ambassador to Croatia, H.E. Mr William Robert Kohorst visited the company AquafilCRO .

Ambassador Kohorst met at the company’s HQ with its management Mr Edi Kraus, Dr Saša Muminović and Mr Angelo Cordella, as well as Orosavlje Mayor, Mr Emil Gredičak. The Mayor gave the Ambassador a silver coin depicting the town of Orosavlje. After the meeting, the Ambassador and the company’s management toured the company’s production plant. Aquafil’s management gave a short presentation of the Aquafil Group, ECONYL® plant for regeneration of

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Caligari, Dubrovnik, Frankfurt, Gothenburg, Kyiv, London Southend, Lourdes, Luxembourg, Split and Thessaloniki.

Dublin Airport has welcomed almost 27 million passengers in the first 10 months of the year, a 6% increase over the same period in 2017. More than 1.6 million extra passengers have travelled through the airport between January and October.

polyamide from waste and the operations of AquafilCRO to Ambassador Kohorst.

The activities of the Aquafil Group on the opening of a new plant in Phoenix, Arizona were especially emphasized during the meeting.

China’s Norinco International Corporation

STARTS BUILDING 160 MLN EURO WIND FARM

Guess

40 MILLION EURO FINE The European Commission has decided to the globally renowned fashion brand, Guess with almost 40 million euro for for restricting retailers from online advertising and selling cross-border to consumers in other Member States ("geo-blocking"), in breach of EU competition rules. Retailers were also required to get authorization from Guess before they were allowed to sell online, while the criteria for such approval was not based on any specified quality criteria. Sellers were also not allowed to sell to consumers outside their authorized areas. The new geo-blocking rules came into force on 3rd December. Also, the

Commission has ascertained that Guess' products are between 5% and 10% more expensive in Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia compard to the Western Europen countries.

Valamar and TUI UK

CONTRACT FOR 2019 WORTH 125.5 MILLION KUNA

China’s Norinco International Corporation plans to invest 160 million euro ($182 million) in the construction of a 156 MW wind farm in Croatia, the Croatian government has said. Norinco has launched the construction of the wind farm which has 39 turbines and will be located in the Brinje municipality, in Croatia’s north, the government said in a statement. Part of the construction works will be carried out by Croatian subcontractors and at least 100 people will be employed in the next two years.

“I believe that Norinco's experience in Croatia will provide impetus for other Chinese companies to get to know our market better,” Croatian prime minister Andrej Plenković said during a meeting with the president of Norinco, Wang Yitong. Norinco is also interested in the implementation of major hydropower projects in neighbouring Montenegro.

Končar KET

NEW CONTRACT IN MACEDONIA

Poreč-based hotel operator Valamar Riviera has signed a deal with TUI UK for the provision of hospitality services at its properties in 2019, the Croatian company said on Thursday. The deal has an estimated annual value of 125.5 million kuna. At the same time, they have conluded a club loan agreement with OTP Bank from Split and OTP Bank Nyrt from Budapest in the total amount of EUR

40 million to finance long-term investments. Relative to this year, the value of the contract has increased by over 45 million kuna since the value of this year's contract with TUI UK amounts to 80.3 million kunas. By cooperating with TUI UK, the leading tour operator on in the European emission market, the company ensured occupancy of some of its hotels, both in the pre- and post-season in 2019.

European Central Bank

ABOLISHES BONDBUYING PROGRAMME

European Central Bank (ECB) said that the bank would stop its €2.6 trillion quantitative easing (QE) bond-buying programme in January 2019 which was considerered the most controversial monetary incentive provided by the ECB. The current level of interest rates has not changed, as expected. The press release states that the monetary power of the eurozone will continue with the reinvestment of the cash generated from due debt securities

that the bank has bought over the last three years, as this move is linked to the decision on increasing interest rates.

The Končar – Inženjering za Energetiku i Transport Company (KET) announced yesterday that it had concluded a new contract stipulating the rehabilitation of TS 110kV Prilep 1 transformer station in Macedonia, worth over a million euros. This is the third project implemented under the current investment cycle of the Macedonian transmission system operator, AD MEPSO. The Končar Company says that the TS 110kV Prilep station is an important hub for the Republic of Macedonia's power grid.

A complex rehabilitation project was contracted to a consortium with the reputable local company, ELTEK from Skopje, which will be in charge of performing electromagnetic work on the station. The project entails the revitalization of primary equipment on 110 kV fields, the installation of secondary protection and control equipment, the SCADA system, the above-mentioned electromagnetic and design work, testing and commissioning.

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TRAVEL

Text: NIKICA MILOŠ

Lapland Visiting Santa Claus They say that Santa Claus lives somewhere far up in the very north, in the polar circle of the Arctic. Greenland, Lapland and a handful of other locations have been ‘battling’ among themselves to prove where Santa Claus actually ‘lives’ and ‘works’ before he visits us during the holidays. We are heading towards one of these places where polar lights, rain deer, snowing out of nowhere and saunas are an everyday thing.

We are leaving for Finland, its capital city Helsinki and Lapland.

LAPLAND

Lapland is a region shared among a few North European countries – Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. Of course, the biggest chunk of Lapland is located in the two Scandinavian countries with the highest living standard

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– Sweden and Finland. This is a story about the Finnish Lapland, which the Finnish call Lappi, and which is also the homeland of a folklore-loving, picturesque nation – the Lapp. If your are the fan of the book “The Lord of the Rings” and the eponymous movie trilogy,

The moment we arrive we can tell that we are in the far North – the endless evergreen forests and snow are everywhere you look.

The toponyms are now Lappish and quite unusual. We are crossing a river of a very strange name, covering hundreds of kilometres, while the temperature is slightly dropping. The first location that we see, which was an indication for us that something was ‘wrong’, i.e. that this country is far removed from what we see in our everyday lives, is a restaurant / motel, located near the motorway. There are

THE BIGGEST CHUNK OF LAPLAND IS LOCATED IN THE TWO SCANDINAVIAN COUNTRIES WITH THE HIGHEST LIVING STANDARD – SWEDEN AND FINLAND with its latest sequel breaking the box office records in our cinemas and those across the world, then you know that Tolkien used the Lappish language as an inspiration for the imaginary languages in his book, as well as for the toponyms in faraway lands and events that took place there a long time ago.

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snowmobiles or huskies pulling sledges in the parking lot. Cars are few and far between compared to the area just a few hundred kilometres south.

Our hosts are leading us into a huge, clean looking, half-empty restaurant and order goulash.

But this one is made from rain

deer meat! Of course, the guests are tactically presenting us with this information sometime in the middle of our lunch, just in case nobody changes their mind. Rain deer meat is somewhat more sour and harder than the game meat we eat, but still, our buddy and Santa Claus’ helper, is a tasty animal.

Welcome to Lapland! At this point, we can confidently say that we are living through a real, Northern experience. This is just one of the wonders and one of the smallest ones that we are about to experience. Plenty more to come!

Lapland’s capital city is, at first glance, somewhat recognizably urbanized. But this feeling left us the moment we saw that it started snowing literally out of nowhere.

The skies were blue. Of course, us Southerners were in for a shock – the sun is shining, the sky is clear blue and huge white snowflakes are falling out of nowhere. How is this even possible?! Well, there is a simple explanation for that – frost stays on tree branches so the air, at extremely low temperatures, sublimates from a gas into a solid aggregate state (7th grade physics).

So, it's so cold that the air converts

directly into snowflakes. Shocking, isn’t it? Of course, our hosts are not fazed by that at all while they are showing us the northernmost university in the European Union, the Lapland University (Lapin Yliopisto), which is also one of the most technically advanced universities in the EU. We are leaving for our accommodation in mountain cottages, north-bound from Rovaniemi.

We are passing over what seems a frozen meadow, with no forests around. Well, it looks like an ordinary meadow until our driver turns to his freezing passengers to tell them that we are actually crossing the frozen river called Kemijoki, diagonally. When we were informed of this three days ago, we thought that our hosts were joking. Here we are, eight of us, sitting in a Land Rover, while our driver is explaining to us that the ice here is between 4 and 10 metres thick so there is nothing to worry about. But, we did breathe a sigh of relief when we saw traffic signs, stuck in the ice, saying “speed limit 30 km/h” and “you are crossing the river at your own risk”.

We have also noticed that along the river (meaning, down the river, not diagonally), there is a real ‘road, with four lanes, that passes right in the centre of it. There are also numerous ‘traffic’ signs that warn of overtaking, speed limits, etc.

Sometime later, we arrive to our cottage, an architectural gem that contains all the latest devices and appliances. There are pictures on the walls, drapes, fire alarm…

It looks just like any typical Finnish hi-tech house apart that it is a rental and located in thick woods in the polar circle, at least a kilometre from the nearest cottage.

However, the cottage has no bathroom. Instead of a bathroom, there is, of course, a sauna. And this is how you use it… If you are not too squeamish...

With a towel on your back, as if you were going to the beach, you get ready, scarcely dressed, wearing only trousers and a shirt, and go towards a sauna, which is 30 meters away from the cottage.

Of course, your legs are cold, as you are walking through the snow wearing only slippers on your bare naked feet. Everybody who enters sauna is completely naked, at least in Finland, but women and men can come to an agreement how to take turns in the sauna. The temperature in the sauna goes up to 90˚C, the humidity is also close to 90% and water is constantly

poured onto the boiling hot stones that are warmed up in the oven.

The Finnish drink beer or any other alcoholic drink (say, vodka) in saunas, and sing "sauna songs", usually with derogatory lyrics about the Swedes, or dedicated to “lovely Finnish women”, or beer.

Every ten minutes you get out of the sauna and jump directly into the snow. Well, that’s what I call bathing. Then everyone rolls in the snow together, massage and ‘wash’ each other with snow (soap is op-

a sauna, you feel like a live torch in dire need of cooling down and since you don’t have a cold shower, or cold river or lake to jump into, there is snow. And, in no time, your unnaturally elevated body temperature drops to the normal level of 36.5˚C. And then you do it all over again! Just a side note…

Back in the day, when I watched Mikhalkov’s film ‘Oblomov’, in which actors do the same thing, I thought to myself that these heroes from Goncharov’s book are

Unfortunately, it occurs in the higher spheres, so it is only visible when the weather is not cloudy.

But when you do see it, to quote my Norwegian friend, "it is almost a religious experience." It really is, because it is completely different from anything you have seen and you simply cannot describe this dance of drapes of light in the northern sky during winter, when night lasts 5 times longer than day but nobody is bothered about it.

However, after enjoying the sauna and the local Lapland beer, called Lapin Kulta (in translation "Lapland Gold"), we had to leave for a special, although artificially made place, the place that everyone knows and that is Lapland’s trademark in the world – the Santa Claus Village. Let's go!

SANTA CLAUS VILLAGE (JOULUPUKINKYLÄ)

EVERY TEN MINUTES YOU GET OUT OF THE SAUNA AND JUMP DIRECTLY INTO THE SNOW. WELL, THAT’S WHAT I CALL BATHING

tional), while shouting. This is one of those quintessential attractions of Finland and Lapland.

But, what I can tell you with certainty is the following – although I thought that I would have a heart attack when I, feeling totally overheated after leaving the sauna, came out in the temperature of -30˚C, that did not happen. I can also tell you that this is a quite enjoyable routine. After leaving

not normal, but I was obviously wrong. Apparently, sauna removes toxins from your body via sweat while sudden hot-to-cold changes boost your immune system. They also say that if you go to sauna regularly, the Finnish style, you live longer. I believe them and wish long a life to all of us!

Polar lights are one of those things that everyone expects to see when approaching the poles.

Back in 1979, at one of its sessions, the Finnish Parliament in Helsinki came to the following conclusion - since Santa Claus lives in the Arctic, i.e. the North Pole, and since "there is no northern-most country than Finland", it is only logical that his home is located somewhere in Lapland. This conclusion led to the establishment of the official residence of this famous old man, precisely at the point where the Polar or the Arctic Circle (Finish: Napapiiri) cuts the motorway leading from Rovaniemi to the north. At the latitude of 66 degrees and 30 minutes north, lies Santa Claus Village, which is called Joulupuki in Finnish. Since the Finnish also say "kylä" for “village”, the official name of this place is Joulupunkinkylä.

Well, the only inhabitants here are Santa Claus, his helpers, rain deer, trolls (midgets from the German mythology) and the people who maintain the Village’s infrastructure, but still… The Village has its own Santa Claus post office so from here you can send letters with stamps featuring Santa Claus himself, and there is a special form that you fill in to order presents from him. All for business, business for all! The imaginative Finns have "tapped" into the world’s craze for anything New Year and Christmas related, and the whole concept paid off multiple times.

Just to illustrate how the idea of writing letters to Santa Clause works, here is how it all goes – the letters that children write to Santa Claus, addressed only with North Pole, actually arrive to Joulupunkinkylä. There is a plethora of things

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that are reminiscent of far north that you can buy in many wooden cabins here, built in the traditional Nordic style - from small rain deer and white polar bears figurines, Finnish and Lappish flags to musthave Lappish hats with horns (a somewhat silly addition to the Lappish national costume), various Santa Claus-style souvenirs and quality wood products. But, as this place is meant for "wide masses", do not be surprised if you find a lot of tacky objects, sold in a still quite anti-tacky country like Finland.

But the time has come to visit a rain deer farm which are here treated as domestic animals, just like cows in our country, and are used for their milk, skin, meat and pulling sledges. Rain deer are extremely tame animals, but could become quite a nuisance if you hit them with your car on the road, just as their cousins, moose, because they do sometimes wonder off into the road and cause serious traffic accidents. This is why in Finland you will see special traffic signs depicting rain deer and moose. Also, there is an interesting background to the Croatian name for rain deer which is irvas. In Finnish, this word is quite archaic and borrowed from the Lappish language where the word for rain deer is hirvas, very similar to the Croatian word irvas.

This is not the only similarity between our two languages – Lappish, which uses Latin script, has the same letters as the Croatian language - Č, Ž and Š – and they are written in exactly the same way. It is very interesting to read the inscriptions in the Lappish language because they also read phonetically with the only difference that I cannot understand a word they are saying. The Finns also have the same letters but they only use them in non-Finnish words because their language doesn’t have the so-called palatable sounds.

HELSINKI

And now, off to the capital city!

From a Swedish fishing village and a small merchant place, through to the Russian "second capital city" to the modern high-tech city built to suit a modern man, and from a nomadic tribe without a state, to the proud Northern nation, Helsinki has covered a lot of 'mileage' in just 500 years. Now, it serves as a beacon of light for others that shows other people where they need to go.

The beginning of all beginnings in Helsinki started in the Senate

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Square (Senaatintori). Where you stay and in which part of the city is irrelevant. What we want to know is whether you have crossed the sea from Espoo, or took a taxi to the centre, from the distant city of Vantaa, where Helsinki airport is located, which they say is one of the most beautiful and best-preserved towns in the world. Simply, start an adventure called Helsinki

tapping you on your shoulder and telling you that everything will be fine. The Senate Square was built when the capital of the province of Finland was moved from Turku, an old and proud wooden town that burnt to ground in no time, to Helsinki, to be closer to the "safe" and firm hand of "Mother Russia".

It was built in a recognizable Russian neoclassical style, so popular

Finns, and that he allowed their Protesant church to be bigger and in more central place than the Orthodox one. Also, as a token of his respect for the Finns, his name on statutes was written in Latin script and Latin language. The Finns never forgot this, as well as the autonomy that Tsar Alexander granted them. Even after they gained independence, they did not want to remove the statue. They loved the man! Or maybe they are just reasonable people.

KAUPPATORI

ONE CAN EVEN ARGUE THAT MANTA BECAME A PART OF THE FINNISH SOUL AND A SYMBOL OF FINLAND AS A BIG, REASONABLE AND TOLERANT COUNTRY WHICH MAKES IT ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD right here! The Senate Square is also the "official" and "unofficial" Helsinki seat; a pedestrian zone dominated by the powerful St. Nicholas Church, clad in ceremonial white colour, and looking as classic as they get. Even its interior, although decorated in Lutheran simplicity, is monumental and solemn.

Here, St. Nicholas speaks in a different language – the language of light and solemnity. In this church, you feel like a little boy on a festive morning with someone

after the discovery of archaeological sites and very typical of that age (around 1812). It could not have been built in any other way.

If some of the scenes in the film "Onegin" remind you of this square and St. Petersburg, do not be surprised. Pushkin lived at that time.

Also, there is a dominant statue of the Russian Tsar Alexander II (built in 1894) whose name is written in Latin script.

We don’t know why is this so, but our hosts tell us that Alexander had a great respect for the

USPENSKIN KATEDRAALI We come to the very edge of the harbour – the Katanajokka Island – which is connected to the land and which is the location of the Orthodox Church dedicated to the Dormition of the Holy Virgin – the Uspensky Cathedral, as the Russians would call it, or Uspenskin Katedraali, as the Finns call it. With its red-bricked walls, built in the Byzantine-Russian style, the church could well have been located in the middle of the Red Square. Designed by an architect from St. Petersburg, A. M. Gornostayev, this magnificent and very photogenic church is covered with golden "uchkami", and beautifully decorated with icons. It was completed in 1868, and inside you can meet some very friendly guides who will explain to you the history of the icons here, in the Russian language. A bit further down from the church, there are marketplaces, harbour restaurants famous for their fish and seafood, all built with colorful bricks, in the Scandinavian style.

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A bit further down the road, there is the famous outdoor market that shares the same name as the square that is, actually, located in the harbour. Seasonal fruit, fresh fish, and makkara (sausages) are sold in Kauppatori (Market Square).

Lappish dolls (or Sami dolls, as they call them), small figurines of rain deer and moose, local handicrafts, Lappish hats, and various wood carvings are also sold here.

The square is particularly vibrant during the summer "white nights" when the sun sets at about midnight, and raises at about 2 in the morning. During that period, vendors here work ‘night shifts’ too.

Kauppatori is surrounded by some of the most beautiful 19th-century buildings in Helsinki which were built during the Russian rule and which, after the abolishion of feudal regime, were given a new impetus in the form of relocation of former farmers to the cities. Make sure you go and see a lovely siren named Havis Amanda, surrounded by a fountain, which does not work in winter, for obvious reasons. The fountain with the siren is very close to the market. It was put in the harbour in 1908, and made by one of the most beloved Finnish artists, Villa Valgren (who was a Swede originally, which is quite common in Helsinki, with the Swedish language often heard in the streets so that you sometimes get confused what country are your in). The statue of Havis Amanda, also known as Manta, (the Finns have difficulty pronouncing the letters “d” and “g”), in time, became the symbol of Helsinki, its trademark, and the favourite landmark to photograph.

One can even argue that Manta became a part of the Finnish soul and a symbol of Finland as a big, reasonable and tolerant country which makes it one of the most beautiful countries in the world, even if you don’t like snow and winter.

RENAISSANCE MAN

The Many Talents of Pieter Bruegel the Elder The 16th-century Flemish master was much more than a painter of busy peasant pictures

THE MUSIC is playing and the ale flowing freely as guests throng into a barn. Two cooks bring soup to a dining table crowded with men, women, dogs and children. It is a wedding, but the bride’s calm expression gives little away. It is hard to discern the bridegroom.

“Peasant Wedding” (1567)

by Pieter Bruegel the Elder is a milestone in Western art, for it is the first everyday scene depicted in monumental form. As the stuff of Christmas cards and jigsaws, it is among the world’s best-known paintings, much like his “Hunters in the Snow” (1565). These works, and his Wimmelbilder—“busy pictures” such as “Children’s Games” (1560), which shows more than 200 little figures at play—earned him the nickname “Peasant Bruegel”. That is only part of the picture, as a magnificent new exhibition of around half Bruegel’s extant works at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, commemorating the 450th anniversary of his death, reveals.

Bruegel was the most important Flemish painter of the 16th century.

He was a key player in the northern Renaissance, where the art was quirkier and more secular but no less pathbreaking than in the better-known south. The exhibition cleverly connects Bruegel with his southern counterparts by highlighting the influence of Venetian painters such as Titian. Followers at first, artists in the Low Countries re-embraced classical ideas but kept them on a human scale.

The first paintings in the show are from his “Seasons” cycle in 1565. These works are based on medieval depictions of peasants going about their daily tasks, but Bruegel focused on landscape to great effect. The frozen mountains and glowering skies of “The Gloomy Day” convey the miseries of a still-lingering winter;

off in the distance, a boat sinks in rough seas. In contrast, the serene, apple-green valley of “The Haymaking” conjures the productive pleasures of early summer.

Elsewhere, as his figures thread their way along winding mountain paths or across open spaces, Bruegel uses the landscape to play with perspective. Human beings are often dwarfed by nature. The protagonist of a painting’s title—

HIS WORK WAS MUCH, MUCH MORE THAN A CHRISTMAS-CARD VISION OF JOLLY PEASANT LIFE most notably “Christ Carrying the Cross” (1564)—will frequently be hard to spot. Bruegel’s triumph was to present a wealth of detail in a dramatic, coherent whole.

A dark thread runs through Bruegel’s work, and the politics of the time must go some way to explaining it. Flanders was under Habsburg rule throughout the artist’s lifetime,

with power passing to the Spanish branch of the dynasty in 1556 and the Duke of Alba (the “Iron Duke”) initiating a reign of terror in 1567.

Whether he was referring to these events in the “The Massacre of the Innocents” is a matter of debate among scholars, partly because the work is undated. The version on show in Vienna is a copy, one that bears witness to the fact the Bruegel had graphically depicted soldiers killing children. The artwork as it exists today has no such brutal details since Rudolf II, the Holy Roman Emperor who owned it, ordered that they be painted over.

Dark, but in a different way, are Bruegel’s monster-filled, nightmarish scenes, where he builds on the hallucinatory work of Hieronymus Bosch. In the engraving “Big Fish Eat Little Fish” (1557), a man takes a huge knife to the belly of a fish.

Out tumble many small fish, which in turn have even smaller ones in their mouths. It is a grim illustration of how society’s “small fry” will always be chewed up by the rich and powerful.

In a league of its own, however, is “The Triumph of Death” (after 1562). Here a terrified crowd flees

a flaming “hell wagon”—a feature of Flemish festive processions— only to find themselves in a death trap. Time runs out for a king on an hourglass; a woman is trampled by a horse pulling a skull-filled cart. Bruegel holds the viewer spellbound before an apocalyptic panorama in which an army of skeletons makes sure no one escapes. As the exhibition puts it: “No solace, no redemption, no sign of God.” Art does not come much bleaker than this.

If the earthy, wry “Peasant Bruegel” is well known, the impressive show in Vienna reveals an artist pushing the bounds of storytelling in landscape painting. Though few facts about him are known, you sense in Bruegel’s art a deeply humanist response to his troubled times. His work was much, much more than a Christmas-card vision of jolly peasant life.

“Pieter Bruegel: Once in a Lifetime” is on display at Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna until January 13th.

From The Economist, published under licence. The original article, in English, can be found on www.economist.com

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INTERVIEW

I like to Make People Happy Antonija Šimatić's jewerly is delightfully worn by many, and, as of last year, Antonija has new admirers who fell in love with her angels trumpeteers which she uses to depict the striking appearance of the St. Jakov Cathedral in Šibenik. Her message to all women who feel an artistic urge is:“If you feel it, go for it!“ products in the market. People recognize and appreciate quality.

ANTONIJA ŠIMATIĆ Artist

Although born in Šibenik, Antonija Šimatić now lives in Zagreb and is one of the handful of people who are doing what they love. Despite graduating economics, she entered the world of art and was noticed fast by the people who love sophisticated jewerly and unsual souvenirs. Her bracelets are popular among the fans of personalized jewerly, setting them apart from people who were mass produced jewelry. Furthermore, she is also popular because of her souvenirs featuring the St. Jakov Cathedral in Šibenik, i.e. the angel trumpeteers that embellish the late Gothic portal on the west side of the cathedral.

Since it is a Christmas season, Antonija has also made Christmas angel trumpeteers which make an original holiday decoration.

Where did you get the inspiration for engaging in this particular art / craft considering that you are an economics graduate?

— I am inspired by everday shapes and objects around me. My biggest inspiration is the love that I feel for my late nephew, make-up artist Tomo Vrban. I am also inspired by the people who wear my bracelets and I feel fulfilled by their happiness and the satisfaction I get from them when they react positively to my work and effort. I am lucky to have been able to do what makes me happy in life and what I truly enjoy.

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Where do you get the inspiration for the motifs you use and which do you use the most?

You use social media to sell your products. Who are your target groups? Who wears your jewelry?

— My bracelets are personalized and I do them the way my lovely customers want to, who are able to express their style and character through wearing them. I consider my bracelets as tiny tattoos that fit everyone in a special way.

Everyone finds their style in my motifs and the most popular ones are definitely hearts, stars, angels and hoops that signify endless relationships.

— People of all ages wear my bracelets. Actually, everybody who finds themselves in my work.

You have wonderfully combined the love for what you do and work. You are also an entrepreneur that is dealing with market rules. How do you deal with the issues like trademarks and unfair competition?

— I am doing my work to the best of my abilities. I am not too bothered by unfair competition since I am always looking ahead in order to improve my products and make them more special than other

Have you been thinking about increasing your production and are there opportunities for doing so?

— When it comes to bracelets,

I AM INSPIRED BY THE PEOPLE WHO WEAR MY BRACELETS AND I FEEL FULFILLED BY THEIR HAPPINESS AND THE SATISFACTION I am afraid the answer is „no“. I have expanded my business by expanding my range. Last summer, I started collaborating with the Museum of the Town of Šibenik and its director Mr. Željko Krnčević. I produce angel trumpeteers from plaster on a black or grey wooden platform that are sold as souvenirs in the Museum and come with the description and histori-

LIFE IN SWEDEN HAS TAUGHT ME TO APPREICATE WHAT I HAVE IN CROATIA Is it difficult or easy being a woman entrepreneur and an artist today? Which one of the two you feel stronger?

— The artist. It is not difficult because this is what fulfills me and is a part of me.

You've been living abroad for a long time. How much has this affected you and your decisions?

— Life in Sweden has certainly had an impact on me and my artistic style of expression; most of all when it comes to interior design.

Paradoxically, by living abroad I have learned to appreciate the quality of life we have in Croatia.

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cal information in the Croatian or English language. My inspiration for this came when I visited the French town of San Remy for the first time where I saw a smiling angel that reminded of the one that we had in Šibenik that is the bearer of happiness and laughter.

The original author of the relief that I model my angels after is the renowned Bonino da Milano. Considering that Christmas season is upon us, I have also made Christmas angel trumpeteers.

Do you have a message for all those women who read this interview and want to start a similar business? How much should they listen to themselves and what they feel, and how much should they inquire about the market rules and what awaits them in the global marketplace?

— If you feel it, go for it!

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CULTURE NEWS

Museum of Contemporary Art Celebrates its Anniversary Zagreb's Museum of Contemporary Art has celebrated its 9th anniversary, or rather the anniversary of moving to Novi Zagreb, with the programme comprising of exhibitions, promotions and film screenings. A total of 19 programmes (that had free admission) were prepared in honour of the anniversary, while the visitors were also given the opportunity to play 16 different politically and socially engaged video games during the exhibition titled „Games and Politics“, with the games depicting various aspects of the contemporary society – from politics to wars. Another exhibition that was staged to mark the Museum's anniversary was 'Pi', created by the Catalan artist and scientist, Pepe Vidal under the auspices of "The Revitalization Laboratory", a programme staged at the Kožarić Atelier which occasionally hosts curators and artists associated with the work of Ivan Kožarić.

The Glagoljica Exhibition Marks 50th Anniversary

The 50th anniversary of the exhibition ''Glagoljica'' (Glagolitic script) was marked at the University Library in Rijeka. This permanent exhibition was opened half a century ago thanks to the efforts made by the researchers of the Croatian Glagolitic heritage. Academic Branko Fučić, the Head of the then Scientific Library, Vanda Ekl and architect Igor Emili created an exhibition that, from 1968 onward, has been a testament to the Croatian national identity. The exhibition was opened on 30th December, 1968, to mark the 25th anniversary of the annexation of Istria and its islands to Croatia. In the European Year of Cultural Heritage, a number of Croatian institutions have devised programmes in honour of Glagoljica. The National and University Library in Zagreb has created a website dedicated to the Croatian Glagoljica project where you can see the Glagolitic heritage in Croatia in one place. This is a contribution to keeping Glagoljica relevant and protecting the Croatian cultural heritage.

The 2018 Croatian Actor Award (so-called theatre Oscars) given out The 2018 Croatian Actor Award, also known as the theatre Oscars, is highly valued among theatre actors and workers since it is their peers – the Croatian Association of Dramatic Artists (HDDU) – that are giving out the award.This year's award ceremony took place at the Croatian National Theatre (HNK) in Zagreb on 24th November, in remembrance of actor Vilim Lesić who, in 1860, refused to continue performing in the German language on the Croatian National Theatre's stage, and prompted by Dimitrija Demeter, declared that, as of then, he would only perform in the Croatian language. This year's award for exceptional contribution to theatre arts went to Zoran Mihanović.

Croatia to Pick Six Songs for the First EU Songbook As of 30th December, people in Croatia will be able to vote for six Croatian songs that will be included in the first ever EU songbook that will be released in December 2019. Students and professors from the Zagreb Academy of Music and the Academy of Arts and Culture in Osijek, as well as the members of the Croatian Cultural Association Choir have nominated 54 famous Croatian songs, with six to be chosen by the public for the songbook. There are numerous traditional and folk songs such as "Vuprem Oči" and "Oj, More Duboko", as well as the songs by popular performers such as Oliver Dragojević and Arsen Dedić. The first EU songbook will consist of 162 songs in 24 languages, each of which will be translated into English. The proceeds from the sale of the first version of the songbook will be used to fund 27 versions of the songbook in national languages. Each EU member country chooses one song for each of the agreed categories: love songs, nature and seasons, freedom and peace, folk and traditional, religious and children's songs. Close to 35,000 people from 20 EU countries have voted so far, with Croatia and Slovenia next in the line.

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