Diplomacy and Commerce No.13

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April 2019 | ISSUE No. 13 | FREE COPY

MANY WANT TO HELP US

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28 CROATIA'S EY MAR

ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR

MARIZA KATAVIĆ

President of SOS Children's Village Croatia Association

WE STRIVE FOR SUSTAINABLE TOURISM

RIKARDO NOVAK

Mayor of the town of Hvar

STRONG BRAND IS REQUIRED IN EDUCATION SECTOR TOO

A LOT OF WORK IS AHEAD OF US GORAN MARIĆ, PhD

Minister of State Assets

OUR UNIFYING THREAD IS FIGHT AGAINST INEQUALITIES

LUKŠA LULIĆ

H.E. PHILIPPE MEUNIER

PhD, Dean of Zagreb School of Business

Ambassador of France

WE ARE NOT LAGGING BEHIND OTHER EU COUNTRIES Dr LUCIAN VUKELIĆ

Director of the Croatian Health Insurance Fund

PLANET OR PLASTIC PETRA LEDINEK

The Project Manager and Marketing Manager at FOX Networks Group

EDITORIAL

Shall We Fight on the Beaches?

CONTENTS

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GORAN MARIĆ, PhD

PETAR PETRIĆ

08

21

H.E. PHILIPPE MEUNIER

LUKŠA LULIĆ

11

22

A LOT OF WORK IS AHEAD OF US Minister of State Assets

Attorney at Law

OUR UNIFYING THREAD IS FIGHT AGAINST INEQUALITIES Ambassador of France

The holiday season is upon us and most of you are considering which beach to pick to spend the hot days of July and August on.

The region in which we live has an abundance of natural attractions - Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Albania have access to the sea, while Serbia and Macedonia have beautiful rivers, mountains, spas and interesting cities. However, what makes our sea different from that off the coasts of Liguria and Catalonia is the fact that there are still people from coastal towns who are re-living the wars from the 1990s and fighting the battles that, in their minds, are still not over.

Thus, the recent incident with Red Star’s water polo players from Belgrade, who were attacked by local hooligans, continued with a carnival in Dalmatia at which a large effigy of the Serb leader in Croatia, Milorad Pupovac, was set on fire. It's not uncommon for politician effigies to be burned at carnivals, and most of them are even fun and cute. However, when that politician is the leader of a minority who, in that country, a large part of the population still views as "aggressors" or "foreign bodies", then the joke stops being funny.

Last year, Belgrade daily newspapers were racing each other in trying to report on the incidents in Montenegro, describing this neighboring country as "the heart of darkness", a country which many Serbian intellectuals and academics were banned from entering, and where the local chaps cannot wait to come across a person from Belgrade and beat them up, while the police is arresting the tourists from Serbia on the account of minor traffic offenses. Of course, there have been incidents, but it seems that the press (on both sides) has wholeheartedly contributed to overinflating them.

A month ago, a local bully in Prijedor forced a Bosniak, a returnee, to apologize in front of a mobile phone camera about Bosnia and Herzegovina’s coat of arms that adorned his truck and swear his allegiance to the Republic of Srpska. Then, the social media was awash with photographs of the victim who, subsequently, took a bunch of photographs in front of Bosnian and Turkish flags, bearing weapons.

So, what will the year 2019 look like? Are we going to "fight on the beaches”, to paraphrase a line from Churchill’s famous speech from 1940? This year, it will be 24 years since the end of the wars in Bosnia and Croatia. On the 24th year since the end of the Second World War, in 1969, people landed on the Moon, the Woodstock Festival was held, and the centuries-old enemies - the Germans and the French - had been members of the European Economic Community for two decades.

How long will it take for the people to start feeling safe and carefree on our beaches, squares and in the streets just like the people from 1969?

AI & DEVELOPMENT OF THE LEGAL PROFESSION

TURNING LEFT?

STRONG BRAND IS REQUIRED IN EDUCATION SECTOR TOO PhD, Dean of Zagreb School of Business

PLANET OR PLASTIC

Politics

PETRA LEDINEK

12

WE ARE NOT LAGGING BEHIND OTHER EU COUNTRIES Dr LUCIAN VUKELIĆ

Director of the Croatian Health Insurance Fund

14

MANY WANT TO HELP US MARIZA KATAVIĆ

President of SOS Children's Village Croatia Association

18

WE STRIVE FOR SUSTAINABLE TOURISM RIKARDO NOVAK

The Project Manager and Marketing Manager at FOX Networks Group

24

EGYPT - ANCIENT AND WARM Travelogue by Želimir Maraš

31

DIFFERENT AND DIVERGING Society

36

TROPICAL PARADISE ON THE BEACHES OF A FORGOTTEN GENOCIDE Travelogue by Robert Čoban

Mayor of the town of Hvar

ROBERT ČOBAN Director

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Predstavnik za RH

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KHYBER POSSIBILITY

America and the Taliban are Edging Towards a Deal But is it a cover for cutting and running?

Could there be a ray of hope for Afghanistan?

After 17 years of fighting, America and the Taliban may be ready to lay down their arms. The adversaries have agreed in principle on a framework for ending their war, says Zalmay Khalilzad, America’s point man on Afghanistan.

The outline was forged in talks in Qatar that were originally scheduled to last two days but ended up being extended to six. It envisages America withdrawing troops in return for assurances that Afghanistan will never again become a haven for international terrorists. America also wants a ceasefire and the start of talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government, which the Taliban have resisted until now.

Osama bin Laden was living in Afghanistan when he plotted the 9/11 attacks on America. It was to overthrow his protectors in the Taliban and to search for him that America first dispatched troops to the country in 2001. Part of their mission ever since has been to hunt for terrorists. The other part— helping build a stable democracy— has been justified on the grounds that Afghanistan may otherwise become a base for terrorists again.

Although in 2001 the Taliban invoked Afghan traditions of hospitality in their refusal to hand over bin Laden, for at least the past decade they have promised that Afghan soil will not be used to launch attacks on other countries. They not only repeated those assurances in Qatar, Mr Khalilzad says, but also agreed to provide guarantees and an enforcement mechanism—though he has not revealed any details of those.

In exchange America seems to have acceded to the Taliban’s main demand: that it withdraw its troops from the country. For years the insurgents have said the

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starting point for talks must be the end of what they call the American occupation. They do not believe America’s assurance that it does not want a permanent military presence in the country. An American pull-out now appears to be on the table although, again, the timing and scale remain unclear.

The two other steps discussed in Qatar are a ceasefire and talks between the Taliban and the government of Ashraf Ghani, Afghanistan’s president. The Taliban have thus far refused a truce, except for three days last year during a Muslim holiday. This has been dictated both by uncompromising ideology and by pragmatism. Commanders

an indivisible package. “Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed,” he says, “and ‘everything’ must include an intra-Afghan dialogue and comprehensive ceasefire.”

The Taliban are less clear. They have triumphantly briefed their supporters about the progress towards a withdrawal, but have been more coy about the ceasefire and talks. American officials say that the Taliban have requested more time to confer among themselves on these. Their negotiators have gone home to do just that. Talks will resume later in February.

After years of gloom, any progress is welcome. Afghanistan’s war has claimed more than 24,000

RESOLVING DEEPER DISPUTES, ABOUT HOW AFGHANISTAN SHOULD BE GOVERNED, WILL DEPEND ON AFGHAN-TO-AFGHAN TALKS fear it may be difficult to motivate fighters again if they lay down their weapons for a long spell. The Taliban have also long refused to speak to the elected Afghan government, which they claim is an American puppet.

Mr Khalilzad presents all four main elements of the deal—the exclusion of international terrorists, an American withdrawal, a ceasefire and talks between the Taliban and the government—as

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civilian lives since 2009. Mr Ghani admitted last week that 45,000 members of his security forces had died since 2014. The war and a series of other conflicts that preceded it have blighted a beautiful country, leaving it one of the poorest in the world. The framework is “historic”, says Graeme Smith of the International Crisis Group, a think-tank. “This is closer than we have ever been so far to some kind of settlement process.”

But the framework glosses over many of the thorniest issues and, despite the desire for peace, there are concerns about motivations on both sides. Donald Trump, America’s president, has long indicated that he would like to pull American troops out of Afghanistan.

That could cause Mr Khalilzad to embrace a deal that is not so much a hard-fought compromise as a figleaf to cover America’s retreat.

The Taliban, for their part, may make promises they have no intention of keeping, on the assumption that America will be reluctant to return once it has withdrawn.

Mr Khalilzad’s framework focuses on questions that stem from 9/11. Yet Afghanistan has been at war for 40 years. Resolving deeper disputes, about how Afghanistan should be governed, will depend on Afghan-to-Afghan talks. Among the chief concerns for many are whether and how the Taliban will take part in Afghanistan’s fledgling democracy. Are they prepared to sit down with factions that they battled in the 1990s? Do they want to seize power themselves? Will they continue to murder girls for going to school?

The Taliban have a strong hand and it is getting stronger. Although the war is at something of stalemate, that is thanks only to America’s presence. The government’s casualties, America’s generals admit, are unsustainable. A hasty withdrawal would leave the government vulnerable, even if talks with the Taliban are under way.

A lasting settlement will probably not come from a blockbuster deal. Instead it is likely to involve gradual and incremental steps.

That would require Mr Trump to deploy a virtue he is not known for: patience.

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

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INTERVIEW

A Lot of Work is Ahead of us We want to activate and make functional all state-owned assets. Hence, we are going to continue undertaking required measures for the more effective use of all forms of state assets with the view of achieving economic growth and protecting national interests

GORAN MARIĆ, PhD Minister of State Assets

The Minister of State Assets. Goran Marić, PhD, is one of those government members that cannot say that he doesn't have enough work to do. On the contrary, since the Law on State Assets was passed, the Ministry has been focusing on bringing order into this field which has been neglected for a very long time.

How satisfied are you with the implementation of the Law on State Asset Management?

Will you manage to utilize all the funds before the envisaged deadline?

— The Law on State Asset Management brought significant novelties and changes in the status and activation of state assets in the economic and business segment and in local government units. The law defines what constitutes state assets managed by the Ministry. We are satisfied with that, as well as with the dynamics of its implementation. In terms of the physical volume, it is impossible to activate something that has been neglected for 25 years in such a short time. We need to carry out numerous status insights, like geodetic substrates, size, surface, ownership and ownership shares, value evaluations and other, for each facility and each assets, prior to the activation pro-

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cess. The Ministry carries out its activities according to the devised plans for each period that are, generally speaking, appropriately implemented.

The new Law on State Asset Management has created prerequisites for the simpler and faster implementation of procedures and execution of legal activities on the activation of state assets. The number of realized legal activities involving state assets depends on demand and market conditions.

There are some properties which

status requires more procedures that are more demanding and more complex. The aim is for the overall state asset portfolio to serve real needs according to its best capabilities and solvency.

What is your assessment of the financial effects of this law?

— The Law on State Asset Management entered into force on June 14th, 2018, and the relevant bylaws, passed under the law, entered into force in early November. This is a very short time, and it's too early

STATE PROPERTY MUST OPERATE ALONG THE MARKET PRINCIPLES AND RELATIONS AND BENEFIT THE STATE BUDGET, AS WELL AS THOSE WHO LIVE WITH NEXT TO IT AND IN ITS SURROUNDINGS

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to evaluate the financial impact of the law and its bylaws. The effects of the law can best be seen in the results that the Ministry of State Assets achieved in 2018 on changing/reducing the government's portfolio and activation of unused state assets.

In 2018, a total of 649 contracts were concluded, of the total value of 329.8 million kunas, in the real estate management segment.

Total income from nonfinancial assets (real estate management) in 2018 amounted to 217 million kunas, up by 106% relative to the previous year.

In terms of financial assets, in 2018, the proceeds from the sale of shares and business shares in non-strategic trade companies amounted to 446.1 million kunas.

Furthermore, the Ministry of State Assets also generated revenues from financial assets amounting to 23.5 million kunas. Thus, the total financial effect in 2018 was 1 billion kunas.

How is state assets management organized now? How transparent is it and how can it be further improved?

— One of the bad practices and a paradigm in the democratic Croatia that simply had to be immediately changed was the status of the assets and its management. The newly formed Ministry of State Assets took upon itself to change the existing practice, to implement this novelty, and assume the role and responsibility during the cur-

rent term of the government of the Republic of Croatia.

In regard to assets, it is obvious that assets and ownership are fundamental, constituent attributes of a state. The assets of the Republic of Croatia managed by the Ministry of State Assets can serve economic growth and development through a strong activation. With a clear and transparent approach, state assets must operate along the market principles and relations and benefit the state budget, as well as those who live with next to it and in its surroundings. Our fundamental intention is to boost entrepreneurial ideas, choose the best ones and through activation of assets multiply its value with the help of good, open communication with all target groups. Certainly, many inherited weaknesses from earlier times and non-democratic systems, when the assets had an inappropriate/non-marketable status, are the aggravating facts.

Along with everything that has been done, improvements are possible through additional engagement of professional and competent people, upgrading and adapting laws and further reducing administrative constraints.

THE AIM IS FOR THE OVERALL STATE PROPERTY PORTFOLIO TO SERVE REAL NEEDS ACCORDING TO ITS BEST CAPABILITIES AND SOLVENCY

What are your future plans?

— There is a lot of work ahead of us in the upcoming period because the assets of the Republic of Croatia has been neglected and abused for many years. Our end goal is to dispose of and manage the state assets in a sustainable, economically prudent and transparent way which we are planning on doing through efficient management of real estate, movable assets, privatization of companies owned by the Republic of Croatia and improvement of the management of legal entities of special interest in our country.

We want to activate and make functional all state-owned assets.

Hence, we are going to continue undertaking required measures for the more effective use of all forms of state assets with the view

of achieving economic growth and protecting national interests.

Furthermore, the Ministry of State Assets will continue to systematically work on finding and implementing solutions for state assets management that can contribute to the higher efficiency of public services.

What role do European structural funds have in the implementation of your plans? Is there a possibility of withdrawing money from these funds for some of your projects and if there is, for which ones?

— The Ministry of State Assets is not eligible to use EU funds, but it

does use other available co-financing or financing means for certain activities and projects. It withdraws funds from the European structural and investment funds (ESI) through the implementation of the Ministry's technical assistance project; allocation of grants from the Priority Axis 10 – Technical Assistance of the Operational Programme Competitiveness and Cohesion 2014-2020. The European Regional Development Fund co-finances the project with 85% and 15% of the funds come from the budget of the Republic of Croatia. The total value of the project is 8,220,818 kuna, of which 6,987,695.27 kunas are co-financed by the European Union.

The project supports the implementation of the Operational Programme 'Competitiveness and Cohesion' by building up the administrative capacity of the Ministry of State Assets as a horizontal body that conducts expert activities. The Ministry of State Assets will contribute to the more efficient use of the European Structural and Investment Funds by prioritizing the financing of the EU-funded cases and projects. The project is being implemented in the period from 2018 to 2022.

Apart from applying for ESI funds, the Ministry has also been successfully applying for funds provided by the European Commission related to adapted technical assistance (expert assistance) under the Structural Reform Support Programme as a stimulus to sustainable growth and resolution of the issues regarding the European Semester or the implementation of other national reforms. I have already mentioned the project 'Improving the Management and Formation of Single Reporting and Supervision of State-owned Enterprises' and the ongoing projects 'Improving the Competencies of Supervisory Boards in Stateowned Enterprises – Restructuring of State-owned Trade Enterprises' which total value stands at 800,000.00 euro.

RESPONSIBILITY Part of the state property is also the assets that the state has in various enterprises. Can you tell us more about this segment of the law implementation?

— The assets of state-owned companies are actually the assets that companies have and manage in accordance with the Company Law. The responsibility for the management lies solely with the managing and supervisory boards of companies. The treatment of this property is regulated by the provisions of this Law, which states, in Article 6: "This Law is not

applicable to the property of the Republic of Croatia which, under special regulations, is administered by other bodies of the Republic of Croatia or by legal entities of which the Republic of Croatia is a member or founder. The assets of legal persons, which are founded or co-founded by the Republic of Croatia, are not considered state assets managed by the Ministry. These assets are managed by the said legal entities." It is, therefore, important for the Republic of Croatia to be responsible when appointing members of managing boards in companies that make final decisions.

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INTERVIEW

Our Unifying Thread is Fight Against Inequalities The situation is alarming and we are determined to put the issue of inequality in the focus of the G7's 45th Summit.

Other questions, such as climate change and its relation to the peace and security, are all interconected and require a multilateral answer

H.E. PHILIPPE MEUNIER Ambassador of France

Eight years on from the Deauville G8 Summit, it is France’s turn to again hold the Presidency of the Group in 2019. Ahead of this important event, we spoke with H.E. Mr. Philippe Meunier, Ambassador of France to Croatia.

How much France changed in the meantime, and what novelties the country brings to the G7’s 45th Summit?

— Actually, it will be France’s seventh G7 presidency and summit. Since the beginning we have been trying to adapt this tool to overcome the global challenges of the time. The whole world has changed since 1975. Originally, the G7 was created to coordinate economic policies but it became soon obvious that it could also be helpful for issues such as peace and security, counter-terrorism, development, education, health, etc.

This year, the unifying thread of

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our presidency and the Biarritz summit will be the fight against inequalities. This is a huge challenge, already reflected in the Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations in 2015. The situation is alarming. The emergence of a billion people from extreme poverty during the last fifteen years cannot mask the sharp rise in inequalities. Half of global wealth is currently in the hands

France promised that, as of 1 January 2019, it will make genuine progress towards the moment when Article 1 of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen becomes a reality.

What does it mean in practice?

— In his speech at the UN General Assembly on September 25, 2018, President Emmanuel Macron spoke eloquently about the inequalities that are ravaging our

ENGAGING IN POWER POLITICS IS USELESS WHEN EXTREME CLIMATE EVENTS ARE SPREADING ACROSS ALL CONTINENTS AND WHILE AN INCREASING NUMBER OF PEOPLE SUFFERS FROM CLIMATE CHANGE of 1% of the population. Since the 1980s, the incomes of the richest 1% have increased twice as much as those of the poorest 50%. Lasting injustices – unequal access to care, unequal access to schooling and gender inequality – have far from disappeared, including in the advanced economies.

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planet today. He also pledged to the General Assembly to report back on the results of the Biarritz G7 next September. I have no doubt that once again, G7 will deliver concrete answers consistent with the goals and priorities set

by France for its G7 Presidency: fighting inequality of opportunity,

promoting, in particular, gender equality, access to education and high-quality health services; reducing environmental inequality by protecting our planet through climate finance and a fair ecological transition, based on preserving biodiversity and the oceans; promoting more fair and equitable trade, tax and development policies; taking action for peace, against security threats and terrorism which weaken the foundations of our societies; and tapping into the opportunities created by digital technology and artificial intelligence in an ethical and human-oriented way.

The starting position is that inequality and insecurity are closely connected to the climate change. However, President Donald Trump's disdain for action on climate change already challenged the possibility of progress in that respect. Are you still an optimist, and if yes, tell us where your hope rests?

— France has put climate change among top priorities of its pres-

idency. Some stakeholders are rejecting multilateralism as too expensive, acting as though global challenges such as climate change could be successfully tackled at national level. Engaging in power politics is useless when extreme climate events are spreading across all continents and while an increasing number of people suffer from climate change. Let’s make international cooperation more efficient instead of disputing climate warming.

To what extent is the climate change related to peace and security which is in the focus of G7?

— These questions are interrelated inasmuch as, while climate disruption affects all countries, we also know that some are more affected than others. 700 million children live in the regions most exposed to its effects, and at risk to become victims of floods, drought, and rising waters, while having diminished resources to deal with that. We even know that some overcrowded coastal areas or some island countries will simply disappear because of the rising of the sea waters. In other words, climate change exacerbates geographical inequalities that are already extreme. This cannot be without consequences in terms of peace and security. We have to take action to prevent disasters that are already predictable and announced.

Leaders of the G7 will gather in Biarritz for their 45th summit in August 2019. Do you think that by the time the summit comes we will be in the midst of a new crisis, be it financial or related to migrants?

— We live in a very unstable and unpredictable world, and I don’t have a crystal ball to predict the future. But, joking aside, that is exactly what the G7 is about. Following the first oil crisis, the G7 was created following France’s

IT IS EXCEPTIONALLY IMPORTANT TO EMPOWER INDIVIDUALS TO COPE WITH TRANSFORMATIONS IN THE LABOUR WORLD. THIS WILL BE DISCUSSED PARTICULARLY AT THE “G7 SOCIAL” SUMMIT IN JUNE initiative as a framework of informal dialogue between the leading economic powers. Over the years, the G7’s multilateral dimension has helped establish a collective framework for better regulation of globalization, with some valuable concrete results - the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria - and many others.

Africa is one of the things that France will focus on during its presidency. The continent,

according to some economists, has become a new epicentre of inequality and is suffering from a tidal wave of migration. How do you intend to tackle this issue which certainly resonates with many countries, Croatia included?

— Africa is a G7 partner, at least since the 2003 Evian summit. G7 is not just a meeting between seven countries but rather an opportunity to work more broadly with everyone who shares our values and is willing to take action to move forward together. Africa is a breeding ground for development

challenges, but also for opportunities to build future equality. It would make no sense to look at solutions for the future without including it and without recognizing it for what it now is - a stakeholder devoted to playing its full-fledged role in redefining the rules of globalization, and a stakeholder that is already drawing up its own solutions too – solutions that will enable the African countries to better harness their vast human and natural resources. President Macron has said it repeatedly and this was again the core message of his recent visit to Ethiopia and Kenya - our destinies are linked and we will succeed – or fail – together.

One of the first objectives in Biarritz will therefore be to establish a renewed partnership with Africa, by putting forward three priorities: the creation of sustainable employment, the support for entrepreneurship, especially women entrepreneurship, improving and increasing predictability of favourable investment conditions.

Our goal is also to have a special initiative for the Sahel countries, consistent with the specific challenges they face.

While global problems are obviously serious, France is also very much involved in re-designing the EU. Is this too much for a country which is already dealing with many internal challenges?

— The international order is under huge pressure. To counter this trend, like-minded states must double their efforts to promote multilateralism. Our European partners and the European institutions will play a key role in all this.

The European Union takes part in all G7 discussions and is represented jointly by the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission.

And we are looking forward to the first Croatian Presidency of the European Union Council in 2020.

WE HAVE TO RECONCILE AI AND ETHICAL STANDARDS In the time of digital revolution, many claim that we will face a new and even harsher divide between those who will be able to catch the train, so to speak, and those who will be left behind. However, on a bright side, one of the key features is equal access to education. What is your approach to that problem?

— Digital technology is one of the points of application of the ambition to fight against inequalities that characterizes our G7 presidency. When

it comes to the great digital transformation, it is also our duty to stand together to establish sound rules that will make it possible to reconcile the development of artificial intelligence with our ethical rules, and to guide the digital transformation of our societies. In particular, regarding the impact of digitalisation on the future of labour, it is exceptionally important to empower individuals to cope with transformations in the labour world. This will be discussed particularly at the “G7 Social” summit in June.

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NATIONAL DAYS

in April & May

ARRIVALS & DEPARTURES

APRIL

H.E. ILAN MOR Israeli Ambassador to Croatia

Prior to his appointment as the Ambassador of the State of Israel to the Republic of Croatia, Ambassador Ilan Mor acted as High Political Advisor to Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked in Jerusalem (Israel) in the period 2016 to 2018. Since entering the Israeli diplomatic service in 1983 and during his career, Ambassador

Mor held various diplomatic duties.

He graduated Political Science and Labor Relations at the University of Tel Aviv, Israel and has a Master's Degree in International Relations.

Mr. Mor is fluent in Hebrew, English and German. He and his wife Ora Mor have a daughter, a son and two grandchildren.

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SYRIA

National Day

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NETHERLANDS ational Day N (King’s Day)

MAY

03

POLAND

National Day

(Constitution Day)

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DRAGO CMUK

ICRC,IFRC

Director of CADCAM Design Centre

Dr. Drago Cmuk, the new business director of CADCAM Design Centre, a member of the CADCAM Group, is an IoT expert with an international double PhD. He comes from the Končar Company and is currently completing an Executive MBA at Cotrugli Business School. Mr. Cmuk has a wealth of experience

I nternational Red Cross Day

in research and development, production and implementation of business and IoT platforms and has been a lecturer at many domestic and foreign universities. Mr. Cmuk is also the Vice President of the ICT Industry Cluster and a member of the Sectoral Council for Electrical Engineering and Computing.

09 EU

National Day

(Schuman Day)

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ISRAEL

Independence Day

ALJOŠA PAVELIN Chairman of Viktor Lenac's Managing Board has his job contract terminated

The Board of Directors of the Rijeka-based shipyard, Viktor Lenac has accepted the proposal of the Board Chairman, Aljoša Pavelin for his employment with Viktor Lenac to be willfully terminated. No reasons for this willful termination were

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mentioned. Pavelin had been at the helm of the Viktor Lenac shipyard since the beginning of May 2016, with a five-year-term. A Managing Board member, Sandra Uzelac will be appointed by the new Chairwoman of the Managing Board.

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POLITICS

Text: ŽELIMIR MARAŠ

Turning Left?

The Reds are not the Devils anymore Americans have more and more Millennials, and less and less baby-boomers. This means that the number of people born and raised to believe that the American system was the best and that the “Socialism”is bad is rapidly declining Trump has been bragging about the fact the American economy is blooming and booming, that the unemployment rate is declining, the GDP rising, and his “regulation cuts” are fruitful. Right? Well, he promised something to the people in so-called “swinging states” which were disillusioned with globalisation and now he is delivering what he promised. But is that really so? Well, only superficially.

RICH GETTING RICHER

The majority of newly made money went to the rich folks, i.e. the people of his own kind. True, fewer people are unemployed (the politically correct term is “between jobs”), and that's good, but usually they all have the same working class salaries as they did in 2016.

In translation, this means that the gap between the middle class and the rich people is increasing. If you want to have economic growth, the main thing to do is to increase the number and percentage of the people belonging to the middle class, since they are the driving force behind every demand. The liberals are not doing that. In fact, Lula da Silva's governmentm which was deeply Socialistm increased the middle class population by several dozens of millions. Sooner or later, the working class citizens in America, especially those in the “swinging states” will figure that out. When that happens, they

will vote for someone who is even more populist and a demagogue, or turn to some real Democratic Socialists, since they already despise the mainstream Democrats as the members of the Washington Swamp and the servants of big companies. Let us examine the latter.

BERNIE SANDERS – THE OLDEST IS THE YOUNGEST

Bernie Sanders lost his nomination to Hillary Clinton in 2016 who was such an epicly bad candidate that she even lost to Donald Trump. Bernie would have won, that was a common conclusion.

Even the polls showed it. The crucial moment came when the Millennials, who were so engaged with Sanders, suddenly lost their interest in elections and politics when there was no Bernie, leaving Hillary to her ill fate. In 2020, there will be even more Millennials and as many members of the Generation Z eligible to vote. And they cannot be fooled easily. When

and Canada, and have seen that many countries are in fact doing better and have more secure and easier lifestyle than America. The generation born in 1970 was much more anti-Soviet, and docked to American soil. Therefore they

THE TIME HAS COME THAT AFTER A FIRST MIXED-RACE PRESIDENT, THE US IS LED BY A FIRST SOCIALIST DUO IN 2020. SPLENDID, BOTH FOR THE WORLD AND AMERICA, ESPECIALLY FOR COMMON AMERICANS Trump says “America will never be a Socialist country”, this appeals only to the older generation. For the younger people, “Socialism” is not connected to gulags, Stalin, the USSR, empty shops and grey streets, etc. They associate it more with, say, Sweden or Iceland – the countries of social equality, security, health insurance, solidarity, free schools etc. They travelled extensivelly, especially to Europe

WHAT IF...?

There are some obstacles in the way too. Maybe Democrats will nominate some bleak centrist candidate like Joe Biden, who is likely to lose against the shiny Trump. Even if they don't go left enough, but do go left to a certain degree, like Beto O'Rourke, who wants it to keep it more closer to compromise, Trump will corner them. The time has come that after a first mixed-race president, the US is led by a first Socialist duo in 2020. Splendid, both for the world and America, especially for common Americans.

support Bernie Sanders, who is a self-proclaimed Democratic Socialist (we would say Social Democrat in Europe, but never mind). Let's talk about facts now. Bernie Sanders raised a stunning $5.9m from more than 225,000 donors in the first 24 hours after announcing he would again seek the Democratic nomination for president. All 50 states pitched in and the donations averaged $27. He does not take

money from the interest groups and lobbies because even the most naive citizens have noticed that if any industry supports some candidate, they will be obliged to support them. And of course, young people don't believe them.

ALEXANDRIA, NOT THE CITY

And there is the newest superstar – Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a young Hispanic woman, a follower of the old Jew, both Democratic Socialists. Quite shocking for the white Christian Anglo-Saxon elite?

You bet! But the young people really connect to her too. If the pair of them manage to get a joint nomination, a little could be done

by Trump to stop them. Even if they lose, Alexandria is, according to some projections, almost certainly the first female US president in 2024. Al Jazeera agrees with that, adding: “Unlike Clinton and most politicians for that matter, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez rejected donations from corporate political action committees, or PACs. She didn't take millions from Wall Street and then preach to blue-collar Americans that she understood their struggles.“ You get it now? Nobody likes big companies getting bigger than some countries. Ocasio-Cortez's Green New Deal is quite refreshing and brings new hope.

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INTERVIEW

We are not Lagging Behind Other EU Countries The results show that we have achieved a lot in the past year, like revenue increases, new computerization projects, and the inclusion of new medications in drug lists. We expect positive trends to continue in the future too Dr LUCIAN VUKELIĆ Director of the Croatian Health Insurance Fund

When he sat in 'the hot seat' that is acting director of the Croatian Health Insurance Fund (CHIF), Dr Lucian Vukelić was met with divided opinions. Today, with a lot of hard work behind him and positive results ahead of him, Dr Vukelić is optimistic about the future.

What is your assessment of the medical treatments available to Croatian citizens in comparison to an average EU citizen in terms of use of innovative medication and medical aids?

— In 2005, a fund for new, innovative and by default, exceptionally expensive medication for patient treatment, was established in the Republic of Croatia with the budget of 23 million kunas. In the beginning, the Fund covered only the costs of medication used in the treatment of enzyme diseases in children. Today, the CHIF's list of exceptionally expensive medication includes the ones that are used in long-term enzyme treatment of hereditary metabolic diseases, haemophilia, inherent lack of growth hormone, some hematologic, malignant, chronic autoimmune diseases and hepatitis C. In the period from 2005 to 2016, the Fund increased its budget several times, reaching over 700 million kunas in 2016, and over 1.4 billion kunas available for treatment of

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rare and serious illnesses in 2018.

Despite the ever-increasing costs, the CHIF has been constantly coming up with new solutions within its available resources to ensure a continued supply of particularly expensive medication to patients in need and to include new medication on the list of particularly expensive drugs. Medication consumption is growing yearon-year, and this is something that cannot be avoided because new, more modern generations of drugs are emerging in the market and the CHIF must and wants to ensure that insured persons have access to them.

sion of more expensive and innovative aids in the relevant list and more encompassing indications for prescribing and approving the use of aids that are already included in the CHIF's list of aids.

I believe that all the necessary medication and aids are available to insured persons in Croatia, just like in most European countries.

In the future, the CHIF will con-

PEOPLE ARE NOT EVEN AWARE THAT MANY WEALTHIER COUNTRIES DO NOT HAVE THE SCOPE OF HEALTH CARE THAT WE HAVE IN CROATIA Also, at almost every session of the CHIF's Managing Council, our departments suggest which new, contemporary medical aids should be included in the list of aids that insured persons can obtain on the account of mandatory health insurance. In 2018, a total of 792,715,469 kunas was spent on orthopaedic appliances and aids, an increase of 1.23% relative to the previous year. Due to the population's aging and the higher incidence of chronic and other diseases, the funds spent on orthopedic and other aids have been growing, as have the demands for the inclu-

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tinue including new medication and aids in its relevant lists. We are constantly in contact with healthcare professionals and we will certainly provide our insurance holders with high-standard medical treatment. People are not even aware that many wealthier countries do not have the scope of health care that we have in Croatia.

An issue of availability of therapies and check-ups, as the reason for the growing number of people in Croatia taking sick leave, has been raised recently.

Is this the main or additional

reason for extending the length and the share of sick leave?

— The overall temporary sick leave rate in the period from January to December 2018, compared to the same period the year before that, continued to grow and it currently stands at 3.46% (3.28% in 2017).

The total number of days of temporary sick leave increased by 8.61% to 16,942,139 days. On average, 54,128 employees per day take sick leave, with employers covering the costs of sick leave for 26,725 employees, and the CHIF covering the costs for 27,403 employees.

The CHIF implements regular and extraordinary supervision, as well as supervision of temporary sick leave at the request of an employer. In 2018, we came to the conclusion that over 30% of employees who took sick leave were absent from work needlessly long. We are aware of the fact that some of the sick leave is due to long-term illnesses that cannot be treated quickly because the patients have to wait for certain diagnostic procedures for a very long time. But they are in a minority. An additional reason for the increase in the rate of sick leave is the nonfunctioning of the expert body from the Institute for Expertise, Professional Rehabilitation

and Employment of Disabled Persons. Specifically, when the forensic evaluation of the ability to work was separated from the Croatian Pension Insurance Fund and formed into a single expert body, the expert evaluation took over a year to do, while the legal deadline is 60 days. This also meant a prolonged sick leave time, which additionally encumbered family doctors and the CHIF. To what extent do sick leave costs burden CHIF's budget?

How much of an additional burden would be to you if the proposition made by employers to reduce their coverage of sick leave costs from 42 to 15 days was accepted?

— If we observe the total number of temporary sick leave days and the number of active insured persons, which stands at 1,564,677, we can see that the average length of sick leave per insured person was 11 days in the period from January to December 2018.

The compensation for sickness and disability amounted to 1,232,553,757 kunas in 2018, which is a 7.35% increase relative to the previous year, while their share in the structure of the total CHIF's expenditure stands at 5.02%.

We do not have projections of how much CHIF's costs would increase in the event of a reduction in the temporary sick leave days to under 42, which is the number of the sick leave days that employers currently pay for.

Since late 2017, when you were appointed CHIF's director and

THE CHIF WILL CONTINUE TO INCORPORATE NEW MEDICATION INTO THE RELEVANT LIST, AS WELL AS EXPAND THE LIST OF MEDICAL PROCEDURES THAT THE CHIF PAYS FOR started making changes, which implemented measures resulted in the biggest positive changes?

— The opportunity to become the director of the CHIF, which was given to me by the Government, is important to me as a professional challenge but it also carries a huge responsibility because the CHIF is a large system that covers many health insurance segments.

Almost all Croatian citizens are insured with the CHIF, the mandatory health insurance is available to everyone and the scope of our work is huge – from rights to

health care and medication to fees, additional health insurance and many other things. The first year of my term in the office, which was 2018, is behind us, and I can say that it was quite successful. There wasn't much time for adjustment because as soon as I assumed the duties of the director, I put my knowledge and experience to work together with my associates.

The results show that we have achieved a lot in the past year, from revenue increases, new computerization projects, and the inclusion of new medications

in drug lists. In 2018, CHIF's revenue was much higher than in 2017. In the period from January to December 2018, the CHIF generated the total revenue in the amount of 25,028,265,354 kunas, which is 5.7% higher than the total generated revenue in the same period of 2017, which stood at 23,679,490,400 kunas. I think this is a significant indicator!

We expect positive trends to continue in the future too, namely that the number of active insured persons who are paying contributions will increase which will enable us to follow positive trends in technology development and contemporary medical treatment methods. The CHIF will continue to incorporate new medication into the relevant list, as well as expand the list of medical procedures that the CHIF pays for.

Digitization is one of the main topics for you. How much can digitization help in managing health care?

— Digitization is one of the important elements in improving the functionality of the health care system. All the mentioned e-Health projects deal with digitization. Digitization accelerates work processes, helps with more effective treatment and more accessible health care, and actively involves patients in caring for their health. The timely availability of essential data in treatments expedites, facilitates and rationalizes the treatments, all with the aim of providing a better health care for our patients. The future of health care lies in digitization.

EU ACCESSION CREATED MANY OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM The CHIF has access to European funds and is currently using them to finance several different projects.

For example, Electronic Exchange of Social Security Information - EESSI is a European Union project which aim is having coordinated electronic data exchange between social security services and relevant bodies.

The goal of the project is to establish an electronic data exchange system between the competent institutions of EU and EEA member states in the social security system in order to ensure a more effective implementation of social security rights for workers who choose to use the right to freedom of movement for themselves and their family members.

This networking initiative was launched almost 10 years ago and during this period a more compatible and flexible system was built for all participants.

All Member States are required to participate in the project with a single goal of enabling the electronic exchange of data. The full production and application of this exchange mode are expected to start on July 1st, 2019 and by that time we have to be completely ready.

The benefits of electronic data exchange through EESSI are easier and faster access to social security rights from abroad, expedited data exchange with EU institutions, reduced risk of error, reduced administrative costs and increased efficiency.

Furthermore, we have another ongoing project called eHAcation. The aim of this project is to develop recommendations, instruments and coordination among the EU Member States in cross-border cooperation, building on e-Skills, involving citizens/patients in taking care of their own health and the use of health care data.

CEF-eHealth is yet another ongoing project that deals with building and establishing a prescription exchange service and summarizing patient data to facilitate cross-border health care delivery.

There are several other ongoing projects for which we have received finances from the Structural Funds:

STRUCTURAL FUNDS - OPERATIONAL PROGRAMME 'COMPETITIVENESS AND COHESION 2014-2020'

• e-HZZO - building an integrated information system in the Croatian Health Insurance Fund (value: 115 million kunas) • e-Lijekovi - integrated IT medication management system (value: 17 million kunas) •H R DRG - implementing and upgrading the system for payment and measurement of the efficiency of the hospital system (value: 17 million kunas).

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INTERVIEW

Many Want to Help us Thanks to the donations from our long-term partners, which include ordinary citizens, corporations and entrepreneurs, children and young people, who are under the Association's care, have a carefree and happy childhood

MARIZA KATAVIĆ President of SOS Children's Village Croatia Association

For 27 years, SOS Children's Village Croatia has been successfully replacing family to children who don't have adequate parental care. „The children that are given to us to care for at the Village are growing up in a family-like environment, under constant care of SOS mothers who give them the love they need,” says Mariza Katavić, President of SOS Children's Village Croatia Association. ”Over the past 27 years, more than 500 children have found their new home in our Villages and those who became independent have more than 50 SOS grandchildren (as we like to call them). On an average, there are 240 children living in our SOS houses and SOS youth facilities,” Mrs Katavić adds.

What principles do you base your work on?

— The SOS Children's Village Croatia Association is founded on four main principles - SOS Mother, SOS House, SOS Family and SOS Village. Every child who has been taken in by SOS Children's Village has their SOS mother who forms a close bond with them, ensuring

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that the child has the necessary security, love and stability. Accepting a child as your own and living with them is a difficult but indispensable and inevitable part of life in SOS Children's Village. That is why SOS Mother is the basic and most important link in the SOS child care system. Children, who together with their SOS mothers, live in one of the SOS homes form an SOS family. Family ties are developed in a natural way, meaning girls and boys of different ages live

help each other. They also live as integrated and active members of the local community.

Thanks to their families, the Village and community, every child learns how to actively participate in society.

tential needs and education, our children and young people have the opportunity to go on summer and winter holidays, go regularly to theatre and cinema, do various sports, and participate in creative and educational activities.

What else do you offer to children, apart from a warm and encouraging environment? What would you like to offer to them, but you lack funds to do so?

How is SOS Children's Village financed? Who are your main donors?

— Thank you for this question because it highlights the fact that our biggest needs are closely tied to settling all those costs associated with a smooth running of our entire system of caring for children and youth. Our priority is to

OUR BIGGEST NEEDS ARE CLOSELY TIED TO SETTLING ALL THOSE COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH A SMOOTH RUNNING OF OUR ENTIRE SYSTEM OF CARING FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH together as brothers and sisters, while biological brothers and sisters are always placed in the same SOS family. Their house is a family home, and has its own unique atmosphere, dynamics and routine.

Children who live under the same roof enjoy a true sense of security and belonging. Children grow and learn together, sharing the responsibilities, the joy and the sadness of everyday life. SOS families live together, building a supportive environment where children can safely play and make friends. Families exchange experiences and

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obtain enough funds for the daily overhead of our 30 SOS families and four SOS youth communities, and ensure salaries for all our employees - from SOS mothers and psychologists to the Village repairmen and educators - without whom such a system could not exist. Thanks to the donations from our long-term partners, which include ordinary citizens, corporations and entrepreneurs, children and young people, who are under the Association's care, have a carefree and happy childhood. In addition to basic, exis-

— SOS Children's Village Croatia operates under the auspices of the social welfare system of the Republic of Croatia for which we receive financial compensation from the state budget in relation to the number of children we have in our care. Most of our budget is covered by donations from citizens and companies, private and corporate foundations, and public funds that we regularly compete for with various projects and activities.

It is difficult to single out anyone from the growing family of donors and friends of SOS Children's Village Croatia because every organization contributes as much as possible - domestic and foreign companies with a large number of employees, small businesses, companies from Slavonia, Istria and Dalmatia. We are especially proud of our long-term partnerships. You can see the list of our major donors on our official website - www.dop.sos-dsh.hr.

The list of companies that have been helping you is quite long.

What forms of cooperation do you offer to the business sector?

— In collaboration with compa-

nies, we always align our mission and vision with theirs, especially if they have a defined socially responsible policy. Along with financial donations, we also offer cooperation through the cause-related marketing model, product and service donations, and corporate volunteering in regard to maintaining the facilities in which our children and young people live.

We also offer a salary donation model to those companies which want to additionally engage their employees whereby the employees of the companies that have partnered with us can personally donate money and in that way, get involved in the partnership via their employer. We also gladly accept donations in products and services. In the last trimester of the year, we offer Christmas cards on sale, in printed and electronic form, which many companies use

to replace a slightly obsolete model of buying business gifts with an activity that benefits our children and young people. All these are cooperation formats that we have been working with for many years thanks to our partners who quite often initiate new activities to mutual satisfaction.

that need regular maintenance to ensure a safe and healthy place for our children and youth to grow up in. After 27 years of operations, the SOS family houses in our Village are painted every year, bathrooms are renovated, and wornout furnitur and home appliances are replaced. This year, in SOS Chil-

IN COLLABORATION WITH COMPANIES, WE ALWAYS ALIGN OUR MISSION AND VISION WITH THEIRS, ESPECIALLY IF THEY HAVE A DEFINED SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE POLICY Every year you prepare a list of required investments. What do you need the most this year and how can companies help you with that?

— Our needs are both the same and different year-on-year. We use more than 50 facilities in our work

dren's Village Ladimirevci, we are going to paint as many as 11 SOS family houses. Ten of them will get new tiles and seven will get new parquet floors. In SOS Children's Village Lekenik, we are focusing more on replacing the outdated furniture, especially that in the

homes of our SOS families.

Easter holidays are upon us.

How often do citizens and companies call you up to order cards from you?

— Our greeting cards are a product of a child's imagination and as such, have been winning over the hearts of our citizens for many years. They are special because they are unique to each child. The greeting cards are a product of children's artwork on silk, which is reproduced on paper and printed. We have a variety of themed greeting cards, and the most popular cards are Christmas ones. So every year, on Christmas and New Year's Eve, we come out with a new greeting card. Also, there are greeting cards that people often order for special occasions such as weddings, birthdays or some other major celebration.

TAKING CARE OF CHILDREN DOES NOT END WHEN THEY TURN LEGAL AGE When they turn 18, children are required to leave the Village. Can you help these children with the transition from their childhood years to becoming working citizens and having an independent life?

— Children and young people who are in the care of SOS Children's Village Croatia do not leave the Village when they turn 18 years of age. This is what sets the family-type of care we provide apart from others. Children who grow up in SOS Children's Village stay in SOS homes during their elementary schooling, under the constant care of SOS mothers. Upon completion of elementary school, they go to SOS

youth communities, located in Zagreb, Velika Gorica and Osijek. There they live with other young high school students and under constant supervision of educators, they learn how to live alone. After finishing high school, some young people remain in our care and enter the semi-independent living programme. They are housed in flats owned by the City of Zagreb which are given to our Association to use. They stay there as long as they feel confident enough to venture out on their own and find a job with decent earnings. We also have many successful students who, during their education, have received various scholarships.

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GEOPOLITICS

The New Scramble for Africa This time, the winners could be Africans themselves

THE FIRST great surge of foreign interest in Africa, dubbed the “scramble”, was when 19th-century European colonists carved up the continent and seized Africans’ land. The second was during the cold war, when East and West vied for the allegiance of newly independent African states; the Soviet Union backed Marxist tyrants while America propped up despots who claimed to believe in capitalism. A third surge, now under way, is more benign. Outsiders have noticed that the continent is important and becoming more so, not least because of its growing share of the global population (by 2025 the UN predicts that there will be more Africans than Chinese people). Governments and businesses from all around the world are rushing to strengthen diplomatic, strategic and commercial ties. This creates vast opportunities. If Africa handles the new scramble wisely, the main winners will be Africans themselves.

The extent of foreign engagement is unprecedented. Start with diplomacy. From 2010 to 2016 more than 320 embassies were opened in Africa, probably the biggest embassy-building boom anywhere, ever. Turkey alone opened 26. Last year India announced it would open 18. Military ties are deepening, too. America and France are lending muscle and technology to the struggle against jihadism in the Sahel.

China is now the biggest arms seller to sub-Saharan Africa and has defence-technology ties with 45 countries. Russia has signed 19 military deals with African states since 2014. Oil-rich Arab states are building bases on the Horn of Africa and hiring African mercenaries.

Commercial ties are being upended. As recently as 2006 Africa’s three biggest trading partners were America, China and France, in that order. By 2018 it was China first, India second and America third (France was seventh). Over the

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same period Africa’s trade has more than trebled with Turkey and Indonesia, and more than quadrupled with Russia. Trade with the European Union has grown by a more modest 41%. The biggest sources of foreign direct investment are still firms from America, Britain and France, but Chinese ones, including state-backed outfits, are catching up, and investors from India and Singapore are eager to join the fray.

However, engagement with the outside world has mostly been positive for Africans. Foreigners build ports, sell insurance and bring

China, but it comprises 54 countries, not one. African governments could strike better deals if they showed more unity. No one expects a heterogeneous continent that includes both anarchic battle zones and prosperous democracies to be as integrated as Europe. But it can surely do better than letting China negotiate with each country individually, behind closed doors.

The power imbalance between, say, China and Uganda is huge. It could be reduced somewhat with a free-trade area or if African regional blocs clubbed together. After

IF CHINA BUILDS A BRIDGE IN GHANA, AN AMERICAN CAR CAN DRIVE OVER IT mobile-phone technology. Chinese factories hum in Ethiopia and Rwanda. Turkish Airlines flies to more than 50 African cities. Greater openness to trade and investment is one reason why GDP per head south of the Sahara is two-fifths higher than it was in 2000. (Sounder macroeconomic policies and fewer wars also helped.) Africans can benefit when foreigners buy everything from textiles to holidays and digital services.

Second, Africa’s leaders need to think more strategically. Africa may be nearly as populous as

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all, the benefits of infrastructure projects spill across borders.

Third, African leaders do not have to choose sides, as they did during the cold war. They can do business with Western democracies and also with China and Russia—and anyone else with something to offer. Because they have more choice now than ever before, Africans should be able to drive harder bargains. And outsiders should not see this as a zero-sum contest (as the Trump administration, when it pays attention to Africa, apparently does). If

China builds a bridge in Ghana, an American car can drive over it. If a British firm invests in a mobile-data network in Kenya, a Kenyan entrepreneur can use it to set up a cross-border startup.

Last, Africans should take what some of their new friends tell them with a pinch of salt. China argues that democracy is a Western idea; development requires a firm hand.

This message no doubt appeals to African strongmen, but it is bunk. A study by Takaaki Masaki of the World Bank and Nicolas van de Walle of Cornell University found that African countries grow faster if they are more democratic. The good news is that, as education improves and Africans move rapidly to the cities, they are growing more critical of their rulers, and less frightened to say so. In 1997, 70% of African ruling parties won more than 60% of the vote, partly by getting rural chiefs to cow villagers into backing them.

By 2015 only 50% did. As politics grows more competitive, voters’ clout will grow. And they will be able to insist on a form of globalisation that works for Africans and foreigners alike.

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

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INTERVIEW

We Strive for Sustainable Tourism We have the challenge to regulate the town to fit its population, their needs and wishes, and only after we do that, we can be in service of tourism.

In this, we also want to keep the distinctive style that makes us appealing to tourists with a sophisticated taste for culture and gastronomy

the town would have the necessary content that would classify it as an urban unit during the winter too, which, in turn, would keep the existing population on the island.

RIKARDO NOVAK Mayor of the town of Hvar

“Back in the day, the island of Hvar used to be compared to Saint Tropez, and today it is compared to St. Moritz. However, in order to maintain its position of a prestigious tourist destination, the island needs to nurture its uniqueness that is based on the rich cultural heritage, exceptional gastronomy and an attractive offer of active and nautical tourism,“ says Rikardo Novak, the Mayor of the town of Hvar and adds:“We do not want to be recognized solely as a party destination which is why we have been actively changing the paradigm of tourism that we want to promote.“ Some islands are among the wealthiest local self-government units in Croatia, and yet many are suffering from depopulation. How are these challenges reflected on Hvar?

— Although in terms of budget revenue and expenditure per capita, the town of Hvar is classified as one of the wealthier local self-government units, that does not mean that is immune to negative de-

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mographic trends. Unfortunately, people are under the impression that our town lives only during the tourist season which is why we have a challenge ahead of us to regulate the town to fit its population, their needs and wishes, and only after we do that, we can be in service of tourism.

It sometimes happens that, post-season, people shut down their catering facilities, souvenir

For the first time in history, the Croatian government held a session on an island last year, and that island was Hvar. The session was dedicated to development policies on islands and tourism. What lessons have you learned from it and what kind of development policy do you consider to be the best for Hvar?

— I must admit that I am proud of the fact that a government session was held for the first time ever on an island, and that Hvar was

I AM PROUD OF THE FACT THAT A GOVERNMENT SESSION WAS HELD FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER ON AN ISLAND, AND THAT HVAR WAS PICKED FOR THAT DURING THE TERM OF AN INDEPENDENT MAYOR shops and stores and that Hvar resembles a ghost town. This is understandable to a certain degree because there are high business costs that make the year-around operations unprofitable, and, after all, people need to rest after an exceptionally exhausting and intensive tourist season. Therefore, we should strive for sustainable tourism that would be dispersed throughout the year and thus would alleviate the six-monthlong high season. If we did this,

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picked for that during the term of an independent mayor. This points to the fact that Prime Minister Plenković's government is interested in islands, as well as in different political options. As far as the development policy is concerned, the fact that the town of Hvar belongs to the 8th group of local self-government units which, according to the index values, are considered the above-average units of local self-government, our prospects when applying with projects are

significantly diminished.

However, I am pleased to see that, thanks to the new law, islands are classified as a separate category which opens up for us different opportunities when submitting and later implementing our projects. I think that Hvar, as an island, should breathe as one.

I am also exceptionally glad to see that four of our local self-government units, during this term in the office, have established fantastic cooperation which means that, with synergy and responsible and sustainable development, we can embark on developing both the island and the town of Hvar.

You were quoted as saying that Hvar „is the St. Moritz of Croatian tourism“. What kind of tourists would you like to see here?

— I compared Hvar to St. Moritz due to the fact that St. Moritz is the destination of choice for well-todo guests with a developed sense of culture, gastronomy and propensity for polite fun. Hvar has all the predispositions to be St. Moritz of our tourism. Otherwise, parallels with the world-famous destinations are nothing new. It is well known that Hvar has been called „the Adriatic St. Tropez of the 20th century“, and that it has been strongly associated with Ibiza in recent times. However, I think that Hvar has to maintain its uniqueness, based on its rich cultural heritage (the only island in the world with 6 UNESCO World Heritage Sites), exceptional gastronomy (also included in the UNESCO list)

and an attractive offer of active and nautical tourism.

We do not want to be known solely as a party destination and changing the paradigm of tourism is the forte we want to encourage.

Last year, the whole world was informed about the penalties for improper behaviour in the city or drinking alcohol in public places and I can say that the first season saw positive shifts in regard to this. It is still not at the level we would like it to be, but we are working very hard on this issue, and I do believe that the results will soon follow.

Last year, you celebrated 150 years of tourism in the town.

Is this a Croatian, European or global story?

— This is definitely a global story that has helped Croatia position itself as a tourist destination in Europe, as well as in the world.

The Hygienic Society was founded in Hvar in 1868 which was the forerunner of the tourist communities we know today and that is why the emphasis was on celebrating 150 years of organized tourism in Europe. Also, this year, we opened the oldest public theatre in Europe, built in 1612, after nearly two decades of reconstruction, which again puts us at the centre of the international public interest. We have proven that even a mention of Hvar opens many doors, but it also comes with the responsibility of making sure that this gem of an island continues to shine and progress.

How did this experience affect the town and its development?

What development trends are created as a result of the changes in the nature of tourism and new demands by tourists?

— As the pioneer of organized tourism in Europe, the town of Hvar developed together with this economic branch which, in a way, mitigated an aggressive im-

IT IS WELL KNOWN THAT HVAR HAS BEEN CALLED „THE ADRIATIC ST. TROPEZ OF THE 20TH CENTURY“, AND THAT IT HAS BEEN STRONGLY ASSOCIATED WITH IBIZA IN RECENT TIMES pact that tourism often has in the destinations that are not entirely ready for it.

Our ancestors actually practised sustainable tourism even before it became a global necessity, and we are grateful for that. We have retained our island identity, our culture and heritage in many segments. In a very short period of time, new trends have brought about significant changes – tourists stay for a shorter amount of time and during this short stay they want to experience as much as possible; everything has become more intense and not everyone is

able to deal with it.

The town of Hvar has adopted its development strategy. We are also currently writing a tourism development strategy and this new wind to our sails and the new direction that we are taking give us hope that the 150th year of organized tourism was also the pilot year for Croatian tourism.

The pilot year in a sense that we are again focusing on the best and the most valuable things that Hvar has to offer with the view of preserving and improving it. We have already launched projects of the construction of a sports and

health centre. We see the future of culture as an important part of our identity as witnessed in the implementation of the "Hvar - Fortress of Culture" project, during which we will restore our historical monuments and create new cultural and tourist products with the help of the EU funds.

What, on the other hand, do these tourism plans mean for the population of Hvar? Do they generate higher prosperity or costs that cannot be sustained?

— The role of the town, as a local self-government unit, is to use its infrastructure, projects and strategic plans to ensure a comfortable life for its citizens and an equally comfortable stay for its guests. This can be achieved only through the synergetic cooperation between the town, the tourist board, companies and the citizens, which keeps getting better year-on-year.

DEVELOPMENT OF PORT INFRASTRUCTURE AS A CHALLENGE How much money does the state invest in the development of port and transport infrastructure? How can these investments ensure a more balanced development of the island?

— The challenge in developing our islands lies in the decentralization of these resources, and the fact that the port and transport infrastructure has not been developed in line with the needs of particular local communities. We have seen significant chang-

es recently in the town of Hvar. The historic Mandrać Port has been restored, the port's operational coast has been extended, and transport connections are beginning to be adjusted to the demands of tourist season. Although these are still small steps compared to our needs and our contribution to Croatian tourism and economy, we are working on improving cooperation at the national level, especially on increasing the number of transport links and building the necessary infrastructure.

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CORPORATE

AI & Development of the Legal Profession Lawyers and law firms and other legal professionals will need to associate themselves with the IT sector to survive in the modern world of the provision of legal services

PETAR PETRIĆ Attorney at Law

Artificial intelligence (AI) generates more global interest than any other technological segment. Everyone wants to understand how AI will change the world and their lives in the upcoming period. While some argue that millions of people will become an economic surplus, others say that AI will create new jobs and more benefits for everyone.

Just as a lawyer in the mid-20th century could not have even imagined the possibility of sending a letter to another attorney via email, we do not know exactly what is in store for the legal profession in the future. What we can foresee with great certainty is that legal profession will look dramatically different in the near future.

Another thing that we can claim with certainty is that partners at law firms will not be the ones to set the speed of the implementation of the artificial intelligence (AI) platform but rather that will be buyers of their services, their clients. Corporations and business subjects that are clients of law firms will require their law firms to

use the said technologies because they will not pay the higher costs that ocurr when they use physical persons to do that.

Some believe that the situation in the legal services market has changed when the legal generation of the Millennials (born between 1980 and 2000) started occupying decision-making positions. For this generation, technology has always been a vital part of life.

This generation of legal professionals not only brings a great level of compliance with technology, but also a strong desire for autonomy, professional knowledge and purposeful work.

Often law firms lose good young

AI SYSTEMS WILL BE USED THROUGHOUT THE LEGAL INDUSTRY BETWEEN 2020 AND 2025 lawyers because the traditional incentives offered by law firms, such as money and reputation (on the account of long working hours and detriment to their personal life), are less appealing to the generation of the Millennials. As we are approaching 2020, the leaders of that generation will be around the age of 40, a period in their life when they are experi-

EXAMPLE OF NETFLIX Does Netflix show an example of how AI is used in Lawtech? — In anticipation of the more intense application of artificial intelligence and blockchain and any changes that occur relative to their use, the question arises as to whether the example and experiences of Netflix, that creates programmes based on studying client habits through technology and AI, can help legal professionals in considering and adapting the legal profession to the needs of the users of their services, as well as for us to consider whether the time has come to think more about the needs of users, as it is done in many other industries, such as the tourism and travel industry. And we are not talking only about their legal needs, but their more encompassing needs in today's rapidly changing world..

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enced enough and accepted by their clients to leave traditional law firms, and are brave enough to create new operating models of providing technology-based legal services that will better respond to their wishes for a greater autonomy, professional knowledge and purposeful work.

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It is believed that advanced legal technology will enable people with less legal experience, no matter where in the world they are, to provide legal services, and thus law firms will lose the competitive advantage they have due to their size. Technology will directly help smaller law firms and offices to become more effective and more competitive, leading to the acquisition of more clients. If a lawyer using AI solves the problem faster than someone without AI, the answer to the question of which lawyer will be chosen by the client next time is pretty obvious.

It is also believed that IT experts will be absolutely required for further modern development of the legal profession and that lawyers and law firms, as well as other legal professionals, will have to associate themselves with the IT sector in order to survive in the modern world of the provision of

legal services.

This also raises the question of how good of a job legal AI platforms do in relation to a physical person, i.e. a legal professional who has a long-standing experience in this line of work. Although such systems do not always produce the right results, they still have a high level of accuracy and can significantly improve the results of a lawyer's work. As a rule of thumb, they are considerably faster than their human counterparts. We are talking about minutes, instead of days.

It seems that these systems have already reached such a level of application today that they have acquired numerous subscribers (law firms) willing to pay for such a type of service, so systems and AI providers such as ROSS (IBM Watson), Kira, Leverton (partnership with SAP ) and others, have a growing role in searching for legal precedents, laws, a substantial number of legal documents and contract analysis. Rather than having a large number of attorneys reviewing a million documents, only a handful of lawyers can review a fraction of the material, while the predictive coding technology uses their procedures to guide the computer to go through the rest of the material.

Relying on document review systems has now become a standard practice, and law faculties have begun to teach students about machine-operated scanning.

CORPORATE

Strong Brand is Required in Education Sector Too Photo: Grgur Žučko/pixsell

We are aware of the strong competition among the privately-owned higher education institutions in Croatia and the importance of branding, and that is why we have seriously addressed this task. We have become publicly known for our recognized campaigns under the slogans: "Apply for a Career" and "Culture means Business" LUKŠA LULIĆ PhD, Dean of Zagreb School of Business

The Dean of Zagreb School of Business, Lukša Lulić, PhD, is a doctor of economic sciences, who was appointed to this position thanks to a wealth of his managerial experience in both private and state companies in the energy sector. As a seasoned energy expert, Dr Lulić was also appointed a member of HEP Supervisory Board late last year.

We are talking with Dr Lulić about the new and important tasks that education has to accomplish.

You have been the Dean for five years now, and this is your second term. When you came to school, it was stagnating. Why did you decide to take on this challenge?

— I am a person who likes challenges, and although I had no experience in the education sector, I assumed the duties of this position at a very sensitive time of re-accreditation of our study programme. Since then, we have achieved excellent, positive results - our first specialist graduate marketing and communications programme was established and then two more undergraduate study programs - Management and Production in Culture and Economic Logistics - were finally accredited within one year, which ultimately resulted in us acquiring a new status of a polytechnic. I believe, and this has been validated during my term in the office, that the dean's function is very close to that of a manager – dean needs a vision and should be able to motivate its employees.

How important is the recognizability of your study programmes and the brand itself in the education sector?

— We are aware of the strong competition among the privately-owned higher education institutions in Croatia and the importance of branding. To that end, we have been cooperating with top-professionals. Early last year, the design studio Kunazlatica re-designed our visual identity to go with our new name, while

ment and Production in Culture and Supply Chain Management intended for?

— Croatia has a high demand for managers and producers in many segments of culture – from music and visual arts to design, theatre, film and television. This involves various institutions - theatres, museums, galleries, concert halls and festivals, but also all forms of non-institutional models of cultural and artistic practices. As far as the Supply Chain Management

PROFESSIONAL STUDIES ARE MORE FLEXIBLE BECAUSE THEY KEEP UP WITH MARKET CHANGES AND AN INCREASING NUMBER OF STUDENTS NOW RECOGNIZES THE VALUE OF WHAT WE ARE OFFERING TO THEM our campaigns are devised by the marketing agency called Utorak.

Last year's campaign was quite humorous and memorable; it featured a cod (which is associated with the word baccalaureus) which is fished by the best employers. In spite of rebranding, we still won the SUPERBRANDS title in our category last year, a success that makes us very proud.

In the last two academic years, you launched two new study programmes. Who is Manage-

programme is concerned, this is an integral approach to planning, implementing and controlling the flow of information, materials and services from the raw materials and components of the supplier through the production of the finished product and the distribution to the end customer. The programme is therefore technical in nature, and encompasses the segment of Traffic and Transportation Technology, and the branch of Intelligent Transport Systems and Logistics.

The City of Zagreb owns Zagreb Business School. What advantages does this status bring you?

— The Public Open University Zagreb is our founder. This institution has an incredible 100 years of tradition in life-long learning. Since we are located in their headquarters, we are also indirectly owned by the City of Zagreb. We are not privately owned per se, but we do operate in line with the market conditions, without any subsidies from the city.

What kind of treatment do professional studies in Croatia have and how does the public perceive them? Are parents and employers aware of the benefits of a professional study programme?

— Lately, there have been a lot of debates in the media about the differences between professional undergraduate and university studies, and even today most of the public, including parents and employers, are still unclear about these differences. Professional studies are based on the dual education system, which means that various experts from work practice are involved in the education process and are thus able to train and prepare students to meet the market needs. Public perception is slowly but surely changing for our benefit.

ZAGREB IS APPEALING TO FOREIGN STUDENTS You have been working a lot on internationalization. Are foreign students interested in studying in Zagreb and what is your strategy to bring them to study here?

— Yes, foreign students find Zagreb appealing for studying because this is a relatively small, middle European city that has a lot to offer – it is pleasant to live in, people are friendly and almost everyone speaks English. The only thing that is left to do is to offer interesting study programmes, continually adapt to new demands of young people, keep up with world trends and of course, be a good host.

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CORPORATE

Planet or Plastic Every 9 minutes a million plastic bottles is sold all over the world... Every year 9 million tonnes of plastic waste finds its way to the ocean...

Choose the planet!

PETRA LEDINEK The Project Manager and Marketing Manager at FOX Networks Group

In June 2018, National Geographic launched its worldwide project called “Planet or Plastic”. The goal of this project is to raise awareness about the fact that a huge amount of plastic ends up in our oceans and seas. As a global brand with a long history of scientific discoveries and research, National Geographic is in a unique position to tackle this crisis with something that it excels in - storytelling and knowledge.

Petra Ledinek, the Project Manager and Marketing Manager at FOX Networks Group, reveals

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that they are backing the project with all their capacities because, in the end, it is very important for the planet to accomplish results ASAP: “This is a multi-year project but that is less relevant in this instance. The more important thing is the results that we are going to achieve. We want to change the way people think and behave, and that’s what we are fully focused on.

Our goal is to reduce the amount of disposable plastic that ends up in our oceans and seas while achieving measurable results.”

In Croatia, the project was presented at the Weekend Media Festival in Rovinj in September.

"This was actually our first step in the project implementation whereby National Geographic, as a medium and as a communication platform, addressed the viewers, the public and their business partners. We have also announced our role in organizing and encouraging local campaigns and initiatives in Croatia, which is why we want to contribute very specifically to the resolution of this issue," Ms Ledinek says.

From September 2018 to date, numerous campaigns have been launched with a view of raising the population's awareness about sustainable alternatives, the importance of recycling and the inclusion of all generations into this extremely important project.

In order to inspire and educate citizens of Zagreb, last year National Geographic cooperated with the Zagreb Zoo.

“PLANET OR PLASTIC”- THE GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT THE FACT THAT A HUGE AMOUNT OF PLASTIC ENDS UP IN OUR OCEANS AND SEAS

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„During the Advent in the Zoo programme, we staged an educational exhibition called 'Planet or Plastic'. An aquarium featuring four "new" fish species made of a combination of disposable plastic materials was presented. In this way, we wanted to show how the ocean will look like in 2050 if we continue to pollute it at the same pace as today. We wanted to inspire citizens to be conscientious and responsible in the use of disposable plastic. In order for the exhibition to leave a deeper and longer trace, we donated the aquarium to the Zagreb Zoo and it is now part of their standing exhibition."

Actors Leon Lučev, Maja Posavec and Ana Marija Percaić also joined the initiative and made New Year's resolutions to reduce or even stop using disposable plastic.

"Our actors have become the ambassadors in this global campaign, and on that occasion, they addressed the public and strongly appealed to them to be more responsible towards our planet."

National festivals like ZagrebDox and the Dani komunkacije have also recognized the importance of this global initiative.

"We are very pleased that the reactions to this initiative also

came from major festivals. It is exceptionally important to inspire others by demonstrating that it is possible to reduce the use of straws, encourage visitors to separate plastic waste and dispose of it in special rubbish bins. In February, we joined the international documentary film festival ZagrebDox, followed by the national market communications festival called the Dani komunkacije which was held in late March, at the Lone Hotel in Rovinj.“ However, with only a brief glimpse into the data, we can get an insight that such campaigns will have to be multiplied and that we have to be resolute in our actions.

"The whole world is faced with a very simple question, which is actually the direction in which our future will unfold: are we going to choose our planet or plastic at any given time? The dilemma certainly leaves an apocalyptic impression, but if we do not start acting in the direction of reducing the use of disposable plastic, the future of our planet will be seriously compromised. The data are quite worrying and clearly show that we have to react immediately.

Today, we treat plastic as if it has always been present and that life without it had never existed. Plas-

THE WHOLE WORLD IS FACED WITH A VERY SIMPLE QUESTION, WHICH IS ACTUALLY THE DIRECTION IN WHICH OUR FUTURE WILL UNFOLD: ARE WE GOING TO CHOOSE OUR PLANET OR PLASTIC AT ANY GIVEN TIME?

tic actually emerged only in the mid-20th century. However, since then, its production has been growing exponentially. We can also compare data on the amount of plastic produced in 1950, when 2.3 million tonnes were produced and for example, in 2015, when 448 million tonnes were produced. If we add to this the fact that half of the total produced plastic was made in the last 15 years, we come to the conclusion that our planet is literally drowning in plastic! And there is another defeating fact to mention - only one-fifth of the total produced plastic is recycled annually," Ms Ledinek pointed out.

"The problem of sea and ocean pollution with plastic can no longer be treated solely as a major industry problem or by shifting the responsibility to others. We must first start from ourselves and realize that that is our responsibility and that we need to inspire others to act. Only by doing so will we make a serious change. Disposable plastic threatens every sea and ocean in the world, including our Adriatic Sea. That is why we need to act as soon as possible and be a part of the change that chooses our planet."

We choose the planet!

"NEW" TYPES OF FISH IN THE ADRIATIC Adriatic Strawfish (Cuclatoria Polimeris Adriatica) has an interesting shape that inspired its name. It is very durable and is considered an invasive specie that is difficult to get rid off. It has been among us for a long time and their number grows year-on-year.

Red-tailed Cupfish (Cupa Polipropilena Vulgaris) lives in schools of “fish“ and can be found in all parts of the Adriatic. Moves along with the sea currents. Apart from the Adriatic Sea, it can often be found in other parts of

the Mediterranean.

Bottle-nosed Fish (Bibitus Polyetilenus Maximus) is a predator, active at night and by day. Recently, their number in our sea has increased. Just like other macroplastics, mostly lives close to the shore.

Plastic Blowfish (Bagus Plasticus Domesticus) is a free-floating kind, very common in our region. It is prone to massive stranding on the shores and the cliffs. It lives off microplastic organisms.

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TRAVELOGUE

Text: ŽELIMIR MARAŠ

Egypt - Ancient and Warm It was a cold January day when we took off and a warm January day when we landed. Well, that happens when you are southbound, travelling to Africa, to another continent, to meet the magic country of Egypt, where many diverse civilizations mix We landed in Hurghada, shocked by the very blue water and the sky, with no jet lag but with a “climate lag”, since we came into a totally different climate. It is different when you travel in summer, or even spring or autumn, and the difference is more subtle. However, the fact that the difference in the temperature between Egypt and your country is over 30 degrees did make some of our friends envious. Some of us felt dizzy, while others were genuinely thrilled, enjoying ourselves like big lizards in the sun. Of course, these are sun- and spring-lovers.

HURGHADA

The trip basically focused on the Red Sea area, but it also included the trip to the mighty Cairo, with all its lights and craziness. But first and foremost, there is nothing like the Red Sea in Egypt. Warm,

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YOU CAN SEE THE NEW GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS RISING FROM THE SAND, WHICH RESEMBLE THE SIMILAR BUILDINGS IN ASTANA (NOW NUR-SULTAN) AND KAZAKHSTAN

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friendly, luxurious, brimming with fish of different colours... Diving among corals and fish is one of the things no-one can ever get enough of. The Giftun Island, right across Hurghada, is one of the jewels of the Riviera, with its white sands and unforgettable sunsets. The corals are very sharp, so pretty much everyone got bloody in the end, but the beach doctors were excellent.

The only scars you get in Egypt are on your feet. The resorts are magical – it is like a genuine fairy-tale of luxury-for-everyone and affordable paradise. The dominant colours of ochre and orange wonderfully blend with the blue colour of the water and the sky, the swimming pools and the sea. Then there is the night market, full of splendid and exotic fruits, with people dressed in local galabiyas. The prices are written in local East Arabic numerals, so you'd better learn them!

Here is a hint - two of them, 1 and

9, you already know. Just 8 more numbers to learn! Hurghada has a splendid new mosque, called Al-Mina, close to the sea, and a wonderful Coptic church dedicated to St. Shenouda. Just like the Balkan area, with the opposite Muslim-to-Christian ratio. Some of Egyptian ideas included the promotion of a new Red Sea star, a resort in the deep south called Marsa Alam. A jeep drive into the desert led us to see the Bedouin culture, with traditional bread-making under the clear sky of Eastern Egyptian desert, far from the city lights and smog. These people live like this from the beginning of time, and now, they first demonstrate to tourists their skills and then quietly leave for the hills.

ST. PAUL AND ST. ANTHONY

Yes, these are names of two saints, but they are also two of the oldest monasteries in the world named after the two saints, and they are both close to Hurghada, making it a perfect day trip with a huge cultural significance. 15% of 100 million Egyptians are Orthodox Christians. The Monastery of Saint Paul the Anchorite dates back to the fourth century AD. It was built over the cave where Saint Paul the An-

THE NEW CAPITAL WILL BE ALL-GREEN, ALL-SMART, ALL-HIGH-TECH, A HOME TO 6.5 MILLION PEOPLE, BIGGER THAT PARIS IN SIZE chorite lived for more than eighty years. The first travel narrative of the monastery was provided by Antoninus Martyr, a native of Placentia, who visited the tomb of Saint Paul the Anchorite between the years 560 and 570 AD. The first monks to occupy the monastery were some of the disciples of Anthony the Great after they knew the story of Saint Paul the Anchorite. Seeing the cave where he lived is priceless.

Egyptian icons and frescoes have the striking round big eyes, and it is clear that they were directly derived from the Egyptian art, with a weaker Byzantine and Roman influence. The language used in liturgies is a language of pharaohs, not spoken anymore, only written,

and it sounds like a mixture of the Cyrillic and Greek alphabets. St. Anthony, a bit further away, is the eldest monastery. What a fantastic moment to grasp! Up until now, I saw it only on History Channel, and now, there it is, in front of me! It is the oldest monastery in the world.

St. Anthony himself was the founder of monasticism. The Monastery of Saint Anthony was established by the followers of Saint Anthony (born 251, when Christianity was pretty much illegal in many places), and is the first Christian monk from Alexandria who followed his peculiar wishes to go as far as he could to enjoy his deep thoughts and prayers. A moment of history, once in a lifetime!

EPILOGUE All in all, Egypt is brave, strong, after the tumultuous events earlier this decade, it is back on the triumphant track, with the spike in tourist visits, while building and promoting new resorts, and creating new opportunities for trading and cultural exchange. And there is, of course, a brand new Grand Egyptian Museum and a capital city, and our press delegation was the first to see!

DAS LICHT VON KAIRO

Just like the title of the famous 1983 Yugoslav new wave song by Slađana Milošević, the magnificent lights of Cairo overlook Zamalek and the river Nile. Noisy and crazy, Cairo is a bustling city which is a gateway to the pyramids in Gizah, which we also visited, and a place where the Grand Egyptian Museum will be located. A splendid preservation work is being carried out here, with the Serbian delegation given the opportunity to see the new discoveries and localities, including the process of restoring Tutankhamun's underwear. Yes, pharaohs were gods, but humans too. The old Egyptian Museum is a classic treat.

And what about the rumour about the new capital city? It is still nameless, but our guess is that it could be Memphis, like the one in Tennessee (of course, named after the ancient Egyptian town). The city will be all-green, all-smart, all-high-tech, a home to 6.5 million people, bigger that Paris in size. The first phase is almost completed, the city can currently accommodate 1.500 people, and the new mosque and Coptic cathedral are stunning. You can see the new government buildings rising from the sand, which resemble the similar buildings in Astana (now Nur-Sultan) and Kazakhstan.

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PEOPLE & EVENTS

28 AHK JOUR FIX, FEB

NEW SEASON OF MONTHLY GATHERINGS FOR MEMBERS

Many members of the German-Croatian Chamber of Industry and Commerce (AHK) participated in the traditional gathering that the Chamber organizes once a month called Jour Fix. This time around, Jour Fix took place at Pod Zidom Bistro & Wine Bar.

Sven Thorsten Potthoff AHK, Bogdan Tihava Auto Hrvatska , Anđelko Džaja

Dijana and Viktor Vettureli, Sven Thorsten Potthoff

03 CHARITY MAR

Kolinda Grabar Kitarović President of Republic of Croatia, Mayor of Rijeka Vojko Obersnel

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CARNIVAL BALL

The 20th Charity Carnival Ball took place at the Governor’s Palace in Rijeka. This year, the proceeds will go to the Pediatric Surgery Clinic of the Rijeka Clinical Centre. President of the Republic of Croatia, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović was one of the guests at the Carnival Ball, who, for this occasion, chose to wear an unusual combination of a short velvet jacket and luxurious skirt, in royal blue. The Ball was also attended by numerous members of the Croatian diplomatic community.

02 JAPANESE MAR

WEEK

For the 5th consecutive year, people in Croatia were given the opportunity to get to know the Japanese culture better during the Japanese Week which,

05 NATIONAL DAY OF

MAR

BULGARIA

H.E. Genka Vasileva Georgieva

14 ST. PATRICK'S MAR

DAY

this year, took place between 2nd and 8th March. At the event, the visitors were able to hear various lectures, and participate in demonstrations and workshops

The Croatian public figures and the Bulgarian community in Zagreb celebrated the National Day of Bulgaria at a reception hosted by the Bulgarian Embassy in Dverce Palace. More than 150 guests - sen-

ior officials, politicians, public figures, cultural figures, members of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts and Matica Hrvatska, business people, and Bulgarian diplomatic corps – attended the reception.

Guests with hosts

The Embassy of the Republic of Ireland celebrated St. Patrick's Day in Zagreb with its Croatian friends from all walks of life. The event took place at the Esplanade

Hotel and was attended by approximately 300 people.

Ireland's Minister of Food, Forestry and Horticulture, Andrew Doyle, TD, was one of the guests.

H.E. Olive Hempenstall Ambassador of the Republic of Ireland with guests

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PEOPLE & EVENTS

15 HELLO MAR

TRAVEL ZAGREB

After the Belgrade promotion, which took place at the residence of the Croatian Ambassador to Serbia, Hello Travel Zagreb magazine had its promotion in Croatia too, in Zagreb, during the Tourism Fair. On the occasion, the director of the Zagreb Tourist Board, which supported the magazine’s launch in four countries of the region, underlined the impor-

tance of such a presentation of Zagreb and its neighbours.

Boban Spsojević, Project Director of Hello Travel Zagreb, presented the magazine, with an emphasis on adaptation to the new platforms and the ways of communication, during the panel discussion called “Importance and Value of Including Influencers in Promotion of Tourism Products”

Boban Spasojević , Iva Mihalić Krčmar, Arina Karuza, Ida Prester, Goran Jović

18 INVESTCRO MAR

The international conference InvestCro – “Investment Opportunities in Croatia” - organized by the Foreign Investors Council in Croatia, the Večernji List, the Poslovni Dnevnik and the 24sata newspapers, under the auspices of the Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, was held in

Kolinda Grabar Kitarović President of Republic of Croatia

Vladimir Nišević, Andrea Borosić, Mladen Fogec, Darko Horvat, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, Viktor Pavlinić, Zoltan Aldott, Tomislav Slat, Igor Zgrabljic and Boris Vujčić.

19 AMCHAMM BUSINESS BREAKFAST MAR

“SUSTAINABILITY OF THE HEALTHCARE SYSTEM IN CROATIA”

Milan Kujundzic, Minister of Health

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Zagreb, in the Westin Hotel. Among those in attendance were the Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, the Minister of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Crafts, Darko Horvat, and the Governor of the Croatian National Bank, Boris Vujčić who delivered a welcome speech.

Croatian Health Minister, Milan Kujundžić gave a welcome speech at the business breakfast called “Sustainability of the Healthcare System

Željko Plazonić, State Secretary, Ministry of Health, Ljubiša Mitof-Višurski, General Manager of Adria Region & Croatia, AbbVie, Mrs. Ana Bobinac, Faculty of Economics, University of Rijeka and Mr. Marijan Kralj, Member of the Management Board, Croatia Insurance

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in Croatia”. The Minister also presented the projects that the Croatian government and the line Ministry are planning to implement in 2019.

Ljubiša Mitof-Višurski, General Manager of Adria Region & Croatia, AbbVie

27 CROATIAN-INDIAN MAR

Luka Burilović President of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce President of the Republic of Croatia Kolinda GrabarKitarović and President of the Republic of India Ram Nath Kovind

Luka Burilović President of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce, President of the Republic of India Ram Nath Kovind

BUSINESS FORUM

President of the Republic of Croatia, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović and President of India, Ram Nath Kovind addressed the participants of the Croatian-Indian Business Forum. The Forum was organized by the Croatian Chamber of Economy in cooperation with the Embassy of India in Croatia and the Indian Chambers ASSOCHAM, CII and FICCI on the occasion of the official visit of the President of the Republic of India. The Forum participants discussed the excellent opportunities for bolstering the economic cooperation between Croatia and India, especially in the IT industry, tourism, agriculture, textile and leather industries, pharmaceuticals, energy and defence.

President of the Republic of India Ram Nath Kovind, President of the Republic of Croatia Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović and Luka Burilović President of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce

28 CROATIA'S ERNST & MAR

YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR

This year's edition took place once more at Lauba in Zagreb, which guaranteed a night of positivity and hope for Croatia. The 2019 edition of the program attracted the most significant number of candidates so far - a total of 50 entrepreneurs from 35 companies. This year's candidates came from 19 cities and municipalities across Croatia, from Vinkovci to Dubrovnik, and operate in seven diverse industries, including the dominant IT sector and industrial production sector, and the healthcare and automotive industry.

Silvio Kutić, Izabel Jelenić and Robert Kutić

Berislav Horvat, Roberto Kutić, Silvio Kutić, Izabel Jelenić, Darko Horvat and Emil Tedeschi

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AFTER KAISER KARL

The Future of Chanel Without Karl Lagerfeld How will the French fashion house fare without its influential creative director?

“I am very grounded, just not on this earth,” was one of numerous bon mots from Karl Lagerfeld, who died on February 19th. Mr Lagerfeld, born in Hamburg 85 years ago, may not have felt he belonged on this planet but he knew very well what its wealthier inhabitants wanted to wear. As one of the great artists of French couture alongside Christian Dior, Coco Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent, Mr Lagerfeld made Chanel, where he was creative director for over 35 years, the multinational brand it is today. His death will ensure that Parisian gossips, already abuzz with rumours about the future of the fashion house, will have plenty to chat about.

Chanel’s owners, Alain and Gérard Wertheimer, owe their vast fortune to Mr Lagerfeld’s tenure at the fashion house. When the brothers hired him to take over, the brand had become “old hat” in Mr Lagerfeld’s words. The boxy suits

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that had been Coco Chanel’s signature design appealed mostly to middle-aged women. Mr Lagerfeld modernised the Chanel look with longer, thinner lines and snazzy details. A workaholic, he hardly ever took time off, designing around 14 collections a year ranging from couture to high-street fashions. “To design is to breathe, so if I can’t breathe, I’m in trouble,” he often said.

also hugely profitable accessories such as sunglasses and perfume.

Those around him also had an unusual instinct for the fashion business. Jacques Helleu, the firm’s long-serving head of marketing, understood the importance of protecting a luxury brand. Chanel fought for its intellectual property long before other fashion houses realised the importance of doing so.

A once closely guarded secret—

“TO DESIGN IS TO BREATHE, SO IF I CAN’T BREATHE, I’M IN TROUBLE,” HE OFTEN SAID The extravagant and costly fashion shows for which Chanel became renowned also had a purpose. A 115-foot rocket that simulated a blast-off surrounded by models, or a fake supermarket stocked with Chanel washing powder, ketchup and pasta, created a stir which helped not only the sales of exquisite, expensive frocks but

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the rewards of the diverse portfolio of handbags, scent, cosmetics, clothing, jewellery and shoes, and fierce protection of its brand— was revealed last year. The firm’s financial results, released for the first time in its 108-year history, showed revenues of $9.6bn in 2017 and an operating profit of $2.7bn.

Chanel’s cash and cachet are at-

tractive propositions. Bernard Arnault, the boss of Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH), the world’s biggest luxury-goods group, is said to have coveted Chanel for years.

Philippe Blondiaux, Chanel’s chief financial officer, last year denied any plans to sell or seek a stockmarket listing.

An insider says the Wertheimer brothers had vowed to keep Mr Lagerfeld in his job until he died. Will the plans for Chanel now change?

A sale still looks unlikely, according to Dirk Boventer of Atreus, a retail consultant. Alain, the chief executive, announced that Mr Lagerfeld would be succeeded

by Virginie Viard, his closest and most trusted associate for some 30 years. Ms Viard will need to make a mark. Until she does, Chanel without Mr Lagerfeld is less of a trophy for potential investors.

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

SOCIETY

Different and Diverging Do we believe in the same values?

Take a good look at the map of Europe we have enclosed with the article. Does it look like “OK, West Europe is blue and these are the former capitalist countries.

And the red is, hmmm.... Eastern Europe and the former Socialist countries?” Well, almost.

In fact, this is the map that shows the support for the samesex marriages in Europe. There is an almost clear cut between East and West, with a noticeable exception of the Czech Republic switching to the Western side.

There is also a clean split in what one half of Europe considers tolerable, desirable, OK, good, whatever you call it, and what the other half consider taboo-ish, undesirable, bad, not OK. Never in its history, since the religious wars, Europe was so divided, and this division comes in the times of peace.

WEST

The West has its own problems, and we are not talking only about the Western Europe. In the USA, if you see the headlines, you will notice what kind of news dominates – is Colin Kaepernick a hero or a traitor, endless debates about his protests, Black Lives Matter (of course, they matter), LGBT rights, anti-immigration issues, anti-Semitism, anti-Islamism, gender issues...

How can we presume a person's sex? Or is it gender? Is it fluid when we declare that sexuality is fluid and it is a spectrum, rather than black and white? Some of my friends got instantly banned from an LGBT-website purely by joking “OK, if there more than just two genders, how can the letter “B” stand for “bisexual” when “BI” means “two”?

“When you marry anyone you want to and say you are whatever you feel, but it has to be just one person, so, is that monogamy?” “Why is this so when we have polygamy in real life, even in the West? And polyandry in the Himalaya region, and of course, the old-fashioned polygamy in Asia, Africa, the Muslim world and further? When does that end?”

Why are we inventing new language constructs to change psychology?

Who knows?! It is all up in the air now! The West is preoccupied with

the identity questions, although identity is purely individual.

EAST

In the East, with Eastern Europe increasingly drowning in nationalism and conservatism, from Ukraine and Russia to Poland and Hungary, from Croatia to Albania and Bosnia and Serbia via the breakaway province Kosovo, people are increasingly raising their voices against this fluidity. The Muslim

switched to a more liberal Islam.

But this is not the liberal Islam from 1955, when every woman had a choice to wear a scarf or go bare-headed. Now, in many countries, with Egypt, Lebanon, Syria and especially Tunisia being exceptions, almost all women wear headscarves. Even if they are not obligated to! They refused us, they refused our system, our values, they spat us out as tasteless and rotten. They don't converge to us, nor do they

WHEN I WAS A KID I BELIEVED IN A STAR TREK FUTURE; ALL RACES AND RELIGIONS OF THE EARTH UNITED WITH NO TRACE OF RACISM, SHARING THE SAME VALUES. I FAIL TO SEE MANY SHARED VALUES NOWADAYS, APART FROM A COMMON WISH FOR PROFIT AND FAME World was, just like Eastern Europe until recently, imitating the West, but now, it seems that everybody is getting tired of imitating. They are trying to form their own identity.

Some of them tried that with the Islamic State, Al Qaeda or Muslim Brotherhood, but the experience proved to be too bitter, so they

have a wish to. They despise us for our materialism, for not having kids and family, for pursuing careers and pleasures. Once it was called freedom, now it is a shame.

We did something wrong, maybe?

It all depends on your point of view.

Even Turkey is trying to find its way and its own cultural model.

EAST IS EAST AND WEST IS WEST...

OK, enough with Kipling, although sometimes his verses come to mind when you are asking yourself certain questions. In China, they don't even give you a chance to see the other side. The most recent surprise, which was not in fact really a surprise, was the censorship of The Bohemian Rhapsody in cinemas. Fox allowed China to cut some pivotal moments from the film, which we now know include a mention or an allusion to Freddie Mercury’s sexual identity. Freddie's kiss with his colleague and his boyfriend were cut. And the crucial scenes like the one when Freddie Mercury’s lover and friend Mary confronts him over his sexuality and when he says: “I think I’m bisexual,” and she replies with: “No, Freddie, you’re gay.”, are entirely cut out. The scene when Freddie gropes his boyfriend is also cut out, so the audience does not have a clue how he knows the guy all of a sudden. The scene where Freddie follows the truck driver into the toilet also cut out.

And so on.

DIFFERENT REALITIES These are two different films in fact with almost all seminal moments taken out. We don't even have different opinions; we see different versions of reality and art. Does that seem normal to you? Maybe it is, but to me it is somehow sad. When I was a kid I believed in a Star Trek future; all races and religions of the Earth united with no trace of racism, sharing the same values. I fail to see many shared values nowadays, apart from a common wish for profit and fame.

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BUSINESS NEWS

Hakom

5G IS PRIORITY

Gorenje

37.3 MILLION EURO LOSS Last year, Gorenje Group recorded a consolidated net loss in the amount of 37.3 million euros. The Group also generated 1.18 billion euro of sales revenue last year, down from 1.20 billion euros in 2017, while EBITDA fell to 29.6 million euros from 63.6 million euros. In 2018, this Slovenian household appliance manufacturer was acquired by China's Hisense. "The year 2018 was all about searching for a strategic partner, integration into Hisense Group, and Gorenje Group's financial stabilization," the company said. In the process of integration into Hisense Group, the company adjusted its business strategies, and changed some accounting estimates

that now differ from those effective before the takeover. Last year, Gorenje recorded sales growth in Eastern and Central Europe, while the sale of household appliances in Western Europe dropped by 6.4%.

WhatsApp

NOVELTIES IN MESSAGING SERVICE

The telecommunications regulator has adopted an annual work plan which stipulates creating prerequisites for the implementation of the 5G network as one of the priorities. Hakom also states that, according to the Union's 5G Action Plan, the 5G signal should cover all major traffic routes and urban areas in the EU, and thus Croatia, by 2025. In Croatia, it is estimated that as much as 75 percent of citizens should be able to have the 5G signal by 2025. Hakom also says that this year they are planning to focus on another digital dividend (694-790 megahertz), which will be used in the future for high-speed Internet.

Pevec

RAISES MINIMUM WAGE AND OPENS NEW SHOPPING CENTRE

WhatsApp is experimenting with yet more tools to help fight the spread of fake news. A new beta for Android labels messages you send as "frequently forwarded" if they've been shared five or more times. You can even

see the exact forwarding count by diving into the Message Info section. It's limited to messages you send rather than ones you receive, but it could give you second thoughts about sharing a sensationalist piece more than once.

McDonald's

MOST EXPENSIVE ACQUISITION IN COMPANY'S 20-YEARHISTORY

The fast food giant said Monday it has agreed to buy Dynamic Yield, which specializes in personalization and decision logic technology. Dynamic Yield’s technology will allow McDonald’s digital

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drive-thru menus to change based on different factors, such as the weather and current restaurant traffic. The deal is valued at more than $300 million, making it the largest McDonald’s deal in two decades, the sources familiar with the acquisition said. The acquisition is McDonald’s latest move to incorporate more technology in its brick-and-mortar locations. In 2019 alone, the company is planning to spend nearly $1 billion to upgrade about 2,000 locations in the US.

www.diplomacyandcommerce.hr

Minister of State Assets, Goran Marić and Chairman of Pevec's Managing Board, Jurica Lovrinčević signed in Vinkovci an agreement on the sale of stateowned land near Vinkovci, where the Pevec Company intends build this year its 26th supermarket, that will span 5,000 square metres and employ 50 people. "From January 1st, we are also going to raise the minimum net salary of our sales staff, warehouse staff and drivers in all our sotres. This also applies to the future employees at our Vinkovci's supermarket,” Jurica Lovrinčević announces.

Mlinar

FIRST STORE IN SCANDINAVIA

Mlinar opened its first ever delicatessen bakery in Finland on March 16th, 2019, in the town of Lahti, at 13, Vapaudenkatu Street. The day before, Mlinar opened its sixth bakery in Sarajevo was opened, at 21, Koševo Street (which is its ninth bakery in Bosnia and Herzegovina). Over the past few years, the company has been intensively developing its export product range and expanding its franchise business throughout the world. The expansion to Finland comes after the one in Hungary, Slovenia, Germany, Australia, Switzerland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Slovakia and Malta.

INA

EXPANDS ITS RETAIL NETWORK IN MONTENEGRO

Croatian oil company, INA has expanded its retail network in Montenegro by acquiring five Pavgord gas stations in several cities across Montenegro, which brings the number of INA's gas stations in Montenegro to 11. In addition to gas stations, Pavgord is also involved in oil exploration, oil processing and distribution activities. Following the acquisition, INA will have a 15% market share in Montenegro. The transaction involving the purchase of five attractive retail outlets of Pavgord CG, which value is not stated in the press release, was approved by the competition regulator.

With this acquisition, INA has further positioned itself in the Montenegrin market - compared to 2017 when it had only a 1% market share.

Gebrüder Weiss

8% INCREASE IN TURNOVER

VW

SUED IN THE US TOO

The US financial regulators have sued the German automaker’s diesel emissions scandal, alleging a “massive fraud” on U.S. investors.In the period from April 2014 to May 2015, VW issued more than $13 billion in bonds and asset-backed securities in U.S. markets at a time when senior executives knew that more than 500,000 U.S. diesel vehicles grossly exceeded legal vehicle emissions limits – the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) says in its documents. US prosecutors claim that the former CEO of the VW knew of inaccurate reporting on emissions of harmful gases since May 2014, but decided not to do anything to change that, according to the US Department of Justice.

In the previous financial year, in favourable economic conditions, Gebrüder Weiss generated a provisional net turnover of 1.67 billion euro. This corresponds to an increase of 8.3 percent by comparison to the previous year (1.55 billion euro). “We consider business development to be highly satisfactory. It was a good year. Despite all systems used in their full capacity, we were able to maintain service quality. Commit-

ments to our customers have top priority,” says Wolfram Senger-Weiss, CEO of Gebrüder Weiss. Apart from digitization, Gebrüder Weiss also continues to focus on investments in physical infrastructure with close to 50 million euro invested in 2018. At the same time, the company managed to maintain the equity ratio at a stable level of 58 percent, thus ensuring a high degree of independence from banks.

Lufthansa

8% DROP IN PROFIT

The German airline Lufthansa reported that it concluded last year with lower profits due to air traffic disruptions and higher fuel costs, adding that it expected problems with bottlenecks at airports this year too. The net profit of Europe's largest airline was reduced by 8% in 2018 to 2.2 billion euro.

Revenues rose by 6% to 35.8 billion euro.

The company underlined that their financial results were due to air disruptions, higher fuel costs and an expensive acquisition of parts of the bankrupt competitor, Air Berlin. In the first three

quarters of the year, Lufthansa's financial results suffered under the integration of Air Berlin and Eurowing's low-cost subsidiary, which cost 170 million euro.

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BUSINESS NEWS

Studenac

TAKEOVER OF SUPERMARKETS IN ISTRIA

Wizz Air

DISCONTINUES SEASONAL OSIJEK-BASEL FLIGHT

One of the leading retail chains in Croatia, Studenac submitted to the submitted to the Agency for the Protection of Market Competition (AZTN) the request for the takeover of Poreč-based retail company Istrian Supermarkets (IS). After the AZTN's approval and fulfilling all the terms agreed between the parties, Studenac will acquire 100% of IS' shares based on the recently signed contract between the two companies. This transaction will ensure new investments and the transfer of knowledge and experience both for IS and Studenac, it will significantly increase the volume of business and lead to the creation of a market leader on the Adriatic coast.

The Hungarian low-cost carrier Wizz Air has withdrawn all tickets for its Osijek-Basel flight this summer.

Namely, the last flight on the summer schedule is planned for June 14th, 2019.

Volotea airline establish flights from

Lyon to Dubrovnik and Split, from Marseille to Rijeka and Bordeaux to Pula. Air France announced a new direct line from Paris to Split, while Easy Jet has established a direct flight from Nantes to Dubrovnik.

Huawei

SUES THE US GOVERNMENT

Mlin i Pekare

TAKEOVER OF ZAGREB'S KLARA BAKERY

Baking company, Mlin i Pekare from Sisak has announced its intention for a takeover of a string of Zagreb-based bakeries, Klara. Last year, Klara generated 398.4 million kuna worth of turnover and a net profit of almost 2 million kuna. Mlin and Pekare is engaged in agricultural production, cereal storage, production of bakery and confectionery products and selling their own and other food and non-food products. The total capacity of this company's silos is 74,000 tonnes, and their mill has 190 millings a day. The company employs 1,520 people and in 2017, it generated sales revenues of nearly 570 million kuna and net profit of about 8 million kuna.

The Chinese technology giant, Huawei has sued the United States government, arguing that it had been unfairly and incorrectly banned as a security threat. The lawsuit will force the government to make its case against the company more public, but it could also leave Huawei vulnerable to deeper scrutiny of its business practices and relationship with the Chinese government. The United States has argued that Huawei poses a risk because its equipment could be used by the Chinese

Croatian Tourism Association

INVESTMENTS IN TOURISM LIKELY TO DROP 20% THIS YEAR

Croatian tourism sector expects to see an increase of 7% in earnings this year compared to 2018 however, an 8.6% increase in labour costs will reduce the profit by 5%, which will result in a 20% decline in tourism investments, the Croatian Tourism Association (HUT) said.

Considering the decline in bookings and operating uncertainties, repeating last year's results will not mean failure, the association said. „The reason for fewer investments lies in slowing down and redirection of demand which has impacted almost all Mediterranean tourism

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authorities to spy on communications and disrupt telecommunications networks.

That position has led major wireless carriers in the United States to avoid Huawei’s equipment. The lawsuit, which was filed in Texas, where Huawei has its American headquarters, argues that part of the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act is unconstitutional because it singles out Huawei. The act bans government agencies from contracting with Huawei or companies that use the company’s equipment. "The U.S. Congress has repeatedly failed to produce any evidence to support its restrictions on Huawei products," Guo Ping, one of Huawei's rotating chairmen, said in a statement."We are compelled to take this legal action as a proper and last resort,” – Ping added.

countries, with the exception of Turkey, which continues to be Croatia's biggest competitor," Veljko Ostojić, Director of HUT, has said. He warned that a decline in tourism investments can be expected in the 2020 - 2021 period by about 33% compared to 2018 - 2019.

EU

DOUBLE-QUALITY PRODUCTS BANNED

Uber and Pinterest

FLOATING THEIR SHARES ON NYSE

Uber and Pinterest, two of the highest profile internet companies planning to go public this year, have picked the New York Stock Exchange as the venue for their stock listings, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The companies and the NYSE declined to comment. Bloomberg was the first to report about Uber’s IPO, while the Wall Street Journal reported about Pinterest’s intention to float its shares on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). NYSE has become the exchange of choice over NASDAQ for big technology companies in the past few years after NASDAQ famously bumbled the Facebook IPO with massive technology errors. The exchang-

es compete fiercely for listing fees, and much like investment banks, often begin courting large companies long before they are ready to list. Reuters previously reported Pinterest could raise around $1.5 billion in the IPO, which is likely to come in the first six months of 2019.

HANFA

PENSION FUND ASSETS EXCEED 100 BILLION KUNA

The assets of mandatory pension funds last month amounted to over 100 billion kuna. The assets of the four funds reached 100.89 billion kuna in value at the end of last month, which is 1.1

percent higher than in January. Compared to the previous year, pensioners have increased assets by more than 9 percent.

The majority of assets are, of course, concentrated in the largest category B, with 1.9 million members keeping their savings under this category, worth 95.2 billion kuna, while category C savings are worth 4.9 billion kuna. The lowest category is A, which assets are below 1 billion kuna, or more precisely, they stand at 681.4 million kuna, according to HANFA's report. Two thirds of total assets are deposited with AZ and Raiffeisen.

The European Parliament's Committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection has adopted a law that would ban sales of the same products of different quality in the European Union (EU), Croatian Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Biljana Borzan announced. "The official position of the European Parliament is that the different product quality in the east and west of the EU must be banned. This is the position to which we have arrived after years of persuasion and explaining,“ Borzan added. A security provision was also agreed in order for the impact of the Directive to be revised by August 2022 to determine whether it is working in practice and whether additional changes should be introduced.

Siemens and Gazprom Energoholding

TO ESTABLISH JOINT VENTURE

S&P

BOOSTS CROATIA'S CREDIT RATING

Standard & Poor's has raised its sovereign credit ratings on Croatia to 'BBB-/A-3' from 'BB+/B', putting the country's rating after six years back into the investment category owing to an improved situation in the budget and economic recovery. The BB+/B rating describes a country's debt securities as speculative investment, while BBB-/A-3 is an investment category. In December 2012, S&P downgraded Croatia's rating to a non-investment category. The outlook now is stable.

“In development of the strategic cooperation agreement, Gazprom Energoholding and Siemens have signed a memorandum of intent to create a joint venture. The parties agreed that the priority activity of the joint venture will be the production of vacuum generator devices (VSU) and high-tech components to them,” the press release said. VGU devices are used in the construction and technological modernization of generating facilities. The parties, according to the document, will create a working group to prepare a project plan for creating a joint venture. We are discussing the possibility of organizing the production of equipment in the Russian Federation with a localization level of at least 50% by 2020 with the possibility of increasing to 75% by 2022.

35

TRAVEL

Text: ROBERT ČOBAN

Tropical Paradise on the Beaches of a Forgotten Genocide Most of the tourists who visit Zanzibar do not know much about the horrendous genocide that occurred on these exotic beaches in January 1964. If Bomi Bulsara and his family had failed to flee to England that year, the world would have probably never known Freddie Mercury It’s Saturday, January 12th. While we are waiting to enter one of the national parks in Zanzibar, I join a group of locals on a terrace of a bar who are intently watching a live broadcast of something that can be only described as a parade/celebration. It’s the Revolution Day in Zanzibar and this year, the celebration takes place on the Pemba Island which, in addition to Unguja (often called Zanzibar) and several smaller islands, makes the Zanzibar archipelago.

The people at the stadium have formed a number 55 with their bodies, marking the 55th anniversary of the Zanzibar revolution which took place on January 12th, 1964, the day when Sultan Jamshid bin Abdullah was overthrown.

Several months later, the Zanzibar archipelago united with Tanganyika in the continental Africa and a new state emerged, which name - Tanzania - was an abbreviation of the two territories’ names. On the surface, this looks just like any other revolution day, but this revolution was somewhat special – not

36

only due to the fact that, during it, dozens of thousands of Arabs and Hindus were murdered and expelled out of the country, but also because this is the only genocide in the history that was entirely filmed as it was going on. A crew of Italian documentary filmmakers happened to be around, filming

Second, even more dramatic scene, is taking place on the beach.

Civilians - men, women and children - are running towards the sea, some manage to swim, some board overcrowded shipwrecked vessels, all trying to escape certain death. A day later, the Indian Ocean washes their bodies ashore.

APART FROM LUXURY HOTELS, EVERYTHING ELSE IN ZANZIBAR IS QUITE NEGLECTED AND LEFT TO DECAY IN HIGH HUMIDITY - HOUSES, SCHOOLS, GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS, EVEN MOSQUES, PALACES AND MUSEUMS the movie called ‘Africa Addio’.

First, the film shows never-ending lines of Arab civilians walking in between palm trees. They resemble a giant white snake. Only when the crew’s helicopter gets closer, we see that the civilians are guarded by black soldiers. Later on, they are split into the groups of 100 and sent into the earlier dug out holes in the ground in which they fall after being killed.

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All of this, to the minute detail, was recorded on film. You can see the selected scenes from ‘Africa Addio’ on YouTube, in the clip called “Arab Massacre in Zanzibar”. A descendant of one of the surviving Arabs uploaded the video.

THE MUSICAL CHILD OF BOMI BULSARA

What actually happened? In short, the history of the Zanzibar

Archipelago is as follows: seven years after Columbus' "discovery” of America, the Portuguese Vasco da Gama landed on the island in 1499 which remained under the Portuguese rule until the late 17th century. In 1698, Zanzibar was occupied by the Arabs from Oman who ruled sovereign until 1890 when the archipelago became a protectorate of the Great Britain but the Arabian sultan remained in power with a certain degree of autonomy. It is interesting to note that the Oman sultan moved the seat of his dynasty from Muscat in Oman to Zanzibar, thousands of miles away, in 1840. Something similar happened when the Portuguese royal family fled to Brazil in 1807, running away from Napoleon.

History records show that Zanzibar had one of the shortest wars ever – the 1896 rebellion ended with the Sultan capitulating 45 minutes after Stone Town was attacked by the Royal Navy.

During that time, the continental Tanganyika was in the possession of Germany, and after the First World War, it belonged

to the British. In the wake of the decolonization of Africa on December 10th, 1963, the British gave Zanzibar its independence. A month later, on January 12th, 1964, Commander John Okello, originally from Uganda, carried out coup d'éta, overthrew the sultan and ended the centuries-long Arab rule over the island. Okello’s troops, armed at first only with machetes and knives, overtook several police stations and a radio station after midnight. The insurgents had been given strict orders not to touch the Europeans, but the retribution on the Arabs and the Hindus was harsh. Sultan Jamshid bin Abdullah and his seven children escaped first to Oman and then Great Britain, where he lives to this day.

However, between 10,000 and 20,000 civilians of Arab and Hindu origin were not that lucky – they were massacred. Of course, different theories are still circulating about this event - one of them being that the British supplied weapons to Commander Okello and gave him a green light to massacre Arabs and Hindus. After the unification of Tanganyika and Zanzibar, Okello escaped the island. Seven years later, he was living in his native Uganda, where he was one of the advisers to the notorious dictator Idi Amin Dada. Last time he was seen alive was in the company of Amin in 1971, after which there was no mention of him. It is believed that Idi Amin ordered Okello to be killed because he considered him a threat.

I ask our driver whether schools in Zanzibar teach about the 1964 massacres. He answers with a “no”.

The public, he says, is divided some condemn the crimes, while others say that they were the result of justified anger. Sounds familiar?

The anger that he is talking about comes from “centuries of oppression” of the black African majority, mostly former slaves, by the ruling Arab and Hindu minority, which the British brought to Zanzibar, just like they did to other African colonies, to trade and do crafts. In the film ‘The Last King of Scotland’ we all saw what happened to the Ugandan economy when the crazed dictator Idi Amin Dada decided to expel all Hindus.

In any case, there is no museum or even a monument built in commemoration of this genocide.

The video clip made by the Italian cameramen was sufficient for the genocide to be documented and remembered. A friend of mine who lives in Oman wrote to me how, even 55 years after the massacre of

their fellow countrymen in Zanzibar in 1964, the memory of it was still painfully alive.

At the same time when the Sultan and the surviving Arabs and Hindus escaped Zanzibar, so did Bomi Bulsara and his family. Bomi was a member of the Zoroastrian nation called the Parsi who escaped Persia for India in the 5th century.

Some of the Parsi people, together with certain South Asian nations, immigrated to Zanzibar in the 19th century. Bomi’s 18-year-old son,

mosques, palaces, fortresses, romantic hotels, markets brimming with spices and narrow streets with gates and doors decorated with fine wood and stone ornaments, as one of the most beautiful in Africa and the world. It wasn’t always so.

"This town should be called Stinkybar, not Zanzibar", wrote, in 1866, David Livingstone, the famous British explorer who lived in Stone Town at that time. Another British explorer, Richard Francis

SULTAN’S PALACE: The old one was destroyed in the "shortest war in history" that lasted 45 minutes

ZANZIBAR WAS DISCOVERED AS A TOURISM SPOT BY HIPPIES, IN THE 1960S. TODAY ITALIANS ARE THE MOST AVID VISITORS, WHICH IS WHY ITALIAN LANGUAGE AND PASTA ARE EVERYWHERE

SALAMA BINT SAID: The Zanzibar princess who fell in love with her German neighbour and fled the island

Farrokh will soon become world-famous under a different name – Freddie Mercury, the singer of the iconic band Queen, which fame was revisited last year thanks to the blockbuster ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’.

This is the island where one of the most important musicians of the 20th century was born and lived.

However, there is only a plaque and several photographs in the window of his damp-ridden house in the centre of Stone Town, now belonging to the Tembo Hotel, where he was born, that remind us of that.

STINKYBAR, NOT ZANZIBAR

Many tourists consider this city, with magnificent churches,

ADVENTUROUS LIFE, MYSTERIOUS DEATH: John Okello

Burton, wrote in 1856 that Stone Town, as he approached it from the sea, looked like a canvas painting - with turquoise sea, snowwhite mosques and palaces, and golden sunrises behind the roofs.

However, when you disembarked, you were hit with the unbearable stench of dead animals and slaves thrown to the garbage on the city outskirts. Oriental beauty temporarily turned into an oriental nightmare. Other travelers from that time describe Stone Town as a city with a bunch of hungry slaves roaming the city streets, and a place where cholera, malaria and venereal diseases ruled.

140 years ago, in the place where today an Anglican church

stands, there was a slave market.

50,000 slaves were dispatched to Zanzibar annually and after being sold at an auction, they were transported by their new owners across Africa and Asia. The slaves were captured mainly in the interior of East Africa, in the territories that today belong to Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi... David Livingstone calculated that over 80,000 slaves died annually due to the poor transport conditions, before they even reached the market in Stone Town.

We have come to see an underground cell, in which, in the three days before an auction, the slaves were kept without food and water in ghastly hygienic conditions, with only one small slit for air. In the room on the left side, which spans not more than 20 square meters, about 50 male slaves were imprisoned, while up to 70 women and children were locked in the room on the right-hand side, of approximately the same size. I notice the horrified faces of my daughters, aged 12 and 14, while they are sitting on the stone beds in that cell and listening to a guide who tells them about the conditions in which the slaves were kept. A large number of photographs in the museum setting above the cell depict slaves who were freed by British troops but also the slave market showing dozens of people waiting to be sold.

Some of the slaves remained in Zanzibar to work on plantations. The 19th century chronicles mention that the conditions in which the slaves were kept were so severe that Zanzibar was the only place in the world that recorded no slave uprisings. Slave trade was abolished under a strong British pressure, but it was banned on the island only in 1897, although some of its forms, such as forced marriage, remained in place for decades to come. 67 years since the abolition of slavery, the centuries of pent-up hate exploded in Zanzibar in the January Revolution of 1964 that took thousands of innocent lives.

It is interesting to note that the victims and executioners in this case were both Muslims, since the black slaves converted to Islam during the centuries-long Arab rule. It becomes very clear, after only a few minutes of driving around, that you are, indeed, in a Muslim country. Women cover their heads, even small girls that are barely four years old, which is also when they start school that is

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both mandatory and free. Men are dressed just like their counterparts in Christian parts of Africa, without any external markings of a religion or belonging to an ethnic group.

FIRST AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF ARABIC WOMAN

The former Sultan's Palace became the seat of the local government after the revolution when it was named People's Palace. In 1994, it was transformed into a museum showcasing the centuries-old rule of the Oman sultans over the island. The museum is in a dilapidated state, reeking of mould, and suffering from poor maintenance. But it does have a certain tropical charm.

A special room in the museum is dedicated to Princess Salama bint Said, the youngest, 36th daughter of the Sultan of Zanzibar and Oman, Saeed Al-Busaidi.

After the death of her father and mother (a slave from the Caucasus region), Princess Salama moved from the Palace to the city where she met the German merchant, Rudolph Heinrich Ruete. Salama and Rudolph were first neighbours and from her window, she could see dinner parties that Rudolph held at his house, as she later recalled in her autobiography. The two eventually fell in love, Salama got pregnant, and when her pregnancy could no longer be hidden, she had to leave Zanzibar on a British ship. The couple first lived in Aden, where the princess converted to Christianity and took the name Emily, married Rudolph and eventually moved to Hamburg, Germany, with him. Their first child died on their way to Germany. They later had another son and two daughters.

After Rudolph’s death, Salama faced financial woes. In 1886, she wrote the book “The Memoirs of the Arabian Princess of Zanzibar", which, as the first autobiography written by an Arab woman, became an international literary hit.

In addition to Germany, the book was also launched in Great Britain, Ireland and the United States. The English edition was re-printed in Zanzibar in 2018 and can be purchased at Sultan's Palace. Although the book was written from a perspective of a Christian woman living in Europe, she defends slave trade, claiming that many properties in Zanzibar would be devastated without slave labour, and in one part of the book, she even endorses pure racism: "Whoever had any contact with blacks, whether in the

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United States, Brazil or Zanzibar, knows that despite their many qualities, they cannot be made to work otherwise than by force!"

She justifies the slave system in her homeland by the fact that "Muslims treat their slaves in a different way from Christians, almost as family members". However, as we have seen, the European ob-

Town was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. In 2017, the number of tourists doubled compared to the previous year, amounting to 376,000. Interestingly, the Italians are the most numerous tourists in Zanzibar, although there is no special reason for that - Italy has its own sea (several of them), and it was never a colonial

ON THE UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE LIST SINCE 2000: Richly ornamented door in Stone Town

THE ONLY PROOF THAT FREDDIE LIVED ON THE ISLAND: The plaque at the birthplace of Queen’s singer

INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, APART FROM THE REAL GEMS OF ORIENTAL ARCHITECTURE AND ART IN STONE TOWN, THERE ARE PARTS THE TOWN THAT REMINDED US OF SOCIALIST RESIDENTIAL BLOCKS IN EAST EUROPEAN TOWNS

GENOCIDE CAPTURED ON CAMERA: Scenes from the movie "Africa Addio"

servers had a completely different view of this. Otto von Bismarck had plans to appoint Rudolph's son as the Sultan of Zanzibar, so that, after the continental Tanganyika, he could rule the archipelago too. Nothing came off that, as the British beat him to it. Emily lived in Beirut from 1889 to 1914 and she died in 1924 in Jena, Germany, where she was also buried.

EYES THAT WATCHED DAVID LIVINGSTONE

Foreign tourists became interested in Zanzibar in the 1960s when hippies were searching for exotic tropical destinations like Goa, Kathmandu, or Zanzibar, and it has intensified since particularly after, in the year 2000, Stone

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power south of Somalia. However, the Italians simply fell in love with Zanzibar and you can hear the Italian language spoken wherever you go. Pasta is served in almost all the restaurants. We enjoyed excellent seafood pizza and a great South African wine almost every night on the beach of our hotel, dining at the tables placed in wooden fishing boats that were shipwrecked on the shores of the Indian Ocean.

Restaurant ‘The Rock’ is probably the most photographed place on the island. It is located on a rock that was once used by local fishermen to dry their nets. It is managed, of course, by an Italian, and it serves excellent pasta made from local ingredients, from seafood to tropical fruit. Apart from

enjoying sandy beaches, tourists engage in various activities related to the flora and fauna here - the giant Aldabra tortoises on the Prison Island, a gift from the British governor of Seychelles in 1919, have grown in number and there are 300 of them. The oldest is 194 years old and is old enough to have met David Livingstone. The Prison Island, as its name suggests, housed a prison long time ago and later it was quarantine for ship crew that sailed into Zanzibar. Another great attraction here is swimming and diving with dolphins in the far south of the island. There is also the unique Baobab Cafe, built next to a huge fallen baobab tree, in the place from which the boat that takes you to swimming with dolphins departs.

Good news is that, in 2006, Zanzibar banned import and use of plastic bags. This has somewhat improved the situation on an island that is quite unregulated, utilities-wise. The general impression is that, apart from luxury hotels, everything else in Zanzibar is quite neglected and left to decay in high humidity - houses, schools, government buildings, even mosques, palaces and museums. The Aga Khan Foundation has renovated several of the most important buildings in Stone Town, such as the House of Wonders. Nevertheless, if maintenance is not done regularly in the tropical climate, everything very quickly decays and turns grey.

There is also an abundance of speed bumps which stop fast drivers in their tracks. They are necessary because, during our one-hour drive from the airport to the hotel, we counted at least a dozen village schools, all situated along the road.

Apart from the real gems of oriental architecture and art in Stone Town, we also came across parts of the town that reminded us of socialist residential blocks in East European towns. These are residential complexes that were built in the 1960s by the comrades from the German Democratic Republic (GDR). After 1964, the revolutionary government of Zanzibar nationalized all Arab and Indian properties, houses, buildings, plantations and factories and formed close relations with the USSR and other socialist states. Always agile, the GDR was, of course, at the helm of it. As it turned out, by some twisted historical irony, the Germans finally got to the islands, not with the help of Bismarck or Princess Salama, but in their Communist edition.

COLUMN

POLITICS, POWER AND ASPARAGUS

With first spring rays of sun a desire of balancing our diet with adding much more seasonal vegetables and fruits increases. Food plays a significant role in a politician’s life being a powerful tool of influence and persuasion. Meal choices might say a lot about politicians and even about their political strategies

JAGODA POROPAT DARRER Business Communications Professional

Asparagus is known for its highly medical properties. Its peak season is in early spring. While growing up in Istria I remember it as my favorite vegetable – a fresh picked stipe in a field around the house brought to the kitchen by my grandfather for making a tasty frittata. What a joy!

Food and politics have always had an interesting relationship.

Food is a powerful political tool.

Eating and drinking are ways in which political candidates reveal their humanity, their common touch, states Sara Dickerman for politico.com. We look for meaning in the candidates’ food choices—perhaps hoping to discover how they act in those human moments when the barriers come down, but also, recognizing that the barriers might still be up, to discover what their meal choices might say about their politics, or strategy. Politicians get judged for their broader eating habits, too.

This year, though, some Democrats with large social media platforms are experimenting with how to use food as a net positive, rather than a potential gaffe in the making. In their videos, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and former Rep. Beto O’Rourke convey the sense that politicians are real people who do laundry or cook approachable meals at home. Ocasio-Cortez used Instagram stories to chat informally about policy while preparing black-bean soup. Mundanity, it seems, has replaced folksiness in convincing voters that a candidate is authentic. Food is an important part of that. Food gaffes are almost always rooted in unmasking some perceived

inauthenticity, which is perhaps why it has generally not tripped up Donald Trump - his burgers on silver platters fit perfectly with his carefully constructed common-man image, as stated in Politico Magazine.

Business Insider brings the culinary tastes of the people in charge. According to them the UK's first female Prime Minister made headlines in 2010 when her crash diet plan, discovered tucked into her 1979 personal diary, was published. Thatcher's infamous

reportedly Nixon's last meal at the White House. The late leader of North Korea Kim Jong-il is said to have flown chefs across the world to bring back delicacies including caviar, pork and papayas.

His personal sushi chef, Kenji Fujimoto, has spoken of Jong-il's insistence that each grain of rice was inspected to check whether any had cracked. Fujimoto also claimed Jong-il wanted to try hippo, snakes and spiders - all washed down with cognac and fine French wine. Churchill is fa-

EATING AND DRINKING ARE WAYS IN WHICH POLITICAL CANDIDATES REVEAL THEIR HUMANITY, THEIR COMMON TOUCH diet consisted of boiled eggs, black coffee, tomatoes, salad, grapefruit and meat, intending to induce rapid weight loss before her 1979 election win. The former US president's love of ketchup was well known. His favorite snack was cottage cheese and pineapple smothered in ketchup, and he would enjoy the combination for breakfast sometimes.

This bizarre combination was

mous for the importance he gave to table talk, and his eating habits helped make up his unmistakable persona. He loved Stilton cheese, oysters, game and a roast dinner, and chose ice cream over fruit as his dessert of choice. It would appear that Obama's lunch staple is a sandwich. He hates beetroot, and declared over the summer that his favourite food is broccoli - a far cry from former

president George Bush, who said of the vegetable in 1990: "I haven't liked it since I was a little kid."

The German Chancellor grew up in East Germany, where food was short and people often had to queue for food. She says the habit of hoarding food is still ingrained in her persona. Merkel favorite foods stem from her roots she loves letcho, a Hungarian vegetable stew, shashlik, a spicy kebab, as well as potato soup, trout and plum cake. The Russian president has stayed pretty quiet about his culinary dishes of choice, but reportedly loves pistachio ice-cream.

Politicians go to great efforts to be seen eating ordinary fare in down-to-earth places, as stated in researchgate.net. Also the way they consume food can become an issue. “In 2014, Bill De Blasio was mocked when during his campaign for mayor of New York City he was caught eating pizza with knife and fork. Before De Blasio, Donald Trump and Sarah Palin had to suffer ironic commentaries about their pizza eating habits.” The reasoning behind these occurrences seems to be: “if you do not eat like the people, how can you represent the people?” Avoiding food-related incidents, Mr. Trump has pointed out his love for fast food, presumably embracing it as a quintessential symbol not only of what real Americans eat, but also of American ingenuity and entrepreneurship.

Sharing the same diet choices will make politician closer to the voter. My memoires of asparagus and the joy of childhood could be easily melt with images of some politicians choosing the same dish, consequently preferring her/him over others. Food is a powerful political tool, it should be used wisely.

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CULTURE NEWS

New Attraction in New York City The latest attraction in New York City is designed by architect Thomas Heatherwick and called ‘The Vessel’, a combination of a sculpture and a building resembling a beehive. It is a gigantic 15-story staircase with 2,500 steps. The

154 stairs are entangled as a labyrinth and connected in a certain way. Before reaching the highest point of the construction, you can rest on one of the 80 landings from where you can enjoy New York City from different points of view.

The Magic of Light Envelops Zagreb

The Third Festival of Light in the Croatian capital city of Zagreb ended on March 24th. The luxurious and innovative light installations dedicated to spring, growth and renaissance delighted the visitors. The Zagreb Tourist Board was the festival's organizer. The Board's director, Martina Bienenfeld said, at the opening ceremony, that the festival brought together the latest lighting solutions based on modern lighting technologies. Zagreb's Festival of Light marks the beginning of tourist year in the entire Croatia, which ends with Advent in Zagreb in December. “These are important events for tourism and as a result, Zagreb will experience a huge increase in the number of tourists, just like last year,“ said the Croatian Tourism Minister, Gari Cappelli.

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James Corden to Host Tony's for Second tim British actor and comedian and the host of the widely popular The Late Late Show, James Corden said that he was „thrilled“ to be hosting the Tony Awards for the second time. He previously presided over Broadway’s biggest night back in 2016 for the Tonys’ 70th annual ceremony. Corden is a Tony winner in his own right, having brought home the statue for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play for his 2012 performance in “One Man, Two Guvnors.” Nominations for the 2019 Tony Awards will be announced live from The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center on April 30th and the award ceremony will take place on June 10th, at New York's Radio City Music Hall.

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CULTURE NEWS

Juraj Zigman, the Most Successful Fashion Designer in Croatia A collection that is a dedication to a certain time period and a certain moment, but also to women who dare to be different; a collection that shows a wide range of emotions and creative solutions, demonstrating a shift in Zigman's creative development and how far the quality can go. This was said about the fashion collection designed by Juraj Zigman, who received the Ana Lenduva Fashion Award at Bipa Fashion.hr. The jury comprising fashion journalists from the Večernji List daily, Maja Car, Vesna Blašković and Bojana Radović and external consultants Nenad Korkut and Saša Joka, had a tough job to do because this year, the competition was quite strong. Although 2018 was very diverse and fruitful for the Croatian fashion scene, the jury decided to award Zigman because „he offered the most and took his fashion vision the farthest“.

Legendary Experimental Pop Musician Scott Walker Dies

Scott Walker, the American singer and one of the members of Walkers Brothers, has died at the age of 77. Born in Ohio, the US, Walker was one of the most mysterious yet most influential musicians in the history of rock.

With a deep and resonant voice, Walker first rose to game as the frontman of the Walker Brothers with hits like “The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine.” He began releasing solo albums in 1967 in a baroque, orchestral style that has influenced countless artists in the years since, ranging from David Bowie and Radiohead to albums as recent as Karen O and Danger Mouse’s “Lux Prima,” released a few months ago. During his solo career, he released 18 albums, including soundtrack albums. The last soundtrack he did was for the the movie Vox Lux with Natalie Portman in the lead role.

Repatriation of Dozens of Thousands of Priceless Artifacts The culture ministers of Germany’s 16 states agreed to create conditions for the repatriation of artefacts in public collections that were taken from former colonies “in ways that are legally or morally unjustifiable today”, describing their return as “an ethical and moral duty.” They agreed on the need to inventarise and publish details of items in ethnological collections and to prioritise the return of human remains. They also proposed establishing a central help desk to provide information on colonial-era heritage and called on all institutions in possession of such items to conduct provenance research.

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Rijeka 2020 Project in European Parliament A roundtable called "City Diplomacy Based on Culture" was held in the European Parliament in Brussels, organized by the European MP, Tonino Picula.

The project 'The European Capital of Culture - Rijeka 2020' was also presented at the roundtable. In his welcome speech, Tonino Picula congratulated the city of Rijeka on the implementation of such a major and significant European project and underlined that Rijeka's presidency over European culture would overlap with the Croatian presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of next year.

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