Diplomacy and Commerce No.18 by DiplomacyandCommerce_Croatia

www.diplomacyandcommerce.hr

October 2019 | ISSUE No. 18 | FREE COPY

9772466380002

WHEN THE STANDING OVATION SUBSIDES, NEW CHALLENGES ARISE NIKOLA VRDOLJAK

Programme director of Weekend Media Festival in Rovinj

03 OCT

THE GERMAN UNITY DAY

WE ARE HEADING TOWARDS A POLITICALLY FRAGMENTED SCENE THE DAY OF THE UNIFICATION OF WEST AND EAST GERMANY

KREŠIMIR MACAN

Founder of Manjgura PR agency, political analyst and election advisor

MUSEUM FOR TRUE ARTISTIC ENJOYMENT

MUSEUM FOR TRUE ARTISTIC ENJOYMENT Director of the Mimara Museum

EVERYBODY WANTS REFORMS BUT NOT IN THEIR BACKYARD PREDRAG ŠTROMAR

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Construction and Spatial Planning

I BELIEVE IN US AND I BELIEVE IN CROATIA

CLOSE AND LIKEMINDED PARTNERS

President of the SDP

Australian Ambassador

DAVOR BERNARDIĆ

H.E. ELIZABETH PETROVIC

FROM VELI LOŠINJ TO STANDING IN FRONT OF A FIRING SQUAD TO MEXICO TO MANET’S CANVAS Reportage by Robert Čoban

www.diplomacyandcommerce.hr

EDITORIAL

CONTENTS

Guernica Every time I see Picasso's "Guernica" at the Queen Sofia Museum in Madrid, I think about the Spanish Civil War and how much it remains unfinished, 80 years since Franco's victory in 1939. In the adjoining halls, museum visitors can also see documentaries related to the Civil War, but also those made after Franco’s victory, which celebrate “the restoration of the country”. In 2011, we met an old man in the town called Guernica, in the Basque Country. He was sitting in a café next to the school playground. He told us how they hid as children in the basement of the school, while “German planes were throwing bombs”. This war is the oldest large-scale war with living veterans – 42 Republicans and 11 Francoists, to be precise. Naturally, we always cheered for the Republicans. However, when I went to Ceuta, the Spanish enclave in Morocco, which was Franco’s base for invading Spain in 1936, I visited the Legion Museum and saw a memorial dedicated to Franco’s victory. Ernest Hemingway's novel "For Whom the Bell Tolls" - who himself fought on the side of the Republicans - contains eerie descriptions of the massacre of landowners and wealthy people by these very Republicans at the beginning of the war. No civil war is black and white and this is one of the very few in which "winners did not write history". Picasso painted “Guernica” in Paris in 1939. The painting travelled the world to eventually find its home in MoMA in New York. It was Picasso’s wish for the painting to be exhibited at the Queen Sofia Museum in Madrid which finally happened in 1981, six years after Franco’s death, which Picasso did not live to see. A friend of mine went to Valencia with the football club a few years ago and asked a dinner host what he thought of Franco. Of the seven people at the table, six had a positive opinion about him, while one was neutral. They also mentioned the strange ritual that the Republicans had whereby they took the skeletons of bishops, priests and nuns from church graves and exposed them in the streets for the passers-by to scoff at. Was this "the most romantic of all wars" just a rehearsal for both Stalin and Hitler of what would come in Europe half a year after Franco won in Spain? How can we be sure of the correctness of our political ideas and attitudes about the current global events when, 80 years after the end of the Spanish Civil War, we are still not clear on what happened there? We need to consider what all parties have to say and all their arguments, as well as maintain a historical distance to reach the proper judgment. And these are exactly the things we miss so much in today's modern age of social networks, quick reactions and short fuses.

PREDRAG ŠTROMAR

NIKOLA VRDOLJAK

EVERYBODY WANTS REFORMS BUT NOT IN THEIR BACKYARD Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Construction and Spatial Planning

CLOSE AND LIKE-MINDED PARTNERS H.E. ELIZABETH PETROVIC Australian Ambassador

WHEN THE STANDING OVATION SUBSIDES, NEW CHALLENGES ARISE Founder and director of 404 marketing agency and programme director of Weekend Media Festival in Rovinj

REDESIGNING THE SYMBOLIC ROLE OF THE CORPORATE OFFICE JAGODA POROPAT DARRER

Business Communications Professional

I BELIEVE IN US AND I BELIEVE IN CROATIA

DAVOR BERNARDIĆ

AFRICA UNITES!

President of the SDP

Economy

KREŠIMIR MACAN

FROM VELI LOŠINJ TO STANDING IN FRONT OF A FIRING SQUAD TO MEXICO TO MANET’S CANVAS

PETAR PETRIĆ

LADA RATKOVIĆ-BUKOVČAN

WE ARE HEADING TOWARDS A POLITICALLY FRAGMENTED SCENE Founder of Manjgura PR agency, political analyst and election advisor

Reportage by Robert Čoban

SMART CONTRACTS – DIGITIZATION OF BUSINESS

MUSEUM FOR TRUE ARTISTIC ENJOYMENT

Attorney at Law

Director of the Mimara Museum

ROBERT ČOBAN Director

www.diplomacyandcommerce.hr BOBAN SPASOJEVIĆ Executive director

boban@diplomacyandcommerce.hr

TANJA BANKOVIĆ Editor-in-chief

ALEKSANDAR KOSTIĆ Designer

Translation SNEŽANA BJELOTOMIĆ

RUŽA VELJOVIĆ Magazine director

SVEN DARRER Advertising manager 091 766 5479, 091 377 4358

office@diplomacyandcommerce.hr

ROBERT ČOBAN Director

ILIJA PETROVIĆ INDIGOCHILD Art director

Photos GETTY IMAGES TOMISLAV SMOLJANOVIĆ

indigochild.ilija@gmail.com

sven@diplomacyandcommerce.hr

Print ZLATNA KNJIGA Jagodina, Bagrdanski put bb Predstavnik za RH

”Color Media Communications” LTD, 21132 Petrovaradin, Štrosmajerova 3 TIN 107871532 • Matriculation number 20887303 · Phone: +381 21 4897 100 • Fax: +381 21 4897 126 Office: Ilica 49 , 10000 Zagreb • 091 2886677 CIP - Katalogizacija u publikaciji Biblioteke Matice Srpske, Novi Sad 33 Diplomacy & Commerce Novi Sad: Color Media Communications, 2016 - , -33cm Mesečno. ISSN 2466-3808 = Diplomacy & Commerce COBISS.SR-ID 303269895

INTERVIEW

Everybody Wants Reforms But Not in Their Backyard Thanks to measures implemented by the Ministry, 20,000 young families will have their home by the end of next year. This is only one of the results of the reforms in the construction and spatial planning segment which ensure renovation of hospitals, schools and houses, more efficient issuing of building permits and promoting investments in tourism PREDRAG ŠTROMAR Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Construction and Spatial Planning

“Helping young people to solve their housing problem, enabling many households, hospitals, schools, kindergartens and other public buildings to participate in energy regeneration with the help of the EU funds and introducing systemic changes in the construction sector - these are the primary goals of our ministry,“ says Predrag Štromar, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Construction and Spatial Planning.

The Croatian Parliament passed the Law on Construction and Spatial Planning half a year ago, creating a more efficient, faster and less expensive licensing system for the benefit of citizens and investors. "The measure is being implemented, but we are continuing with the further devel-

opment of the digital system, and with alleviating red tape and fees," Minister Štromar says. Two new laws have been presented before the ministry, namely the amendment to the Law on the Chamber of Architects and the Chambers of Civil Engineers and the amendment to the Law on Spa-

WE HAVE TO GET RID OF OLD HABITS, STAMPS, SEALS AND GOING FROM COUNTER TO COUNTER. THE CHANGES WE, AT THE MINISTRY OF CONSTRUCTION, ARE MAKING ARE DOING JUST THAT

www.diplomacyandcommerce.hr

tial Planning and Construction. "With these new changes to the law, we are continuing to bring order into the system and to relieve businesses of para-fiscal levies which relate to construction engineers and construction managers. Namely, we are going to revoke their obligation to be a member of the chamber and the resulting cash fee. This allows for voluntary membership and, of course, them continuing to perform their business activities under the same professional principles,” the Minister says and adds: "In making changes to this law, we have taken into account all aspects of the change

we are making, from safety to tradition. I will mention that Croatia has as many as 300 regulated professions and the European Union averages 200. Therefore, if we want to be a competitive country, we need to implement reforms, and these changes to the law are part of the Government's reform plan adopted last year." Responding to discussions about this law, Minister Štromar says: “We often hear everyone saying that they want us to be a competitive country, that we want reforms, but as soon as we touch upon a certain segments there is a lot of o resistance and thousands of reasons why it would be impossible to implement reforms in this segment. Everybody wants reforms but not in their backyard. I say that we can do better and more competitively, that we have to carry out reforms and leave a trace in the shape of results. This is just the beginning of a more competitive society. "

further development of the digital system, and with alleviating red tape and fees. We will achieve this through the further development of the spatial planning information system, where the goal is to gather all spatial plans and all interventions in space in one place. The system also includes the development of e-Inspection, e-Archive (which will store all permits) and e-Plans (containing all the plans). The project for the further development of the digital system will be co-financed by the EU funds with a total of HRK 111 million, while the total value of the project is HRK 131 million. This is truly a project that creates added value for the users as it modernizes services for citizens and the business community in the way they should look in the 21st-century countries. Besides, by digitizing the process, the subjectivity of individual officers is reduced. So it's also a more efficient system.

How much will the amendments to the Law on Construction and the Law on Spatial Planning expedite the issuance of building permits and make them more affordable? Are all the relevant institutions and the people working for them willing to digitize this process?

What is the future of construction in Croatia? Do you expect an upswing or challenges due to a lack of manpower?

— The laws were passed in the Croatian Parliament in April, creating a more efficient, faster and less expensive licensing system for the benefit of citizens and developers. We were able to reduce the number of licensing processes, reduce costs and shorten the deadlines for comments from public services. The process is now more transparent – there will be no more going from counter to counter and using stamps. There are three key changes here: reducing the number of licensing processes, reducing licensing fees, and limiting the timeframe for comments from public services. The great news is that the project designer now assumes all the obligations of the developer when obtaining a permit. Electronic signature ensures access to all processes and monitoring of the case in real-time. So far, for one property alone, you had to print out and bring with yourself 10 sets of papers weighing 5 kilogrammes each. Now, all you need is one paper to be issued with a permit. The law is being implemented, but we are continuing with the

— The construction sector is

growing, the number of building permits issued is increasing, but so is the need for manpower. It has become evident in recent months that developers have growing intentions especially concerning projects relating to roads, railways, pipelines, bridges, dams, sports grounds and similar civil engineering structures, which is also largely linked to progress in the use of available EU funds. I would also like to mention energy renovation projects we are carrying out, which certainly contribute to the stabilization of the construction sector. Energy renovation is complementary to our goal of creating and ensuring an increasingly better living standard for all citizens, resulting in warm and safe homes, more comfortable classrooms, teacher rooms and ambulances. It is also important that energy savings are generated through energy renovation, which implies that more money is left in the household budget, and that head of counties, municipal heads and mayors are left with more resources that they can use to develop education and raise utility standards. HRK 5 billion worth of projects

I AM A BIG PROPONENT OF INVESTMENTS AND MY AND THE MINISTRY'S DOORS ARE OPEN TO EVERYONE WILLING TO INVEST IN CROATIA, CREATE JOBS, IMPROVE OUR OFFER AND ULTIMATELY MAKE MONEY IN CROATIA

in the construction sector relate to energy renovation. These are secure projects and more importantly, have a secure payment. This opens up the possibility for employers to increase the wages of their workers, which is a prerequisite for them staying in Croatia. On the other hand, it is up to the state to alleviate businesses by abolishing fees and additional tax burdens, and that's something I will always advocate. Currently, close to 1,300 hospitals, schools, kindergartens and apartment buildings are being renovated in Croatia, comprising 16,000 households and facilities for 70,000 students and children. The average energy savings that buildings achieve is over 60%. All of these are measurable results, but also an incentive to move forward. The Ministry of Construction will soon launch new calls for energy renovation of public and multi-residential buildings. I am sure that we will again have a good response from the users and that we will meet our goal, which is to continue with energy renovation projects in the coming years, which will certainly contribute to the stabilization of the construction sector and, consequently, to the increase of salaries for construction workers. How much has been done in this sector to adapt education to the needs of the labour market?

— The education reform in Croatia involves all schools as of

this year, after 20 years of only talking about it. Education Minister Blaženka Divjak has done a great job, for which Croatia has received praise from the European Commission. The most important goal is for students to learn how to solve problems and gain functional knowledge. That is why new curricula were adopted in January, as a replacement to the previous ones that had been taught for 25 years. Teachers had to be educated how to facilitate this new approach to learning, no longer based on the need for students to learn a great deal of information, but to learn how to apply practical and acquired knowledge. This kind of education has been implemented for a year now in all schools, and 74 experimental schools have already implemented this new work mode in the last school year. HRK 400 million has also been provided for the establishment of regional centres of competence in vocational education, to align the education system with the needs of the labour market. Education reform is a long-distance race, but we are already seeing its results and progress.

SOME PLACES ON THE COAST ARE LOSING THE BATTLE WITH UNPLANNED APARTMANIZATION, AND BY TURNING EVERY SQUARE METRE OF A PROPERTY INTO AN APARTMENT THAT BRINGS PROFIT IN THE SHORT TERM What are the challenges facing Croatia in developing tourism capacities?

— One in five kunas in Croatia is earned directly from tourism. Tourists, among other things, come to us because of the beautiful surroundings that we have inherited from our ancestors. To preserve these surroundings for future generations, we must preserve, plan and manage them in

the long term, which, in addition to people, is the most valuable thing we have. Some places on the coast are losing the battle with unplanned apartmanization, and by turning every square metre of a property into an apartment that brings profit in the short term, but could eventually result in losing our guests, space, future, and subsequently, the population itself.

GREATER COMPETITIVENESS How much can construction legislation help Croatia rank better on the Doing Business List? — A good result from implementing the said laws, as well as other reform measures that we are implementing in the Ministry, which relate to the abolition of fee, will result in Croatia ranking better on the Doing Business List in the coming period. I am confident that Croatia will have concrete benefits from this and continue climbing the competitiveness ladder.

www.diplomacyandcommerce.hr

Good spatial planning is the basis for optimal construction, and it is up to us, as regulators and local government units, as constitutionally responsible for spatial planning in our area, to find a sustainable measure. I am a big proponent of investments and my and the Ministry's doors are open to everyone willing to invest in Croatia, create jobs, improve our offer and ultimately make money in Croatia. I do not believe that a serious investor would go against the rules. What bothers them here is the tardiness of bureaucracy and the frequent change of rules. We are also working on this in our ministry through the digitization of licensing, deregulation of occupations and the abolition of crazy procedures. The other thing that bothers investors is the infrastructure that doesn't keep up with the accelerated development that is happening to us spontaneously. On the other hand, we still have untapped tourism potential in the continental parts. And because of all this, I am confident that our tourism can be further developed, through longterm planning, and expansion of the offer to hitherto untapped potentials. Cooperation is the most important thing here; both interdepartmental and cooperation with representatives of local self-government units. I would also like to mention growing real estate prices. We conducted a study with the Institute of Economics that showed that real estate prices have been growing in areas with the growing number of tourist overnight stays. We have tackled this problem with measures aimed at helping young people buying homes, namely stimulating housing construction and subsidizing home loans. This year, we have a record number of home loan subsidy applications, and banks also offer the lowest interest rates to date. Thanks to our measures, 20,000 young families will have their own home by the end of next year.

CORPORATE

The Enchanting Whiteness The perfect shirt. Born in Croatia

shirts you cannot go wrong – you only need to choose a perfect fitting cut and supreme quality. At first glance, they may all appear identical, but they are not – each shirt is special in its own way. Different cuts, manner of manufacture and designer details – those are the elements to watch for when distinguishing between casual, elegant and strictly professional attire. Shirts of the fashion brand CROATA, presented through a campaign created by Mladen Šarić, are nothing but unique pieces of clothing which fulfill demanding requests of its customers in terms of aesthetics and functionality, and guarantee supreme product quality. A modern, well groomed man in a shirt of a perfect fit is the central concept of this collection. CROATA shirts for business and A shirt, specifically a white shirt, is as simple as a canvas which enables a man to be as creative as he wants to be... This timeless fashion classic is the garment of choice worn by businessmen, making sure they are appropriately dressed for the tasks ahead. A fresh, clean, perfectly cut shirt evokes a feeling of freshness and cleanliness. And when it is made out of finest material, its uniqueness and lightness encourage self-esteem and leave an impression of decisiveness and strength – just what a modern man needs. In the wardrobe of a successful man one can always find a shirt of great quality. And indeed, a white shirt and a light blue shirt constitute a baseline of menswear since they are wearable in any occasion and are a perfect match with any clothing combination. With these

A SHIRT IS AS SIMPLE AS A CANVAS WHICH ENABLES A MAN TO BE AS CREATIVE AS HE WANTS TO BE...

special occasions are a synonym for top-notch style. They are sewn from carefully selected first class fabrics. The final finish of the fabrics provides an additional sense of comfort and freshness while wearing the shirts, and an outstanding simplicity of their upkeeping. In this campaign you may recognize this brand’s special service: unique custom made Croata Unum shirts you can design yourself. The luxurious line of custom made shirts, made to measure, is endowed with supreme design using small sewing seams. The cut of the shirt is made according to body dimensions and wishes of the customers in order to fit them perfectly. Specially selected fabrics and pearl buttons give these shirts a special glow. Therefore the only thing to do is to visit a Croata store and find a perfect fit shirt for yourself. And when you choose such shirt, it will be a faithful companion on the road to your business success. Because high-quality and classic pieces of clothing are always in vogue.

CORPORATE

Academia Cravatica – Cultural Heritage Keeper of the Cravat Traditionally every October, Academia Cravatica organizes the unique European Cravat Festival in the capital of Croatia The Festival joins together proud Croatian citizens, Croats living in diaspora and many international cravat appreciators from all over the world to celebrate the cravat – a universal symbol of culture, elegance, power, business, diplomacy, but historically also of loyalty and love. Academia Cravatica is in fact the central international institution dedicated to the study, preservation and promotion of the cravat as both Croatian and European cultural heritage. This year, the Cravat Festival begins on October 8th, marking the Croatian Independence Day and lasts until October 18th, with the central celebration on the World Cravat Day in Zagreb. Prior to the beginning of this year's Cravat Festival, Academia Cravatica, together with its partners - the Club for Public Diplomacy of the Croatian Society for UN and the Croatian Diplomatic Club - also inaugurated the new Ambassador of the Cravat – dr. Igor Rudan, a world-famous Croatian scientist, and a professor of International health. Together with the first Ambassador of the Cravat, the renewed Croatian writer Miro Gavran, Igor Rudan will be promoting Croatia as the homeland of the cravat during the period when the Republic of Croatia will take over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. During this period, between January 1st and June 30th, 2020, Academia Cravatica will implement various significant projects dedicated to the promotion of the cravat in Croatia and other EU states. Many project activities will take place in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia. The cravat is the only Croatian symbol which is universally known and appreciated, and at the same time recognized and acknowledged as a Croatian symbol. The Croatian origins of the tie or cravat, founded on historic, eth-

THE CRAVAT IS THE ONLY CROATIAN SYMBOL WHICH IS UNIVERSALLY KNOWN AND APPRECIATED, AND AT THE SAME TIME RECOGNIZED AND ACKNOWLEDGED AS A CROATIAN SYMBOL

nological and linguistic facts, are confirmed by world encyclopedias and other scientific sources. In addition, the many projects run by Academia Cravatica over the past 20 years, have widely also promoted Croatia as the homeland of the cravat, and the city of Zagreb as the capital of the cravat. Back in the year 2003, prof. Marijan Bušić, Head of Academia Cravatica, launched a sensational art installation - the installation of a giant red cravat around the Arena in Pula, the best preserved Roman amphitheater in the world. This largest cravat symbolically connected the past and the future, the ancient times and the modern civilization. Millions of people around the world have seen this Academia

Cravatica’s most prominent project with its cravat being 808 m long, and 25 m wide. The project was implemented and the giant cravat wrapped around the Arena in Pula on October 18th, 2003, and since then, this very day is traditionally marked and celebrated globally as the World Cravat Day. What followed during the forthcoming years were many great projects celebrating the Croatian cravat under the artistic concept “KravatArt” such as: “Cravat Around Croatia” (2006) or the project “The Tie In The Rye”, or installations with red cravats on famous monuments in Croatia, but also other European cities. Furthermore, a thematic exhibition “Challenge of Cravat” and other art projects

by Academia Cravatica travelled the world already, with exhibitions taking place in Egypt, South Africa, Poland, Austria, Germany, Chile, Belgium and other countries. A very successful project of Academia Cravatica is also the project of the Cravat Regiment, celebrating and re-living the bravery of the Croatian Light Cavalry and historical beginnings of the cravat. Royal Cravates wore scarves made of course materials and officers wore scarves made of fine cotton or silk. These neck scarves were a part of Croatian battle dress and a kind of identification because uniforms did not exist at the time. The cravat quickly spread across Europe. After the French, the Belgians and the Dutch also accepted it and then it came to the British Isles which was crucial for its development. “The cravat is a universal symbol of elegance and the culture of dressing, but its powerful symbolic potential contains many other values. The vertical cravat symbolizes the human vertical – human dignity and self-awareness, moments of solemnity and ceremony, success and a business spirit. With its lightness on the one hand and the knot on the other, the cravat 'binds' together freedom and responsibility. It encourages us to be more aware in our communication of our dignity and the dignity of others – our freedom, but also our responsibility. Due to its enormous symbolic power, the cravat is of great significance for Croatia and the world. Thus, once again, we invite social and cultural institutions and Croatian citizens, in this country and those living abroad, as well as all of our friends and cravat appreciators to join us in this year's Cravat Festival and worldwide celebration of the World Cravat Day 2019”, concludes prof. Marijan Bušić, Head of Academia Cravatica. For more information, please visit the official web presentation of Academia Cravatica here: www. academia-cravatica.hr/hr/. Photos: Academia Cravatica archives

www.diplomacyandcommerce.hr

NATIONAL DAYS

in October in November

ARRIVALS & DEPARTURES

GORDANA DERANJA Vice President of BusinessEurope

President of the Croatian Employers' Association (HUP) Gordana Deranja has been appointed the vice president of BusinessEurope, one of the largest independent employers' associations in Europe that advocates the interest of employers in the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the European Commission. BusinessEurope, a European social partner, advocates the interests of small, medium-sized and large companies in 35 European countries. Deranja's term as the Association’s vice president will last until 30 June 2021.

OCTOBER

GUINEA

National Day

INDIA ahatma Gandhi’s M Birthday

GERMANY German Unity Day

SVEN THORSTEN POTTHOFF Director AHK appointed to a new position

SOUTH KOREA

After 2 years at the helm of the AHK in Croatia, Sven Thorsten Potthoff is leaving this position and moving to San Francisco, where he will look after economic relations between the US and Germany. Mr Potthoff officially announced his departure at the Annual General Meeting and said goodbye to all members of the Chamber, as well as its employees.

aecheonjeol, ancient G Korea founded in 2333 BC

SPAIN National Day

HUNGARY

JIŘÍ DVORJANČANSKÝ The only member of Managing Board of A1 Croatia

Johannes Kandera is no longer a board member of A1 CROATIA. Now, the company is independently run by the sole member of the Managing Board, Jiří Dvorjančanský. At the same time, the three-member Supervisory Board was expanded to include two new members, Thomas Arnolder and Bernd Schmutter.

National Day

24 UN

Main Holiday: UN Day

AUSTRIA National Day

TURKEY

IVAN MILIČEVIĆ

National Day (Republic Day)

Director of MEDIA-PLAN

The owner of MEDIA-PLAN from Zagreb, Ivan Miličević, has now assumed duties of the Managing Director of the company, thus replacing Robert Miličević. Ivan Miličević is the owner or co-owner of 26 other companies, mainly operating in real estate, construction, commerce, communications, hospitality and media, in which he is either a director or procurator. Through AVIX, he owns OPEN RADIO (OTVORENI RADIO).

NOVEMBER

ALGERIA

tart of the War of S Independence

ANGOLA

DANKO ČORIĆ At the helm of Maestral Hotels’ Supervisory Board

MAESTRAL HOTELS from Dubrovnik have a new Supervisory Board, headed by Danko Čorić who replaced Robert Kril in that position. Josip Prkačin is the new Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board, replacing Tomislav Vukovac, while new members of the Supervisory Board are also Sandra Ivanović and Matea Mateković. Only Matko Munitić remained of the previous members of the Supervisory Board. Čorić is, in fact, the majority owner of the MAESTRAL HOTEL through his company PND STRATEGY, which holds 95.08 per cent of ownership. The company operates five hotels in Lapad Bay with a total capacity of 924 beds.

www.diplomacyandcommerce.hr

Independence Day

POLAND

Independence Day

BELGIUM King's Day

PALESTINE

Independence Day

- THE ECONOMIST -

SVIJET U 2020. C O N F E R E N C E Monday 09th of December 2019

09:30h

Croatian National Bank, Trg hrvatskih velikana 3, Zagreb

â&#x20AC;&#x17E;The Economist: Svijet u 2020â&#x20AC;&#x153; is organized for the first time in Croatia, the event that, with conclusions of the business and political environment in Croatia closes the current year, and raises the important questions of the country`s development in the coming year. We will gather the top officials and leaders of Croatian Government, ambassadors, economists and leaders of Croatian , EU and regional economy.

www.diplomacyandcommerce.hr

INTERVIEW

Close and Like-Minded Partners The countries that share the same values have to work together, and Australia and Croatia are increasingly using this opportunity to expand their cooperation in the international arena and at the bilateral level. That momentum is here to stay

H.E. ELIZABETH PETROVIC Australian Ambassador

Over the last two years, Australian Ambassador, H.E. Ms Elizabeth Petrovic, has been witnessing many positive developments in the bilateral relationship between her country and Croatia. These achievements are built upon long-standing friendship, says the Ambassador. “Australia and Croatia have always been very good friends. Now as a member of the EU and NATO, Croatia has an increasingly important voice on the global stage,” says Ambassador Petrovic. “The EU is important to Australia; we are negotiating a Free Trade Agreement with the EU and we are an enhanced partner of NATO, so we are very interested in working with Croatia as a member of these institutions. In a world of increasing uncertainty, it is more important than ever for countries that share the same values to work together to protect and maintain the international systems that have benefitted us all. Australia

and Croatia are close and like-minded partners in multilateral forums – we are serving alongside Croatia as a member of the UN Human Rights Council this year, and we have a similar worldview on issues such as counter-terrorism and the importance of open markets to our economic prosperity,” she adds. How much does the Diaspora contribute to becoming better acquainted with each other and to the overall advancement?

— Our relationship is not only

to say that Australia is one of the most successful multicultural nations on Earth and we have integrated into our communities people from every corner of the globe. I never underestimate the positive influence of the Croatian-Australian Diaspora – a great many people are making valuable contributions to the development of business links, cooperation in science and education, and the development of sporting and cultural connections between their birthplace, and the country they now call their home. Although there is mutual interest in commerce, industry, technological development, investments, tourism and services, the trade between the two countries is still moderate. Has there been any progress compared to previous years?

EDUCATION IS WHERE WE HAVE THE MOST POTENTIAL TO GROW AND TO BUILD UPON EXISTING STRONG TIES BETWEEN OUR UNIVERSITIES AND RESEARCH INSTITUTES based on our shared values but very much on the personal connections between our people. Australians of Croatian descent have made a deeply appreciated contribution to the richness of Australian society. I think it is fair

www.diplomacyandcommerce.hr

— The economic relationship has the potential for further growth. There are Croatian companies, such as Podravka, which have been very successful in Australia, and we are proud that Australian retailer Harvey Norman operates a

flagship furniture and electronics store here in Croatia. Australians of Croatian descent have also been prominent investors in Croatia - in the tourism sector in particular. I see opportunities for further cooperation where Australian companies have the expertise, including in infrastructure investment, healthcare planning and architecture, fast ferries and education and training services. Australia also has highly developed expertise in the energy sector. In 2020 we will become the world’s largest LNG exporter so I see potential cooperation in the energy sector as well. In terms of services trade - recreational travel is an area that continues to grow and over the past five years, Australian tourist arrival numbers to Croatia have on average increased by 10 per cent each year. According to the official figures by the Croatian Bureau of Statistics, in 2018 there were over 217,000 arrivals of Australian tourists in Croatia. The Croatian tourist board, recognizing the importance of this market, led a successful promotion and outreach event to Australia this summer. The EU is Australia's second-largest trading partner, with an annual external trade balance of more than €47 billion. Where is Croatia in all of that and is there any room for progress?

— We are keen to expand economic trade and investment ties with Croatia. On a broader level, Australia is committed to working with the EU to negotiate a high-quality Free Trade Agreement. We welcome Croatia’s steadfast support for such an agreement. As you noted, Australia has a very important trade and investment relationship with the EU. It is our second-largest trading partner when taken as a bloc, and Australia’s largest investment partner. At least some of this investment represents European businesses seeking to use Australia as a launching pad for linking with commercial networks and value chains in Asia. Australia has FTAs with China, Japan, Republic of Korea, ASEAN, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the USA, Chile and New Zealand – that is, we have established markets, and there are opportunities to work together to meet rapidly growing demand in Asia for a range of goods and services. The EU is also a very significant destination for Australian foreign investment, including in infrastructure. A comprehensive bilateral free trade agreement between our economies would promote stronger trade in goods and services, as well as two-way investment. Just as importantly, this FTA has the potential to truly set the benchmark on what FTAs can achieve between like-minded partners.

Australian Ambassador to Croatia and Croatian Ambassador to Australia

AUSTRALIA IS COMMITTED TO WORKING WITH THE EU TO NEGOTIATE A HIGH-QUALITY FREE TRADE AGREEMENT. WE WELCOME CROATIA’S STEADFAST SUPPORT FOR SUCH AN AGREEMENT

Senior Officials Talks. We continued this momentum with a visit of a business delegation from Croatia to Australia last year and the establishment of the Croatian Business Council for Economic Cooperation with Australia, with thanks to the Zagreb Chamber of Economy. I think the area where we have the most potential to grow, and already with the deepest connections, is through education. There are strong ties between our universities and research institutes. We have had the pleasure of cooperating with Zagreb University, the Rudjer Boskovic Institute and the Croatian Robotics Association on science education initiatives and in particular to encourage more girls to study science, technology, engineering and mathematics. I am most proud of our cooperation with Croatian schools through our education outreach initiatives and with the Croatian people through our Australia at the Zagreb Zoo Day. I think it is important for the Embassy to connect with people and it is wonderful to see so many young Croatians interested to learn about Australia. What do you consider to be the most important long-term goals in the development of diplomatic relations between the two countries?

— I think that Croatia and Australia will continue to have a warm and positive relationship and to work together internationally. Australia is committed to freedoms, the rule of law and democratic institutions. We are an open, export-oriented market economy and we want to reach out to like-minded countries to enhance cooperation – in this, Croatia is important to Australia. Our goal would be to see increased growth in two-way trade and investment, supported by an Australia-EU Free Trade Agreement, and the continued development of an even closer and deeper connection.

In what segments is Australia particularly active in Croatia and what programmes and projects do you support?

— For me, there have been many high points in the bilateral relationship during my time in Croatia. We enjoyed the first visit by an Australian Foreign Affairs Minister to Croatia since its independence, we also welcomed President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic to Australia as a Guest of the Australian Government, and we held our first-ever

WORK AND HOLIDAY VISA ARRANGEMENT An increasing number of Australian tourists are visiting Croatia. What impressions do they have of our country? What has the Australian Embassy been doing in terms of boosting the number of Croatian tourists in Australia? — Australians love the sea and sun and when you have historic Croatian towns as the backdrop, the impressions they take home are of a beautiful country rich in history and culture.

They love the food, the hospitality and the wonderfully diverse landscapes. We would like to have a work and holiday visa arrangement with Croatia so that young people from Croatia and Australia can spend time in each of our countries. And the Embassy’s outreach programme with Croatian schools encourages young people to learn more about Australia. We hope that they will consider Australia as a place to visit whether for tourism or to study.

POLITICS

Un-capture My State!

Text: ŽELIMIR MARAŠ

Set me free

With the help of the lyrics of Joe Cocker's song 'Unchain my Heart' we can explain the phenomenon that is spreading across Eastern Europe. The point here is that the citizens of the majority of countries want to escape either from their own state by emigrating or to take their future into their own hands, since their state is "occupied", which is more difficult. In this context, the Captured State does not imply that an outsider occupied a country via military means, but that the state was occupied from the inside by those who usurped power and are controlling the levers of power. Like the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskiy says in his video - „forget the pro-European

OUR COUNTRIES ARE SHARPLY DIVIDED OVER THE DIRECTION; WE ARE FIGHTING WHILE OLIGARCHS AND PARTOCRACIES ARE SNATCHING OUR COUNTRIES AWAY FROM US and pro-Russian division“. While we are arguing, they are drinking together at our expense and destroying the state (I am quoting the most important parts). The state's direction is currently less important to all of us. Just look at Moldova – where it all started - how the pro-European and pro-Russian forces together expelled the oligarchs and the leader of a pseudo-democratic and pseudo-European party of Vlad Plahotniuc. Moldova did decide

that the state direction would be determined later and that, in the meantime, the most important job was to make the country as functional as possible. The parliamwent of Modlova declared Moldova „a captured state“ in which all the functions of power were captured and kidnapped by a group of oligarch, mobsters and partocrats, thus effectively paralysing the progress of the state and making themselves enormously rich. So the basic idea was:

FIRST THINGS FIRST As for the rest of the countries that don't belong to any of these spheres, let me say this: the rule of law, economic security, free media, tolerance (as Zelensky says in the video, first in the Ukrainian then in the Russian language). After that, in 5 or 10 years, we can decide via elections or referendums the direction of our country. Our countries are sharply divided over the direction; we are fighting

while oligarchs and partocracies are snatching our countries away from us. We need to take a break from being pro-EU, pro-NATO, anti-NATO, pro-Russia, pro-whatever. (Let Zelenskiy be your role model so that we don't perish like Ukraine during Poroshenko and Moldova during Plahotniuc, because just when we think that we hit the rock bottom, another one opens below us.) Or we are doomed!

www.diplomacyandcommerce.hr

stop the fake slogans. We don't want to „Go to the EU!“ or „to go to the Eurasian Union“. The directions and quarrels are obfuscating the main problem: we don't have a state to take. Anywere. Almost nobiody wants us. So let us make the state first. Institutions, economy, judiciary. Justice and predictability. And then, only then, democratically, we will vote which side to turn. This is something that in Serbia, Montenegro, Ukraine, Georgia, North Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, even Croatia, Romania and Bulgaria have not been able to create in 28 years. The nationalism always came first. Then some „-philias“ or „-phobias“. Just like Croatia was very vocal about not wanting to be in Yugoslavia or the Balkans. There is no Yugoslavia, nor will it ever be. There will be no West Balkan integrations. We are in NATO, in the EU. But are we satisfied with our life? Are we happy with our tycoons and crooked politicians? Our nationalism and poverty and scandals and misuse of funds? We are not! The time has come to turn the tide. Not only in Croatia, but everywhere. And there are good signs coming from the East. The people of Moldova and Ukraine did not want to remain captured. This is a very difficult process, but nevertheless, it will yield sweet fruits. There is hope whenever someone in say, Serbia, says: „Our state is captured!“. It is! We don't need more plutocrats and Agrokor and HAC and Hypo scandals. Unchain my state or there is no difference between being subdued by Austria, Hungary, Yugoslavia or by your own oppressors, under your own flag.

INTERVIEW

I Believe in Us and I Believe in Croatia This country has a lot of potential, which is still untapped while our citizens are moving to other countries that do not have better predispositions than us, only better policy. In Zoran Milanović we will have a president whom the citizens can trust, and following the parliamentary election, the SDP will form a professional and non-corrupt government DAVOR BERNARDIĆ President of the SDP

President of the Social Democratic Party of Croatia (SDP), Davor Bernardić believes that unity in the party and the fresh ideas it offers to voters can fundamentally tip the political scale and bring social democratic ideas back to Croatia in a big way. Croatia as equal in Europe, which could be a sublimated political message to voters, involves changing many policies at national and local level, and above all, eradicating corruption in the top levels of the government. The SDP got four seats in the European Parliament in June, as did the HDZ (the Croatian Democratic Union). Do you think that today, four months later, you made good use of the time when you were riding on the tide of suc-

cess to win over the SDP voters?

— The result of the EU elections is the result of my work and the work of my associates in the last two years, as well as of the way we organized the work inside the party, selected quality candidates, put

months, during which we have had peace in the party and conflicts did not flare up, we have demonstrated that togetherness and cooperation are the paths of success for the SDP and Croatia. Confidence in the party is restored, we are con-

WE ARE FOCUSING ON THE BEST INTEREST OF OUR CITIZENS AND PROPOSING LEGAL SOLUTIONS SO THAT, IN THE FUTURE, I.E. WHEN WE COME TO POWER AFTER THE NEXT ELECTIONS, WE CAN IMMEDIATELY START WITH REFORMS together the election headquarters, and of a lengthy period of preparation for key processes during which the SDP has demonstrated that it is the strongest opposition party, fully prepared to take responsibility for Croatia. It is important to note that, in the last six

www.diplomacyandcommerce.hr

solidating, a lot more people are participating in our work and yes, citizens' trust in social democracy is also making a comeback. This is a formula for success for both the presidential and parliamentary elections. While being aware of this, we are focusing on the best

interest of our citizens and proposing legal solutions so that, in the future, i.e. when we come to power after the next elections, we can immediately start with reforms. You have been advocating unity in the party, internal reorganization and new policies. Can you accomplish all of that considering your not-so-distant past and the fact that certain people left the party?

— That can be achieved; in fact, we have already achieved it. We are a democratic party and it is normal for us to disagree. It's now clear to all of us that the goal of assuming responsibility is more important than past disputes. We are all focused on the work because we can succeed only through dedicated work, teamwork and unity. You believe that social democracy is needed in both Croatia and Europe now more than ever

before. If you were to translate this into a vocabulary that an ordinary voter understands, what exactly can you offer to Croatia?

— Social democratic values are the reason why I am in this party and I believe they are needed today more than ever before. We want to make Croatia equal to the other EU Member States, which is not the case today. We have a situation where our farmers get smaller incentives which are also tardy. We want to transform Croatia into a country of equal citizens, where everyone will feel comfortable and welcomed, regardless of their nationality or sexual orientation. Which of these topics will dominate the presidential election, and which ones will you save for later to discuss with voters in the long run?

— Some people have been trying to focus on topics that deepen the national divisions in society because they do not have a solution on how to increase salaries and pensions and reduce emigration. I hope that topics that are important to citizens will dominate the presidential campaign. We need a president with character. Zoran Milanović sends clear messages and can restore dignity to this function. Emigration - is there ever a cure for such a profound and massive problem?

— Of course, there is. The cure is to offer our citizens what the countries they are emigrating to are offering - fair wages and legal certainty. The SDP has already outlined its youth plan. In addition to job opportunities and higher wages for young people, especially those exposed to migration pressures, it is important to provide them with a roof over their heads. We will not achieve this by giving mortgage subsidies because over 70 per cent of young people and citizens are unfit candidates for a mortgage.

The state must intervene in the rental area through the construction of rental apartments and the construction and promotion of rental properties for special social groups such as academics, doctors and other professions exposed to migration pressures. Such things are already being implemented by our mayors and municipal heads. We have also devised several anti-corruption measures to prevent ministers from getting richer by the day. That is why I, as the President of the SDP, have initiated the formation of the Anti-Corruption Council, where we want to create a broad alliance of progressive forces in the society to fight corruption.

In terms of healthcare, the situation is becoming increasingly difficult, debt is increasing, waiting lists are getting longer, quality healthcare is unavailable, and silent privatization of the healthcare sector is happening. Once we come to power, we will again raise wages in the healthcare sector and reduce waiting lists and debt. We will keep the hospitals open after 4 pm to provide citizens with more accessible healthcare. We can see that Croatia has the highest tourism levies, so we will insist on lowering the VAT in tourism and in catering to 13% in order to make our tourism competitive relative to other tourist destina-

I HAVE INITIATED THE FORMATION OF THE ANTICORRUPTION COUNCIL, WHERE WE WANT TO CREATE A BROAD ALLIANCE OF PROGRESSIVE FORCES IN THE SOCIETY TO FIGHT CORRUPTION In addition to emigration, what are other key problems in Croatia and how can we solve them, given the general atmosphere in the society?

— We will again include our plan for higher wages and pensions in the Parliament's agenda. By raising the non-taxable portion of the income from HRK 3,800 to HRK 5,000, we would like to see the salary for 700,000 people in Croatia increase between HRK 330 and HRK 500 immediately.

tions in the region. The other day, we presented our Slavonia 2030 Programme in Osijek, on which we shall work full steam ahead this autumn. The Programme aims to boost agricultural production, especially organic, to make sure that our farmers can market their produce, to ensure fair allocation of agricultural land, and to provide incentives like their European counterparts have, meaning 20 % higher. All this will be difficult to im-

plement unless we deal with the corruption and crime that are eating away into our society. This summer, a number of ministers had to leave their positions because of corruption. No government has ever experienced a reshuffle to such an extent, and all because of corruption, which is also happening at local levels, where various powerful people like to use their positions to increase their wealth. Hence, the SDP has prepared a set of measures and laws to combat corruption. We have already introduced some of them, such as the Law on Determining the Origin of Property. We must know where did the government ministers get the money to buy their villas, expensive luxury cars and barbecue joints that span 150 square metres. We also proposed amendments to the Law on Prevention of Conflict of Interest with the view of prevent political pressures on the Conflict of Interest Commission, which we saw first Kuščević and then Plenković do, who are destroying our country's institutions in that way. SDP expects Zoran Milanović to win the election. What sets Milanović apart from other presidential candidates?

— Zoran Milanović differs from other candidates in that he has a strong attitude, does not deviate from his principles, will work for the benefit of the citizens and will restore dignity to our country. As time goes by, I am more confident of his victory. Unfortunately, the crisis in Croatia begins with a crisis of confidence in the country's institutions. The DORH, the judiciary, the Government, the President of the country - these are all institutions that citizens no longer trust, and to restore people's trust in Croatia, we must restore confidence in the institutions, with presidential election being first in line.

TIME FOR CHANGE HAS COME What will the SDP be like in 5 and 10 years? What do you think Croatia will look like during that period? — In the next year and a half, that is, after the next parliamentary election, I see the SDP in power. I think the time for change has come and people who created problems are not the ones that can resolve them. I see Croatia as a country known for political responsibility and legal certainty, in which citizens live with dignity and its pensioners are enjoying life rather

than worrying about surviving. I see Croatia as a renowned tourist destination and Slavonia as a region that produces food not only for the entire country but also for Europe. This country has a lot of potential, which is still untapped while our citizens are moving to other countries that do not have better predispositions than us, only better policy. Citizens have recognized the effort we invested in devising solutions for a better life, higher wages and pensions, higher living standard and fighting corruption.

INTERVIEW

We are Heading Towards a Politically Fragmented Scene Somewhat absurdly, voter turnout is the highest in presidential election, although the country's president has the least influence on daily lives of voters. This is just one of the reasons why we are facing a very uncertain battle for the Croatian 'throne', which is likely to be anything but interesting. I would like nothing more to be wrong regarding this, because, in that case, both voters and candidates would profit Which perception is more difficult to have and what did you conclude from both of them?

KREŠIMIR MACAN Founder of Manjgura PR agency, political analyst and election advisor

The Croatian political scene has long resembled show business, as have many others. It is no wonder, that, at the very beginning of the presidential race, quite a few new names are popping up who are using populism to attract voters. The fact that political parties find it difficult to understand and attract young voters will make both the presidential and the upcoming parliamentary election a big riddle. The number of dissatisfied voters in Croatia has been growing for quite some time. Even though parties, which advocate a populist option, are disappearing, dissatisfied voters are still waiting patiently for a new option. This practically means that when assessing electoral outcome, large parties should not be fooled by current ratings, says Krešimir Macan, founder of Manjgura PR agency, political analyst and election advisor. As a marketing expert but also a political analyst, do you think it is more difficult to create a good brand and attract public's attention in business or politics? What are the key differences between the two and what are the similarities?

— It is easier to make a good brand in business, and to attract public attention and interest in politics. A good brand requires a systematic approach, respect for the profession, a lot of work and resources, and those are easier to have in a business environment rather than in politics. Politics is, at least in this part of the world, a day-to-day business where there isn’t much strategic thinking. It is as if politics is in a constant crisis communi-

BIG POLITICAL PARTIES SHOULD NOT BE FOOLED BY THE CURRENT RATINGS BECAUSE WE ARE IN FOR THE SAME THING THAT HAS BEEN GOING ON IN SPAIN, ITALY OR SLOVENIA FOR A LONG TIME A RATHER FRAGMENTED POLITICAL SCENE WITH AT LEAST 4 BLOCKS cation mode. Such situations are not ususal to the business. On the other hand, a good brand has to do its best to get the public's attention because by being a good brand, it doesn't necessarily have to set itself apart from other good brands to attract public interest. Unlike brands, in politics, all you need is just one slip-up and you end up on cover pages. The latest example of this is a film director who changed his name to Milan Bandić (who, as mayor of Zagreb, made a brand out of himself) and could now become a potential anti-candidate in the upcoming

www.diplomacyandcommerce.hr

presidential election. He may not succeed in collecting the required 10,000 signatures, but he has appeared in many media outlets and attracted public attention that many influencers or brands would like to get when they do something right. But, unfortunately, they are not in politics. You have to be mindful of the fact that, in politics, the media can bury you as quickly as they can exalt you. This just doesn't happen to good brands. As an advisor to prime minister, you had an inside and outside view of the political scene.

— It is easier to have an outside view because you are not bound or burdened by many things that you feel on the inside and which an ordinary observer cannot see. That is why it is easier for me now to recognize and interpret certain things, so I don’t react in haste. The media often want an answer right now, so when you don't have it, you have to buy time. When you are on the inside you have a responsibility for everything that is being said, official and unofficial, and everything comes with a consequence. When you comment from the outside, it is just an opinion that one could or could not take into account. It is a good idea to try to be on the inside; to have a more objective picture of what happens in certain situations. And yes, the stress is much greater when you are on the inside. Regardless of being there in a professional capacity, you are still considered a political rival, and sometimes even an enemy. Presidential election is coming up. What do you think of the quality of presidential campaigns so far? Do you think that Miroslav Škoro will be the one to re-arrange puzzle pieces on the political scene? Is the growing number of candidates a useful or detrimental thing for the overall political scene in Croatia?

— I see no campaigns as yet; this is still a starting point and a consolidation of voters by party affiliation. I hope we will see some campaigns in October when we will finally see the official nominations of Kolinda Grabar Kitarović and Mislav Kolakušić. He is a candidate that can attract some of the dissatisfied voters and take some votes away from the presidential favourites. Miroslav Škoro has

already done some of the work by attracting a certain number of voters from the right, thus somewhat hampering Kolinda Grabar Kitarović's chances for re-election. Voter support for Škoro has been stagnating just under 20% for several months now and if he does not distance himself from the image of a far-right candidate, he will not pose much of a threat to the leading candidates - Grabar Kitarović and Milanović. Otherwise, he was off to a good start by presenting his programme via a video clip on social media. The growing number of candidates means that certain individuals can take away a percentage of voters from the leading candidates and thus make entering the second round more difficult for them. Additionally, if there are more than 6 candidates, there probably won't be a presidential public TV debates in the first round, providing that the rule that every candidate should get an equal amount of media space is still in place, which, in turn, will further dampen the campaign by the second round. Having multiple candidates demonstrates that many voters think that the current offer of candidates is not good and that they need an alternative. We'll wait to see what citizens have to say. So far, the top four candidates take up close to 85% of the vote in polls. The results of the election for the European Parliament gave a strong impetus to the SDP. How important are these results for the domestic political scene?

— They don't have a direct impact, but these specific elections can trigger certain changes on the political scene. If there is a low turnout, better organized political parties can achieve better results than what they normally would if there was a standard, double turnout. So, getting out there and doing the work are crucial for a good result. The far right options are a good example of this, as is Miroslav Kolakušić. On the other hand, Živi

Zid has fallen apart in the election because they could not agree who would go to Brussels. At the same time, getting one seat more than expected gave the SDP a strong impetus, resulting in a significant post-EU election increase in ratings. However, this should not necessarily be credited to them. You were quoted as saying:“I am confident that there will be a generation of new people who will do a serious job and do it in the right way. Civil dissatisfaction will bubble up to the surface, as will a person who will establish themselves as a leader“. Do you think that the right- or left-option will give birth to such a candidate or does an option even matter anymore?

ing after 7 years. The same goes for political parties - if they don’t adjust, they will disappear. Is voter fatigue so strong that this could well be the last election that will be dominated by traditional parties? Do you think that the voter sentiment would be different if this was a parliamentary election?

— Big parties are having a lot of difficulties swaying young voters to their side. As a result, young voters either abstain from voting or support populists who usually go against the elite. They use social media for this - there are quite a few of them and they are connected at minimal cost. When people get together, there is nothing that can't be done. This process has

PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION COULD BECOME INTERESTING ONLY IN THE SECOND ROUND AND EVEN THEN, THE VOTERS ARE MORE LIKELY GOING TO HAVE TO VOTE „AGAINST“ RATHER THAN „FOR“ — Citizens have been yearning for an honest and determined candidate to change all of this, and in time, we are going to see strong populist candidates that will offer that verbally. The issue here is what happens with their promises once they come to power. The current political elites think that they are here to stay a long time, and the reality, in other countries, shows them that their time will surely pass quickly if they don't change. Renowned and established parties could disappear due to the great dissatisfaction of young voters whom they can no longer attract as easily as before. Even if these young people were offered jobs and careers, the parties still don't realize that they are perpetuating a continuation of the negative selection that has led them to the brink of collapse. They say that brands have to start adjusting to changes after 3.5 years to avoid disappear-

been going on for some time now. Political parties are lucky that an election cycle usually last 4 years, so more elections are needed to instigate change. Voters are generally disappointed and believe that voting will not change anything. As a result, the voter turnout has been declining. Somewhat absurdly, voter turnout is the highest in presidential election, although the country's president has the least influence on daily lives of voters. The second highest is the parliamentary election turnout and the least turnout is in the local and EU elections. One would assume that the biggest turnout would be in local elections where voters elect mayors, i.e. people we know. These are the elections with the highest number of independent candidates running for leading positions and the question is when will this trend spill over to the national level. Živi Zid and Most were alternatives to

the HDZ and the SDP, but now that the support for them has drastically fallen, new alternatives are expected to emerge. Dissatisfied voters do not disappear with the disappearance of certain populist options. They are patiently waiting for a new option. Big political parties should not be fooled by the current ratings because we are in for the same thing that has been going on in Spain, Italy or Slovenia for a long time - a rather fragmented political scene with at least 4 blocks. How big is the coalition potential of the current candidates? Can new parties, that have already attracted the voter attention, allow themselves to be associated with a presidential candidate who does not fit their image?

— We can see that they are hardly attracting anything other than their party base so far, which is not surprising given the number of candidates. It will be difficult for them to attract even some votes in their camps. For instance, as a presidential candidate, Zoran Milanović must get the votes of Istria’s IDS, with which he was at total odds when he was the prime minister. During the first round, certain new options will probably not want to be associated with any of the favourites. Rather, they will use their candidates as an opportunity to position themselves for parliamentary elections that take place in less than a year. Whether or not to publicly support someone in the second round is a big question, because voters will more likely have to vote „against“ rather than „for“. This is just one of the reasons why we are facing a very uncertain battle for the Croatian 'throne', which is likely to be anything but interesting. I would like nothing more to be wrong regarding this, because, in that case, both voters and candidates would profit. Election campaigns require hard work, time, people and money and if you don't take them seriously, then you are just a bystander in someone else's game or a set of circumstances.

FROM KERUM TO ŠKORO Is our political scene starting to resemble show business? — That has been going on for quite a long time. Remember Željko Kerum who, ten years ago, looked like a total outsider only to later win in mayoral election in Split in 2009? In 2017, he made it to the second round. The latest example of this is Miroslav Škoro who was probably inspired by successful

campaigns in Slovenia and Ukraine where people from show business were appointed to the top positions in the country. This was partly due to the media demanding that campaigns and politicians should be attractive to the media. Whoever wins the media game, often wins overall. Just look at Trump! He's not a politician, he's a reality star, and as such, difficult to handle.

POLITICS

Text: ŽELIMIR MARAŠ

The Riddle of the Middle... ... East, of course

DRONE WARS

The Middle East has never been too peaceful except when occupied globally. As for the rest of the world: Central Europe was the most peaceful under Austria, the Balkans under the Turks, and Eastern Europe under the Russians. But this is not considered to be a great role model, i.e. to live peacefully under someone else's rule. However, the "wonders of freedom", as the title of Jacques Prevert's poem goes, sometimes "can't sing how the slaves sang about freedom," to paraphrase Branko Miljković, a Zagreb native. The recent conflicts in the Middle East, between Iran and Saudi Arabia, are everything but a good omen. YEMEN – A COUNTRY THAT SHOULD NOT HAVE UNITED

Exactly so and regardless how heretical that sounds! There used to be Yemen and South Yemen, and now there is South Yemen again, following a couple of attempts to separate that region from the rest of Yemen which was united, perhaps mistakenly, in 1990. The

organization controlling one part of southern Yemen is the Southern Transitional Council (STC) which advocates secession for several reasons - this was an advanced, socialist country with universal suffrage and emancipation of women, united with another part of Yemen, with which it had not cohabited for many years since South Yemen was the British Protectorate of Aden,

has been the most cosmopolitan city in the Middle East for the past 20 years. A contradiction? Well, you've heard nothing yet. Nobody likes Qatar which they accuse of supporting Islamic fundamentalists and even the Islamic State, although Qatar is also "cosmopolitan at home" and buys handball players and athletes, organizes world handball, athletics

IRAN AND SAUDI ARABIA ARE ON THE BRINK OF WAR, WHILE QATAR NOW HAS SOLID RELATIONS WITH IRAN. CONFUSED? the cosmopolitan site of the empire, while the rest was under the Turks and much more Islamic. The STC is backed by the UAE, the Saudi Arabian government supports Al-Hadi's government, while the rest is controlled by the Shiite Houthis who are backed by Iran and attacked by Saudi Arabia. As you can deduce, the UAE and the Saudis are quite alright, even though, until a few days ago, Saudi Arabia was less open than North Korea, and Dubai

and football championships, and has Al-Jazeera. Iran and Saudi Arabia are on the brink of war, while Qatar now has solid relations with Iran. Confused? We all are but there won't be a clear solution even if this proxy war in Yemen, where thousands are dying of starvation and bombs, becomes global. Yemen is now a training ground where we can see what the Middle East would look like if Iran and Saudi Arabia went to war against each other.

THERE ARE NO WINNERS IN THE MIDDLE EAST It is impossible to win any war in the Middle East. Simply put, the result would be the same as in Syria. Maybe someone infinitely worse will emerge compared to existing warring sides and then foreign powers would intervene to destroy this „new monster“. And when all this is over... Wait, is the war in Syria over? No, it's not. The Turks have their own planned interventions and zones of influence, no-one knows what to do with the Kurds, who have been fiercely fighting against the Islamic State, and Assad is not too keen on the idea of federalization with special federal units for the Kurds, Druzes, Sunnis, Christians and Alawis. All options are in the air and all powers in the field. In the meantime, a half of the country is gone, it has been razed to the ground, and millions of people have been displaced, never to return.

www.diplomacyandcommerce.hr

Of course, now and then, there is an incident that brings the world to the brink of collapse and another global war – drones that came from Yemen (the Saudis say they came from Iran and the Americans agree), destroyed a large portion of Aramco's oil facilities and caused less of a material damage but more of a damage to the reputation of Saudi Arabia and the US missiles „Patriot“. The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin-Salman was still struggling to deal with the killing of Qashogi and the war in Yemen when this stroke of bad luck happened to him. But then he introduced tourist e-visas and promised that even women would not be obligated to dress in an Islamic manner if they were visiting, all with the idea of fulfilling the Vision 2030, which focuses on tourism, science, technology and commerce, and following which Saudi Arabia will be just like the Emirates. Plus, the Saudis would like it if it was possible to destroy Iran and the despised Shiite Islam. Hateful people say that since it has been 15 centuries since the advent of Islam, the time has come for bitter religious wars, like the Thirty Years' War between Protestants and Catholics in Europe. We can see that both Western branches of Christianity have survived and that it is impossible to destroy the opponent. It is only possible to destroy yourself, and in the process, increase the price of oil and further impoverish the world. And maybe even destroy it, or force it to use some other type of fuel while reducing yourself to a size of a fishing village on the outskirts of the desert, or a Bedouin camp with camels in the desert, as it was before the discovery of oil. War does not bring a bright future.

CORPORATE

Smart Contracts – Digitization of Business

Smart Contracts are a central component to nextgeneration blockchain platforms

PETAR PETRIĆ Attorney at Law

Contracts are increasingly becoming digitized. In parallel, businesses are also rapidly adopting digital contracts. The efficiencies brought upon by the digitization of business, has prompted technologists to take aim at revising one of the most important components of modern day business – the contract. Blockchain technology is very powerful and capable of performing complex operations. Smart contracts are already becoming a cornerstone for enterprise blockchain applications and are now considered to be one of the pillars of blockchain technology. As many as 50 major companies, such as Amazon, Walmart, JP Morgan and BP, are adopting the blockchain technology. Walmart and Facebook also announced that they will launch their own currencies based on blockchain (so-called cryptocurrency).

WHAT IS SMART CONTRACT?

A computer program code that is capable of facilitating, executing, and enforcing the negotiation or performance of an agreement (i.e. contract) using blockchain technology. Digital or Smart contracting, broadly defined, includes automation of contract formation via artificial intelligence, automation of contract enforcement via blockchain technology, and contract digital interconnectedness with objects via the internet of things. Because smart contracts are computer program code, the logic imputed into the code is vitally important. Smart contract logic is derived from human logic and legal system legislation commonly used in business.

The combination of computer science principles such as cryptography and distributed computing, in conjunction with centuries old judicial precedents, create a self-sustaining and efficient successor for legal agreements. The entire process is automated can act as a complement, or substitute, for legal contracts, where the terms of the smart contract are recorded in a computer language as a set of instructions.

WHAT IS SO SMART?

The answer lies in the possibility of automatic execution using algorithm and codes. Smart contracts consist of a set of promises, specified in digital form, including protocols with which parties perform on these promises. Smart contracts offer three features: a) contract formation and execution are fully automated; b) contract validation is performed by other users; c) parties to a contract are anonymous. One of

the buyer. The buyer is also under the belief that law has put in place certain measures to protect him or her from fraudulent activities. The seller and buyer are mostly reliant on a few centralized networks for their transactions: a group of trusted individuals (lawyers, experts, etc.), platform provider (e.g. Amazon) and the legal system (e.g. the judiciary). The form of trust radically changes through smart contracting in which parties are reliant on computers, codes, and peers to validate their transactions. The problem is that smart contracts do not allow for any intervention to remedy the incompleteness or breach.

BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY IS VERY POWERFUL AND CAPABLE OF PERFORMING COMPLEX OPERATIONS the principal differences between smart and traditional contracts relates to its autonomous execution and termination. This design makes several key features of traditional contracting almost impossible: termination, modification, interpretation, and even adjudication. In traditional contracting, parties enter into agreements against the backdrop of law and judicial enforcement. Parties rely on trust, law, and a select group of people for validation and verification of their contracts. For instance, in the purchase of a used laptop via Amazon, the buyer has to exercise some level of trust in the platform and in

In traditional contracting, upon disagreement or change of circumstances, parties can re-negotiate the terms of the agreement or a third party (e.g. a judge) determines the points of disagreements. In smart contracting, there is no entry point for legal intervention. This is due to the fact that parties

are anonymous, codes forming smart contracts are immutable, and no one can issue a “fiat” to change the code and the underlying platform.

TRADITIONAL VS. SMART CONTRACTS

Traditional Contracts Traditional contractual agreements, created by a legal professional, are predominantly paper based and heavily rely on third parties for enforcement. If things go astray, contract parties often must rely on the public judicial system to remedy the situation, which can be very costly and time consuming. Smart Contracts Smart contracts, created by computer programmers through the help of smart contract development tools, are entirely digital and written using programming code languages. This code defines the rules and consequences in the same way that a traditional legal document would, stating the obligations, benefits and penalties which may be due to either party in various different circumstances. This code can then be automatically executed and enforced by a distributed ledger system.

FUTURE OF CONTRACTS The future of contracts will likely be a hybrid human-plus-code model where contracts are verified for authenticity via blockchain, but human intervention is still possible for cases where errors need to be corrected or judicial recourse is required. But who knows? The field of smart contracts is continually growing with core technology advancements, software and hardware improvements, and new products.

INTERVIEW

When the Standing Ovation Subsides, New Challenges Arise Just as the visitors started to recap their impressions from the latest Weekend Media Festival in Rovinj, the team behind this fantastically successful project, that changes our understanding of digitization and the media, is focusing on a new challenge – namely, how to further improve creative indolence

NIKOLA VRDOLJAK Founder and director of 404 marketing agency and programme director of Weekend Media Festival in Rovinj

„We don't want to grow more“, says Nikola Vrdoljak, programme director of the Weekend Media Festival in Rovinj, after the recent 12th Weekend Media Festival which had 150 speakers and 5,000 visitors. Is this a sign of a subsided ambition of the festival’s organizer? "Of course not," says our interlocutor, "we are ambitious and want to become an even more important factor in this region." You were quoted as saying:“ We are raising the bar every year; without that nothing makes sense'. How did the recent 12th Weekend Media Festival raise the bar?

— It is a privilege for me to do this festival every year. Equally, it is also a great challenge. Every year, we want to follow, understand and re-examine everything that has been happening in the world of media, marketing, technolo-

gy and business. The world we follow is changing rapidly as the media is one of the first industries to be hit by the onslaught of digitization. Therefore, raising the bar every year for me means having increasingly better discussions that follow these changes. They don't only follow changes but also influence trends in this region.

overview. We covered the local situation through a discussion between the regional media and telecoms stakeholders. The growth of the Internet and consequently of streaming has fueled the domino effect of change in several related industries. Telecoms are buying the media which are either consoli-

HE COMPETITION IS GETTING FIERCER EVERY YEAR AND MANY FESTIVALS IN THE REGION ARE COPYING PARTS OF THE WEEKEND WHICH MAKES US HAPPY BECAUSE THAT SHOWS THAT WE ARE RELEVANT If you look at our programme, you will see that we had fantastic speakers such as the legendary "saviour of the Swiss watch industry" who spoke to us about the industry that survived the first wave of digitization, as well as crucial discussions about today's media and the convergence of television and telecom. Regarding the latter, Sara Fischer, a top media analyst at US Axios, gave us a global

www.diplomacyandcommerce.hr

dating or disappearing, while the cost of content is rising due to the increased demand for large platforms, which, in turn, increases the cost of local content too. The content growth is accompanied by the need to find good locations, which we, in Croatia, as well as the entire region, are following closely. The only thing left to watch live is sports, so its price is soaring. All these changes are

changing the power relations in the media, and of course, politics is following closely by. As the media goes through a change of business model, their independence is weakening, and we can't help but wonder if they are still the guardians of democracy. We analyzed all this in detail at the Weekend Media Festival. Since digitization is everywhere, we also discussed how to live a quality life in the digital age. Ranko Rajović gave a fantastic speech, explaining how to raise children in the digital age. Ranko was greeted with a standing ovation from the audience and brilliantly proved that this is a problem for all of us that we don't know how to deal with. Every year, our programme is getting more relevant and that's raising the bar for us. Of course, we need to grow in all segments, so the party, the showroom itself, Rovinj and its hotels are looking better every year, also making the Weekend experience better. As the programme director of a leading festival of this type,

do you get more opportunities for cooperation year-on-year, or maybe you get more challenges and have to face stiffer competition?

the entertainment segment of the festival?

— I am in charge of the festival programme, while Tomo Ricov is in charge of the entertainment portion, and it's exactly this combination that makes the Weekend successful. We are selling the experience. Every visitor wants to come back feeling enriched. Our product is exactly that experience. You can watch a fantastic lecture on YouTube anytime while the number of festivals and concerts is greater than ever. We sell neither of them but rather a total experience where you have fun, learn and enjoy the beautiful scenery of Rovinj. Put all of this together and you get the Weekend.

— The competition is getting fiercer every year and many festivals in the region are copying parts of the Weekend which makes us happy because that shows that we are relevant. However, the Weekend opens many doors in this region and by working on this festival, which, of course, lasts throughout the year, we can carefully monitor the processes and changes that are taking place. The mix of global changes and Balkan politics guarantees interesting content. How much are the regional media and creative industry lagging behind the global change?

— I would say that the media and creative industries in this region want to change more and faster than the markets themselves are prepared for. We all follow what is happening in the West and we want to be a part of these changes. Unfortunately, the reality is that the average age of a person living in this region is over 42, our purchasing power is low, and therefore our willingness to accept new trends is not that great. Still, we are not giving up and will keep pushing.

For the past twelve years, the Weekend Media Festival has been following the most intense media changes in history. How much is this region keeping up with them?

EVERY VISITOR WANTS TO COME BACK FEELING ENRICHED. OUR PRODUCT IS EXACTLY THAT EXPERIENCE

Modern-day work is becoming increasingly faster and leaves us with less spare time. How important is idleness for creativity and how can we stick to it?

— I would say better than you would expect given the economic situation of the region. The global media outlet Axios reported about the Weekend as their first news and about this thought-provoking region, where the changing economic basis of the media and the entry of foreign capital into content production is accompanied by an interesting local political story. The last WMF took part in 6 different halls and had 150 speakers and 5,000 visitors. How will keep all of that under control if the number of visitors continues to grow?

— We like to say that creative indolence is the essence of the Weekend Media Festival. On the other hand, I do not like to idolize creativity. I think everyone is creative and we need to work on and develop creative problem-solving. Modern jobs require more creativity because the heavier, physical part is now handled by machines, so we can focus on the creative part.

— We believe that our core target group comprises about 10,000 people from this region. Our goal is to have 5,000 of them every year attend the Weekend and that everyone from that target group must come to the Festival at least once every three years. Therefore, we do not want to grow anymore; we want to improve the visitor experience. We want to become an even more important factor in this region.

What's a bigger challenge for you – to put together the list of speakers or to organize

AN EXTREMELY INTERESTING PERIOD AWAITS US What are the social consequences of digital change and how does it impact your work? — They are quite big. I believe we still underestimate them all. Digitization has a significant impact on changing the economic base, which, in turn, will continue to have significant political and wider social consequences. To truly join the digital society, we will have to redefine many of the philosophical

concepts that underpin the market and society today. We are already seeing examples of that; from the EU's definition of a monopoly in digital platforms to redefining work which we interpret through the gig economy and flat-rate businesses, as well as through loss of the territorial basis of many concepts of the modern state. An extremely interesting period awaits us.

PEOPLE & EVENTS

12 THE FRANCO-CROATIAN SEP

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY CHARITY GALA DINNER

The Franco-Croatian Chamber of Commerce and Industry held a fundraiser for a new upgraded unit for treatment of children with cancer at Paediatrics Ward of Zagreb’s University Hospital. During the gala dinner held in Zagreb’s

Westin Hotel, the head of the foundation, which initiated the fundraiser for the construction of the aforementioned hospital unit, Anamarija Zorović, said that this project, worth 25 million kunas, would benefit all children in Croatia.

Marko Klenović, Secretary of Franco-Croatian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Višnja Ježić Sorić President of Franco-Croatian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and oncology representatives

16 THE PREMIERE SEP

OF DOWNTON ABBEY

The premiere was supported by the British Embassy in Zagreb. Jazz band Jazzbusters was in charge of the entertainment which was reminiscent of the 1920s when the film takes place. Downton Abbey depicts many beautiful and lesser-known parts of the

Ecija Ojdanić, actress, H.E. Andrew Dalgleish UK Ambassador to Croatia

25 23rd EVENT CLUB - FOOD AS SEP

THE BEST FRIEND OR THE WORST ENEMY IN EVENT ORGANIZATION

Dace Ulste BNI Hrvatska

Chef Zoran Gajic

www.diplomacyandcommerce.hr

UK. In addition to the one and only London, Great Britain is full of natural attractions and interesting cultural heritage which is scattered all across the country - England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Great Britain also has 32 sites protected by UNESCO.

Snjezana Vukić, the Ambassador's advisor with colleague

The 23rd Event Club was held at the Miele Experience Centre on the topic of ordering food when organizing an event. In the first part of the programme, dedicated to event organizers, Daca Ulsta from BNI Croatia gave a presentation on the role of organizers in

H.E. Andrew Dalgleish, UK Ambassador to Croatia

event networking. The Miele Experience Centre proved to be a perfect location for the event, thanks to its cosy atmosphere, infrastructure and good hosts. The main panel discussion was led by the author of several books on healthy food, Alma Bunić and chef Mate Janković.

26 AHK’S REGULAR SEP

ASSEMBLY AND BYE-BYE SUMMER PARTY

At its regular assembly session, AHK concluded that it was still the largest bilateral economic organization in the country with close to 400 members. Since May, AHK has

organized 120 events with 5,500 people in attendance. After the assembly, AHK held its traditional Bye-Bye Summer Party, which is the first gathering of members after the summer break.

H.E. Robert Richard Klinke German Ambassador to Croatia, Gertrud Rantzen Director and President of the German - Slovenian Chamber, Thomas Sich CEO AHK

01 45th ANNIVERSARY OF OCT

THE CROATIAN SOCIETY OF CONFERENCE INTERPRETERS

HDKP hosted a round table on the topic of the upcoming Croatian presidency of the Council of the EU and the role of conference interpreters in the process. Ambassador H.E. Gordan Markotić, Coordinator of the Croatian presidency of the EU Council, said that 160

meetings would be held during 120 days, including those of heads of states and governments and councils of ministers, as well as lower-level meetings of experts, where interpreters will play a key role in ensuring smooth communication in 24 official languages of the EU.

H.E. Gordan Markotić, Coordinator of the Croatian presidency of the EU Council

01 NEW TIE OCT

AMBASSADOR

The Academia Cravatica Foundation, in partnership with the Public Diplomacy Club of the Croatian Society for the United Nations and the Croatian Diplomatic Club, inaugurated the new Ambassador of Tie, renowned Croatian scientist and academician Igor

Marijan Busic, the Academia Cravatica Foundation, Nikola Albaneže

Tamara Levak Potrebica, president of the HDKP

Rudan, at a ceremony held at the Mimara Museum. The ceremonial inauguration of the Ambassador of the tie Academia Cravatica began its activities this year towards the unique European festival "Tie Days", which will be held from 8 to 18 October in Zagreb

Igor Rudan, the new tie ambassador, Marijan Busic The Academia Cravatica Foundation

PEOPLE & EVENTS

02 MONUMENT OF OCT

MAHATMA GANDHI UNVEILED

The Mahatma Gandhi bust was officially unveiled at the Bundek Park by the Indian Ambassador to Croatia, H.E. Arindam Bagchi, Croatian Prime Minister, Andrej Plenković and Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandić. On the occasion, Mr Bagchi said that the message that was engraved in the bust - "There is no way to peace, peace is the way" – best summarized Gandhi. This is the first-ever monument erected in Gandhi’s honour in Croatia.

Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, H.E. Arindam Bagchi, Ambassador of India to Croatia with his wife, Milan Bandic Zagreb Mayor

Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, Milan Bandic Zagreb Mayor

03 THE GERMAN OCT

Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and H.E. Robert Richard Klinke German Ambassador to Croatia

Gordan Grlić-Radman Minister of Foreign and European Affairs , H.E. Robert Richard Klinke German Ambassador to Croatia, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, Željko Reiner Member of the Croatian Parliament

H.E. Robert Richard Klinke, German Ambassador to Croatia

www.diplomacyandcommerce.hr

UNITY DAY

The day of the unification of West and East Germany following the fall of the Berlin Wall, which was the beginning of the unification of Europe, was officially marked at the Esplanade Hotel in Zagreb, The reception was hosted by German Ambassador to Croatia, H.E. Robert Richard Klinke with the Croatian Prime Minister, Andrej Planković, Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandić and many members of the diplomatic corps, business, cultural, political and public figures in attendance.

BUSINESS NEWS

MOL

GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY FOR A PETROCHEMICAL FACTORY IN TISZAÚJVÁROS

Dubrovnik

FEE FOR CRUISERS

As of 2021, Dubrovnik will charge a tourist tax for cruise ships in international maritime transport, ranging from HRK 2,000 to HRK 40,000 per ship, depending on the number of passengers per ship, the Dubrovnik authorities have decided. According to the decision, the lowest tourist tax per boat of HRK 2,000 will be paid by cruisers with a capacity of 50 to 200 passengers, while those carrying between 201 and 500 passengers will have to pay HRK 5,000. For cruisers carrying from 501 to 1,000 passengers, the tourist tax will be HRK 10,000, and for those that have between 1,001 to 2,000 passengers, it will be HRK 20,000. The highest taxes of HRK 30,000

and HRK 40,000 will be paid by the largest cruisers, which can transport from 2,001 to 3,000 passengers and over 3,001 passengers respectively.

PBZ

IMPORTANT NOTIFICATIONS FOR CITIZENS

Hungarian oil and gas company MOL Group had the groundbreaking ceremony for its €1.2bn petrochemical plant in Tiszaújváros, Hungary which is supposed to become operational by 2021. Upon completion, the plant will be able to produce 200,000 tons of polyols annually. Polyol is a highly sought-after plastic raw material that is used across several industries ranging from automotive manufacturing to construction to the clothing industry. The new plant is expected to contribute nearly €150 million per annum to the company’s earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA).

Croatia Airlines PBZ would like to warn citizens that there are various options for hacking payment cards circulating. For instance, there have been fake messages posted on social media which announce various sweepstakes that always involve well-known brands or giving away free airline tickets. PBZ advises citizens not to

respond to these seemingly fantastic offers and not to enter various sweepstakes promising substantial cash prizes and the like unless they are advertised on official social media pages of the brands in question. They are also advised to carefully check whether a sweepstake has been launched at all.

100 MILLION KUNAS FROM THE STATE BUDGET

Revolut

50,000 USERS SO FAR Revolut, the second-largest mobile bank in Europe, has gained over 50,000 customers in Croatia, six months after entering the Croatian market. The UK-based Fintech gained 20,000 users in the first three months, up until June. During the summer, the bank gained an additional 30,000 users. Currently, Revolut and Erste Bank's KEKS Pay application are the two most popular fintech applications in Croatia. The latest number of KEKS Pay users is not known. However, Erste Bank did recently confirm that the application had more than 56,000 users. Revolut has more than seven million users globally. It was initially conceived as a travel card that minimizes all expenses related to withdrawing cash, paying and exchanging currencies when travelling abroad.

The Croatian Government has granted Croatia Airlines HRK 100 million from the budgetary reserve, as part of creating prerequisites for the airliner’s recapitalization through the stabilization its business. The government had previously decided to subsidize the Croatian national airline with HRK 250 million to stabilize its operations before recapitalization. The payment is foreseen in two instalments - at least HRK 100 million, with the remaining amount, disbursed in 2020.

BUSINESS NEWS

Ministry of Tourism

SCHOLARSHIPS IN 2019

Mercator

58.4% PROFIT INCREASE Mercator, Slovenia's leading retailer, saw group sales revenue increase by 0.4% to EUR 1.06 billion. Group net profit rose by 58.4% to EUR 2.4 million, the company said in an earnings release on Thursday. Normalized profit before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) increased by almost 73% to EUR 83 million and operating profit (EBIT) was up by over 76% to EUR 29.9 million. The group's Slovenian business Poslovni Sistem Mercator d.d., the most important company in the group, increased its sales revenue by 4.1% to EUR 598 million. Mercator Group has 9,500 employees in Slovenia, i.e. 20,200 employees in total in

the regional. In Slovenia, Mercator generated 57.1% of total sales revenues in the first six months, while in Serbia, this percentage stood at 31.8. Mercator Bosnia and Herzegovina generated 5.2% os the total sales, in Montenegro 4.9% and Croatia 1% per cent, according to the semi-annual report. Mercator will continue to sell commercially redundant space in all its markets, the Management of this retail chain said.

Croatian Regulatory Authority for Network Industries (HAKOM)

BAN ON CERTAIN CHARGES BY THE CROATIAN POST OFFICE

The Ministry of Tourism has launched a public call for scholarship submissions in 2019 to interest students in hospitality and tourism professions, thus raising the standard of education and quality of staff and the entire tourism sector, the ministry said. The aim of the scholarship programme is also to establish a better link between educational institutions and businesses in tourism. With the help of the scholarship programme, the Ministry of Tourism will co-finance pupils and students for the hospitality and tourism professions and occupations related to the development of special forms of tourism during the school year 2019/2020.

KRAŠ-ESOP

PIVAC NOT ALLOWED TO PARTICIPATE IN JOINT TAKEOVER ENDEAVOUR

Croatian Post Office (HP) is no longer allowed to charge additional postage of HRK 4.50 for the delivery of small packages in international postal traffic. The decision was made by the postal inspector of the Croatian Regulatory Authority for Network Industries (HAKOM). The order prohibiting further collection of such additional postage also

states that HP, in the process of delivering small parcels as an international inbound mail up to 2 kilogrammes, was charging the recipients a fee of HRK 4.50 contrary to the SPU acts. HP was subsequently ordered to abolish the fee in eight days of receipt of this decision, i.e. to terminate this fee and notify the inspector of the measures taken.

Walmart

DISCONTINUING THE SALE OF E-CIGARETTES AND VAPING PRODUCTS

Walmart says it will stop selling electronic cigarettes, at namesake stores and Sam's Club locations. The nation's largest retailer is responding to growing health concerns around vaping, especially among young people. Walmart cited "growing federal, state and local regulatory complexity and uncertainty regarding e-cigarettes," saying that its stores will stop selling e-cigarettes once the current inventory is sold.

www.diplomacyandcommerce.hr

The Assembly of KRAŠ-ESOP voted against the Proposal of Decision on the conclusion of the Agreement on Joint Takeover with the meat company Braća Pivac d.o.o. from Vrgorac. The decision of 1,100 small shareholders, which have an 18.45 per cent stake in Kraš, does not significantly change the future situation. The biggest single shareholder in Kraš, Braća Pivac has already announced that, regardless of Kraš ESOP’s decision, it is going to participate in the takeover bid. Serbian entrepreneur Nebojša Šaranović continued to buy Kraš’s stock last week. On Wednesday, his stake in Kraš reached 18.43 per cent. He needs 3,000 shares more to surpass KRAŠ-ESOP’s stake in Kraš.

Volkswagen

FACES FIRST LARGE LAWSUIT IN GERMANY

One of the biggest car companies in the world, Volkswagen will face a German court on 7th October, as hundreds of thousands of owners of manipulated diesel cars demand compensation four years after the country's largest post-war industrial scandal erupted. The first hearing in what is likely to be a grinding, years-long trial opens at 10 am in Brunswick, around 30 kilometres from VW headquarters in the northern city of Wolfsburg. Around 450,000 people have joined a first-of-its-kind grouped proceeding, introduced by lawmakers after the "dieselgate" emissions cheating scandal broke in 2015.

Adria Airways

BANKRUPTCY PROCEEDINGS IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS

Strapped for cash, Slovenian carrier Adria Airways suspended virtually all its flights from Ljubljana, PriĹĄtina and Tirana, causing frustration among passengers and prompting calls for help from the government. The latter is adamant not to give money to the company under the existing owner, German turnaround fund K4 Invest. Although the carrier has been beset by delays and cancellations for months, media reports suggested the decision to suspend operations from Ljubljana, PriĹĄtina and Tirana followed the expiry of

Adria officials' ultimatum to the government to provide a EUR 4 million loan guarantee. The carrier itself said it was busy looking for solutions together with a potential investor, but previous attempts to find a strategic partner failed or turned out to be merely preliminary talks with few if any prospects of succeeding. The decision to temporarily suspend operations came less than a week after two of Adria's leased aircraft were repossessed by their owner over unpaid debt. Media reports suggest Adria owes up to EUR 60 million in debt.

ECONOMY

Africa Unites!

Text: ŽELIMIR MARAŠ

Emerging giant

Africa is said to be the wealthiest continent, as well as „the continent of the future“. African national sports youth teams often win world cups in the junior categories, but, interestingly enough, adults never do. When Africa becomes rich, the senior teams will also start winning world championships and there will be no migrants. And we will be the ones to immigrate to Africa in search of jobs. Is that time close? Maybe it is. The historic agreement, because of which Gaddafi was overthrown and killed, was signed in July by a critical mass of states in Africa and is now operational. The free trade agreement, which abolishes most tariffs and trade barriers on the African continent, became a reality when 54 countries agreed to implement it. The process started quite some time ago, only to be expedited in 2018. At the 10th African Union Special Session on the AfCFTA (this is the official abbreviation of the agreement), three separate declarations were signed: the African Continental Free Trade Agreement, the Kigali Declaration and the Protocol on Free Movement of Persons. The latter is intended to establish visa-free movement within the zone, and to introduce an African Union

passport (you heard that right; not even the EU has such a passport). A total of 44 countries had signed up to join the AFCFTA, 47 had signed the Kigali Declaration, and 30 wants to have a joint passport and visa-free movement in Africa. Although the session was a success, Nigeria and South Africa, the two largest economies, did not sign. This is tantamount to Germany,

Given that most people in Africa have never had a landline phone, desktop computer, or even a laptop, but only a mobile phone, Africa has made incredible strides in m-payment. 90% of tariffs will be abolished over the next few years. As a result, African countries are expected to cease to be merely the raw material base on the back of which Western

IF YOU REACT TO SEEING SHIPS BRIMMING WITH BLACK ECONOMIC MIGRANTS TRYING TO REACH EUROPE'S SHORES - EITHER BECAUSE YOU FEEL SORRY FOR THEM OR DON'T WANT THEM IN EUROPE - THIS IS GREAT NEWS FOR YOU Italy or France not being in the EU. Still, overcoming the galimatias of Africa and its trade was imperative. Africa is divided into 8 separate free trade zones, each with its own rules. These organizations will continue to exist as coordinating bodies, and the 8 "blocks" will now make one "superblock". Recently, the African Union met in Niamey, Niger, and agreed to establish mechanisms to support the agreement, including a digital payment system to monitor product flow, tariffs and payment.

www.diplomacyandcommerce.hr

Europe and America will become rich, and will begin delivering the final products themselves. Why shouldn't we have chocolate from Africa, when cocoa comes from it!? A huge influx of foreign investments is also expected. As Benin and Nigeria (finally) became involved in the agreement, there are now 54 countries that have signed the agreement, with 27 countries ratifying the agreement by mid-July. Nigeria is by far the most important economy, with a population of 200 million, and far ahead of

the countries like Egypt. Therefore, Nigeria joining in was something like "an inverse African Brexit". The Secretariat will be headquartered in Ghana, which is investing $10 million to build the required infrastructure - in some ways Ghana will be the Brussels of this union. And imagine this: a red passport, with 5 languages on the cover (English, French, Portuguese, Swahili and Arabic) will allegedly be issued from 2020 and tariffs will also be abolished in July next year, just to give African countries a year to adapt to new circumstances and regulations. What fantastic news this is! The rise of the Third World, similar to that of Japan and then the "Asian Tigers" - Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia - back in the day, demonstrates that power is shifting or at least becoming more diffuse. With the BRICS countries, and the rise of China and India in particular, the world is becoming more interesting. If you react to seeing ships brimming with black economic migrants trying to reach Europe's shores - either because you feel sorry for them or don't want them in Europe - this is great news for you. It seems that they will soon decide to stay in Africa. It's Africa's time! Get ready for it.

COLUMN

REDESIGNING THE SYMBOLIC ROLE OF THE CORPORATE OFFICE Office as the status symbol is apparently fading in front of new requirements of Millennials, and Generation Z entering the workforce. Although, is that entirely true?

JAGODA POROPAT DARRER Business Communications Professional

As it is defined in Collins English Dictionary an office is a room or a part of a building where people work sitting at desks, and it is a department of an organization, especially the government, where people deal with a particular kind of administrative work. These lines will deal with the office as a status symbol and the role it has today with the changing organizational culture. Office symbolism has received a great deal of attention in human service administration as a variable that affects employee behavior and performance. Within an organizational study survey data were collected from 508 employees in a state human service agency in the United States. The results found that satisfaction with status symbols in an office setting seemed to have a significant influence on employee job satisfaction and perceived performance, even after controlling for traditional motivational variables such as satisfaction with pay and supervisory support. (Kim and Jung, 2015). There's no doubt that offices have political, symbolic and functional importance, but on the other hand there are findings that the office as the status symbol is over. According to Hickey, each generation has its own work tactics and culture, and corporations need to identify a corporate culture that all generations are comfortable with. For Millennials, that change has come with more open workspaces and work day structures that promote a healthy work/life balance, which is one of the most important

qualities to Millennials. Gen Z will have an even more extreme view on the workplace than the millennial generation. Once this group enters the workforce, it will be the most educated generation in history As a result; work place design has adapted smaller spaces with an average of 120 square feet per person and features like sharable desks, according to Bouza. “Workplace

an open workspace and hoteling for desks, but the most dramatic change is the implementation of teleworking. Employees can choose their own schedule and work from home (globest.com). Today open-plan offices and unassigned hot desks aim to flatten hierarchies and increase informality for many white collar workers (economist.com). The large office, like the factory, is an

ACCORDING TO HICKEY, EACH GENERATION HAS ITS OWN WORK TACTICS AND CULTURE, AND CORPORATIONS NEED TO IDENTIFY A CORPORATE CULTURE THAT ALL GENERATIONS ARE COMFORTABLE WITH design can help drive innovation. It is an investment in the individual.” Well-being design, which includes childcare and food options, and diversified group spaces for collaboration and innovation have become required amenities for workers and will be highly skilled. The new office has

invention of the past two centuries. The factory arose because of powered machinery, which required workers to be gathered in one place. Big offices grew from the need to process lots of paperwork, and for managers to instruct clerks on what to do. But now the internet, personal

computing and handheld devices mean that transactions can be dealt with on-screen and managers can instantly communicate with their workers, wherever they are (economist.com). Simon Henderson’s first decision after taking over as headmaster of Eton College was to move his office out of the labyrinthine, late-medieval center of the school and into a corporate bunker that has been appended (“insensitively”, as an architectural historian might say) to a Victorian teaching block. His vision was to make Eton mirror of modern society, diversifying its intake so that anyone “from a poor boy at a primary school in the north of England to one from a great fee-paying prep school in the south” can aspire to be educated there. Research confirms that the location and configuration of office space affects employee feeling and behavior (Barclay & York, 2001). Research also argues that office space should be designed according to these feelings and to satisfy employees' needs (Thiel, 1997). As stated by Davis (1984), a key advantage of physical variables is that they are observable, and thus manageable. A key question is what is it about a work environment that influences employees? A set of studies documented, for example, that “beautiful” rooms (as opposed to “ugly” rooms) have significantly different impact on people's perceptions and emotions for both short and long terms (Maslow & Mintz, 1972; Mintz, 1972). Nevertheless the business organizational culture trends office's size transmits economic wealth, success, status, position, and one’s place in the organization thus, remains the symbol of more or less power employee has within the corporation.

REPORTAGE

By: ROBERT ČOBAN

From Veli Lošinj to Standing in Front of a Firing Squad to Mexico to Manet’s Canvas The Experience of Lošinj on a bike

Veli Lošinj marina

It's not easy to get to Mali Lošinj. To reach Mali Lošinj, you need to pass Krk, then take the Valbinska - Merag ferry to Cres, which is a 15-minute journey. After driving for one hour around Cres, you will come to a bridge in Osor, which connects the island with the neighbouring Lošinj. The bridge is only ten meters long and is mobile, or rather it rotates. It opens twice a day so that sailboats and tall boats can pass, so make sure you avoid the time when this happens, which is at 9 a.m. and 5 in the afternoon. Another, simpler way to reach Lošinj is by a catamaran from Zadar or Pula, which sails three times a week and stops in Mali Lošinj. But it will be difficult to match the time of the catamaran’s departure to the flights from Belgrade to Zadar and Pula, which run the same several times a week. There is also a small airport near Mali Lošinj for small planes that can take up 17 passengers which services only three destinations - Zagreb, Lugano and Venice. Whichever travelling mode you pick to finally arrive in Mali Lošinj, you should definitely book a hotel room or a villa in the Čikat Bay. You will have a feeling that you have arrived in paradise.

Tourism in Mali Lošinj has a long history. The first guest was officially registered here on January 21st, 1885, and the first hotel on the island - the Vindobona - was opened two years later. Thanks to a local botanist and scientist, Ambroz Haračić, who presented his findings on the beneficial effects of the local climate

on lung diseases and allergies in Vienna, in 1892, the Austro-Hungarian authorities decided to declare Mali Lošinj an "air spa". Summer tourism flourished 12 years later when villas and hotels began to be built in the Čikat Bay, along with a 17-kilometre long pedestrian and bicycle path. Today, you can get from the Čikat Bay to

WHICHEVER TRAVELLING MODE YOU PICK TO FINALLY ARRIVE IN MALI LOŠINJ, YOU SHOULD DEFINITELY BOOK A HOTEL ROOM OR A VILLA IN THE ČIKAT BAY

Traces of the Austrian aristocracy: One of the villas from the early 20th century in the Čikat Bay in Mali Lošinj

www.diplomacyandcommerce.hr

Veli Lošinj on the other side of the island on foot or by bicycle by using a well-built concrete track that runs right along the coast, allowing you to dip in the sea wherever you want. From the Bellevue Hotel, where we stayed, the lovely villas belonging to the Austro-Hungarian aristocracy from the beginning of the 20th century are lined up on the left and right side of the Čikat Bay. The island was a part of the Venetian Republic until 1797. After the Republic was defeated by Napoleon and after the fall of the last Doge, Austria claimed the possession of the island. Mali Lošinj was under the Habsburg rule until 1918, when it was occupied by the Kingdom of Italy together with Istria and the surrounding islands. It was annexed to Yugoslavia and Croatia respectively only after the liberation of 1945, officially since 1947. Mali Lošinj experienced its peak in 1868 when the town had as many as 11 shipyards where the famous Lošinj sailboats were built. The merchant fleet here was the strongest out of all the Adriatic fleets, including that of Venice, Rijeka and Trieste. The invention of the steam engine led to the stagnation of the shipbuilding industry and

the emergence of Peronospora, a grapevine disease, which caused additional population displacement. As my bicycle jumps every single time it goes over the edges of the concrete slabs that make up the cycling path by the sea, I decide to continue in the direction of Veli Lošinj, which, although having the word “Veliki” (“Big”) in its name is actually smaller than Mali (Small) Lošinj. I intersect Mali Lošinj, climb the hill which features the church of Our Lady of Sorrows and descend the coast towards Veli Lošinj. After a half-hour drive, I see swimmers catching the last rays of the sun, some German women sunbathing topless, Italians noisily arguing with their children, and a little later, a place where passers-by, like in a pagan sanctuary, erected dozens of "towers" built of stones stacked on top of one another. I am amazed that no local drunks or hooligans have destroyed them as yet. Maybe there are no drunks or hooligans here. I reach the cape where the hotel and the Punta restaurant are situated. I was struck by the view of Veli Lošinj in front of me, which is one of the most beautiful small towns in the Mediterranean. The great Saint Antun the Abbot Church from 1774 dominates the harbour brimming with small boats. This is all reminiscent of the towns that make up Cinque Terre in Italy. I head down past the restaurants and pastry shops and secure my bicycle in front of the stairs leading to an impressive church that was also a cathedral in the early 19th century. For a long time, the seamen from Veli Lošinj have been donating valuable items to the church. Captain Gašpar Kraljeta was one of the more generous donors, known in Venice, at the time, as a great lover of art and an avid collector. He donated to the parish church, among other things, the marble altar of St. John with the rococo sculpture of Our Lady of the Rosary, the work of G. Bonac from the late 17th century, as well as the particularly valuable painting of the Virgin Mary with the Saints by Bartolomeo Vivarini from 1475. Locals have been buried in and around the church for centuries. It has been estimated that about 20,000 people are buried there. You can just about see the top of a medieval tower behind the roof of one of the houses in a small

town square. It is a fortress from the 15th century, from the first decades of Venetian rule on the east coast of the Adriatic Sea. The tower protected the harbour for years and shielded the town from the attacks. It lost its defensive significance in the 19th century and is almost surrounded by houses around the square. Today, there is a museum here, in which I saw some pretty interesting things in addition to enjoying a great view of the harbour and the church from the top of the building. One of these interesting things is a photo of Ferdinand Maximilian Habsburg and his wife Carlota. Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian, the younger brother of Emperor Francis Joseph, visited Veli Lošinj in 1856 as the commander-in-chief of the Austrian Navy, and laid the foundation for a breakwater at the entrance to the

town. Eleven years later, in 1867, as a result of a bizarre and tragic set of circumstances, at the age of 34, he found himself in front of a firing squad as the Emperor of Mexico. He was killed and his murder was depicted by the famous French Impressionist Manet in several paintings. Ferdinand’s wife Carlota, the daughter of the King of Belgium, died 60 years later, in 1927. They built the famous Miramare Castle near Trieste, where she was informed of Maximilian's death. The tower also contains interesting photographs and graphics of sailboats built in the shipyards here, pictures of famous captains and sailors from Lošinj, as well as the piano belonging to the popular doctor, Ana Jakša (age 96), born in Osijek, who temporarily had worked as a doctor and later as the director of the Children's Hospital in Lošinj, from 1925 until her

Apoxyomenos in the location where it rested for over 2,000 years

MALI LOŠINJ EXPERIENCED ITS PEAK IN 1868 WHEN THE TOWN HAD AS MANY AS 11 SHIPYARDS WHERE THE FAMOUS LOŠINJ SAILBOATS WERE BUILT

Maximilian and Carlota Habsburg

Exhibition dedicated to one sculpture: The Apoxyomenos Museum

death in 1988. Another museum, the one located on the Mali Lošinj waterfront, is certainly one of the best and most original themed museums in the world. It is a museum dedicated to one thing - the sculpture of Apoxyomenos from ancient Greece. In 1996, a Belgian tourist Rene Vouters discovered the statue near the island of Vele Orjule, resting on the sandy sea bottom between two rocks, at the depth of about 45 metres. The finding was reported to the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Croatia only in 1998, and divers of the Special Police and experts from the Ministry of Culture and the Archaeological Museum in Zadar brought the statue to the surface on April 27, 1999. The museum comprises of several fantastic segments - the Black Room (which shows how the statue was discovered) and which temperature and interior are very much like the place where Apoxyomenos lay for two millennia, the Yellow Room (contains press clippings about the statue from the domestic and foreign print media), the Colorful Room (with a cinema surrounded with seafood-themed tapestry wherever you look which screens a half-hour long documentary film dedicated to the discovery of Apoxyomenos’ statue) and the Olive Passage which leads to the White Room. There, under the watchful eye of a security guy, you can see the statue of Apoxyomenos, a Greek athlete who is wiping a layer of oil, dust and sweat off his body after exercising. This motif was very common in ancient Greece. The statue has been in the sea near Lošinj for over 2,000 years and has been exhibited in this special museum in Mali Lošinj since 2016. As the curator told me, this exhibition will be part of the Rijeka - European Capital of Culture 2020 programme. Lošinj's Apoxyomenos Museum is also the recipient of the EU's Europa Nostra Award in 2006 for the preservation of cultural heritage. I would warmly recommend to all architects, museologists and people working on preserving cultural heritage to come to the Apoxyomenos Museum and see for themselves how Idis Turato and Saša Randić have created an exciting setting by preserving the exterior of the Kvarner Palace from the 19th century and transforming the interior into a spectacular museum space.

Museum for True Artistic Enjoyment The Mimara Museum undoubtedly occupies one of the central places in the cultural life of Zagreb and Croatia. It is a must-see place for anyone who truly wants to be familiar with the abundance of important heritage and contemporary art trends LADA RATKOVIĆ-BUKOVČAN Director of the Mimara Museum

The Mimara Museum's programme is full until the spring of 2021. Is there a better recommendation to visit the museum than this one? It's not an easy task for Lada Ratković-Bukovčan, director of the Mimara Museum, to count every item worth seeing in this museum because, in more than three decades of the Museum's operations, its collection has greatly expanded. Ante Topić Mimara, painter, restorer, passionate collector and donor without whom there would be no Mimara Museum, said that he "lives with objects, has fun and plays with them". What do you think of the Mimara Museum considering you have been working here since the beginning of your career?

What magical properties does it possess?

— Indeed, donor Ante Topić Mimara used to call the artwork in his collection his "children" and treated them with love and loyalty. For years, he came almost every day to the premises that would

ering something new about the particular items gives me pleasure and stimulates my creative curiosity to this day. Furthermore, during the 32 years of its operations, the Mimara Museum has branched out and has been home to numerous cultural events which, each in

THE AWARENESS OF THE BEAUTY AND IMPORTANCE OF THE MUSEUM’S COLLECTION HAS BEEN A PART OF ME ALL THESE DECADES, AS IT GIVES ME PLEASURE AND STIMULATES MY CREATIVE CURIOSITY TO THIS DAY. I BELIEVE THE SAME APPLIES TO OUR VISITORS house the future Museum and spent hours with us. He used to tell us that the work on his collection was a life-long work. And, indeed, the awareness of the beauty and importance of the Museum’s collection has been a part of me all these decades, while exploring, learning about and always discov-

www.diplomacyandcommerce.hr

their own way, enriched my work and that of my colleagues through great encounters with top-notch art. We are pleased to say that the vision that Ante Topić Mimara had for the Museum is source of enjoyment for professionals and visitors alike. The young generations and their "learning" through

the exhibited items gave him a particular joy. You have co-authored the concept and scenario of the Museum's permanent exhibition. What do you consider to be the biggest gem in the Museum; something that local and foreign visitors simply must see?

— I always underline that the thing that makes the Mimara Museum so unique and such a must-see centre of culture is the diversity and comprehensiveness of its collection. Of course, each of the individual collections has their own masterpieces - Beccafumi's “Virgin with the Child”; Rubens’ portrait of his son Nicolas; English Gothic horn made from walrus tusk; Renaissance Murano glass bowl; Chinese porcelain, etc. To clarify my position on the importance of the entire collection, I constantly highlight the features of the entire collection. The represented scale of artwork

Photos: Luka Mjeda

INTERVIEW

makes it possible for us to analyze and process the items from ancient civilizations to the items from the late 19th century while presenting around 3,750 items found in the World Heritage Sites. The museum's permanent exhibition also features a collection from ancient civilizations, European sculptures, ivory, the Far East art, Egyptian plastic, Greek pottery, vessels and sculptures, as well as objects for daily use and the sculptures that were made on the vast territory of the Roman Empire. There are also Romanesque and Gothic statues of Virgin Mary made from polychrome wood from German and French workshops, Renaissance sculptures by masters from Florence and Padua; Gothic hunters horn made from walrus tusk, carved ivory objects from the 17th century and many others. The abundant collection of paintings comprises artwork by Italian, Flemish, Dutch, Spanish and French masters, workshops and schools dating from the early Middle Ages to the very end of the 19th century. Lorenzetti, Beccafumi, Rubens, Ruisdael, Holbein, Manet, along with many other painters, lead us through the artistic achievements of Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo and Romanticism. They are joined by a vast collection of icons and drawings and graphics. Over a thousand objects of applied art, that come from the same period and in great numbers, have been sorted out into several collections. There is the collection of glass, furniture, textiles and oriental rugs, European porcelain and earthenware, as well as metals and other materials. These are great starting points for the journey into the intoxicating world of beauty, art and depictions of life in ancient times. What position does the Museum occupy in both Zagreb’s and Croatia’s cultural offer?

— The Mimara Museum undoubtedly occupies one of the central places in the cultural life of Zagreb and Croatia. The core activity of the Muse-

WE WILL END THIS YEAR WITH EXCELLENT EXHIBITIONS BY ZLATKO GLAMOČAK AND IRIS DVORNIK, WHILE I RECOMMEND THE EXHIBITION OF THE VIENNESE PORCELAIN BY THE MARTON COLLECTION IN FEBRUARY 2020

Museum’s collection while expanding their understanding of individual segments. The same will take place in January and February 2020. There is the Night of Museums event that takes place every year, during the last weekend in January (about 10,000 people visit the Museum that night). During the Night of Museums, we honour the theme set for that year for Croatia and stage a series of exhibitions, with a dominant exhibition from our collection. Of course, the duration of theses exhibitions extend beyond that day alone and they could last for several months. Contemporary art exhibitions are also being staged such as an exhibition by the eminent painter Emil R. Tanay. I would also like to single out the exhibition of the Viennese porcelain by the Marton Collection in February 2020. We will end this year with excellent exhibitions by Zlatko Glamočak and Iris Dvornik. How difficult is to find funding for culture today?

— We submit our projects and investment requirements to the Ministry of Culture and the City of Zagreb every year. Once the relevant competition is over, we implement the planned projects in a very precise and rational manner. Marketing activities play an increasingly important role in their implementation which through different segments (sponsorships and such) ensure project implementation.

um is based both on its collection and its presentation through exhibitions and publications, as well as on numerous exhibitions and events promoting contemporary and international art. It would not be an overstatement to say that the Mimara Museum is a must-see place for anyone who truly wants to be familiar with the abundance of local heritage and contemporary art trends. Perhaps the best thing that demonstrates

the importance of this museum is the fact that our programme is full until the spring of 2021. How do the Museum’s exhibitions and programme correspond with the permanent setting? Which of this year and early next year’s exhibitions would you recommend to the public?

— Each year, curators prepare exhibitions of the items from the

How much does the fact that you can use European funds impact the plans for the extension of the Museum building and the modernization of the Museum?

— We are conducting analysis and preparing a comprehensive project which entails various interventions that will secure a safe future and proper representation of all of the Museum segments in this building that was built in 1895 and adapted for the needs of the Museum in 1987. The endeavour of this scale can be executed only with the help of the EU funds.

YOUNG PEOPLE CONTINUE TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE FUTURE OF OUR MUSEUM The launch of the Mimara Museum was marked by the enthusiastic work of young people, including yourself. How much fervour do young curators have today and what can you offer them? — The museum provides this generation of curators with the same inexhaustible field of research,

scientific and educational work as it did to my generation. Moreover, new technologies and advanced work opportunities ensure a more accessible, closer and sustained contact with global trends in culture. I am confident that my younger colleagues will write many more successful pages in the future.

SOCIETY

Greta's Battle

Quixotic and brave or staged and manipulated by?

Recently, a young, 16-year-old Swede with Asperger's Syndrome, Greta Thunberg, appeared across the media, and in Lisa Simpson-like angry and focused manner (typical of people with this disorder) taught a lesson to world leaders and capitalists at the UN. And just when the message seemed to be the understood by the most prominent people in this world (Barack Obama and Justin Trudeau received it), a backlash began - the girl was manipulated, supported by a powerful lobby seeking to reshape the world economy by dominating in turning technologies around the world „green“, a puppet in the hands of the same rich men who used to be champions of pollution and wealth-generating and will now impose on the world standards through which they

will again squeeze out less rich countries from the market and lick the cream off the cake, so to speak, thus deepening the gap between the rich (themselves) and the poor (who will pay taxes for "non-green business"). THE BACKLASH

And then an even worse backlash happened – „Greta is not a pretty girl“, „You can see that she is sick“. Her angry facial expres-

all getting even richer, China, India and Africa must be allowed to pollute as much as the West in the 19th century, so that when they reach the Western living standard, they can go green. On the other hand, some would continue to massively use fossil fuels, oil lobbies and all other dirty industries, like those gathered around Trump and those who portray Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez's "Green New Deal" as the Devil

THE TROUBLE IS THAT VERY FEW PEOPLE BELIEVE ANY FORM PASSIONATE ADVOCACY, SO POOR GRETA RECEIVED A BACKLASH BIG TIME sions were even made into memes in which she sings the Swedish death metal, and which quote her („my dreams are destroyed“) next to the image of children slaving in Africa, fighting in Yemen and fleeing destroyed houses in Syria. Even Putin went as far as to explain him being unimpressed with her activism. She then quoted Putin on her Twitter profile, describing herself as „kind put poorly informed girl“. With all due respect to the lobbies that are backing her up, shouldn't we pay attention to this girl's message? It is odd to see that both anti-globalists and those who advocate dirty industries are against Greta. Namely, the former says that besides the aforementioned

www.diplomacyandcommerce.hr

personified. And finally, there are Russia and other oil and gas producers, who fear that "going green" will be politically motivated so that oil and gas producers are expelled from the world scene, again for the benefit of the wealthiest who can afford 100% renewable energy.

THE DISBELIEF IN PASSION

The trouble is that very few people believe any form passionate advocacy, so poor Greta received a backlash big time. I had rather big quarrels about us listening to her message because climate change does exist. But the majority of people we just like "which lobby is backing her up?", thus obscuring the basic message. She was pushed by the Swedes and the West as a good messenger (autistic, female, young, from the non-religious ecological country, etc.) but it turned out that the rest of the world did not take her world seriously, exactly for the same reasons - she seems fabricated. And I stopped arguing since now the more she is talking about it, the more people are focusing on the lobbies behind her. We will once again forget about the message and fight for the wrong reasons. Stay observant and careful about the lobbies behind anything, but for Christ’s sake, save the planet, it is the only one we have. It’s not like in the Star Trek! There is no Planet B!

DO NOT SHOOT THE MESSENGER So, we agreed not to listen to little Greta because she is “ugly”, autistic, rich and manipulated, and is backed by Soros, Clinton, Rockefeller, Rothschild, Bilderberg, Masons and perhaps, the aliens. The rainfall today is the unmistakable proof that climate change does not exist and that autumn is coming just when it should. Why are you crying out there is global warming when everything is OK. C’mon, seriously? Pay attention to the message, don’t shoot the messenger. Or, if you want to shoot the messenger, find one word in her speech where she was wrong.

CULTURE NEWS

World Theatre Festival The World Theater Festival took place at the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb and featured three productions by leading European theatre directors. The first play that took to the stage was "Breaking the Waves" by Luxembourg City Theatre, directed by Myriam Muller and based on the film directed by Lars von Trier. On Tuesday, 1st October, the play "Enemy of the

People" was performed by the Schaubühne Berlin Theatre from Germany, directed by the long-standing of the Festival, Thomas Ostermeier. The next day, 2nd October, the audiences were able to see the performance by the Nachlass Theatre Company in the play “The Rimini Protocol", produced by one of the leading Swiss theatres, the Théâtre Vidy-Lausanne.

THE DAY OF OPEN REPUBLIC OF CROATIA SQUARE

DANCE INN AUTUMN CONTEMPORARY DANCE FESTIVAL IN ZAGREB'S LAUBA The Open Square Day, an event that the Croatian National Theatre from Zagreb has been organizing for six consecutive years, will take place in seven institutions located in the Republic of Croatia Square this year. Along with the Croatian National Theatre, the University of Zagreb also takes parts in this event, i.e. its Academy of Dramatic Arts and Music Academy, as well as the Croatian Lado Folk Dance and Song Ensemble, Croatian School Museum, School of Applied Arts and Design, Museum of Arts and Crafts, and the host City of Zagreb. Lea Anastazija Fleger and Hrvoje Korbar are the authors of the 2019 Open Square Day programme.

A solo performance of "Ecce (H)ommo" dedicated to dancer and choreographer Dora Hoyer has officially opened the Dance Inn Autumn Contemporary Dance Pop-Up Festival in Zagreb's Lauba. The festival, organized by the de facto Theater Group, took place on 28th and 29th September, after a successful collaboration with the French Institute and Gliptotheque HAZU in the spring. Dance Inn was created in 2017 as a new festival concept in Croatia, which aims to present the works of various artists in the field of contemporary dance. The Festival takes place at rather unconventional places, galleries, cafes, cultural centres and folk dance venues.

CULTURE NEWS

MARINA ABRAMOVIC’S EXHIBITION IN BELGRADE A retrospective exhibition called "The Cleaner" by the world-renowned conceptual artist Marina Abramovic has opened at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Belgrade and marks an emotional comeback to her home town. Abramovic became globally famous for radical performances during which she fell unconscious, cut herself with knives, and spent months walking, together with artist Ulay, up and down the Chinese Wall. The Cleaner exhibition rounds off her artistic journey. Abramovic received her Master's degree in Zagreb under the mentorship of Krsto Hegedušić and Tomislav Gotovac who revealed many important works of art to her. The Belgrade exhibition is the last stop on Abramovic’s European tour.

ZAGREB-BASED STUDIO 'DVA ARHITEKTA' RECIPIENTS OF PRESTIGIOUS US AWARD

The Zagreb-based architectural studio 'Two Architects' (Dva Arhitekta) is the recipient of the prestigious American Architecture MasterPrize 2019 Award for the Galić Winery project in Kutjevo, competing with the top-notch architectural companies from 65 countries in the industrial architecture category. The 'Two Architects' studio, led by Zoran Zidarić and Tomislav Ćurković, has already won the renowned Vladimir Nazor Award in Croatia and the international BIG SEE Architecture Award this year. Their simple and clear architectural design is inspired by traditional wine cellars and indigenous farmhouses. The award ceremony was held in the unique ambience of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao.

ZAGREB HAS A NEW FILM FESTIVAL The Zagreb Design, Art & Architecture Film Festival is a new international film festival dedicated to design, art and architecture. The Festival featured films about Peter Lindbergh, Renzo Piano, Marcel Duchamp, Kevyn Aucoin and Etgar Keret which were screened from 8th to 12th October at Dokukino KIC. The DA2 Film Festival is the first festival in the region that brings together films in the fields of design, architecture and art, and its opening, on 8th October, was held in conjunction with the prestigious Milan Design Film Festival.

www.diplomacyandcommerce.hr

EUROPEAN HERITAGE DAYS: FROM THE REVERSE CLASSROOM TO THE 'ESCAPE ROOM' Traditionally, 'The European Heritage Days' are held in September and October in Croatia. This year, the central theme is 'Arts and Entertainment: Heritage in the Spotlight'. The main event was held in Lepoglava at the 23rd International Lace Festival. On the occasion, the Croatian Culture Minister, Obuljen Koržinek said that the central theme of the Lepoglava Festival - 'Magical Royal Lace' - brings the heritage, traditional know-how and skills closer to people in an interesting and interactive way, especially to children and young people.