Diplomacy&Commerce 40

April/May 2022 | ISSUE No. 40 | FREE COPY

07 APR

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CRISIS TIME STRENGTHENS EUROPEAN UNITY

U.S.-CROATIA FORUM

GORDAN GRLIĆ RADMAN

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs

INCREASING FOOD SOVEREIGNTY MLADEN JAKOPOVIĆ

President of the Croatian Chamber of Agriculture

30 YEARS OF PARTNERSHIP

THERE IS NO TIME TO LOSE BUJAR OSMANI

H.E. NICOLAAS BUYCK

Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of North Macedonia

Ambassador of Belgium to Croatia

ALBERTINA MODERN:

AI WEIWEI IN SEARCH OF HUMANITY

S P E C I A L

North

E D I T I ON

Macedonia FOCUS ON

H.E. MILAIM FETAI Ambassador of the Republic of North Macedonia to the Republic of Croatia

The Henokiens FOLLOW US TO STAY UPDATED

WEBSITE

FACEBOOK

BOBAN SPASOJEVIĆ

Magazine Director Croatia Editor in Chief

the Bible, lived 365 years (his son, Metusalem, had an even longer life – according to the legend, he lived for 969 years).

The association was established

by Marie Brizard in 1981, and at first it had only four members from France, while today it counts 47 members – all from Europe and Japan. The oldest company owned by a single family is the Japanese Hoshi Ryokan, established in 717, and the “youngest” member is the Austrian jewelers “A. E. Köchert” (established in 1814).

My interlocutor learnt about this association when the head and member of the 14th generation of the Italian Beretta family, the famous Italian

weapons manufacturers (established in 1526) told him that there was a meeting that was more important than a meeting with the head of a certain state. It turned out that Hugo Beretta was going to the Henokiens Annual Congress.

They say that in our region only 22% of family companies survive the transition from the 1st to the 2nd generation. Less than 1% reaches the 3rd generation. If we set aside the revolutions, wars and nationalizations – this is just a matter of our mentality.

What do you think, when will someone from Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia Herzegovina, or even Slovenia, enter The Henokiens club?

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boban@diplomacy andcommerce.hr

ILIJA PETROVIĆ INDIGOCHILD

Art director indigochild.ilija@gmail.com

ALEKSANDAR KOSTIĆ

Designer designamites@gmail.com

ROBERT ČOBAN

Director Photos GETTY IMAGES TOMISLAV SMOLJANOVIĆ

Translation GORANKA MILOŠEVIĆ

Predstavnik za RH

FOREWORD

ROBERT ČOBAN Director

t dinner after the opening of the Venice Biennale, inspired by the fact that every house in Venice is three or more centuries old, a diplomat told us an interesting story. It was about an association called The Henokiens (French: Les Hénokiens) which gathers companies owned and managed by the same family for over 200 years. The association was named after Enoch, a patriarch mentioned in the Old Testament, who, according to

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CONTENTS

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REDEFINING RELATIONSHIPS “UNDER THE RADAR” (USA AND CHINA) BOBAN SPASOJEVIĆ Magazine director and Editor-in-chief

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CRISIS TIME STRENGTHENS EUROPEAN UNITY ”Color Media Communications” LTD, 21132 Petrovaradin, Štrosmajerova 3 TIN 107871532 Matriculation number 20887303 Phone: +381 21 4897 100 Fax: +381 21 4897 126 Office: Vase Čarapića 3/IV/38, Belgrade Phone: 011 4044 960

MLADEN JAKOPOVIĆ President of the Croatian Chamber of Agriculture

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TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT CONTRACT SANJA NEVEŠĆANIN MATEŠA

GORDAN GRLIĆ RADMAN

Attorney, Law Firm Mateša & Kapitan d.o.o.

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs

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U.S.-CROATIA FORUM 30th Anniversary of U.S.-Croatia Ties CIP - Katalogizacija u publikaciji Biblioteke Matice Srpske, Novi Sad 33 Diplomacy & Commerce / glavni i odgovorni urednik Žikica Milošević, 2016, br. 1 (mart)-.Novi Sad: Color Media Communications, 2016 - , -33cm Mesečno.

ISSN 2466-3808 = Diplomacy & Commerce COBISS.SR-ID 303269895

INCREASING FOOD SOVEREIGNTY

EXCEPTIONAL RESILIENCE OF THE REAL ESTATE MARKET PREDRAG TUTIĆ MRICS, Country Manager, CBS International

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H.E. NICOLAAS BUYCK

BUJAR OSMANI

30 YEARS OF PARTNERSHIP Ambassador of Belgium to Croatia

THERE IS NO TIME TO LOSE Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of North Macedonia

FRIENDSHIP AND GROWING COOPERATION H.E. MILAIM FETAI Ambassador of the Republic of North Macedonia to the Republic of Croatia

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STRENGTHENING ECONOMIC COOPERATION IVO USMIANI President of the Macedonian-Croatian Business Club

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BUSINESS CLUB FOR HIGHER GROWTH VITO MITROVSKI Secretary of the Macedonian-Croatian Business Club

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COLUMN

Redefining Relationships “Under The Radar” (Usa And China) Do we have the draft of a new world order, and where is Europe in this picture?

BOBAN SPASOJEVIĆ Magazine director and Editor-in-chief

nsiders say they expected it, but they don’t say when, and for those uninformed, Russia’s aggression against Ukraine happened overnight. Or maybe not if we take into consideration everything that happened since 2014, the annexation of Crimea, and finally the secession of Luhansk and Donetsk in the east of that country. And while a fratricidal war is raging on the first line of separation between the West (USA and EU) and Russia, the number of refugees is increasing, the infrastructure is being destroyed and it will take billions and years to rebuild, in the background, "under the radar", global relations between forces are being redefined and Washington is trying to establish itself as the sole master of the world, despite the pretensions of Beijing, as well as Moscow (which we see every day in Ukraine) to get "their piece of the pie."

The United States is trying to restore its reputation as a global superpower, to become the leader of the Western anti-Putin coalition, and has launched a diplomatic offensive against China where the US want to play by its own rules (but it takes two to tango) with the phrase "either you are with us or against us".

At the end of last year, we analyzed the relations between the US and China, now overshadowed by the war in Ukraine, in the magazine Svijet u 2022.

Over the past five years, relations between the global superpower and its Asian challenger deteriorated in a way that indicates that few are paying enough attention to history. Under Xi Jin-

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ping, China became more aggressively assertive abroad and more authoritarian at home. Under Trump, and now under Biden, the US politics towards China shifted from hybristic belief that China could be integrated into the existing world order led by the Americans into something closer to paranoid restraint, marked by suspicion of China’s intentions and by the frightening bipartisan consensus that America’s global supremacy is in jeopardy. Biden has already described it this way, stating that Western democracies are

"competing" with autocratic governments over which system works better in a rapidly changing 21st century (we could also connect this to events in Ukraine to some extent and the attitude towards Putin).

To Xi Jinping, the frame is similar and the evidence is irrefutable: collective state control, as he like to point out, is obviously more superior in comparison to dysfunctional Western democracy. “The East is rising, and the West is declining”, as the Chinese officials like to say. The observers of Chi-

IN A DEEPLY DIVIDED US, ONE OF THE FEW AREAS THE TWO PARTIES AGREE ON IS THE SHARP ATTITUDE TOWARDS CHINA. BIDEN WON’T RISK BEING ATTACKED BY THE REPUBLICANS ACCUSING HIM OF BECOMING SOFT BY MAKING DEALS, NO MATTER HOW REASONABLE THEY ARE

na have been worried for years about the consequences of slowing the huge real estate boom and the staggering level of debt that accompanies it. The crisis in Evergrande, a large real estate company, indicates that this tricky transition is finally underway. Slower growth in China would cast a shadow over the global economy.

In a deeply divided US, one of the few areas the two parties agree on is the sharp attitude towards China. Biden won’t risk being attacked by the Republicans accusing him of becoming soft by making deals, no matter how reasonable they are. And China, which sees Biden as a transitional figure in a dysfunctional democracy, will most probably strengthen its nationalistic propaganda to divert attention from domestic economic weakness.

Who has “bigger muscles” – we might learn this even faster than expected in light of the war in Ukraine, because I wouldn’t neglect the new circumstances where Russia and China are connecting to form a new block, especially now that Moscow is facing the strictest sanctions in the last 30 years.

We shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that various turmoils are happening on a global level, there are elections that will have an impact, if not globally then at least regionally, but in term of influence of great forces. March is the month when the Chief Executive of Hong Kong is "elected" in a committee dominated by pro-Chinese votes.

Elections are also being held in South Korea (zone of interest of both China and the United States).

Elections are also taking place in a country in the Middle East, Lebanon, where seats are allocated according to religion. In my next column in April, I will discuss the elections in France and their impact on global, but above all European events.

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INTERVIEW

Crisis Time Strengthens European Unity

Photo: ­Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs

Croatia continues to provide support and assistance to Ukraine, including by hosting Ukrainian refugees

GORDAN GRLIĆ RADMAN Minister of Foreign and European Affairs

he war in Ukraine has fundamentally shaken the order we have known for the last 30 years. Croatia, as a member of the EU and NATO, with its allies, helps Ukraine and Ukrainians to win in this war.

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman talks to Diplomacy & Commerce about the consequences of the war on Croatia, the region, defense plans within the EU and other current topics.

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What is Croatia doing to assist Ukraine in the context of Russian aggression?

— Croatia continues to provide support and assistance to Ukraine, including by hosting Ukrainian refugees. So far, we have received over 13.000 Ukrainian citizens fleeing war, whose number is con-

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tinuously increasing. We are providing them with full package of socio-economic care, and are taking efforts to integrate them into Croatian labor market. The Government has recently pledged further 100 million euros for assistance to refugees in Croatia as part of the Global Citizen – Stand for Ukraine initiative. This complements the financial and in-kind

which have been adopted thus far.

We welcome Ukraine's EU membership application and support the country's European path.

Croatia continues to condemn Russia's aggression on Ukraine and calls for urgent cessation of all military activities as well the withdrawal of Russian troops from the entire territory of Ukraine. We have supported

CROATIA HAVE RECEIVED OVER 13.000 UKRAINIAN CITIZENS FLEEING WAR, WHOSE NUMBER IS CONTINUOUSLY INCREASING humanitarian donations that we have sent to Ukraine since the beginning of the war.

We have also shown our solidarity through supporting EU assistance measures to Ukraine and five EU packages of restrictive measures on Russia and Belarus,

the joint EU engagement in support of Ukraine in the multilateral fora as well as the investigation of war crimes committed in Ukraine, hoping that perpetrators will be brought to justice.

The document "Strategic Com-

pass" was adopted in Brussels, which implies the establishment of an EU army of 5,000 troops by 2025. Has the war in Ukraine accelerated this process and how will it affect Croatia?

What role does NATO remain in that situation?

— Agreeing on the development of the Rapid Deployment Capacity is an important decision by the EU Member States and one of the main deliverables of the Strategic Compass.

It needs to be clear that this is not about creating a „European army“. Member States have and will continue to have their own armed forces. That is how NATO works as well - there is no NATO army, but Member States' forces that operate under NATO command for a certain period of time.

As Europeans, we need to be able to work more closely together, in military matters just as much as in other areas. We need to be able to respond to imminent

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threats and to quickly react to stabilize a crisis, especially in our neighborhood. This is why reinforcing our military capability is necessary.

Implementing the Strategic Compass is a process that is just beginning. The deteriorating security environment is surely an incentive to move forward quickly. Member States, including Croatia, will discuss specific details of different strands of the Strategic Compass implementation.

This includes the modalities of the RDC deployment and Member States’ engagement. While doing that, it will be important to ensure complementarity with NATO, to which the majority of EU Member States contribute with their forces and which represents a cornerstone of the collective defense in Europe.

The document "Strategic Compass" also mentions Bosnia and Herzegovina and the constituency of the three nations. What exactly does this mean and why is it important?

— The inclusion of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Strategic Compass shows the attention the EU gives to the current situation in the country. This was the result of continuous efforts of our Government to put the Western Balkans in general and Bosnia and Herzegovina in particular high on EU’s agenda. Now, it is necessary to use the “Compass” as a guide on the ground in order to succeed in attaining a secure, functional and prosperous Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Strategic Compass is an important step for the Union in its posture on the global scene. The document and ambition of the

this strategic importance of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

STRATEGIC COMPASS IS NOT ABOUT CREATING A „EUROPEAN ARMY“. EU MEMBER STATES HAVE AND WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE THEIR OWN ARMED FORCES Compass goes beyond the neighborhood and looks at the bigger picture. Croatia reiterates that a stable BiH based on the Dayton Accords, including the three constituent people, is vital to achieve security, stability and functionality. Hence, mentioning the three constituent people in the final document is a strong message towards those in Bosnia and Herzegovina who seek to change these fundamental principles of the Dayton-Paris Peace Accords.

Croatia showed the willingness to be a strong advocate of BiH at the highest EU level. No coun-

try is more interested for a stable and functional BiH than Croatia.

We are a well-intended friend that wants to help BiH to turn the page in order to focus on economic, energy and infrastructural projects.

For instance, the Southern Interconnection Project would establish a new supply route for BiH, by linking BiH to the LNG Terminal on the Island of Krk, as well as reducing its dependency on Russian gas. Thus, the inclusion of BiH in the Strategic Compass has a broader geopolitical scope. Hence, we are glad that our fellow EU Member States have recognized

Recently, after many years of waiting, Croatia received an invitation to start negotiations with the OECD. What does this mean for Croatia, what do you expect from the next period regarding the negotiation process?

— Croatia received the invitation to start the accession discussions with the OECD on 25 January 2022.

The Accession Roadmap, which will be prepared for Croatia by the OECD, will set out the terms and conditions of the negotiation process. After the adoption of the Accession Roadmap, the official start of negotiations will be marked in Croatia in form of a kick-off mission.

The negotiation process for the membership in the OECD will involve in-depth technical reviews of Croatia’s alignment to the legal instruments, policies and standards of the Organization, which will be achieved in close cooperation with the OECD. The reviews typically result in recommendations for changes to bring the country’s legislation, policies or practices closer to OECD instruments and best practices.

In order to better and more efficiently coordinate state administrative bodies during the accession process, the Government of Croatia established a Negotiating team for the accession with all relevant ministries and institutions included in its work. Coordination of the Negotiation team is within the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and myself as the Chief negotiator for Croatia’s accession to the OECD.

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CROATIA RECEIVED THE INVITATION TO START THE ACCESSION DISCUSSIONS WITH THE OECD ON 25 JANUARY 2022 sentatives. Without a reform, BiH is violating the European Convention on Human Rights and its own Constitution and Croats would again be denied their democratic right to elect those that they want.

This takes the country into uncharted waters.

The EU and US should continue their engagement with local

stakeholders and reinvigorate the talks between Bosniak and Croat leaders. Luckily, there is still some time left.

Will the EU speed up the process of accession of the Western Balkan countries to the Union and in what way, apart from declarative support?

— Croatia as country with EU’s longest external border has a vital interest to integrate and transform the countries of its Southeastern neighborhood. However, membership in the EU should not be the only goal, but also the transformative process.

Croatia went through a very challenging negotiation process, but it helped us to be who we are today. We are a functioning and stable democracy that diligently works on its economic development and plays a constructive role in European and international fora, closely aligned with our partners. Therefore, the countries of the Western Balkans deserve also this chance and to be a success story like Croatia is.

Yet, it is not a two-way street.

Both sides need to deliver. The key is that the EU delivers when these countries do their homework.

Thus, for EU’s influence in the region it is of crucial importance to immediately open accession talks with Albania and North Macedonia, but also with Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo. All these countries are an integral part of Europe and deserve a European future and Croatia will continue to support them.

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SU N B O S W C ! RI B E

You have warned several times about the possibility of further destabilization of the Western Balkans (Bosnia and Herzegovina) , due to the war in Ukraine.

How do you think that destabilization can happen, what is Zagreb doing on that issue, and how far has it come with the reform of the election law, which is still a stumbling block in the relations between Bosniaks and Croats?

— Against the backdrop of the Russian aggression in Ukraine, it is vital to not allow malign forces to destabilize BiH and use petty politics inside BiH to plant seeds of instability. Therefore, we call on all parties in Bosnia and Herzegovina to continue their efforts to reach a political compromise on the Election Law. It is crucial to renew trust between Bosniaks and Croats in order to stabilize the Federation of BiH and make it the backbone of the country - as it was during the Homeland War and needs to be in the future.

Crucial for that is the change of the Election Law so that all citizens and each of the three constituent peoples, especially the Croats, can be legitimately represented and elect their own repre-

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INTERESTING FACTS

We Are All One! he war in Ukraine drew the world's attention to this country and its linguistic, ethnic, and religious diversity, focusing on a lesser-known (outside Serbia) religion, Greek Catholicism, which dominates western Ukraine. Lviv is the world centre of Greek Catholicism, which we can describe as "Orthodoxy with the primacy of the Pope" or "Catholicism of the Eastern Rite", depending on how you look at things. There are a few other countries that are far from religious uniformity like Switzerland, where the Roman Catholic faith and various Protestant denominations blended harmoniously. Geneva is home to Calvinism, which had successfully spread to places such as Scotland, eastern Hungary, and France. The Holocaust and Aliyah (travelling to the land of Israel) reduced the once-powerful Judaism to mere traces, the Spanish Reconquista pushed Sunni Islam to Africa in 1492, and the anti-Ottoman "Reconquista" once deprived the vast Balkans, Caucasus and Ukraine of Sunni majorities, except for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Bulgaria. Europe also has a Buddhist region – Kalmykia – which is located in Russia. It seems that, looking at the map, Max Weber was right - Protestant countries are the wealthiest and have the mildest religious fervour. Except in Ulster, of course. Is faith important to you too? If so, don't forget - we are all one - humans!

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FORUM

U.S.-Croatia Forum Photos: US Embassy Zagreb

On 30th anniversary of U.S.-Croatia Ties, U.S.-CROATIA FORUM Delivers forward momentum and new agreements

US Special Envoy to the Western Balkans and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Gabriel Escobar joined Croatia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Internal Affairs Davor Božinović with associates

he United States recognized Croatia as an independent state on April 7th, 1992, with the opening of the first U.S. Embassy in Zagreb in August of that year.

Concluding the first day of the two-day U.S.-Croatia Forum, marking the 30th anniversary of U.S.-Croatia bilateral relations, Special Envoy to the Western Balkans and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Gabriel Escobar joined Croatia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Internal Affairs Davor Božinović in signing two bilateral agreements.

The Partnership for Education (PFE) memorandum of understanding facilitates the PFE program between Croatia and the United States, providing training on complex transnational organized crime and terrorism investigations. Through the initiative, Croatia and the United States work together to help regional countries advance policing capabilities, both methodologies and techniques, while training EU as-

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pirant countries in EU accession requirements. PFE is the only one of its kind in the U.S. Department of Justice’s International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program (ICITAP), which maintains a global portfolio.

During the signing ceremony, Special Envoy Escobar said, “I’m honored to be here today with Croatian Minister Davor Božinović and colleagues from the U.S. Department of Justice to sign this

the threat of transnational crime and terrorism.” The Special Envoy added, “I commend Croatia’s leadership role in the region providing this type of important police training. We look forward to even greater collaboration as we partner to detect, disrupt, and deter transnational organized crime and terrorist actors in the Western Balkans.”

Deputy Prime Minister Božinović and Special Envoy Escobar

GLOBAL ENTRY IS A DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY, U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION PROGRAM THAT ALLOWS EXPEDITED CLEARANCE FOR PRE-APPROVED TRAVELERS UPON ARRIVAL IN THE UNITED STATES Partnership for Education agreement. This program works to develop effective, professional and transparent law enforcement capacity that protects human rights, combats corruption, and reduces

secondly signed the Joint Cooperation Statement Toward the Development of a Global Entry Program, an international expedited traveler initiative. Global Entry is a Department of Homeland Secu-

rity, U.S. Customs and Border Protection program that allows expedited clearance for pre-approved travelers upon arrival in the United States. Travelers enrolled in the Global Entry program are processed into the United States in minutes, without having to wait in line, facilitating faster secure travel for Croatians.

During the signing ceremony, Special Envoy Escobar said, “in September 2021, we achieved a significant milestone in the U.S.-Croatia bilateral relationship, when U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Mayorkas welcomed Croatia into the U.S. Visa Waiver Program as the 40th participating country.” He added, “we are pleased and excited that Croatia has made this significant step toward becoming one of our Global Entry partner countries. Croatian citizens who become members of the program will enjoy even greater ease in traveling to the United States for business or for tourism.”

The two-day U.S.-Croatia Fo-

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US Special Envoy to the Western Balkans and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Gabriel Escobar joined Croatia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Internal Affairs Davor Božinović

rum illustrated the progress of the U.S.-Croatia partnership, facilitated bilateral engagement, and furthered U.S.-Croatia cooperation. The United States and Croatia signed two new agreements during this week’s Forum.

The Partnership for Education memorandum of understanding will provide training on complex transnational organized crime and terrorism investigations. Through the initiative, Croatia and the United States work together to help regional countries advance policing capabilities, both methodologies and techniques, while training EU aspirant countries in EU accession requirements. The Joint Cooperation Statement Toward the Development of a Global Entry Program will facilitate an exclusive expedited-traveler program. Global Entry provides expedited clearance for pre-approved travelers

upon arrival in the United States.

Enrolled Croatian travelers will be processed into the United States in minutes without having to wait in line, facilitating faster secure travel.

At the U.S.-Croatia Forum, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Lee Satterfield further announced an expansion of the Fulbright Program to secondary-level educators in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) from Croatia. The Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achieve-

ment Program will bring Croatian teachers in the field of STEM to the United States for six-week Fulbright programs of peer learning and leadership development. The first STEM teachers from Croatia are slated to begin their program in January 2023. The announcement follows the U.S.-Croatia Strategic Dialogue, which was held in Washington, D.C. in March and mapped future areas of cooperation between the two countries on global issues, defense and security, energy and climate change, regional cooperation, trade and

THE FULBRIGHT TEACHING EXCELLENCE AND ACHIEVEMENT PROGRAM WILL BRING CROATIAN TEACHERS IN THE FIELD OF STEM TO THE UNITED STATES FOR SIX-WEEK FULBRIGHT PROGRAMS OF PEER LEARNING AND LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

Ivo Josipović, former President of the Republic of Croatia

Tomislav Tomašević, Mayor of Zagreb

Andrea Doko Jelušić Executive Director American Chamber of Commerce and AmChem team

investment, and people-to-people exchanges.

This expansion of Fulbright in Croatia comes as the United States welcomes the 30th anniversary of the Fulbright Program in Croatia. The first interstate agreement signed between the United States and Croatia was the establishment of a Fulbright program in 1992.

More than 300 Croatians are Fulbright alumni, and more than 200 Americans have participated in the program.

The U.S.-Croatia partnership continues to deliver for the American and Croatian people, a relationship built upon shared values, shared interests, and exceptional people-to-people ties. In recognition of this exceptional relationship, the Zagreb city fountains on Ulica Hrvatske bratske zajednice are lit tonight with the Croatian and American flags, displayed together in friendship.

Martina Dalić , President of the Management Board of Podravka

Kolinda Grabar Kitarović, former President of the Republic of Croatia

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INTERVIEW

30 years of Partnership Over the last 3 decades diplomatic relations have flourished H.E. NICOLAAS BUYCK

well. What is Belgium’s position on each of these issues and what do you think are the potential obstacles along the way?

— Belgium welcomes the enlargement of both the Schengen and the Euro zone with Croatia.

We also favour the accession of Croatia to the OECD. As a matter of principle, we have always advocated that for this to happen, the set criteria should be respected and that candidates have to be assessed on their own merits. So as long as Croatia meets these criteria, there should be no other obstacles in reaching membership of the mentioned groups. I was posted in Tallinn when Estonia introduced the euro in 2011. I’m looking forward to see this happen in Croatia as well during my stay in Zagreb.

Ambassador of Belgium to Croatia

ince gaining independence, relations between Belgium and Croatia have progressed. Croatia, meanwhile, has become a full member of the EU and NATO. Belgium welcomes the enlargement of both Schengen and the Eurozone with Croatia, says H.E. Nicolaas Buyck, Ambassador of Belgium to Croatia for Diplomacy&Commerce. We also talked about the economic cooperation and issues of common interest, such as security and the war in Ukraine.

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This year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Croatia and Belgium. How would you rate the development of these relationships over the course of 3 decades?

— Since its independence, Croatia has made remarkable progress in transforming itself into a thriving democratic State, fully integrated in the European family. Belgium is proud to have contributed to this process through various programs as well as by its support for Croatia’s accession to NATO and the European Union.

During all those years, the Belgian Embassy in Zagreb has fostered good relations, the expansion of economic and commercial ties, as well as cultural interaction. We established honorary consulates in Dubrovnik, Opatija and Split.

Our Belgian community in Croatia has grown and is now 400 strong.

Belgian tourists have found their way to Croatia, last year they were again more than 150.000 of them, undeterred by COVID or other ailments.

Today, Croatia is a member of the EU, NATO and all other relevant international organizations, just like Belgium. How do you see mutual relations today, and where do you see room for their improvement?

— Through our membership of

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ALL STATES ARE EQUAL AND SOVEREIGN. THEIR TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY AND INDEPENDENCE ARE INVIOLABLE. STATE BORDERS CANNOT BE CHANGED BY FORCE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES these organizations, the destinies of both our countries are now firmly and forever linked to one another. Croatia has become a trusted partner and ally, who shares our common values, based on respect for human rights and for the rule of law. Within these organizations we aim to work closely together. This does not mean that we always agree on everything all the time. On some issues opinions differ and are

sometimes on opposite ends. In these circumstances we should try to acquire a better understanding of each other’s positions. This we can only achieve by talking and listening to each other.

Croatia strives to become a part of the Schengen zone as well.

The plan is to introduce euro as the official currency as of January 1st, 2023, negotiations for joining OECD have started as

When it comes to economic cooperation, can you present the structure and scope of Belgian investments in Croatia and which areas are of particular interest to investors?

— Belgium has good economic relations with Croatia, which is most certainly an interesting partner. A significant part of Croatian import from Belgium refer to pharmaceuticals, cars, and food (chocolate and bread products). Regarding Belgian investments, we already have several Belgian companies present which have their production in Croatia. They operate in sectors like wood processing, industrial equipment, food and confectionary. We also have numerous companies and representation offices without production facilities.

Recently we noticed an increased interest from Belgian companies to invest in Croatia for opening a new company or for outsourcing a production. This is mainly an effect of the COVID-19 crisis where cheaper production doesn’t play a crucial role anymore. This is now even more emphasized with the war in Ukraine, with Belgian companies looking for safer and closer destina-

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tions for their investments. This is an opportunity to which Croatia could respond by building an even more investment friendly environment.

The war in Ukraine is something that’s creating a new reality both in Europe and globally. Belgium and Croatia both condemned Russia’s aggression, introduced sanctions against Moscow, they are helping Ukraine and the Ukrainians. What is Brussels’ position when it comes to conditions for ending the war, and how do you assess this new reality that we did not expect?

— Russia is carrying out a longplanned, brutal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. This is the worst military aggression in Europe for decades, with which Russia is violating fundamental principles of international law. All States are equal and sovereign.

Their territorial integrity and independence are inviolable. State borders cannot be changed by force under any circumstances.

Regarding Ukraine, Belgium takes a resolutely European approach and acts in consultation with its NATO allies, the G7 partners and any like-minded country sharing our political views on the conflict.

Russia has to stop this war immediately, withdraw all its forces from Ukraine without conditions and engage in genuine diplomacy.

We will not accept the new reali-

A SIGNIFICANT PART OF CROATIAN IMPORT FROM BELGIUM REFER TO PHARMACEUTICALS, CARS, AND FOOD (CHOCOLATE AND BREAD PRODUCTS).

SEVERAL BELGIAN COMPANIES OPERATE IN SECTORS LIKE WOOD PROCESSING, INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT, FOOD AND CONFECTIONARY

ty that Russia is trying to impose onto the World.

As the Ambassador of Belgium, a NATO member country, how do you comment on the drone crash in Zagreb? It flew across the territories of 3 NATO countries, and it is fortunate that there were no human casualties. What steps should NATO take to strengthen the security of all member countries, but also to improve communication between partners — The drone crash reminded me of a similar incident when on 4th July 1989, a pilotless MiG-23 fighter jet of the Soviet Air Forces crashed into a house in Kortrijk in Belgium, killing one person.

The pilot had ejected over an hour earlier near Kołobrzeg, Poland, after experiencing technical problems, but the aircraft continued flying for around 900 km before running out of fuel and descending into the ground. The circumstances were different of course, but the jet had also crossed two NATO countries before crashing in a third one. It had been picked up by radar though and NATO country fighter jets had intercepted it and followed its trajectory. I am not a military expert, but I believe that lessons have already been drawn from the Zagreb drone incident and cooperation has already been stepped up among NATO allies to deal more effectively with such kind of incidents.

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INTERVIEW

Increasing Food Sovereignty The crisis is an opportunity for Croatia to change the paradigm how food coming from the rest of the world is better and cheaper than domestic products, and to strongly increase the use of domestic products MLADEN JAKOPOVIĆ President of the Croatian Chamber of Agriculture

he new – old President of the Croatian Chamber of Agriculture (CCA) Mladen Jakopović discovers for Diplomacy&Commerce that during his next term, he will focus most of his energy towards an even better organization of Croatian farmers, and that we are all fighting together through CCA for the interest of food production in Croatia. The goal is also to ensure better income, higher investments and production growth through European institutions.

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You will be at the head of the umbrella association of Croatian farmers for the next 4 years.

What will be your priorities, and what will you pay special attention to?

— Croatia is a member of the EU, and as of 2023 a new Common Agricultural Policy enters into force, and it brings a completely different concept - the policy is aimed at preserving the environment, increasing eco-production, reducing the use of protective means, while EU citizens are expected to continue to have sufficient quantities of food, and quality food at reasonable prices. Our farmers are facing a number of changes and new requirements that will be difficult to implement with a smaller budget from the EU, and we have also all been hit by this food crisis. First there was a global rise in food prices, and then the war in Ukraine, which caused panic and fear of shortages and interruptions in the supply chain. Since I am the Vice-President of the COPA COGECA umbrella association of EU’s farmers, we discuss every day how to react to this new situation.

We believe that the war will stop quickly and that normal supply chains will be re-established. If that doesn't happen, we must focus all our efforts on producing as much as possible, and the goal is to put agriculture in Croatia more clearly at the center of all policies, not just the Ministry of Agricul-

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ture, and to see what we produce in sufficient quantities, which areas are we self-sufficient in and how to provide enough food for our citizens, but also for export to EU countries that may be short of some raw materials or groceries. We are in extremely challenging times, and we recently sent a message that now is the time to sow every inch of available arable land in the EU. What I will ask for in Croatia is for increasingly more investments in the processing capacities, production of

invest in energy production, because that is also a way to ensure a better income. All this aims to preserve production and rural areas and to enable our young farmers to stay in the villages and start a new, more dynamic, digitalized development of agricultural production.

What would you single out as the biggest challenges that farmers in Croatia are faced with, and how is CCA helping them to resolve these issues?

CROATIA HAS HAD NEGATIVE TRENDS IN MILK PRODUCTION FOR YEARS AND NOW IT MUST STOP AND WE MUST REVITALIZE THIS SECTOR SO THAT IT DOES NOT COLLAPSE COMPLETELY value-added products, so that our raw materials, by which I mean wheat, corn, soybeans and others, remain in the country and value-added products are produced from it. In addition, the goal will be to make it easier for farmers to

— At the moment, the biggest problem is how to do spring sowing with a huge increase in all input costs. Many farmers do not have the money to secure everything for sowing because prices have risen dramatically. It

is important for us that this year's sowing is in optimal terms, that investments are made in crop protection and to do everything necessary to have a good crop of cereals and oilseeds. Another thing they face is the problem in animal husbandry, especially in the production of milk and meat. Croatia has had negative trends in milk production for years and now it must stop and we must revitalize this sector so that it does not collapse completely. The biggest issue is the low purchase price, and high production costs, especially for the producers who don’t have their own land and are forced to buy fodder, and it is now at the highest historical levels. When it comes to meat production, Croatia has been under pressure for years to import meat of poorer quality and below production prices, which our producers could not compete with. We have constantly warned that the meat being imported is even falsely declared or labeled as domestic, and that it came from all over the world. This situation and the crisis can be an opportunity to in-

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How would you rate your cooperation with the relevant Ministry and with decision-makers in general, and are they concerned about resolving issues and improving the position of farmers and agriculture itself in the country?

— CCA’s cooperation with the Minister of Agriculture and her team is good, but it can and should always be better. What we always insist on is to have more of our members join the Commissions that make different decisions and I believe that we will be successful in this during my new mandate. Government of the Republic of Croatia has a growing interest in the problem of agriculture and is aware of all the negative trends, but we still demand that agriculture must be a strategic branch and that it should be discussed at least twice a year in the Government and Parliament of the Republic of Croatia.

As I said at the beginning, we are a part of the EU and we are implementing the Common Agricultural Policy of the EU, and it has its own objectives that we have to fit into. At the end of last year, Croatia sent its Strategic Plan that states that after 2023, over 5 billion euros will be spent through the new CAP over the course of 5 years. We think that there is still room for improvement of that plan and for achieving the strategic goal, which is to increase the value of agricultural production from the current over 19 billion kuna to 30 billion kuna, which is the goal to achieve by 2030. What is crucial is to encourage young people to start farming. Croatia now has over 50 percent of farmers who are over 60 years old and they will retire very soon and someone needs to inherit them.

It is generational renewal that we must all work on together. Both

through the decisions of the Government and the Ministry, and through the media and the promotion of food production and agriculture as a profitable activity. Young people will be happy to go to the countryside and produce something, if they see that it pays off.

The war in Ukraine caused a crisis in food supplies in some markets. Many countries import additional reserves of wheat and oil, limit exports, consumption… What is the situation in Croatia? How much can we rely on domestic forces, how much

ways provide enough food for the people of the EU. I don't think we need to panic, but this is certainly an opportunity to seriously reconsider our policies on how to achieve greater food sovereignty and security and produce more. If I tell you that Croatia has a deficit of 1 billion euros in foreign food trade, then we must be aware that we have lulled ourselves into the availability of food on the global market. We have been exporting raw materials for wheat, corn, oilseeds for years, and we have imported bakery products, meat, fodder, etc. I think this is an opportunity to turn it around and

Photo: Anna Shvets / Pexels

crease our livestock and meat production, and above all to convince our consumers how important it is to buy domestic meat and domestic products. It is the only way to develop the economy and encourage investment and employment. CCA has 19 sectoral committees and discusses all issues within sectors, and negotiates with the Ministry on policies to be implemented. We manage to impose our views and changes in some decisions, and that is the purpose of the Chamber – to fight for the interests of farmers and consumers.

AS PART OF THE COMMON EU MARKET WE CAN ALWAYS PROVIDE ENOUGH FOOD FOR THE PEOPLE OF THE EU. I DON'T THINK WE NEED TO PANIC, BUT THIS IS CERTAINLY AN OPPORTUNITY TO SERIOUSLY RECONSIDER OUR POLICIES ON HOW TO ACHIEVE GREATER FOOD SOVEREIGNTY AND SECURITY do we import and do we have reasons to fear shortages?

— We are certain that there will be no shortages in our country.

Primarily because we produce sufficiently key raw materials like wheat, corn, oilseeds. We are a bit weaker when it comes to production of fruits and vegetables, but I believe that we can increase production there as well. What we lack are storage capacities and processing and that is why we have to invest. The Government is currently implementing several measures to ensure this. Fear of shortages had also emerged at the beginning of the corona crisis when there was a break in the supply chain globally, but this was quickly stopped. Finally, we are part of the common EU market and I believe that we can al-

make agriculture and food production the focus and allow it to become our strength, not our weakness.

What is being done to resolve the eventual increase in production and decrease dependence on import on the long run?

— I already mentioned some things. First of all, we need to invest in processing and connecting our producers with processors and to produce more value-added food. Investments are crucial, but it is also important that farmers unite because now we have a problem that there are a lot of imported products on the shelves of retail chains, and there are fewer of ours. The reason is fragmented production and the fact that foreign traders protect their agri-

culture through shelves. Croatian products must be imposed and be on the shelf, available to domestic consumers, and this can only be achieved if they join forces in cooperatives or producer organizations. We also need our economic diplomacy to work harder to open up new markets and to see what we can offer to the world as a competitive product. For years, we have been recording a decline in almost all productions, except in farming, but in recent years we can see that we have more and more fruits, olives, different varieties of vegetables, we work on the promotion and export of prosciutto, for example, which is protected at EU level, etc. There are numerous opportunities, but we must learn how to cope with the market, and not expect the state to intervene at every problem. Excessive state interventionism is never a good thing and does not contribute to increasing competitiveness and productivity. And it is sufficient to say that Croatian agriculture is at 30 percent productivity from the leading agrarian EU countries. So we have to work harder, produce more and fight harder.

Which domestic manufacturers are most jeopardized by the war in Ukraine, and what are your suggestions for resolving potential crises with domestic manufacturers, processors, etc.?

— Currently, livestock is under the greatest impact. It is necessary to invest the most energy, money, strength to start it and turn the trends. We are at about 50 percent self-sufficiency in milk production, and we have a similar situation with meat. Everyone agrees that the time of cheap food is behind us and that the time is coming when domestic, quality products will be highly valued and good prices will be achieved. That is why it is important to renew the livestock and to produce more, and then the prices for our consumers will be lower and more favorable. We are aware that there will be a large increase in prices in the coming years, so now we are looking for a change the paradigm where everything can be procured on the global market. We must rely on our own resources – and we do have them, and we must teach our consumers to buy from our farmers through short supply chains. That is the best and safest way to support them and ensure food security and sovereignty.

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CORPORATE

Termination of Employment Contract One of the key issues of the employment relationship is certainly the termination of employment contract or the employment relationship itself

SANJA NEVEŠĆANIN MATEŠA Attorney, Law Firm Mateša & Kapitan d.o.o.

nlike the termination of employment contract by mutual consent which represents the unanimous will of the employee and the employer and by which they agree on the terms of termination, termination of the contract is a unilateral declaration of will of only one party expressing the intention to terminate the employment. Both the employee and the employer can terminate the employment contract, and the termination must be in writing and must be submitted to the other contracting party in order to produce legal effects. Also, it is important to emphasize that when the employer makes a decision to terminate the employment contract, the dismissal must be announced.

The Labour Act itself recognizes two categories of employment contract termination, regular and extraordinary termination.

When the employment contract is regularly terminated by the employer, he has to have a justified reason for this, prescribed by the Labour Act: • if the need for performing certain work ceases due to economic, technical or organizational reasons (notice due to business reasons) • if the employee is unable to properly perform his obligations from the employment relationship due to certain permanent characteristics or abilities (personally conditioned dismissal) • if the employee violates obligations from the employment relationship (dismissal conditioned by misconduct of the employee) or • if the employee fails to meet requirements during trial period (dismissal due to dissatisfactory work during trial period).

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It is important to emphasize that in case of regular notice due to business reasons, the employer who employs twenty or more workers must take into account the duration of employment, age and lifelong obligations that burden the employee. Also, an employer who terminates the employee's contract with a notice due to business reasons may not employ another employee in the same position for six months from the day of delivery of the decision on termination of the employment contract. If there is a need for employment for the performanceo the same job in this period, the employer shall be obliged to offer the conclusion of employment contract to a worker whose contract has previously been terminated for business reasons.

When it comes to regular dismissal conditioned by misconduct of the employee, the employer shall be obliged to previously warn the employee in writing about the obligation from the employment, and indicate to him the possibility of dismissal in the event of continued breach of that obligation, unless there are circumstances due to which it is not justified to expect the employer to do so.

THE LABOUR ACT STATES THE REASONS FOR TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT CONTRACT, ONE OF WHICH IS THE CANCELLATION OF EMPLOYMENT CONTRACT From all the above, it is clear that the Labor Act prescribes to employers the reasons for dismissal, and the formal procedures that they must carry out beforehand, while on the contrary, when the employment contract is regularly terminated, the employee can do so without stating the reason, which makes the dismissal procedure much simpler than when done by an employer.

It should be noted that with regular termination of employment contract, regardless of whether the contract is terminated by the employee or the employer, the contract is terminated with the prescribed or agreed notice period, which is a kind of protective mechanism or gives the employer the opportunity to find a replacement, and it also gives the employee the opportunity to find new employment in the period during which he has all the material rights from the still existing employment relationship that will terminate upon the expiration of the notice period.

When we talk about regular termination, it

is important to point out that a fixed-term employment contract can be regularly terminated only if such possibility of termination is provided by the contract, because otherwise it can end only after the expiration of the term, extraordinary termination of employment contract or some other reason for termination prescribed by the Labour Act. Unlike the regular procedure for termination of employment contract, the institute of extraordinary termination of employment contract has been prescribed for particularly serious violations of employment rights and it has the most serious consequences for the employee. Namely, the Labour Act stipulates that the employer and the employee have a justifiable reason for termination of employment contract concluded for an indefinite or definite period, without the obligation to comply with the prescribed or agreed notice period (extraordinary dismissal), if due to particularly serious breach of employment obligation or some other particularly important fact, taking into account all the circumstances and interests of both parties, the continuation of employment is not possible. Therefore, with this type of dismissal, the employee is not entitled to a notice period, and therefore has no right to the material rights that would have belonged to him during the notice period.

However, it is important to underline that the option of extraordinary termination exists only within a 15-day period from the date of learning about the fact the extraordinary termination is based on, and after the expiration of the specified period, such type of cancellation is no longer possible, i.e. it is a preclusive period of non-compliance which consequently leads to the nullity of the decision on cancellation.

When it comes to termination of employment contracts in practice, the issue of workers’ right to severance pay often arises. An employee who is dismissed by his employer after two years of uninterrupted work, unless dismissed for reasons conditioned by the employee's behavior, is entitled to severance pay in an amount determined by the length of the previous uninterrupted employment relationship with that employer. Severance pay may not be contracted, i.e. determined in the amount of less than one third of the average monthly salary earned by the employee in the three months before the termination of the employment contract, for each completed year of employment with that employer, and if the law, collective agreement, rules of procedure or the employment contract does not stipulate otherwise, the total amount of severance pay may not exceed six average monthly salaries earned by the employee in the three months prior to the termination of employment contract.

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CORPORATE

Exceptional Resilience of the Real Estate Market During the past two years, real estate market has faced immense challenges due to the pandemic, all the disruptions in the supply chains and increasing construction materials costs on a global level, which have all started having a significant impact on projects under construction and those planned to start growing demand for logistics facilities. During the pandemic a need for logistics spaces grew to meet the needs of end consumers, offering fast delivery and less dependence on long distance routes, and thereto securing the goods.

Croatia market marked a significant investment transaction of Quattro logistics which for the needs of acquiring the largest logistics project Business Park Zagreb, was recapitalized by insurance company Croatia osiguranje and pension funds Erste Plavi and PBZ Croatia insurance as new investors in commercial properties.

PREDRAG TUTIĆ MRICS, Country Manager, CBS International

ear 2021 has witnessed approximately 30% greater volume of investments in commercial real estate as compared to 2020, whereas the market segment that attracted most investments has remained to be tourism, i.e., investments in hotels and retail market.

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THE OFFICE UPRISING...

During 2021, Zagreb office market take-up levels were amounted to 61.000 sqm, which combined with a limited new supply resulted in the lowest vacancy rate among all the capitals in the region, equaling only 3.23%.

Interestingly, when we are analyzing market sentiment towards work from home, according to our researches IT sector accounted for 55% of all office space transactions in terms of new leases, which clearly shows that the main demand driver, which has been the leader and the creator of all changes especially those related to work models, is still investing and developing office work model as the indispensable, since it is not easy to replace all the infrastructure office space offers as compared to work from home model.

Rental levels for modern office space remained stable, ranging between 10-13e per sq m for Class B offices and 14-16e per sq m for Class A office space, while we are witnessing stronger and stronger pressure on yields with the start of the year, due to lack of offer of investment properties, pushing the yields to 7.75-8%.

RETAIL…IT'S ALL ABOUT EXPERIENCE… Despite the strong increase in online sales of nearly 25% during the 2020 and 2021, we see that modern shopping malls are still attracting the customers in Croatia, with brands keeping the physical stores as the important channel of communication and experience sharing with the customers.

Likewise, in the past two years the market experienced a significant investment volume of transactions, in particular of shopping malls, but also retail parks which proved to be an excellent retail format for smaller towns and suburban city areas, while all these capital markets transactions marked stable yield levels as before the pandemic.

Retail parks as a shopping format will re-

THE FORTHCOMING PERIOD AS ANNOUNCED SHALL SEE THE COMMENCEMENT OF CONSTRUCTION OF NEARLY 180,000 SQ M OF NEW LOGISTICS CENTER IN THE AREA OF ZAGREB RING main to be in focus of investors like Immofinanz, which announced a massive expansion in the next 5 years, with around 20 more retail parks throughout Croatia.

Apart from retail parks, the expansion of food retailers continues, such as Studenac and Tommy, as well as Italian retailer Europsin.

LOGISTIC SECTOR IN THE SPOTLIGHT..

The winner however of all the market changes is definitely a logistics sector, which after a decade has become the key most wanted segment for investments, as a response to a

QUICK BOUNCE IN TOURISM INDUSTRY….

Croatia has played well thanks to its incredible geographic positioning and closeness of neighbouring German, Austrian and Italian markets with which we have always cherished close relations, we managed to attract Poland as the market as well as Scandinavian countries, finishing the season very successfully bearing in mind all the challenges imposed by the pandemic.

Such results have motivated both domestic and regional investors to continue unfolding their plans to invest in greenfield projects and hotels reconstruction, thereto raising the star grading and quality of services, and we do have announcements of several globally well-known hotel brands, which will further strengthen the positioning of Croatia in this part of Europe.

Croatia should use the upcoming period to attract new investments by further helping local municipalities in optimization of urban plans, ensuring more competitive communal costs in the region, with a special focus on incentivizing hi-tech and IT sectors which already account for a significant share in economy and stands immense potential for further growth.

Source: CBS International, Zagreb Office market activity

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ARRIVALS & DEPARTURES

NATIONAL DAYS APRIL

DANIEL ŠIMIĆ New General Manager for Business Customers In his 20 years of international experience in the consulting and ICT industry, Daniel Šimić has structured and led complex transformation projects in the telecommunications industry and the public sector in Croatia and the CEE region. He started his career in 1999 at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing in Zagreb, then continued at

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Ericsson Nikola Tesla, after which he began his consulting career in the USA and Great Britain.He joins the A1 team with extensive experience in digital transformations, business process optimization, ICT solution development and business model innovation with modern technologies with a focus on AI and cloud solutions.

Photo: A1

GUINEA Independence Day

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SENEGAL Independence Day

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SYRIA Evacuation Day

THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF CROATIA ZORAN MILANOVIĆ RECEIVED CREDENTIALS

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Photos: Office of the President

ZIMBABWE Independence Day

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HE T NETHERLANDS King’s Day

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SOUTH AFRICA Freedom Day

27 H.E. Gita Kalmet, Ambassador of the Republic of Estonia to the Republic of Croatia, based in Prague

SIERRA LEONE

H.E. Manori Unambuwe, Ambassador of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka to the Republic of Croatia, based in Berlin

Independence Day

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TOGO Independence Day

MAY

03 POLAND ational Day N (Constitution Day)

08 H.E. Rosario Asela Molinero Molinero, Ambassador of the United Mexican States to the Republic of Croatia, based in Budapest

H.E. Nada Kruger, Ambassador of the Republic of Namibia to the Republic of Croatia, based in Vienna

ICRC, IFRC I nternational Red Cross Day

09 EU ational Day N (Schuman Day)

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ISRAEL Independence Day

17 H.E. Gangumzi Tsengiwe, Ambassador of the Republic of South Africa to the Republic of Croatia, based in Budapest

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H.E. Yousuf Ahmed Hamed Al Jabri, Ambassador of the Sultanate of Oman to the Republic of Croatia, based in Vienna

NORWAY Constitution Day

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DI PLOM ACY

&

COM M E RC E

North

PR E S E N T S

Macedonia

Photo: Stefan Katrandjiski / Unsplash

FOCUS ON

NORTH MACEDONIA

There is No Time to Lose

Wasting no time, the country is making serious efforts in accomplishing fundamental reforms orth Macedonia shows how the will to solve the problems and reach a compromise brings results. Although it has not officially started negotiations on joining the EU yet, the country is making progress on that path. As one of the youngest members of NATO, it pursues a balanced regional policy and is an example of coexistence of all peoples in the Balkans. Bujar Osmani, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of North Macedonia, for Diplomacy & Commerce , talks about the plans for the OSCE 2023 presidency, the Second Edition of the Prespa Forum Dialogue, the region and the direction of the country's movement.

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North Macedonia is an EU candidate country, but concrete negotiations have not yet begun. When do you expect this issue to move from the deadlock and how do you see the settlement of the dispute with Bulgaria?

— Yes indeed. We are a candidate country since 2005 and receiving recommendations to start the negotiations, meaning sufficiently fulfilling the political criteria, as of 2009 onwards. In recent years, the country has intensified its Europeanization, harmonizing its political system, harmonizing its legislation and strengthening its institutions, further strengthening the civil society sector and preparing for full membership in the Union. Hence, I think it is more correct to say not that the European integration process is at a standstill, but that the country is not wasting time and making serious efforts to achieve fundamental reforms towards the rule of law, democracy and human rights, as well as the promotion of bilateral relations with neighbors and regional cooperation, which is recognized and clearly verified by the EU institutions. We are determined to continue on this path, because we believe that only through substantial Europeanization, ie im-

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SPECIAL EDITION

plementation of European values, we will achieve what the citizens give us support and trust.

Unfortunately, the road towards actual start of accession negotiation for us so far has proven to be bumpy and slowly resembling a never-ending marathon. We expected that the overcoming of the name dispute with Greece and the conclusion of Prespa Agreement would finally remove the last obstacle on our EU accession negotiations path, but even though all member states unequivocally in March 2020 confirmed and adopted the decision on start of negotiations they haven’t materialized until now.

On the issue with Bulgaria, in January this year, the new Governments in Skopje and Sofia set bilateral relations as priority points of their mandates, and a new, intensified process of communication began, through the formation of working groups, as well as effective and continuous political dialogue. Time shows that such open communication and dynamics in cooperation is the best way to the future, which is of interest to both countries, but also to the whole EU. We are convinced that these efforts will lead to finding mutually acceptable solution based on the European standards and values, as well as to holding the first Inter-Governmental Conferences with North Macedonia and Albania as soon as possible, during the French EU Presidency. This process is the most important guarantee not only for our societies but also for the security and stability of Europe, which in fact is additionally proven by the current extremely complex war in Ukraine. We have opponents of good neighborly relations both inside the two countries, as well as strong third-party factors who do not want to see a united and strong Europe, but divided and weak.

There is no time to lose. Any further postponement of our accession process will result with serious negative consequences for North Macedonia, the countries of the region,

I N T E RV I E W

BUJAR OSMANI Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of North Macedonia

The Chairmanship of North Macedonia with the OSCE will be processoriented, focusing on finding ways to add to the processes for stability, security, and predictability within the OSCE Region and beyond

but surely for the credibility of the EU and its role as a global player in the wider world.

North Macedonia is a member state of the NATO. How much does it help for consolidatition of the country and improvement of security in the region given the relatively unstable environment?

— Just recently, (27th March 2022) we marked the 2nd anniversary of our membership in NATO. Today we are members of the longest – lived and most successful Alliance of the history: military superior, politically strong and economically dominant organization. We sit in the same table with our 29 Allies, representing over 1 milliard population and more than 50 % of the world GDP. For us, NATO membership means guarantee for our territorial integrity, sovereignty, security, and stability, thus creating a better basis for economic growth and development.

Further, being part of the Alliance means strengthening the geostrategic position of North Macedonia.

As an equal member of NATO, our voice is heard and we are part of the decision – making process on the most important global issues.

Membership in NATO is a mutually beneficial relationship. In our case, from a security consumer country we became a security

provider. As a result of our shared responsibility, in recent years, we have demonstrated that we have built capabilities and capacity to address global challenges outside of our region and provide effective multinational contributions in the international and NATO – led operations. Also, in order to improve the resilience of the country against the new and old threats, we continue to invest in modernizing and development of the Army.

Closer and more intensive regional cooperation with our neighbors, members of NATO (but other members as well) also contributes to the promotion and stability of the region. Our accession in NATO cemented the pillars of strong bilateral partnership with Greece.

It unlocked the huge potential for economic cooperation thus contributing directly to regional socio-economic stability and prosperity. The bilateral security and defense relations almost nonexistent prior to Prespa, especially evident during the recent migrant crisis, gained new impetus for defense cooperation, culminating with Greece protecting the Macedonian sky.

Our membership in the Alliance represents a tangible contribution towards building a stable and secure region, especially in circumstances where, not only our Region, but also the entire Euro-Atlantic zone is being faced with a changing security landscape, characterized with unpredictability, which has a direct impact and presents a challenge for the further development of our societies. As the 30th member of the Alliance, North Macedonia represents not only a stabilizing factor for the Region, but also an incentive for the countries in our neighborhood that are willing and prepared to stand for the Euro-Atlantic common values and objectives.

North Macedonia takes over the Chairmanship of the OSCE 2023.

What will be the main goals and priorities of the Chairmanship?

— The Chairmanship of North Macedonia with the OSCE will be process-oriented, focusing on finding ways to add to the processes for stability, security, and predictability within the OSCE Region and beyond. We are aware of both the complexity and the resilience of today’s challenges. The focus will be on the OSCE principles and commitments, their perseverance, while insisting on the importance of the political dialogue. The OSCE could offer

both resources and mechanisms to alleviate tensions, boost predictability, restore channels of communications and critical dialogue. All sides must acknowledge this potential, while setting grounds for problem-solving in Hofburg.

The unacceptable aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine has a severe impact over the overall OSCE deliberations and activities. It has influenced the work of other international Organizations, but due to its specific mandate, I would say, it has challenged the OSCE even more.

At this stage, regular processes stagnate; sharp divisions and polarization exist, there is absence of a dialogue while future activities are challenged by the Russian aggression. This will inevitably continue to influence our mission in 2023 and the related activities. Doing OSCE business (as usual) would be highly unlikely. The most challenging task (against the present backdrop of a complex geopolitical context in the OSCE Region) I would say, not just for us as an incoming Chair, but for all Participating States - is to restore the trust and confidence among them within the Organization. OSCE has an important function and role to play, and our work should be to find so much needed political will to have a dialogue based on the premises of full observance of the OSCE principles and commitments and their perseverance.

Therefore, contingent on the situation in Ukraine we will have to focus on the confidence and security building measures as well as to find ways to address the humanitarian aspects of the crisis, coordinating a joint response to the humanitarian catastrophe with long-lasting, severe consequences. We will also have to build upon the current Polish Chairmanship tireless efforts and activities.

As things stand at the moment, the plan is to foster a consistent approach across dimensions, dedicating a proper attention to the political-military, environment-related and economic, as well as human dimension aspects. Proper attention will be attributed to numerous important areas: protracted conflicts, food and energy security challenges, digitalization, migration (trafficking in persons, refugees, internally displaced persons) border security and management; climate change and security nexus, connectivity, combating corruption and promotion of good governance,

gender mainstreaming, media freedom… We should also reflect on other OSCE themes, including the important work done by the field missions, as well as the undertakings of all relevant OSCE structures.

The final priorities (to be presented before the Permanent Council in July) will be synced with the OSCE current agenda, previous MC decisions, declarations, PC decisions, Summit documents and above all core OSCE documents such as Helsinki Final Act, Paris Charter, and so on... We will combine this with national as well regional priorities, but also take into account the current and emerging global security trends and challenges, in line with the platform of the OSCE comprehensive cooperative security.

Any further postponement of our accession process will result with serious negative consequences for North Macedonia, the countries of the region, but surely for the credibility of the EU and its role as a global player in the wider world

The Second Edition of the Prespa Forum Dialogue will be held in Ohrid in June. Talking about this event, what will be the topics and what will official Skopje pay attention to?

— The first Prespa Forum for Dialogue held last year was an immense success, given the participation of prominent national and international political, security, economic, business, academic figures and experts who have expressed high appreciation about the importance of the event. Emerging as an authentic brand that reflects the contemporary models of resolving open issues in good faith which Republic of North Macedonia has demonstrated with the signing of the Ohrid Framework Agreement, the Friendship Agreement with Bulgaria and the Prespa Agreement with Greece, PFD promotes fostering a culture of cooperation, mutual confidence and friendship for the advancement of regional stability and its contribution to strengthening the global role of Europe.

Encouraged by the overall positive assessments and in line with our determination to make PFD recognized and unique platform to exchanging views, experiences and ideas and to seeking innovative, diplomatic solutions on contemporary’s challenges and threats we are en route to preparing the second edition of the PFD under the title “Shaping Western Balkans Future in the Contemporary European Security Architecture” to be held in Ohrid form 16 to 18 June, 2022.

This year’s event will cover the most pressing security, political and economic issues Europe and the Western Balkans are faced with.

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In the focus will be the new geopolitical challenges since the start of the unjustified war in Ukraine. We consider it extremely important to discuss the resilience of the Euro-Atlantic security environment and the revitalization of the strategic partnerships in the light of the these changed geopolitical realities. Moreover, the debate will stress the urgent need of fast realization of the Western Balkans’ European perspective in order to push the process of completion the European project forward and secure the European future of the region, considering that Western Balkans accession to the EU has become a geopolitical and security issue.

The situation in Ukraine has permanently changed relations among the countries and it seems that a new order is being created. What is the official position of Skopje on this issue (we know that you agree with the foreign policy of Brussels, but are there any specific interests of your country on this issue)?

— North Macedonia has strongly condemned the act of aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine which represents a gross violation of the basic principles of international law, an attack on the security architecture of Europe and a serious threat to world peace and stability. Beside the clear condemnation of this aggression by the leadership of the country, the Government took a step forward and aligned completely with EU’s Foreign and Security Policy, including all declarations and sanctions on Russia, thus reaching a 100 percent alignment with the EU CFSP. The invasion of Ukraine changed the security environment in Europe, therefore in close cooperation with our NATO allies, united in protecting the transatlantic security, we are working on continued assistance to Ukraine and the Ukrainian people.

Additionally, as a member of the OSCE Troika, North Macedonia has an active role in supporting the Polish CiO to navigate the crisis and we will do our utmost to adapt to the situation and provide possible solutions to the challenges ahead. While the international law and the world order are at stake, the international community must do it’s best to find a lasting solution, end the conflict and restore peace. At the beginning of April, as part of the OSCE Troika, together with my colleagues from Poland, Rau and Sweden, Linde, we

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visited the Polish-Ukrainian border and the reception center for refugees, where we met with the Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Kuleba. Images of refugee reception centers are deeply disturbing, especially for our region where memories of the wars of the 1990s are still fresh.

Every nation should be free to choose whether to join a union or an alliance. It is their sovereign choice over which no one should be able to veto, let alone threaten with force and carry out military invasions on foreign territory.

The situation in Ukraine also brought to attention the vulnerability of our region from external actors and the importance of continuation of the enlargement policy. In this challenging time, there should not be any hesitation towards countries that are willing and committed to adhere to European values and principles, and we are more convinced than ever that the European integration of the Western Balkans will serve as security, political and economic added value to the EU.

You are the best example that when there is a problem between neighbors if there is a desire to solve it, it can be done (name change). How do you view the situation in the Western Balkans region and the existing open issues (relations between Belgrade and Pristina, constitutional changes in BiH)?

— Yes, North Macedonia has shown strong political will in order to resolve a decade-long dispute that wasted our energy and diplomatic capacity, which held us hostages to populism and deprived us of opportunities and prospects for growth and development. Resolving the dispute, we got rid of it and moved on.. Today we are the 30th member

North Macedonia has shown strong political will in order to resolve a decade-long dispute that wasted our energy and diplomatic capacity

of NATO and in these times of uncertainty we see how much that it means. From here, we offer our example as a successful model for other countries facing similar disputes on their path to internal settlement and reconciliation. In general, the lessons from the Prespa Agreement are that the reconciliation process is possible only in a situation where the two sides respect each other despite all differences, when instead of confrontation they choose cooperation, when they are ready to take responsibility and take a step forward despite all uncertainties.

The solution is possible only if both sides sincerely want it and if they realize that there is a way in which there is no winner and loser, but in which both sides are victorious.

Only such solutions are sustainable in the long run. To a large extent, progress depends on the political leadership, which should be ready to think more about the next generations than about the next elections, but also about the general climate in the country and the mood of the citizens. All political actors should show state maturity and wisdom to take such an act, but for that, of course, there should be support from the citizens. In these lessons from our experiences I see our general recommendations to colleagues in Belgrade, Pristina and Sarajevo, and everyone in the Region. Mutual understanding and dialogue have no alternative. Small steps on the right path will still lead us or at least get closer to the goal. Imperfect progress is incomparably better than perfect stagnation. Trust opens doors that we thought did not exist.

Respecting the other and respecting his views, fears and interests is a necessary element. Bearing in mind that a sustainable solution is possible only through compromise, we should be willing to make concessions. The citizens of our countries are tired of spinning in circles and old topics; the young generations want to move forward and live in a better world. They deserve it, and we need to make it possible for them. The example of North Macedonia shows that there is always a solution, and the formula for success is clear. I sincerely hope that in the coming period, with a similar idea and will, the leaders and politicians in the Region will approach the same postulates and find the best solutions and compromises to overcome the still open issues, and thus ensure a European future and prosperity for all our Region.

NORTH MACEDONIA

Friendship and Growing Cooperation Mutual relations of friendship and cooperation are on a constant upward trajectory and they have never gone through turmoil or critical phases since the independence of the two countries orth Macedonia and Croatia are close friends and allies, sharing the same Euro-Atlantic values. As NATO partners, there is mutual understanding and support in the implementation of joint projects, addressing the common challenges, for Diplomacy&Commerce says H.E. Milaim Fetai, Ambassador of the Republic of North Macedonia to the Republic of Croatia. Besides bilateral trade, two countries are small markets in global terms and therefore, there is a need to focus on mutual cooperation and joint appearances on third markets he adds.

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This year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. How do you rate these relationships and where do you see places to improve them?

— On the occasion of 30th Anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between our two countries, allow me fist to convey my sincere congratulations for the excellent cooperation and best wishes for prosperity and welfare of the Republic of Croatia and its citizens.

Deep friendship established in the past through a series of personal and family contacts, in the last three decades has been continuously upgraded by strengthening of the political dialogue, economic cooperation, cultural, trade and tourism exchange and cooperation in many other areas.

In this context, the numerous links in the historical chain of Macedonian-Croatian literary and cultural ties in general, like cooperation with the Croatian Bishop Josip Juraj Strossmayer for printing of the famous Collection of Brothers

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Miladinovci or the publication of "White Dawns" by Kosta Solev Racin in Samobor, find their reflection in contemporary literary and linguistic relations and positively influence mutual connections in linguistics, culture, history, ethnology, folklore etc.

We are grateful for the strong and determined support from Croatia for our EU membership. Croatia is an honest partner and traditional supporter of our aspirations for integration into the European family. As chair of the EU in 2020, they showed how important it is for the region of Southeast Europe to be included in European integration, which was turned into one of the basic ideas of their EU Presidency. The crown of such support was the decision to start accession negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania, noted in Zagreb Declaration.

Regular political dialogue on high and highest level remains very dynamic. Last year, H.E. President of the Republic Stevo Pendarovski visited Croatia, while MFA Bujar Osmani and MFEP Gordan Grlic Radman participated at Dubrovnik Forum and Prespa Forum Dialogue, respectively. There is a readiness to further intensify political cooperation, especially between the Parliaments and inter-parliamentary friendship groups and in this context, delegation of MPs from Skopje had very useful meetings on 6-7 April 2022.

The excellent bilateral cooperation over the past decades sets the challenges and horizons for what we can do in the next 30 years. So, the staff of the Embassy and I, are faced with the question of how we can strengthen this partnership and create new, essential connections that will benefit our societies

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H.E. MILAIM FETAI Ambassador of the Republic of North Macedonia to the Republic of Croatia

During the weekend my family and I often visit Hrvatsko Zagorje as a place near Zagreb with a lot of tourist opportunities

and citizens. This resulted in initiative to establish the Macedonian-Croatian Business Club and to create Macedonian-Croatian logo on this special Jubilee. In the forthcoming period we would like also to see deepening of the cooperation between the higher education institutions, exchange of students, scholars and widening of the young people network, as well as presentation of Macedonian contemporary cultural achievements in Croatia.

Political relations are good, and economic seems to be even better.

What numbers show when we talk about the economic cooperation ?

— We can cooperate in all areas, but what is very important now is to further discuss and determine the priorities and opportunities for cooperation in the field of economy, investment, from energy production from renewable sources up to education how to improve the competitiveness of Macedonian and Croatian companies. All necessary cooperation agreements have been signed between the two countries, but we cannot be satisfied with what has been achieved given that the volume of trade is relatively low. The economic growth does not depend only on businessmen undertakings, but also on the integrity of the institution and the rule of law, that guarantee that all rights of the investors would be protected.

That’s why economic diplomacy is at the top of the priorities of our diplomacy; we want to create a quality system that will help business-

men to work on the development of our trade relations and to exceed current figures.

According to statistical data, there is a permanent annual deficit on our side in the foreign trade.

However, it should be pointed out that the trade exchange has showed an increase of almost 13 percent in the time of restrictions due to pandemic that is very optimistic tendency. Besides bilateral trade, two countries are small markets in global terms and therefore, there is a need to focus on mutual cooperation and joint appearances on third markets.

Speaking about tourism, Croatia is one of the strategic markets for promotion of North Macedonia as popular destination and vice ver-sa. Almost every year there is an in-crease in tourist arrivals, which is expected also this year. There is a regular flight of Croatia Airlines from Zagreb with which you are in Skopje in just an hour and a half. We would like to explore possibili-ties of establishing new flight con-nections, for which there are sev-eral important reasons. The first is that the number of tourist arrivals from Croatia to North Macedonia is growing - for comparison before an outbreak of a pandemic in 2018, there were over 40% more arrivals than in 2017. The second is that we as nations know each other and are attractive to each other for the rich gastronomic offer, wines, natural beauty and environment. And finally, we need to work on developing and promoting common regional cultural and adventure offers in tourism, according to demands in this sector and processes of globalization.

What is the bilateral cooperation on the topic of minorities?

Can you tell us something about the functioning of the Inter-Governmental Mixed Commission for implementation of the bilateral Agreement on minority protection?

— In the context of what has been achieved so far, I would like to express my satisfaction with the work of the Inter-Governmental Mixed Commission for implementation of the bilateral Agreement on minority protection from 2007. The constructive atmosphere that prevails in the mutual talks is an additional confirmation that North Macedonia and Croatia have a very positive attitude towards the issues of minorities, which are complex top-

ics. Minorities share the same problems faced by all citizens in a country - from the current pandemic to socio-economic issues, but also have additional challenges related to the preservation of their cultural and national identity, and above all the protection of cultural heritage, education and nurturing the mother tongue. I would like to emphasize that there is common interest for further enhancement of the cooperation in the field of protection of our community in Croatia and of the Croatian community in North Macedonia, as well as for the support of the activities in that field.

The activities of the Croat citizens that have roots in North Macedonia, are financed from the state budget of the Republic of Croatia, as well as on local level. We are grate-

ful for the financial support given for their programs, publishing activities, cultural events etc. Main information magazine on Macedonian language "Makedonski glas" is published bimonthly, while there are numerous books on the culture and tradition of Macedonian minority, that is also noted in the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia. Performances of folklore, music groups, exhibitions, days of culture and other activities are organized within the program of cultural amateurism of different cultural societies, representing all ethnic groups, originated from my country.

You have been in Zagreb for a year.

Which part of Croatia do you like the most and is there a part or something that you would like to single out (region, food, drinks ...)?

— Croatia is very beautiful country with a lot of natural beauty and various cultural and historical mon-

The constructive atmosphere that prevails in the mutual talks is an additional confirmation that North Macedonia and Croatia have a very positive attitude towards the issues of minorities, which are complex topics

uments. I especially love Croatia since I spent part of my youth here.

I finished University and completed the master's degree in Zagreb. The friendships I have gained since my student days have never been broken and continue to this day. The great memories from Dubrovnik where I have spent vacation almost every summer, are enriched with the contacts from the summer schools on the island of Sipan, organized by the Atlantic Council of Croatia. From 2004 to 2018, I came there regularly as a lecturer, invited as the Professor at the University of Tetovo. So, in a way, I can say that I've been connected to Croatia all my life. I have visited almost all regions from Dubrovnik in the south up to Eastern Slavonia.

What I like especially is the whole

Adriatic coast with more than thousand diverse islands. During the weekend my family and I often visit Hrvatsko Zagorje as a place near Zagreb with a lot of tourist opportunities. There are many thermal springs, green hills, beautiful castles reminiscent of the rich history of this area. What is impressive is that in some way the traditional way of life is preserved. I would especially like to emphasize the hospitality of people all over Croatia who are very kind hosts. In Zagorje they will be happy to offer you turkey with grinders and many other gastronomic specialties. Plitvice Lakes are an ideal place to enjoy the natural beauty that Croatia has in abundance. So, I can say that this wealth of nature is reflected in gastronomy. The Croatian cuisine and wines always offer a rich assortment. I especially like Dalmatian cuisine, although each region has its own specialties.

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Recovery and Further Development of Relations

In 2021, the total trade between Croatia and North Macedonia amounted to 247 million euros. Opportunities for expanding cooperation exist in the construction sector, energy, tourism and transport C O O P E R AT I O N

ccording to CNB’s data, in the period from 1993 until Q3 of 2021, Croatia invested a total of €108.7 million in North Macedonia. Exports amounted to EUR 145.1 million, while imports amounted to almost EUR 102 million. In recent years, Croatia mainly exported medicines, chocolate, bottles, food products to North Macedonia, while we imported iron or steel pipes, as well as iron products and wine. In 2021, the number of arrivals of Macedonian tourists was 26,060, an increase of 85% over the previous year. They realized 207,806 overnight stays, which is 63% more than in 2020.

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The COVID-19 pandemic caused significant human and economic damage, but the introduced macroeconomic and financial policies mitigated the negative impact on economic activity in North Macedonia.

The economic recovery is underway, and real GDP growth is projected to reach 3.8 percent in 2022. In recent months, spikes in global energy and food prices have boosted inflation. Even though there are likely to be some side effects, the inflation is expected to decline in the second half of the year. Consumer price growth is also projected to continue at a moderate pace of 2.2 percent on average in 2022.

In the near future, resolving the health crisis remains a top priority. Fiscal policy should continue to

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in the period from 1993 until Q3 of 2021, Croatia invested a total of €108.7 million in North Macedonia

have a positive impact on the economic growth, encourage job creation and protection of the most affected sectors.

The growth of the economy in the previous year was mostly contributed by the trade, agriculture and industry sectors, and the growth was favorably influenced by stronger investments and increasing demand, both domestic and foreign. Demand from EU member states, Macedonia's most important trading partners, remains strong and has a positive effect on exports of automotive parts, chemicals and construction materials. In the coming period, private investment is projected to increase, especially in the energy sector, supported by a more stable political situation and a new energy law including measures to liberalize the electricity market from 2019. Similarly, public investments will gain momentum thanks to new EBRD grants, of which EUR 7 million will be allocated for the construction of a photovoltaic power plant, while EUR 10 million will be directed to increase and improve

the provision of public services, especially transport. The international rating agency Standard and Poor's has affirmed North Macedonia's credit rating of BB-/ with stable outlook.

Main branches of the primary agricultural sector: fruit growing, vegetable growing, tobacco growing.

The main branches of the secondary - industrial sector: chemical industry, textile industry, mining, metal and electrical and wood industry.

The main branches of the tertiary (service) sector: trade, transport, etc.

AIR TRAFFIC – CROATIA AIRLINES (NORTH MACEDONIA) Arrivals in Croatia were also assisted by the regular line ZAG-SKP route which was established on July 8, 1993. By July 2021, 917,030 passengers were transported on 15,143 flights. Passengers on the SPU-SKP route were transported from 01 April 1998, mostly in the summer flight schedule. A total of 15,485 passengers were transported on 260 flights on this air route.

Strengthening Economic Cooperation The idea of the Embassy of North Macedonia in Zagreb to establish Macedonian-Croatian business club was met with great understanding among the largest companies in Croatia I N T E RV I E W

IVO USMIANI President of the Macedonian-Croatian Business Club

n 2020, the most important Croatian export product was motor vehicles and medicines, while at the same time the pharmaceutical industry of North Macedonia exported medicines worth 8.5 million euros to Croatia, for Diplomacy&Commerce magazine, Focus on North Macedonia, says Ivo Usmiani, President of the Macedonian-Croatian Business Club.

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Croatia and North Macedonia have good political relations, which have been developing for a long time. Now, the officials need to work on to the develop economic relations. How do you assess the current economic relations between the two countries?

— Croatia is among the vocal political supporter on the European integration path of North Macedonia, however according to my opinion greater focus should be placed on the development of economic relations. There are all institutional pre-conditions for mutual economic cooperation to grow. Additionally, businessmen from both sides are familiar with the business climate and regulations in the wider region, but the economic growth depends on the initiatives. That’s why entrepreneurs in Croatia and North Macedonia do not have time to wait, but must get the best out of the existing legal framework and explore untapped potentials. Mutual economic cooperation has possibilities to double, whereby opportunities for investments in the field of industrial production and renewable energy sources are opened, as well as opportunities for development of joint tourism packages. Of course, there are also EU funds that open up great opportunities for cooperation and investment.

What will be the main goals of the Macedo-

nian-Croatian Business Club headed by you?

— Definitely we need to strengthen economic cooperation. Although both imports and exports have increased in the last year, the total amount is still low. The agricultural and food products have a large share in our trade, due to the fact that companies have a long tradition and recognizable quality and presence on these markets. It is also noted that the structure in trade exchange is slowly changing in the direction of exporting high value-added products. In this regard, it is important to exchange views and locate the sectors with the greatest potential for cooperation. We need to intensify entrepreneurial talks, for which exactly the Club was inaugurated on March 3, 2022 in Zagreb.

We have very good support from decision makers and various institutions in both countries as it is in everyone’s best interest for Croatia and North Macedonia to develop and prosper As the president of MCBC, I do believe that direct engagement of successful businessmen and CEO of various companies from Croatia and North Macedonia can only inspire and challenge the local business community to new collaborations. And not only in the area of trade and investment relations, but also beyond, there are opportunities for new leaderships and paths that are endless when most of the Business Club is made up of prominent entrepreneurs.

What will be your priorities? Have you planned any event after the Club registration?

— In the coming period, the Club has the potential to increase its membership and to effectively promote the trade and investment poli-

cy and potentials that exist in both countries.

As one of the main goals is to connect and to nurture partnerships, collaborations and platforms, the plan is to hold the first thematic session of MCBC in Croatia at the end of May on theme that is relevant for its members and in the presence of respective Ministers.

I am confident that by promoting economic, cultural, science and other cooperation, by encouraging the development of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial initiatives, we will contribute to further development of people-to people bonds, that are indeed very deep, sincere and friendly.

How much support do you have from decision makers and how much are they willing to hear the needs of businessmen?

— We have very good support from decision makers and various institutions in both countries as it is in everyone’s best interest for Croatia and North Macedonia to develop and prosper. Considering Croatia is part of European Union and North Macedonia is on its way towards european integration, our collaboration not only includes economic growth, but also exchange of numerous experiences that Croatia has gained in process of joining to EU. Therefore it is logical we can offer more than just economic cooperation, which we are gladly doing. North Macedonia has our full support, politically and economically. So far, we have not encountered any opstacles with politics or institutions in both countries. On the contrary, everyone is ready to listen and help as much as they can. Certainly our traditionally friendly relations help in that, but I am also sure that today we have a lot of young and agile entrepreneurs in both countries who could create a solid framework of cooperation and perform together in the Europen or some other market. It is up to us to recognise them and help them, either by opening some doors for them or by advising them from our own experience. Either way, we are here for them and we are looking forward to make progress together.

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Business Club for Higher Growth

The main idea of the business club is to have the largest 15 companies that participate in the trade relations between North Macedonia and Croatia

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ecretary Vito Mitrovski, for Diplomacy&Commerce magazine, talks about the structure of economic cooperation between Croatia and North Macedonia, positioning in the markets and activities of the Macedonian-Croatian Business Club.

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What is the structure of imports and exports, which branches dominate on both sides and what do the numbers show?

— The structure of imports in Croatia from Macedonian companies significantly differentiates from the export of Croatian producers in North Macedonia. Namely, the import in North Macedonia is characterised by a higher growth.

However, it is with good representation and common efforts in the marketing of Macedonian companies, as well as highlighting the quality of the Macedonian products, that such a structure will change.

Currently Macedonian export to Croatia is dominated by products of the food industry-production of wine, greens, biscuits, confectionery, waffles as well as exports of iron, steel and aluminium.

The structure of the import to North Macedonia from Croatian

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VITO MITROVSKI Secretary of the Macedonian-Croatian Business Club

First quarter of 2022, exports from Croatia to North Macedonia were $6.722m; imports 2021$108.342.000.

Which points to a trade deficit of $5.578.000

companies is spread across several categories with the most significant being: sugar cane, sugar beet, chemical products, bottles, syringes, medicine, jars, pots, ampoules and other food products.

What barriers exist in the development of relationships and how to overcome them?

— The main obstacles between the size of exports and imports are often the deviation, differentiations in tariffs- in essence the taxes on imported goods.

There are also other non-tariff obstacles that come in the form of national trade regulations for purchase and control of trade. With their positive modification and significant reduction, a great part of the export/import bans could be avoided which would facilitate the trade relationship between the two countries.

Where is there room for improvement, in which areas and in what way?

— Having in mind the shared history of culture, languages and proximity between North Macedonia and Croatia, space for improvement is seen in the production of items in the food industry- wine, confection-

ery, greens, waffles, as well as medicine, chemical products, construction materials and companies.

Successfully targeted efforts in analysis of the demand in the Croatian market, studies of their national regulations, controls, purchasing structure and power, would enable a proper modification of the Macedonian product, so that it becomes a better fit for the targeted market.

Which businessmen and business entities will be part of the Club and how will the Club operate?

— The main idea of the business club is to have the largest 15 companies that participate in the trade relations between North Macedonia and Croatia.

The goal of the club is the promotion of both markets, improving the effectiveness in bringing both economies in closer economic ties, and resultingly, expanding the members of the club. The club will provide a positive marketing for the companies, increase networking opportunities, access to development plans and ideas and overall increased communication among participants which will result in an increase of product and service placements in the Macedonian and Croatian markets.

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Large Investments in the Croatian Coast Alban Maliqi

Maliqi Group announces new serious investments in Croatia with its new company, West Development, which is based in Croatia, the EU as the latest investment in the real estate industry

aliqi Group with 10 existing and prestigious companies are synonymous, an example of market leaders and operating according to world trends in North Macedonia, Kosovo, Albania, Germany and Croatia. That the region is inspiring for economic investment, even during the Covid-19 and post-Covid periods, is confirmed by the Maliqi Group, based in North Macedonia, an organization that has already begun its major investments in Croatia.

Two projects are already underway in this company, the first of which is San Llorenzo Villas and Apartments in Umag, Lovrečica, one of the most prominent tourist destinations. On an area of 16,700 m2 will be offered luxury villas for sale and rent. Another also in Umag, Umag City Center which is a prestigious housing project with luxury apartments on 7,500 m2. The initial investment capital of both projects is 38 million euros.

Alban Maliqi, a prominent member of many chambers of commerce and associations, a philanthropist and one of the leaders of the Maliqi family and all family businesses, says the Croatian market is very attractive and safe to invest in.

- It is very important that Croatia now has a competitive, highly educated, qualified and innovative workforce, an excellent geostrategic position, the most modern infrastructure in the region and the Member States. Unfortunately, Croatia has not fully completed the transition to a market economy.

But, fortunately, an increasing number of vibrant, innovative entrepreneurs such as the Maliqi Group run small and medium-sized, sophisticated internationally competitive companies in many industrial sectors in Croatia. I hope that my company will show good potential for growth and that it could improve the Croatian economy and society. I know that our experience in the hotel industry – hospitality will only help and that success is guaranteed, said Alban Maliqi. Driven by the ambition for new business ventures and the desire to conquer as many markets and customers as possible, the Maliqi Group has expanded its scope of work in several segments such as distribution, real estate and catering.

One of the best examples is Premium Res-

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idence, a complex in Skopje, the capital of the Republic of North Macedonia. It is one of the most prestigious complexes and the only semi-open.

Guided by the idea of establishing an umbrella to merge all catering facilities into one family, they created the Parkland Hospitality brand, which today proudly integrates prominent catering brands, starting with the prestigious 5-star Park Hotel and Spa, with the latest catering addition - Next Door Park Hotel s 4 stars, both provide top standards and services and are recognized as the first choice of travelers worldwide. Parkland proudly owns one of the most magnificent and excellent restaurants in the region.

At Restaurant Four, every nook and cranny has its own story and place where food is not just food, but a higher concept of pleasure for all the senses, hand in hand with our

GEMAK has opened a sister company in Pristina, Kosovo called GEKOS, to distribute the same brands in Kosovo

very cozy Brick Eat-bar and restaurant, where nothing is ordinary. Fitness and Spa center of premium class, located on 1300 m2 and hightech equipment, is a favorite everyday place of people who want top service and pure elegance in every detail.

Business history is very important to us. It all started with Gemak Trade, a private trading company founded in 1991.

Gemak was reorganized into a distribution company, with a focus on the domestic market, for products from renowned global brands that it imported. In 1997, it received exclusivity for the import and distribution of brands of alcoholic beverages and cigarettes, and continues to cooperate with them to this day.

GEMAK has opened a sister company in Pristina, Kosovo called GEKOS, to distribute the same brands in Kosovo. Gekos Group is a leading distribution company and an authorized representative of Imperial Tobacco, which offers the brand's products.

Ten years ago, Gekos was appointed as Kosovo's key economic operator in the fiscalization and tax administration process, and since then the entire Kosovo market has been covered by their fiscal electronic devices with the appropriate service also involved in the project. Gekos has also been the exclusive distributor for Vala's telecommunications market leader in Kosovo for more than 13 years. In addition to being the exclusive strategic partner of the world's best-selling brands, Gemak & Gekos had expanded its business to real estate and hospitality in the EU market as well.

The investment in Germany, HINDENBURG - Ingolstadt, is a 65 million euro real estate investment project. The 20,000 m2 project represents an outstanding and exemplary approach to the improvement of large residential complexes - especially because the abandonment of surface architectural cosmetics in favor of a scaled solution that was acceptable to residents and improving the quality of floor plans and exterior facilities in Ingolstadt.

But for the end most important thing the values that four hundred employees of the Maliqi Group nurture internally and according to stakeholders are part of the family heritage and are deeply embedded in every business segment.

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Authenticity and Uniqueness In North Macedonia you will find everything you need to regain confidence in traveling abroad t a time when people are whirling to themselves, when in the comfort of our homes we seek peace and salvation from the global crisis brought by Covid-19, we surely dream of a better tomorrow and a safe place (according to all parameters and recommendations of protection) that would be visited in the following period. That place would be far from crowded destinations, and fused with the primordial and

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essential things that nature offers us with all its beauties and rarities.

North Macedonia is attractive in terms of authenticity and uniqueness, value for money, the wide-array of travel choices we offer and the sense of safety, friendliness and hospitality our visitors experience.

All these factors combined, make North Macedonia a top choice.

The exquisite landscape, rich history and culture are the timeless elements which we maintain with the

TOURISM

In North Macedonia there are modern tourist facilities, which meet all the standards of safety and comfort, all you have to do is contact a local tour operator

utmost respect in terms of sustainable tourism, and which we enhance as we develop new tourism products of special interest. North Macedonia invites tourists to a journey of authentic highly- personalized experiences and we encourage them to expose themselves to the many choices that we offer and that we can spoil them with.

HOW TO ARRIVE IN NORTH MACEDONIA? European international road E-75 starts in Finland, drives through Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia, North Macedonia and ends in Greece. International Airport in Skopje is located 21km from the Skopje’s city center, while the airport in Ohrid is located 9 km from Ohrid. The airports operate with air connections from Skopje in more than 15 European countries and 66 destinations.

FEEL THE DIVERSITY – NORTH MACEDONIA In North Macedonia you will find everything you need to restore faith in the world and people, to find peace and tranquility by looking at endless green landscapes and blue lakes. Or maybe climbing to the tops at one of the beautiful mountains, and you will shout out loud: - "Everything will be fine". You will play with your senses with every bite of a Macedonian food delights, made with love and with products picked directly from the garden of the tireless locals, hidden in the rural areas of North Mac-

Travelling around North Macedonia is a never-ending experience

edonia. The thread that connects everyone, the thread that weaves the hours spent in exploring and verifying any eventual story, coloring the day and the mood, is the segment that everyone takes for granted with pleasure - the food. If you are seeking for than just a good meal, a pint of beer, or a glass of wine during a trip, your next destination should be North Macedonia. Traveling throughout the country it is a way of immersing yourselves into the culture and heritage of a region, making the experience memorable in a completely unique and personal way.

SPECIAL EDITION

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NORTH MACEDONIA

terest in visiting our biggest natural lakes – the Ohrid lake, Prespa lake and the Dojran lake. More recently, the need for development of active tourism in Republic of North Macedonia is growing. Alternative and adventurous tourism has been emphasized, since there are excellent conditions in Republic of North Macedonia for them – gentle and steep mountains, ski slopes, calm and fast rivers, wide lowlands...

In two hours driving distance from the capital town is located Macedonia’s most celebrated spot, the nation’s pride and joy - the town of Ohrid. The town is under double protection of UNESCO, as a natural and as a cultural heritage. Ohrid is

Travelling around North Macedonia is a never-ending experience, and this is why many of our visitors return more than once to visit the same one or more places. The culinary routes across the country have set the path for an extraordinary lifetime journey, where one becomes familiar with the culture, entwines with the locals and gains highly personalized experiences. Gastronomy is strongly embedded in our history and culture, distinct in taste and pure in its essence, with our locally-grown fresh products and it’s also a daily habit that promotes healthy lifestyle, wellness and longevity. North Macedonia is a country of gourmands. Experience amazing range of flavors that will increase your appetite from the mere the first bite. A country of pristine wines and the centennial tradition of fish dishes such as the famous endemic Ohrid trout. Different foods have been prepared and served at different periods of time. But, one thing has not changed for more than thousands of years - the best homemade wine in the Balkans is always from North Macedonia. Cheers!

Republic of North Macedonia has the potential for many types of tourism, but the greatest interest is for the cultural, religious, active and rural tourism, then there is interest in our food, our wineries, as well as in-

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SPECIAL EDITION

In North Macedonia you will find everything you need to restore faith in the world and people, to find peace and tranquility by looking at endless green landscapes and blue lakes

one of the oldest reimbursements in the country and one of the oldest human settlements in Europe with its origin that dates back to the antique period as a part of Via Egnatia road. The town is home to 365 churches from 17th and 19th century what makes it “Jerusalem on the Balkans”.

North Macedonia is a country where the echo of the past merges with the sounds of the present each and every day. Let your heart pound with the rhythm of the traditional drum and the piercing sound of the traditional zurla at the famous Galichnik wedding. Let your soul be united with the soul of the traditional folk songs and dances.

CORPORATE

Towards the PRO PR Conference Leading communication experts meet new communication challenges towards arrival at the event ROBERT WESTER

ent roles of a modern communication department are gathered. Think for instance about analysts and monitoring specialists who really bring in the outside world. And of course social media experts and data analysts are there to make communications to the outside world more effective. These professionals will work closely with spokespersons, communication advisors, responsible policy officers and aldermen of the municipality. It is a very interesting example of a more data driven organization of a communication team.

Managing Director EU at Berenschot consultancy

For years, you had the opportunity to participate in public communication strategies as a communication expert of the government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and later the ministry of finance. How do you view the transparency of diplomatic communication today and is it effective enough?

— Thank you very much for giving me this opportunity. I have worked for more than 15 years in communications positions in the Dutch government, for seven different ministries. And since 12 years, I work the private sector, as a consultant for Berenschot in the Netherlands and for the EU institutions. It is my personal experience that over the years communications has become more and more important. It is really a vital profession that is needed to make better policies or to ensure a better implementation. The main thing that governments should do is being as transparent as possible. It is really very important that people in society can trust the information they obtain from government. Secondly, in an ideal world, people will also have the possibility to participate in the policy making process. Governments at all levels should really listen better to the voices in society and should do more to make policies more understandable and reliable. Communication is a strategic tool to meet these big challenges. In this age of public distrust in government, communication should be put higher on the agenda. To counter these trends, government organisations are trying to become more responsive in the sense that they work more and more with concrete missions, for instance on climate change of sustainable mobility. And on these missions they are trying to involve and consult more and more civil society. Communications units should support

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THE MAIN THING THAT GOVERNMENTS SHOULD DO IS BEING AS TRANSPARENT AS POSSIBLE. IT IS REALLY VERY IMPORTANT THAT PEOPLE IN SOCIETY CAN TRUST THE INFORMATION THEY OBTAIN FROM GOVERNMENT their organisations in doing so, especially at the highest level of the organisation.

Digital transformation is no longer a subject of challenge but a subject of implementation. Although we would like to be digital transformed, there are great inequalities in knowledge but also financial opportunities.

Do you believe this process will complete quickly?

— Especially the use of data and digitisation are crucial in order to

respond immediately to voices in society. An interesting example of this trend is the concept of the newsroom, which has been installed in many larger municipalities in the Netherlands over the last years.

It also gives input for an offensive and proactive communication strategy. The content can be used for different channels (both internally and externally). The motto would be: no advice with issue analysis.

In this newsroom the differ-

What can PRO PR conference participants expect through your presentation?

— I would like to present a few guidelines for modern government communication. As Berenschot we’ve done much research amongst communication units in the Netherlands, but also in Europe and we have developed a model for strategic communication. In our view communication units should play five important roles in order to be effective. We define these roles as follows: • Strategic partner to the board: consulting and advising the board and top management of the organization • Expert in communication activities: delivering day-to-day communication activities that support all functions of the organization, dealing with the press: answering press questions, writing press releases and spokesperson • Stakeholder engagement and building relationships: Communicating the corporate strategy to stakeholders and interested publics, building stakeholder relations • Specialist in intelligence and monitoring: gathering day-to-day insights from media, stakeholders etc.

• Coach and facilitator of communications: coaching all members of the organization and enabling them to communicate professionally.

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CHRIS POMEROY Executive President at Interface Tourism Spain & THR Tourism Industry Advisors and Director of International Tourism Group

For years you have been managing and creating the image and appeal of destinations through various branding tools. At the PRO PR Conference you will hold a workshop called “Using data to target communications strategies and messages”, what can participants expect?

— Effective communication requires a high degree of empathy between the transmitter and the receiver of the message. If I want to take the day off and play golf, I will need to communicate my intention to my wife and to my boss; the message might be the same, but the strategy and delivery will need to be adapted to make sure I achieve the desired result. The more aligned the values and tone of the message are to those of the individual to whom it is aimed the more receptive the audience will be and the more effective the resulting communication. As PR professionals, our success and value to clients depends on our ability to identify a target audience and discover as much about their values, needs and behavior as possible. As populist politicians have demonstrated, big data analytics gives us the ability to do this with incredible precision and surprisingly, often distressingly, effective results. My particular business influences holiday choices not votes but data is used, not just for digital advertising or paid social media but for defining every form of communication at every touchpoint between traveler and brand from the poster in the travel agent’s window or the copy of holiday brochures to destination websites, press releases or social media content. In the workshop I am preparing for the PRO PR delegates, we will work together in groups to use data sources to identify a target audiences, create traveler profiles, decide communication channels and craft messages for the promotion of a tourism destination.

Globally, you recently launched a new product. What is it about and what is its main goal?

— We created Travellyze with the goal of providing reliable, detailed and easily accessible data and actionable insights to help travel companies and tourism destina-

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION REQUIRES A HIGH DEGREE OF EMPATHY BETWEEN THE TRANSMITTER AND THE RECEIVER OF THE MESSAGE tions identify potential travelers and design communications or marketing strategies. Quantitative data is great for setting context and telling tourism destinations and companies what is happening: how many searches were performed, flights booked, or tourists arrived, etc. It does not however tell us much about the people behind those numbers so we needed a way to qualify this data with insights that would help us to understand what potential tourists are doing, thinking and even feeling in order to communicate more effectively with them. Travellyze conducts qualitative research through a detailed online survey of over 23,000 travelers from the main source markets in Europe. The survey gathers large amounts of raw data in three main categories: demographic, destination perception and consumer behavior. The platform then applies complex analytics algorithms to cross reference over 11 million data points between these three blocks in almost infinite combinations to provide detailed traveler profiles, trends and actionable insights. The platform identifies target traveler segments, trends in consumer perceptions and sentiment towards different types of travel and benchmarks 130 international destinations. We originally built Travellyze as an in-

ternal tool for our own PR and marketing work simply because, after years of looking, we could not find any existing solution that provided the functionalities or level of detail we required. However, as we work with close to 100 tourism destinations from around the world, word soon got out and clients started asking us for direct access to the platform and for more and more reports and profiles, so we developed an open cloud-based SaaS dashboard that anyone can access on a subscription basis.

Although it was thought that after Covid Europe would travel easier and more peacefully, the new energy crisis and the war in Ukraine are certain fears and certainly questions. What are your predictions for travel this year?

— Indeed, until the war in Ukraine, the prospects for recovery of global tourism were extremely positive and most European destinations were expecting international arrivals to be between 70-90% of pre-pandemic levels. Indeed in some markets, such as the UK for example, outbound travel booked in January and February for departure from June onwards is actually higher than the same period in 2019. Already in the summer of 2021 Spain

and Greece were already close to 75% of 2019 arrivals for the same period. The big data we get from airlines and airports was looking very positive. Our own qualitative research using Travellyze analytics was also showing a clear increase in confidence and lower anxiety levels among European travellers as they had adapted to the “new normal”. The pandemic has had a clear effect on attitudes to travel and some of these changes will remain for the long-term as part of the psyche of the new traveler and tourism communicators and marketers will need to adapt their strategies accordingly if they are to future proof their brands.

Likewise, the current crisis in Ukraine will also have some short-term effects on travel behavior and particularly on destination choice and other longer-term effects on the global tourism industry as a whole with less emotional and more practical results of conflict such as the cost of aviation fuel or even changes to food supply chains. Our data partner ForwardKeys is closely monitoring the effect of the war in flight bookings and it is clear that some destinations are already missing the Russian tourists. Those destinations that had the greatest share of Russian bookings made before the crisis for travel between March and May 2022 included some of the obvious: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan but also Bulgaria (18% of share of Russian bookings), the Seychelles (16%), Maldives (15%), Cyprus (13%) or Thailand and Turkey at 8% market share each. These long-haul destinations will be looking to attract some of the European travelers that are now looking to distance themselves from the conflict as well as hoping that COVID19 travel restrictions are relaxed in markets such as Australia and China.

Europe accounts for nearly half of the global tourism economy and over the last two decades, many European travel companies have invested heavily in Russia both as a source market and as an inbound destination. The collapse of this market and destination will have serious implications for many investors, hoteliers, airlines, etc. The international hotel brands that have invested in Russia could potentially survive on the domestic market, at least in the short term but as sanctions continue they will not be able to take funds out of Russia or recover their investments.

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INTERVIEW

Gastronomy as a Passion In addition to cooking and making photos of his food, a food blogger also writes articles and comes up with new recipes. This is a profession that entails several different professions and skills MILE BUTORAC

pushed out the “private”. And so I became “hungry_mile”, because a colleague from college said that, given the amounts of food, that should be my name.

I think that increasingly more people and the different success stories: published cookbooks, own studios and various campaigns; prove that this is a completely equal job to all the conventional ones. This is the only and real job for many people these days, and it’s also one of the most beautiful jobs out there.

Food Blogger „hungry_mile“

he food presentation itself is extremely important, because a photo is the first thing the people see. It is a tool that will attract the audience, interest them in reading an article or a recipe, famous food blogger Mile Butorac, aka “hungry_mile”, explains for Diplomacy&Commerce. I draw my inspiration from the season, it is becoming more and more important to me to have seasonal, and local food, if possible.

T

How would you define or explain the term “blogger”? What exactly does this entail?

— Food blogger is primarily someone who loves food and everything about it, who is passionate about gastronomy. It is also very important to understand the processes, work and effort behind cooking, and it certainly helps to have some skills in the kitchen. But that’s just part of the story, because photography is almost the main way of communication which helps you get people interested.

And finally, a blogger can be someone who cannot cook, but is a total foodie and brings us stories and restaurants reviews. Even though most food bloggers have their own blog, with the development of social networks it is no longer so necessary, because all the new platforms allow you to present yourself equally well.

How did you decide to become a blogger and do you think this can be considered a job, like the conventional jobs we know of?

— The idea came to me spontaneously, after my participation in the TV show “321 – kuhaj” (2014), I realized that food is something I’m interested in a bit more than just in the sense of “what’s for lunch tomorrow”, and thus started my research and game. I started to cook more and more often and I started posting more and more food on my then private IT profile, and after some time food simply

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THERE IS STILL NO ASSOCIATION OR A UNION FOR US SO WE USE VARIOUS ASSOCIATIONS AND EVENTS TO EXCHANGE EXPERIENCES, BUT WE ARE ALL THERE FOR ONE ANOTHER THROUGH MESSAGES

You chose to deal with food with a bit more detail and more professionally. Are you creating recipes yourself or using some that may have been forgotten?

— They are mainly my recipes, executions of some ideas I thought about or that I saw/tasted somewhere, but there are also some forgotten recipes executed with today’s typical foods. I try each recipe at least twice before posting it, and sometimes even more times. But it all depends, sometimes I know immediately that this is it, because it’s a combination of the components I tried before, which I am certain will be successful, and all I need is a photo and a personal proof that it can be done.

In your opinion, how important is food decoration and presentation?

— One should remain moderate in all this; some highly styled dishes can make the people think they are extremely demanding and simply impossible to make.

With photos like these you can get a lot of compliments and comments of admiration, but not many will test the recipe, and ultimately, recipes are essence of interaction between the audience and yourself. Tried recipes and comments to these are every blogger’s greatest compliment.

How does a food blogger’s day look like, how much time do you spend on your work, the finale of which are the photos on the social media?

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— There are no rules, not many of my days are the same, especially since I’m tied to several areas of this work. When it comes to a recipe I start from scratch or a dish that is not too demanding, it require one set of work hours (up to 8 hours of work), because in addition to cooking and making photos, I also have to get groceries, process the materials, write the recipe, come up with the descriptions… Sometimes there are days I don’t cook at all because I’m in meetings, doing restaurant reviews, answering emails and writing recipes/articles. When I’m working on a project as a food stylist, sometimes I spend the entire day shopping for groceries or props (last winter I spent half a day looking for a melon all over Zagreb, recently I looked for dishes in a certain shade of blue, or one time I baked cookies for two whole days). (literally for two days from 7-8am to almost midnight)) ... as I said, it’s interesting and there are no rules.

Where do you find ideas and inspiration for your recipes and who tastes your food most often?

— I mainly coordinate my ideas and recipes with what can be found on the market, in the garden, etc… My wish is to draw the attention of the public and all of

LAST WINTER I SPENT HALF A DAY LOOKING FOR A MELON ALL OVER ZAGREB, RECENTLY I LOOKED FOR DISHES IN A CERTAIN SHADE OF BLUE, OR ONE TIME I BAKED COOKIES FOR TWO WHOLE DAYS ON ONE SET

us to local producers, these are the people who need to be supported, and therefore sustained.

Most often, my tasters are my friends and family; and now they all have something they love, but in a deranged way where they adore it and would love it if I could prepare only that one dish. When they try to talk me into something, they usually start off with some compliments about how I have a magic touch when it comes to yeast dough, or when they start praising me how I spread the pulled dough across the entire table, I usually know where that leads – they want a pie or some rolls.

How developed is the food blogging scene in Croatia, and is there a cooperative where you cooperate, exchange experiences…?

— I have been a part of the blogging scene since 2016 and I think that, in part, I grew up and formed my personality through all this, I have been there for a large portion of the road where this community grew and became what it is today – extremely numerous and diverse. Our contribution to the popularization of cooking and table setting in Croatia is also unquestionable. Our recipes have entered many homes, numerous celebrations, and have encouraged people to try something new, to explore.

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PEOPLE & EVENTS

DIPLOMACY & COMMERCE MAR MAGAZINE, SERBIAN ISSUE, CELEBRATES ITS 6th BIRTHDAY PRESENTING DIPLOMACY&COMMERCE AWARDS

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Ruža Veljović, magazin director in Serbia

Boban Spasojević , magazine director in Croatia, Robert Čoban publisher CMC, Jelena Aleksić Associate Director, Advisory & Transaction Services - SEE Region at CBRE

Winners of the Diplomacy & Commerce Award

Photos: Matej Paluh

President of Color Press Group, Robert Čoban thanked all the guests and said the following in his address: „It was March 2019 when we last celebrated the D&C award ceremony at the National Museum. How has our world changed since then? The COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine have reshaped our lives more than any other event in the last two decades. As Judy Garland would say:”Toto, I have a feeling we are not in Kansas anymore.”

I hope we – our governments, our companies, and us, as individuals – will find our way to Oz.” The magazine’s director in Serbia, Ruža Veljović, said that over 80 companies and organizations had been nominated and that picking the winners was no easy task. “Together with the representatives of bilateral chambers and business associations in Serbia, of which we have been members since our launch, we wanted to reward all those who have contributed to our society and our country with their work and activities this year too with the view of making them a better place to work and live in.

25 MAR

MENEGHETTI WINE HOTEL & WINERY

Based in Istria, Meneghetti Wine Hotel & Winery, officially opened a new winery in presence of several associates and colleagues from the wine-making and hotel world. The guests had the opportunity to learn about the two-decades-long work that preceded this important step in Meneghetti’s history, tour the new wine cellar, study the technology behind advanced wine-making methods and relax in an exclusive VIP tasting room. Along with top Meneghetti wines, the entire experience was enriched with selected delicacies from the widely known Meneghetti cuisine.

These beautiful surroundings will become one of the must-see places for anyone who decides to visit Istria. Here, guests can engage in interesting activities – from a top wine flight with creative snacks and a guided tour of the winery to a private tasting of the widely known Meneghetti Red.

Miroslav Plišo

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www.diplomacyandcommerce.hr

PEOPLE & EVENTS

10 MAR

09

MAR

“EXPORT FINANCES AND EXPORT CREDIT INSURANCE”

ORBICO ADRIATIC WINES

A Business Breakfast organized by the Italian-Croatian Chamber of Commerce, the Nordic Chamber of Commerce and the Canadian Croatian Business Network in partnership with HBOR. The aim of the event was to present the current export-credit insurance and financing programs implemented by HBOR

SLO CRO Business Club organized a presentation of the Orbico Adriatic Wines project . The presentation of the project followed the assembly of members of the SLO CRO Business Club, which this year marks its 20th anniversary. The president of the SLO CRO business club, Dr. Saša Muminović, talked to the president of Orbico, Branko Roglić, who explained how he came up with

with an interactive discussion, concrete examples and cases from everyday practice. After a very comprehensive lecture over breakfast, the members of the Chamber exchanged business contacts, ideas and received answers to questions related to export financing and insurance.

the idea and what motivated him the most. Namely, Branko Roglić is the owner of a vineyard on Pelješac, where he cultivates a little less than 20,000 vines of the Plavac mali variety. Roglić believes that Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina have exceptionally high-quality, top-quality wines, which he has long been convinced should be placed on the wider European market.

The president of Orbico, Branko Roglić,the president of the SLO CRO business club, Dr. Saša Muminović

18 FEB

BUSINESS FORUM AT EXPO DUBAI

The Croatian economic delegation was dominated by energy, industry and construction with strong players such as Končar and Rimac Automobil. It is followed by the IT sector and other consulting services with solutions in the areas of the Internet of Things and data science, such as Geld Data and Business Intelligence. The delegation also included a sig-

nificant number of companies from the food industry, including flagships such as Podravka and Pag cheese factory. In recent years, economic cooperation with the UAE has been on the rise. Thus, in 2020 and 2019, Croatian exports amounted to more than 70 million dollars, and this trend continues in 2021, in which 63 million dollars were recorded in 11 months.

PM Andrej Plenković, Luka Burilović president of CBA

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ART/EXHIBITIONS

ALBERTINA Modern: Ai Weiwei in Search of Humanity

Ai Weiwei | Courtesy Ai Weiwei Studio, Photo: Gao Yuan

Ai Weiwei - famous as a human rights activist - is one of the most influential artists of our time. His most extensive retrospective exhibition to date provides an insight into all creative phases of his career, which spanned more than four decades, and reveals his incomparable aesthetic design principles.

SURPRISING MYSTERIOUSNESS Ai's early objects combine logically and functionally unrelated objects into a surprising enigma: a shovel is covered with warm fur, two shoes are paired like dung beetles that are wedged together. He liberates things from

their practical value and combines found objects into a new world of objects.

DECONSTRUCTION Fragments, deformations and remains of all kinds populate Ai's work. It reflects the experience of the terrible years of the "Cultural Revolution", their campaign of annihilation in the service of the Maoist re-education of the people. The aesthetic principle of destruction sensitises the artist to the discovery of destroyed sculptures, the fragments of which Ai presents like precious relics. Later - under the impression of the

Ai Weiwei, Forever Bicycles, 2003 / 42 Fahrräder / private collection/ Photo: ALBERTINA, Vienna / Lisa Rastl & Reiner Riedler © 2022 Ai Weiwei

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armed conflicts in Syria - he searches for fragments that denounce the destructiveness of war.

READYMADES All these readymades – Julian Assange's treadmill or the stuffed panda stuffed with secret NSA material – make us perceive the world in unusual ways. Without the arrangement of the life jackets left by refugees on the beach, which are wrapped around a crystal ball weighing tons, like a lotus flower, the migrants' catastrophe would soon become vague again: forgotten through habituation.

Ai Weiwei, Zodiac (Dragon), 2019 LEGO-bricks / private collection / Photo: ALBERTINA, Vienna / Lisa Rastl & Reiner Riedler © 2022 Ai Weiwei

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Ai Weiwei, Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn, 1995 / B/W photo (Triptychon) private collection / Photo: Courtesy Ai Weiwei Studio © 2022 Ai Weiwei

Ai Weiwei, Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads (Gold), 2010 12 Bronze statues, gilded, on wooden frames / private collection / Photo: ALBERTINA, Vienna / Lisa Rastl & Reiner Riedler © 2022 Ai Weiwei

METAMORPHOSIS Another design principle is metamorphosis. The transformation using marble, for example, creates a monument to things: there are memories of his childhood, the trauma of his imprisonment, the doors of demolished houses that fell victim to China's modernisation. Ai presents his handcuffs in a valuable container in a noble display case or plac-

es stone monuments on a pedestal. Drowned refugees, maize fields devoured by locusts or the navigation route of the Sea-Watch 3 are built into unsettling images by Ai, from colourful Lego bricks. Lego, the world's most famous toy, loses its childlike innocence. The visual joke takes on a deeper meaning. The confusion emanating from these metamorphoses, the transformation of things into use-

Ai Weiwei, Illumination, 2019 / LEGO-Bausteine / Courtesy of the artist / Photo: Courtesy of the artist and Lisson Gallery © 2022 Ai Weiwei

less monuments, opens the door to far-reaching political associations and interpretations.

Conceptual art has never been more vivid, sensual and engaged.

ALBERTINA MODERN From 4th September 2022 Karlsplatz 5 From 4th September 2022 https://youtu.be/6k3kV4wFIA8

Ai Weiwei, Crystal Ball, 2017 crystal, life jackets / Courtesy of the artist and neugerriemschneider Gallery, Berlin / Photo: Courtesy Ai Weiwei Studio © 2022 Ai Weiwei

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COLUMN

Culture of Caring How to say right things to right person at right time? Think it is impossible?

Go through this article and find out that there are strategies to succeed in this delicate endeavor

JAGODA POROPAT DARRER Business Communication Professional

rioritizing company culture and caring can be a hard pill for business leaders to swallow. Where’s the return on investment? What does it have to do with the bottom line? But while the benefits of a culture of care don’t fit neatly on a P&L statement, they are real. A great company culture leads to better employee retention and lower onboarding costs. It gives employees a sense of pride in their work, and it’s a great differentiator in your market, argues Jeff Bevis from Forbes. Culture of care isn’t something you can institute overnight, takes planning and follow-through by corporate leadership. Bevis (2022) suggests five ways to start creating culture of care.

First, you must know your team. Knowing your people is the first rule in public speaking too. To communicate well it is always crucial to understand, value and adapt your style to your audience. Your company’s leadership should take the time to get to know everyone on your team.

Listen to them, get to know what makes them tick and give them plenty of opportunities to give feedback. Your employees can usually tell when you are feigning interest, which is arguably more insulting than completely ignoring them. If they feel that talking to you is a waste of their time, they'll likely stop. Listening (or not) will set a very strong example for the rest of the organization despite what you claim to value. Hearing what employees think is difficult if you never ask for their feedback.

Professional development

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is a great place to start. Provide training so employees can expand their skillsets and grow in their careers. Creating a culture of care is the right thing to do, but it’s also a sound business move.

When your team sees that you care about them as individuals, it gives them a renewed perspective, a better basis to care for the customer and for other members of your team. It is all about modern leadership.

There are many definitions of leadership but Simon Sinek, author of the book Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action (2009), may have described it best: "Leadership is not about being in charge.

Leadership is about taking care of those in your charge." Building a culture of caring means pro-

viding a supportive environment that is focused on the employees; it means truly wanting to take care of them. A culture of caring is employee-centered, which means being human-centered. We all like being welcome. An essential part of employees feeling welcome is an environment that encourages people to bring their true selves to work. There are several approaches to make your team feeling welcome. It could include some wellness program. Although employee wellness programs might look like some of the extravagance that is unnecessary for a culture of caring, they are an essential part of supporting employees. Caring about people means wanting them to be physically, mentally, and emotionally healthy. Furthermore, in creating

LEARN AS MUCH AS YOU CAN TO MAKE YOUR TEAM FEEL GOOD AT WORK, FEEL APPRECIATED AS THEY ARE AN INVESTMENT, AND ABOVE ALL THIS, MAKE SURE THAT NO ONE IS LEFT OUT

a culture of caring you can create a workspace that employees enjoy and that facilitates their physical health. Next step in communicating a culture of care is to find a way your team should feel trusted.

In his book Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us, Daniel H. Pink talks extensively about autonomy—that it's in our nature is to be curious and self-directed, not inert and passive. Autonomy means acting with choice, being players not pawns. Do you lead your staff with autonomy (which breeds engagement) or with control (which breeds compliance)? Are employees empowered to make decisions, or are they told that they must consult with management for everything?

Do they refer to management as trusting or as micromanagers?

The repercussions of a micromanaged workplace that lacks trust are disastrous: loss of productivity, increased stagnation, high turnover, less collaboration, and higher stress. Lack of information flow also means that the organization will have less capacity to know what's going on and to make decisions, which will have its own set of logistical issues. Caring for employees includes giving them the information they need to do their jobs autonomously so that they can perform the best work possible.

At the end we can ask ourselves, why to care? Kelly and Kutch (2017) suggest that training people to genuinely care is difficult to do, so organizational leaders must keep this attribute in mind, along with the traditional technical skills, when selecting managers. A culture of caring must be led by example from the top down. If created successfully, this culture will infuse an organization with a feeling and an energy that cannot be replicated no matter the amount of money spent on climbing walls or executive chefs.

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