Diplomacy&Commerce35

July/August 2021 | ISSUE No. 35 | ONLINE EDITION

13 JULY

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HUNGARY’S VISEGRÁD FOUR PRESIDENCY

9772466380002

IMPORTANCE OF COOPERATION DARKO HORVAT

Minister of Physical Planning, Construction and State Property

FRENCH NATIONAL DAY 14th JULY

72nd DUBROVNIK SUMMER FESTIVAL

THE RECOVERY ALREADY STARTED

CONFERENCE ON THE FUTURE OF EUROPE

VIŠNJA JEŽIĆ SORIĆ

ANDREJA METELKO-ZGOMBIĆ

President of the Franco-Croatian Chamber of Commerce and Industry

THE PULA FILM FESTIVAL OFFICIALLY OPENED

MVEP State Secretary

THE WEEKEND IS BACK!

This September, all roads lead to Rovinj again

Failed Region

the 21st century.

Among these 8 killed in the 21st century are Gadhafi (Lydia); King Birendra of Nepal; Loren Kabala, President of Congo, presidents of Guinea Bissau, Chad, Haiti – and the only European country on the list – Serbia (the assassination of Zoran Đinđić in 2003).

What does the fact that the mur-

der of a ruler was possible in a country in the 21st century say about that country? Are these the so-called "failed states"? My friend Michael Saint-Lot, the former head of UNICEF in Belgrade, spoke to me many times with great affection about his native Haiti, a country that was among the first in the Western Hemisphere to gain independence from previous colonial invaders (in 1804, immediately after the United States). Today, Michel is at the helm of UNICEF in Madagascar, another country bordering on being a “failed state”.

While I’m listening to the news from Bosnia Herzegovina these days, and the statements of some high officials from Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro and the Republic of Srpska – I think about why we, “the righteous and free-spirited”, we who were among the first to rebel against the Turks (Serbs in 1805) and Hungarians (Croats in 1903) are now at the verge of becoming a “failed state”, side by side with Haiti and Madagascar.

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Politics

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FOREWORD

ROBERT ČOBAN Director

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Translation GORANKA MILOŠEVIĆ

Predstavnik za RH

he President of Haiti, the poorest country in the Western hemisphere – was killed on July 7th in his residence. In the 19th and 20th century, murders of kings, emperors, presidents and prime ministers were quite common, I wrote about this in the editorial prepared for the December issue of this magazine.

In just over two decades of the 21st century, only 8 heads of state or government have been killed in the world. 24 of them were killed in the last two decades of the 20th century - from 1980 to 2000, which is three times more. Fewer wars, revolutions and coups, more modern security systems - much has contributed to the “safety” of the heads of state in

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CONTENTS

THE LONGEST AMERICAN WAR IS OVER

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CONFERENCE ON THE FUTURE OF EUROPE

HUNGARY’S VISEGRÁD FOUR PRESIDENCY

ANDREJA METELKO-ZGOMBIĆ

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MVEP State Secretary

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THE RECOVERY ALREADY STARTED VIŠNJA JEŽIĆ SORIĆ President of the Franco-Croatian Chamber of Commerce and Industry

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POWER SPEAKING JAGODA POROPAT DARRER Business Communication Professional

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THE BLUE BANANA OR THE EUROPEAN SPINE Interesting facts

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NO PLACE TO HIDE

THE WEEKEND IS BACK!

Economy

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CONDOMINIUM APPORTIONMENT

NEM DUBROVNIK 2021 REVEALES FIRST SPEAKERS

PETAR PETRIĆ Attorney at Law, Petrić & Kajić Law Firm LLC

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POLITICS

The Longest American War is Over ...and America is defeated fghanistan has again justified its name – „The Cemetary of Empires“.

The British first came here in the 19th century, after conquering all of India, Ceylon and putting half of the Persian Gulf under protectorate thus creating an empire where the sun does not set. But they failed to subjugate this little „blob“ on the map, which was last conquered by Alexander the Great, then Tamerlane and the Mogul dynasty.

When The Great Game became history, the progress-led Soviets took the stage. At the invitation of the authorities in Kabul, they came to support the creation of a secular socialist materialist society in the hills brimming with the poor conservative Muslims. They failed, the Kino band made songs about the tragedies of soldiers, monuments to Afghans were erected everywhere in the former USSR, and when the Soviets withdrew, the mujahedin, armed by the Americans, marched on Kabul a few years later, taking bloody revenge on the communists left without help, installing a caliphate, which will soon metastasize to the Taliban's Islamic corner of the world, where ancient Buddhas are destroyed and women are covered in burqas from head to toe.

All that would not be so terrible, if, driven by the idea of taking revenge on the West for everything, and especially to his former American friends, Osama bin Laden did not dare to make al-Qaeda and attack New York directly. George W. Bush did not keep a cool head, he immediately attacked Afghanistan, and quickly conquered it. He also had allies - the Northern Alliance - which was always a kind of mixture of pro-Soviets and mujahideen who did not become Taliban. But then the biggest nonsense happened, which the Americans seem to repeat from country to country in which they intervene (except, in part, Bosnia and Herzegovina). They tried to create a centralized civil democracy in a country that is tribal, religious and divided linguistically. If they had tried to make the unitary United States,

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EITHER WAY, AMERICA AND ITS ALLIES WILL LEAVE 40 MILLION PEOPLE TO A TERRIBLE DESTINY. AFTER AMERICA, EUROPE WILL BE THE SECOND CONTINENT TO SEE A HUGE INFLUX OF AFGHANI REFUGEES a hundred armed groups would have already risen up against the abolition of Texas or California, so why did it even occur to them that they could succeed in Afghanistan? Instead of making a wise federation based on ethnic principles, and at least stabilizing the situation a little, they blatantly ignored the facts - to people who have only faith, no money and only tribal pride, they tried to sell a civilization in which it didn't matter what religion or nation you are but only personal freedom and how much money you have.

Of course, this endeavour did not succeed, and now, after 20 years, in another tragic defeat, after 2 trillion US dollars spent, America is withdrawing.

What can the American president offer today? Obama has de-

cided to close the "bottomless pit", Trump has announced his withdrawal, and Biden will carry it all out. What's the good news?

The good news is that Bin Laden and Al Qaeda are gone. The Islamic State is not very strong in the Afghan hills either. The old, proven Taliban is the main force there. They claim they control 85% of the country, which is probably not true (information from the field speaks of some 50%) but that may come true very soon. The pro-American government is perceived as extremely corrupt - it has eaten billions of dollars in aid, and the people are no better off.

The government is slowly withdrawing, although, in theory, the Taliban and pro-Americans are negotiating some kind of transitional government, an agreement

on national reconciliation. Field reports speak of revenge.

The Taliban will certainly try to turn the already Islamic conservative country into an even bigger theocracy, during negotiations with the Government. Maybe girls will again be banned from schools, women will be locked in their houses, and terrible punishments will be prescribed for those who wear the wrong clothes or listen to the wrong music or watch the Premier League, for example. That's a better scenario. The worse scenario is that the Taliban will conquer the entire country with weapons. Already, the ethnic Tajiks in the Afghan army have fled to Tajikistan, their homeland, with all weapons. The Uzbeks and Turkmen, who also have homelands, are preparing to do the same. This already leads to the inevitable conflict with the CSTO, because having American armed allies in countries that are Russia's sphere of interest is not a good idea security-wise. Once, Jordan received armed members of the PLO, conflicts broke out between "locals" and "guests". Their values are not the same either Uzbeks from Uzbekistan are more similar to Russians and Istanbulites, they are more Europeans than Asians, while Uzbeks from Afghanistan are deeply Islamic Asians.

Either way, America and its allies will leave 40 million people to a terrible destiny. There are indications and promises that Americans, as in the case of Vietnam or Laos, will take loyal locals with them to America, and the history will repeat itself. Just maybe...

For now, they are not too keen on issuing visas and for time being, they are only issued in Guam. After America, Europe will be the second continent to see a huge influx of Afghani refugees, while Afghanistan will be in the same bad place as after the departure of the Soviets in 1989. The opportunity to make a functional federal state is no longer there, just like the idea of a unitary democracy and a civil state. It didn't work in Iraq either. Not even in Somalia before that. Not even in Libya. Simply, this idea has failed.

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INTERVIEW

Conference on the Future of Europe We want the widest possible involvement of citizens in this unique project where EU citizens, Member States, European and national institutions, various stakeholders in society think about what kind of EU we want to have and in which direction it should develop

ANDREJA METELKO-ZGOMBIĆ MVEP State Secretary

ndreja Metelko-Zgombić, State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, talks for the summer double issue of Diplomacy & Commerce magazine about the Conference, cooperation with Slovenia and Italy in the North Adriatic, but also the enlargement policy in the Western Balkans and the European Union's development priorities.

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Last year, in the first half of the year, Croatia chaired the Council of the EU, just at the beginning of the COVID 19 pandemic. As Secretary of State for European Affairs, how do you assess our presidency and what is it that

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we as a state may not have been able to implement in regards to plans and policies?

— The Croatian presidency was certainly the first presidency to face a crisis of this magnitude, to which we should add the earth-

time, we did not lose sight of the priorities we had set for ourselves earlier, which we also largely achieved.

In order to respond to the pandemic effectively and in a coordinated manner, we have activated

THE ADRIATIC IS THE SEA THAT WE SHARE AND THAT CONNECTS US, WE TOGETHER HAVE THE DESIRE AND RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT IT quake that hit Zagreb in March 2020. All of this inevitably required an adjustment of our program and plans, so we focused primarily on the coordinated response of the Council, which we chaired, to the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same

the European Integrated Political Crisis Response (IPCR) Mechanism, which has only been used several times so far, but never in this scope and duration; we coordinated a very complex repatriation process for EU citizens; we guided the work of the Coun-

cil to enable the rapid adoption of two packages of urgent economic measures proposed by the European Commission in response to the crisis, which were of particular importance to the Member States, their citizens and the economy. We also had to look for some new solutions to allow the continuation of work and decision-making in the Council, which until then could only make formal decisions at physical meetings in Brussels and Luxembourg. In conditions where meetings in person became difficult or impossible, we initiated and agreed on temporary changes to the Council's Rules of Procedure that allowed for written decisions, and the exchange of opinions and preparation of political decisions by convening videoconferences of Ministers – more than 60 of which were held during

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our presidency.

When it comes to our achievements, I would like to point out the reaching of a political agreement on the opening of negotiations with Albania and Northern Macedonia and holding the Zagreb Summit with the leaders of the European Union, Member States and the Western Balkans in video format, where the Zagreb Declaration was adopted. In addition, we adopted the Council's mandate to start negotiations on launching the Conference on the Future of Europe, which is now in full swing, we debated a new EU budget and a new EU recovery instrument, which allowed for the basic instruments for the EU and Member States to be adopted as early as July 2020, immediately after the end of our presidency. We provided conditions for the orderly exit of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland from the European Union and a mandate to conduct negotiations on future relations with that country. 33 EU legislative acts were harmonized, 54 Council decisions were adopted, we held more than 50 physical meetings of COREPER in Brussels. We are sorry that we had to cancel almost all physical events in Croatia, it would certainly be a good opportunity for additional presentation and promotion of Croatia.

I would say, therefore, that in the given circumstances, our pres-

idency has been truly successful and that we have shown seriousness in dealing with the crisis, as well as the flexibility to find solutions to the challenges we faced.

Slovenia took over the presidency from Portugal on July 01. How do you comment on the priorities they have set out and will address in the next 6 months?

— Croatia fully supports the four main pillars of Slovenian presidency. When it comes to the recovery and strengthening of the Union's resilience, in addition to the implementation of national recovery and resilience plans, we consider work in the fields of health, migration and the fight against cyber-attacks to be particularly important. We strongly support the strategic autonomy of the Union, the return of production to the Union throughout the Member States, especially when it comes to strategic products. In order to achieve ambitious goals within the green transition, Croatia will be a constructive partner in the negotiations and adoption of the legislative package ("Fit for 55"), which should enable the

achievement of agreed goals, taking into account the national circumstances of member states. It is time for the EU to profile itself as a reliable partner in the region and the world. We are particularly pleased to see that the Slovenian Presidency is placing a focus on the enlargement policy, which should be credible, based on the own achievements of the countries involved in the process, and also plans to hold a summit of the leaders of EU and the Western Balkans, as proposed by the Zagreb Declaration adopted during our presidency. In addition, we expect the dialogue on the rule of law to continue, as well as a broad debate at the Conference on the Future of Europe.

The Conference on the Future of Europe is a project you are working on in Croatia. It is a two-year conference that will take the form of a forum, an active dialogue with citizens. It will be held across Europe and will touch on all the issues that have emerged in the past year.

What are these issues and how is the conference being held in

IT IS TIME FOR THE EU TO PROFILE ITSELF AS A RELIABLE PARTNER IN THE REGION AND THE WORLD

Croatia?

— The Conference on the Future of Europe was one of the priorities of the Croatian Presidency, and the Council's position adopted in June 2020 was the basis for starting negotiations with the European Commission and the European Parliament and agreeing on the mandate under which the Conference now takes place. We want the widest possible involvement of citizens in this unique project where EU citizens, Member States, European and national institutions, various stakeholders in society think about what kind of EU we want to have and in which direction it should develop.

I take part in the work of a task force established by the Croatian Government, chaired by the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, within which we encourage departments to organize events and discussions - together with their partners from society and citizens, on topics of particular importance, such as climate change and the environment; health; stronger economy, social justice and jobs; digital transformation; values and rights, rule of law, security; migration; education, culture, youth and sports; the role of the EU in the world; European democracy; and all other topics important to our citizens. Some of these activities are already underway, such as some youth gatherings or an event or-

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ganized by the Office for Cooperation with NGOs - which I reported on at the first plenary session of the Conference. And we are planning a wider national event for the fall of this year. In support of these efforts, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, held a public tender, through which they allocated funds and encouraged a large number of Croatian associations, about thirty of them, to contribute to the debate on the future of Europe with their activities with citizens.

We are especially pleased that the Vice President of the European Commission Šuica is in charge of this unique project and that the European Commission has launched a multilingual digital platform, a valuable tool for collecting, analyzing and publishing data and exchanging ideas.

Croatian citizens, who can record events and present their ideas in Croatian, will surely give their contribution to this commendable project.

A joint trilateral declaration on cooperation in the North-

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ern Adriatic refers to the field of transport, the blue economy and environmental protection, to which Italy, Slovenia and Croatia have committed themselves by signing it. What does this mean in the field and what does it mean for Croatia?

— The joint trilateral statement is the result of an agreement between our three EU member

and the expected Italian proclamation of that belt in the Adriatic, creates an excellent basis for even stronger cooperation. When we talk about transport connections, we do not only mean better port connections through the North Adriatic Ports Association, but also infrastructural and intermodal connections, promotion of passenger and freight routes harmo-

THE CROATIAN PRESIDENCY WAS CERTAINLY THE FIRST PRESIDENCY TO FACE A CRISIS OF THIS MAGNITUDE, TO WHICH WE SHOULD ADD THE EARTHQUAKE THAT HIT ZAGREB IN MARCH 2020 states to step up the efforts to implement a range of measures in light of their shared responsibility for the Adriatic Sea, which should result in better transport links, more effective cooperation between our national economies and better protection of the Adriatic ecosystems. The proclamation of the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Republic of Croatia

nized with sustainable modes of transport, such as railway traffic.

In the field of blue economy, we want to contribute to the adoption of a new multi-annual plan for the protection of small oily fish and promote cooperation within ADRIATICA group or in projects such as the FAO AdriaMed project.

When it comes to environmental protection, the plan is to modern-

ize the Sub-regional Contingency Plan for Prevention of, Preparedness for and Response to Major Marine Pollution Incidents in the Adriatic Sea. None of the above can be effective without the dedicated cooperation of the three countries.

For Croatia, and especially for our Adriatic Sea, trilateral cooperation is extremely important. The Adriatic is the sea that we share and that connects us, we together have the desire and responsibility to protect it. The two meetings that our Minister Grlić Radman had with his colleagues di Maio and Logar were rounded off with joint statements that clearly outline the political will of the ministers to strengthen cooperation and gather bodies in charge of certain areas recognized as areas of special importance for all three countries – traffic connection, blue economy and environmental protection. Such cooperation is certainly in Croatia's interest, and it also provides a good framework for the development of our economy, as well as overall relations with Italy and Slovenia.

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INTERVIEW

The Recovery Already Started Congratulations on the crisis well survived VIŠNJA JEŽIĆ SORIĆ President of the Franco-Croatian Chamber of Commerce and Industry

ince the very beginning of the pandemic, we did not waste any time on adapting to new circumstances: the natural way was to digitalise our services, our events. We were not alone in following that trend, of course, all major actors did the same and particularly our sister-Chambers from the network of CCI France International, 125 of them in more than 90 countries worldwide says Višnja Ježić Sorić, President of the Franco-Croatian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

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The past year, since we have lived in the age of the COVID19 pandemic, has brought many novelties in both thinking and in business. How did French-Croatian Chamber adapt to the new circumstances?

— We did that instantaneously; the transformation process was done very rapidly by our Office and we acquired new software solutions, started to be more present on the web, the social networks, in one word - we have significantly increased our online presence.

I think the most important thing that we reconfirmed to ourselves is the importance of all communication channels, and we are still updating that part of our activities - by creating a new web portal of the Chamber which will be online in three languages during July, by actively feeding social networks profiles, some of which jointly with other Franco-bilateral Chambers in the CEEC region, even by visually creating a newer, more modern image of our communication.

Concerning the events, for example, they all became digital, overnight, I may say. As well as some services we provide for our non-member companies – we often organize prospecting missions for both French and Croatian companies on both markets: well, those live missions transformed into online meetings with their future partners. We like to call it e-mission :)

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I CAN SAY THAT THE SUPPORT TO OUR MEMBERCOMPANIES WAS EVEN LARGER THAN IN USUAL PERIODS WITHOUT THE PANDEMIC According to the information available to Franco-Croatian Chamber, how big is the crisis,

how big is the decline in investment, production and business operations in general in both

France and Croatia? What do the numbers say?

— There certainly has been a decline in the bilateral commerce between Croatia and France, both economies suffered as well as all of Europe and the rest of the world. But, what we shouldn’t do is blindly trust and be guided by numbers. Business operations in general depended largely on

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the sector of activities, there are some that suffered greatly, like the transport or automotive industry, there are some that prospered from the pandemic situation, like IT industry or some services for example.

Speaking from the feedback from the terrain, from our member-companies, I think I can generally say in the name of the Chamber and in their own name: “congratulations on the crisis well survived”. And - I’m coming back to the necessary adaptations in business operations, a change in routine, some necessary investments in order to continue, to survive on the market, etc. We had some great examples for that in our “Learn from our members” series of webinars…

On the other hand, the investments are luckily long-term projects and the Učka tunnel is still going to be bored, the roads are going to continue to be constructed in Istria, Decathlon opened a few more stores in Croatia and in the neighbouring countries, our member Nebesa (Little green bay) is investing in a new tourist project on one of the most popular Adriatic islands… There has not been a decline in our member’s services and products, moreover, it was a time for some new concepts and offers!

WE HAVE NEVER HAD ANY PROBLEMS ADDRESSING EVEN THE HIGHEST-RANKING PUBLIC SERVANTS AND COMMUNICATING WITH THEM We can confirm the same with the fact that we did not have a single member who withdrew from the membership, but on the contrary, we even witnessed the opening of a couple of new French affiliates in Croatia, becoming our members, of course…

It was the survival of the fittest – and it seems a lot of our companies, if not all of them, are quite fit!

There has been a significant decline in business activity, but in what ways have you, as an institution, helped the businesspeople?

— I can say that the support to our member-companies was even larger than in usual periods without the pandemic.

We have put large efforts to follow all the relevant information, whether it be concerning the Government measures or subventions, the practical way to deal with the crisis, even how to cross the national borders and prepare for a business trip, in one word

we have become a COVID19 info point.

I already mentioned our webinars, with all sorts of information, more specific industry-related, or more general. That info-support, the in-depth familiarity Chamber had with certain topics and the availability to share it with member-companies and to update them, was highly appreciated and acknowledged.

What are the most common issues and what are the needs of the businesspeople when they address you? How is the communication with decision makers?

— Our members mostly contact us for direct contact persons within other companies or the administration. Often they also seek legal or institutional support. We are there for exactly that sort of intermediation and are always very glad to be of assistance, whether for matching them with possible business partners, in Croatia and abroad, whether for

organizing meetings to address certain issues to local or central governments.

I cannot say that we, or they, if you like, have been confronted with some major issues that are unsolvable, blocking for their business. Very often the solution is found even on lower levels of administration, sometimes it just takes a good explanation, a presentation of a project, a clarification of a certain disposition of the law. Sometimes, all they need is for the institutions to be aware of their existence, their projects, knowledge and added value they can bring to local community, a sort of a “we are here, you can count on us”.

It is essential for an institution such as ours to have a good dialogue with decision makers, which, I am proud to say, we have so far successfully maintained.

We have never had any problems addressing even the highest-ranking public servants and communicating with them. The interesting fact is that the pandemic has also changed the way the administration operates – what used to be live meetings, turned into emails exchange or a Zoom session, for which I can say I am quite satisfied.

The Government and all major institutions were really very clear

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with the messages in this time of crisis. There simply was a little too much of them in a certain period and that is where the Chamber stepped in and summarized and in a way simply explained all to our companies.

We all switched to digital platforms, online events. How long will that remain a way of communication and business and what do you prefer - online or communication in person?

— I said that we switched to digital the moment the crisis erupted and I am saying that we did not hesitate to go back to the “old normal” once we had the first opportunity and were allowed to do so. We seized the opportunity to gather our members and to finally be able to have a live socializing event(s).

For how long? I do not know, like nobody else can with certainty. There are some aspects of communication and doing business that are certainly going to stay digital. The companies have realized that it too can bring budget cuts and is a way of making the colleagues more productive if they are not going to trav-

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el for meetings or participate at a live conference somewhere. It will depend greatly on the company management, on the aspirations of employees and on the development of the health situation. The trend is more and more to opt for the mixture of the two, the “phygital”.

Myself, I am more of a live-meeting person and most of the times it was (it still is) difficult

each a bottle of that wine and some French cheese (a camembert) and invited them to an online replay of a theatre piece. We texted each other, we talked on the phone, but it just wasn’t the same… Personal live communication and socializing remains, for me, the best way.

The year 2021 was supposed to be a year of recovery. When is

WE MUST NOT PUT ASIDE THE CORE OF OUR BUSINESS, OUR MEMBERS AND THEIR NEEDS. WE WILL CONTINUE TO CLOSELY COOPERATE WITH EACH END EVERYONE to accept that we are not able to see each other live. All your readers know about our biggest informal event of the year – the traditional celebration of young Beaujolais Nouveau French wine.

Well, we could not break that tradition in 2020, and since it was impossible to gather our usual 300 invitees, our members and their business partners, we sent them

the recovery expected to begin and what are Franco-Croatian Chamber's plans for the upcoming period?

— The recovery already started, we noticed a huge increase in activities both from our memberand non-member companies. The communication with the members is increasing, the demands are more frequent and punctu-

al, and the feedback of the situation is getting better and better every day. Of course, the results of the summer season are eagerly expected, since so many economic activities in Croatia depend on tourist arrival.

Other French and Croatian companies were equally fast to awake from 2020 and realizing that there is no progress in waiting and doing nothing. The Chamber witnessed a record number of commercial demands since the beginning of this year.

So, in treating all those files, we must not put aside the core of our business, our members and their needs. We will continue to closely cooperate with each end everyone, we will continue our usual activities of support, promotion, animation, matchmaking, with business and informal events, by adapting to newly developed situations, proactively as we always did. With a short-term planning for our events, at least until the end of this year. The difficulties are not yet behind us, there are still big challenges and uncertainties. The most important thing is to adapt and survive this period.

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EVENT

Hungary’s Visegrád Four Presidency Official Zagreb ceremony with Minister Gordan Grlic Radman, marking the start of the Hungarian V4 presidency

mbassador of Hungary to the Republic of Croatia, His Excellency Mr Csaba Demcsák hosted the official 13th July Zagreb event marking the start of Hungary’s Visegrád Four (V4) presidency, along with His Excellency, Mr Gordan Grlic Radman, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs and His Excellency Mr Zsolt Németh, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Hungarian National Assembly, as the main guests of the reception.

Ambassador Mr Demcsák pointed out that – in line with its motto „Recharging Europe” - the main objective of the Hungarian V4 Presidency is to revitalize Central Europe and the European Union in the aftermath of the COVID crisis. In this sense, the Hungarian V4 program aims to revital-

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THE MAIN OBJECTIVE OF THE HUNGARIAN V4 PRESIDENCY IS TO REVITALIZE CENTRAL EUROPE AND THE EUROPEAN UNION IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE COVID CRISIS

ize the economies and social life of the region. The program, via strengthening our coordination within the EU, also aims to contribute to the stability and safety of our Continent. Hungary’s priorities also include developing cooperation with neighboring partners within the V4+format including Croatia, the Western Balkans and the Eastern neighborhood as well.

In the words of Mr Zsolt Németh, “recharging Europe for us means building a successful Central-Europe and create a success story for Europe as well.” His Excellency, Mr Grlic Radman expressed his appreciation that “following Croatia’s EU presidency in 2020, the Hungarian V4 presidency in 2021/2020 continues the same path in rebuilding Europe after COVID.

ABOUT The Visegrád Group, Visegrád Four, V4, or European Quartet, is a cultural and political alliance of four countries of Central Europe[4] (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia), all of which are members of the EU and of NATO, to advance co-operation in military, cultural, economic and energy matters with one another and to further their integration to the EU. The Group traces its origins to the summit meetings of leaders

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from Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Poland held in the Hungarian castle town of Visegrád[6] on 15 February 1991. After the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1993, the Czech Republic and Slovakia became independent members of the group, thus increasing the number of members from three to four. All four members of the Visegrád Group joined the European Union on 1 May 2004.

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ARRIVALS & DEPARTURES

NATIONAL DAYS JULY

28

JEHAN ARULPRAGASAM New World Bank Country Manager for Croatia and Slovenia He succeeded Elisabetta Capannelli, whose four-year term ended in June. The new Country Manager will head the Zagreb Office and oversee the strategic, analytical, operational and advisory programme of the World Bank in Croatia and Slovenia. Arulpragasam holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the prestigious Cornell University and then a master’s and a doctorate from the University of North Carolina. He is coming to Croatia with 35 years of experience in the field of international development in more than 40 countries, with more than 10 years of experience in

managing the World Bank’s large credit and analytical programmes.

After Croatia was classified as a high-income EU country according to the World Bank criteria, this institution’s strategy and approach have changed. The Bank’s current program in the Republic of Croatia is focused on mitigation of economic and social consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, reconstruction after the earthquake, transport, judiciary, innovations, business environment, the land registry system, science and technology and the economic development of the Pannonian Croatia.

PERU

National Day

30

MOROCCO National Day

AUGUST

01

SWEDEN

Confederation Day

02

ORTH N MACEDONIA National Day

06

JAMAICA

JANKO ŠTEFANEK New Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Vindija Štefanek is coming to this position from Meteor Group, where he was in charge of finance, procurement and IT management since 2016. In almost 20 years of his career, the new CFO of Vindija has gained experience as a corporate manager and investment banker. “Today, Vindija is one of the leading food industries in Croatia and the region with exceptional

export potential. As a responsible company, we pay special attention to the preservation of domestic agriculture and food production, which we will continue to do in the coming years ", said the new Chief Financial Officer Janko Štefanek. The Vindija Group includes 13 companies, seven of which are located in Croatia, and the company employs 4,335 people.

Independence Day

10

ECUADOR National Day

14

PAKISTAN

Independence Day

17

INDONESIA

Independence Day

15

ECONOMY

by Žikica Milošević

No Place to Hide With increasingly unpredictable climate, a more and more hotter world is becoming a dangerous place to live in n the Russian series Catherine the Great from 2015, there is a scene when the wife of the newly crowned Tsar Peter III wife gives birth at the castle to a child who is not his. The courtiers loyal to Catherine (later the Great) did something to draw the Tsar's attention away from the child - they set fire to one of the nearby palaces, knowing that he liked disasters. Peter III quickly forgot about his wife and her child. He hurried off in a carriage and watched in amazement, with a smile on his face, as the palace was engulfed in flames. In the meantime, Catherine hid the baby. The deception was successful because of the emperor's perverse desire to watch disasters as they unfold. Not much has changed in the meantime. They say that people like to watch disaster movies because they are horrified and fascinated by the power of nature and its forces.

They also like watching disasters but from afar.

Still, this theory has one big flaw today, to quote Blackadder: "It has a tiny little flaw: it's bo***cks!"

The problem is that there is no safe place to watch disasters from in today's world. We watched disasters happen in Haiti, torrents sweeping people up into the backwaters in China, fires destroying towns in 'developed' Canada, and the torrents that, back in the day, could only happen in the tropics destroying towns and properties in West Germany, the Netherlands and the richest country Europe, Luxembourg. It is no longer the case of an unpredictable tsunami in Japan or a volcanic eruption in Montserrat. All this is due to climate change, which was induced by humankind.

We now have a planet that is 1°C warmer than in the pre-industrial era. However, since 1990, our planet has become warmer. When I was a teenager, in the 1980s, temperatures in Serbia rarely exceeded the 30°C. If the temperature was over 30 ° C, the working hours were shortened and the TV warned of the dangers of heat.

But, during the 1992 civil war, the weather became much warm-

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HEY SAY THAT PEOPLE LIKE TO WATCH DISASTER MOVIES BECAUSE THEY ARE HORRIFIED AND FASCINATED BY THE POWER OF NATURE AND ITS FORCES er, with the temperature staying 35°C all summer. Back then, we thought that was an anomaly but it was actually the first of many hot years to come.

Today, we can draw some very tangible conclusions. For example, the German flood alarm system must be improved, because it failed. That is, actually, so typically German. They have great emergency procedures in the world, but since they almost always have everything under control, they don't have the opportunity to implement these procedures so they are completely unprepared when a catastrophe hits. The Germans will also have to invest a lot of money in water control, as did the Dutch, who have lived by the water for centuries. Just like Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina improved their flood prevention systems after the catastrophic floods in 2014, Germany and other countries hit by this year's

floods will also do so. However, even rich countries will not be able to prevent catastrophic fires like those that happened in Australia and California or remote areas such as the Amazon and Siberia. How will then poor countries manage to cope with climate change?

The poor expect the rich to help them. The Paris Agreement on Climate Change, with the U.S. renewing its support for the agreement when Biden took office, demands that 100 billion dollars a year be transferred from rich to poor countries, to prevent the catastrophic consequences of climate change. The Saharan Green Wall is one of the better initiatives under the Agreement. Preventing climate change in poor countries is also useful for the rich. If the desertification of the Sahel is prevented, millions of people from Africa will not want to come to Europe, which cannot receive

the entire Sahel population, even though there is room for some migrants. Joe Biden’s special envoy for climate change, John Kerry, said the U.S. will triple its existing $1.5 billion aid package for the poor by 2024 to $4.5 billion, but others must follow suit too.

All in all, the temperatures are getting higher. There will be floods due to rain somewhere, and scorched land somewhere else. Both are destroying countries and further impoverishing people. The Paris Agreement says that 2°C is the upper limit of the temperature increase. Also, all countries are obliged to reduce their CO2 emission. In some places, this will be done slowly, because how can a country switch to a zero-emission economy if nature is destroyed in order to dig lithium or cobalt? Some countries will not be able to do that, simply because they are too poor. How do you explain to someone in Ghana that they must not use crude oil when there is no other option?

Soon, the economy will have to drastically change or radically new solutions will have to be devised, such as solar geoengineering, for example, meaning inserting particles into the upper parts of the atmosphere that will reflect the sun's rays and cool the planet. This could reduce rainfall and thus become counter-effective. There are no easy solutions.

Mini-hydropower plants are destroying the habitat and environment more than they help generate green energy. There are many doubts about the green economy.

Some doubt that it will be a screen for ousting poorer countries, because only green standards will be imposed that can be implemented only in rich countries, making the poor uncompetitive.

The world is changing. The 2030 Agenda, which conspiracy theorists often talk about in panic while the environmentalists are thrilled with, will be a battle for a world with as few catastrophes as possible, and without unbearable heat, species and ultimately human extinction. Everyone is quoting Greta Thunberg again, perhaps rightly so.

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BUSINESS NEWS

03 European Commission GERMAN CAR MANUFACTURERS FINED FOR COLLUSION

uropean Bank E INFLATION FALLING BEHIND IN JUNE, CROATIA AT EU AVERAGE 01

In June, inflation in the EU and the euro zone dropped from the highest level in the past 2.5 years, and a similar situation is in Croatia as well, where inflation equaled the EU average. In Croatia, inflation slowed down to 2.2 percent, from May’s record of 2.5%. The rise in prices in the euro zone in June is (again) due to energy prices, which rose 12.6 percent in a year on the wave of recovery of the world economy from the corona crisis. According to the calculations of the European Statistical Office, the share of energy in inflation reached 1.3 percent.

Croatian National Bank IN Q2, GDP GROWTH PROBABLY AROUND 18%

The European Union has fined German Volkswagen and BMW manufacturers €875 million because they colluded to prevent the competition when it comes to technology in emission cleaning for new diesel engines. The cartel included five car makers: Daimler, which manufactures Mercedes models, then BMW and Volkswagen, Audi and Porche, which are part of the Volkswagen Group. Daimler revealed the existence of the cartel to the Commission and was fully exempt from punishment.

Volkswagen was fined €502 million, and BMW €373 million.

04 Financial Agency FINA BLOCKED ACCOUNTS OF 241,000 CITIZENS WITH A DEBT OF 17.6 BILLION

At the end of June this year, the accounts of 241 thousand citizens in Croatia were blocked, with a total debt principal of HRK 17.6 billion, as well as the accounts of 15.4 thousand business entities, whose debt principal amounted to HRK 4.4 billion, according to the Financial Agency (Fina). At the end of June, due to unexecuted payment bases, 241,086 consumers were registered in the Payment Transactions Order Register, which is 1.6 percent more than in the previous month, and 4.1

02

Span CHOSEN AS MICROSOFT’S PARTNER OF THE YEAR IN CROATIA 05

Croatian National Bank Governor Boris Vujčić said in Dubrovnik on Sunday that he expects a strong GDP growth rate in the second quarter, probably around 18 percent, largely due to the base period of the second quarter of 2020, when a sharp decline was recorded. At the annual level, Vujčić expects GDP growth of 6.8 percent, but with significant uncertainty regarding the epidemiological situation. "We base the growth forecast on tourism revenue of 70 percent from 2019, but if it ends at 50 percent like last year, it would lower the growth rate to 4.8 percent," said Vujčić, who opened the 27th Dubrovnik Economic Conference. The Governor of CNB emphasized that the state played a significant role in supporting the preservation of employment, so the decline in the number of unemployed was smaller and the recovery was faster.

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Span won the Microsoft Partner of the Year award in Croatia in the competition of the best Microsoft partners in the world, showing exceptional quality and innovation in the implementation of Microsoft technology solutions for many users.

“This recognition is also the result

percent more than in December 2020. The principal of their debt in the amount of HRK 17.6 billion was HRK 184 million or 1.1 percent higher than in May this year, and HRK 611 million or 3.6 percent higher than in December 2020.

of a strong relationship based on mutual trust and cooperation of our 500+ experts with more than 1,200 clients. It is also our greatest strength, which has been sustainably developing our business for almost three decades and building the digital future of Croatia, "said Nikola Dujmović, President of the Management Board of Span.

The Microsoft Partner of the Year Award is presented to companies that have successfully designed, developed and implemented solutions based on Microsoft technologies during the previous year. Prizes are awarded in multiple categories, and winners are selected between more than 4,400 nominations from more than 100 countries around the world. Span was awarded for extremely successful implementations of solutions and top quality in the delivery of services.

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BUSINESS NEWS

uperbet Group S TAKING OVER BELGIAN NAPOLEON SPORTS & CASINO 06

Superbet, a pan-European sports betting and casino operator based in Romania with an innovation development center in Croatia, has agreed to take over the Belgian

pple A NO LONGER NO. 2 SMARTPHONE VENDOR IN THE WORLD 07

Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi exceeded Apple company in the second quarter to become the world's No. 2 smartphone mak-

company Napoleon Sports & Casino, in an agreement that has yet to be officially concluded. Superbet is known for innovative technological solutions intended for sports betting, and the technological foundations of the Group have been laid with the acquisition of two Croatian software companies ScoreAlarm and Axilis.

er, while Samsung remained in the lead, and Apple dropped to third place, market research firm Canalys said in a report on Thursday.

Xiaomi took the second place in the world with 17% share in global smartphone deliveries in Q2 this year, which is even 3% more than in the previous trimester, and as much as 83 percent more annually.

rivredna banka Zagreb P THE EUROMONEY AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE 2021: PBZ BEST BANK IN CROATIA 09

The Euromoney Award for Excellence 2021 was given to Privredna banka Zagreb (PBZ), member of Intesa Sanpaolo Group as the best bank in Croatia. The Euromoney Awards for Excellence are awarded worldwide to financial institutions that provide the highest levels of service, innovation and expertise to their customers. A wide range of qualitative and quantitative criteria was taken into consideration for this award which is viewed as the most prestigious award in the glob-

elemach Hrvatska T TO BUY A MAJORITY STAKE IN OPTIMA TELEKOM FROM HT AND ZABA 10

08 Croatian National Bank AT THE END OF 2020, 85% OF CITIZENS OF CROATIA HAD PAYMENT CARDS

At the end of 2020, 3.45 million consumers in Croatia had payment cards, i.e. out of a total of 4.05 million residents, 85% of them had at least one payment card, more

than 29 percent of them had two, and more than 17 percent had three payment cards. Out of the total number of cards, 6.92 million or 79% of them were debit cards, which makes for 0.41% more than a year before. The rest, 1.85 million or 21% were credit cards, which is 20.32 percent less than at the end of 2019.

United Group, the leading provider of telecommunication and media services in South-East Europe, achieved an agreement with Hrvatski Telekom (HT) and Zagrebačka banka on the takeover of majority stake in Optima Telekom,

al banking industry. On the occasion of the announcement of this award, Dinko Lucić, President of PBZ Management Board said: "I am very proud of this international award which awarded the excellence of the entire PBZ Group team. People are our greatest value and strength, and the fact that we are rewarded for our results achieved in extremely difficult circumstances, during a year marked by the pandemic and strong earthquakes in our country, make this award even more valuable. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all PBZ Group employees for their contribution, but also all our clients who constantly drive us to be even better”.

Croatian operator that provides the services of fixed internet and pay-per-TV service. United Group, which provides telecommunication services under Telemach brand in Croatia, signed a purchase agreement in order to take over 17.41% share from Hrvatski Telekom and 36.90% share owned by Zagrebačka banka. The agreement is a logical step in United Group’s dedication to provide Croatian customers with the latest generation telecommunications services.

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CORPORATE

Condominium Apportionment CLICK ON ICON 

WEBSITE

PETAR PETRIĆ Attorney at Law, Petrić & Kajić Law Firm LLC

WHEN IS CONDOMINIUM APPORTIONMENT NECESSARY? If a house or a building, residential or business facility or other real estate consists of several residential or business units, in addition to entry of the building in the cadastre and land registry, we recommend the implementation of the condominium apportionment procedure, which will divide the entire building into several separate units. The purpose of the preparation and implementation of the condominium apportionment study, i.e. the plan of special parts, is to divide the joint ownership into separate independent use units.

When the apportionment is conducted, every co-owner can dispose of their separate part independently.

WHAT IS THE CONDOMINIUM APPORTIONMENT PROCEDURE? The condominium apportionment study is prepared by a court expert in the field of construction or certified designers. The apportionment study is submitted to the regional Office for spatial planning, which issues a certificate of independent use units.

In addition to the above, it is necessary to put together a contract on dissolution of co-ownership association or manifestation of the will of (co)owners. In the end, the study, certificate from the regional Office for spatial planning and the contract on dissolution or manifestation of the will of (co)owners shall be submitted, together with the request, to the land registry department of the competent court for implementation. After that, and in accordance with the title deed for all residential and business units, condominium apportionment shall be carried out in the cadastre. Only then is the procedure fully completed.

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THE PURPOSE OF THE PREPARATION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CONDOMINIUM APPORTIONMENT STUDY IS TO DIVIDE THE JOINT OWNERSHIP INTO SEPARATE INDEPENDENT USE UNITS WHAT CAN BE APPORTIONED? Condominium apportionment can be performed on all buildings with 2 and more apartments and office units, as well as on large buildings with hundreds of apartments and business premises.

Condominium apportionment can be performed on: • apartments • business premises • parking spaces • garages • parts belonging to these special units such as balconies, terraces, basements and attics, home gardens, etc.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THERE IS NO CONSENT OF ALL CO-OWNERS FOR CONDOMINIUM APPORTIONMENT?

The Act on Ownership and Other Real Rights provides for the option of dissolution of co-ownership association of the real estate by establishing ownership over a separate part of the real estate, i.e. condominium.

The basis and legal grounds for establishing condominium is the written consent of all co-owners of the real estate. In addition, a confirmation from the competent authority is required that a certain apartment or other room in a certain building and on a certain plot of land is an independent usable unit, and it is necessary for the court to determine the usable area of the apartment or other premises, in order to determine whether it is an appropriate co-ownership share.

Therefore, the Law prescribes that the establishment of ownership of a separate part requires the

consent of all co-owners, and that an individual co-owner can deny it only if the requested establishment of condominium would limit or exclude the rights that already belong to him on the basis of his previously established ownership of that separate part.

Earlier, in the absence of consent of all co-owners, the courts refused to accept the dissolution by establishing condominium as a valid way to dissolve the co-ownership association. However, the Supreme Court of the Republic of Croatia stated in their decision Rev-1553/13-2 of 8 January 2014 that the establishment of condominium in court proceedings is possible without the consent of one of the co-owners and that this is precisely the purpose of legal provisions on judicial dissolution.

Therefore, a co-owner may deny consent to establishment of condominium only if such establishment of condominium would limit or exclude the rights that already belong to him on the basis of his previously established ownership of that separate part.

If the court finds that the establishment of condominium is not to the detriment of the co-owner who opposes the dissolution

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and that all other preconditions for dissolution are met, there is no obstacle to preventing the co-owner seeking the dissolution from requesting the same by establishing condominium, because the purpose of provisions on judicial dissolution is to apply it when there is no agreement between co-owners on the dissolution.

Judicial dissolution by establishing condominium is carried out according to the rules of extra-judicial proceedings, if there is no dispute between the parties on the subject of dissolution, the right of co-ownership of the subject of dissolution and co-ownership shares.

If there is a dispute on the above issues, the above shall be resolved in civil proceedings.

Who initiates the proceedings — co-owner with corresponding co-ownership share — joint owners with corresponding co-ownership share — co-owners whose co-ownership shares combined are the same as the corresponding co-ownership share.

What the court has to determine before making a decision When there is no consent of all co-owners, the court determines whether the co-ownership share of the person proposing the dissolution is appropriate in terms of the provisions of the Law on Property and Other Real Rights and presents evidence by expertise.

The next step is the preparation

WHEN THE APPORTIONMENT IS CONDUCTED, EVERY CO-OWNER CAN DISPOSE OF THEIR SEPARATE PART INDEPENDENTLY of a study of condominium apportionment, i.e. a plan for establishing ownership of separate parts of the real estate. In the study, the expert lists and describes the future separate parts of the building, their usable areas, determines the share of usable areas in ide-

al parts of the property and determines the usable areas of future separate parts.

The mentioned study is confirmed by the competent authority which determines the fact that separate parts of the property, as described and listed in the study

of condominium apportionment are independent usable units and that the entire building in question is legally built.

The court should decide on the objection of the co-owner who opposes the dissolution, i.e. they should determine the reasons for the opposition, as well as whether those reasons are well-founded.

The court shall reach a decision based on the conducted procedure and evidence.

The purpose of the described procedure for judicial dissolution of co-ownership is to allow for dissolution when consent of all co-owners is lacking.

When do we need services of a lawyer as an expert in implementation of condominium apportionment The services of a professional may be required in all phases of the implementation of condominium apportionment, from the initial determination and harmonization of land registry and cadastral status of real estate registration, preparation of the condominium apportionment agreement or the dissolution of the co-ownership association or manifestations of the will of the co-owners, obtaining a certificate from the regional Office for spatial planning, representation in the procedure for judicial dissolution by establishing condominium to the final implementation of registration of condominium in the land register and cadastre.

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COLUMN

Power Speaking To make impact, our message or speech should appear not just informational but inspirational. Power speaking as a transformational method makes it possible

JAGODA POROPAT DARRER Business Communication Professional

ecently, communication experts described Joe Biden rhetorical style as informational much more then inspirational. Such conclusion certainly does not flatter any public speaker. Biden can allow himself a certain style but to make impact as well as to persuade others whether in politics, sales, marketing, or any other job we are performing, to talk with power is crucial. The words we use, as suggests Warrell (2018) hold immense power. Power to fuel your confidence and ambition and power to make you feel anxious and inadequate. Power to make a strong first impression and power to be quickly forgotten. Power to create opportunities and power to shut them down.

On the other hand, our emotional state and posture have as much or more impact than the words we choose when speaking. Reynolds (2014) suggests that we set a strong emotional intention and then hold ourselves with confidence and grace even before we speak. This practice could make the difference in getting the results we want.

We are talking here about power speaking, a method that helps thriving speakers to excel in public speaking. A suggests Tannen (1995) communication is not as simple as saying what you mean.

How you say what you mean is crucial, and differs from one person to the next, because using language is learned social behavior. How we talk and listen are deeply influenced by cultural experience. Everything that is said must be said in a certain way in a certain tone of voice, at a certain

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rate of speed, and with a certain degree of loudness. Whereas often we consciously consider what to say before speaking, we rarely think about how to say it, unless the situation is obviously loaded, for example, a job interview or a tricky performance review. Linguistic style refers to a person’s characteristic speaking pattern. It includes such features as directness or indirectness, pacing and pausing, word choice, and the use of such elements as jokes, figures of speech, stories, questions, and apologies. In other words, linguistic style is a set of culturally learned signals by which we not only communicate what we mean but also interpret others’ meaning and evaluate one another as people.

Our language also impacts how others perceive and relate to us.

If we often feel overlooked or undervalued, we must consider how our speech patterns are contributing to how others engage with us. Using “out of power language” like talking ourselves down, making excuses or second-guessing our opinion before we have even shared it can completely undermine our authority, presence, and power. Listening to any successful person we will notice they use language that is positive, precise, action-focused, and continually puts deposits of trust into their relationships (Warrell, 2018).

Language is one component of transforming us into a power speaker. The others are, as psychologists suggest, a body posture

LANGUAGE IS ONE COMPONENT OF TRANSFORMING US INTO A POWER SPEAKER. THE OTHERS ARE, AS PSYCHOLOGISTS SUGGEST, A BODY POSTURE AND FACIAL EXPRESSIONS

and facial expressions. Reynolds (2016) mentions smiling when you do not feel like it can actually trigger the release of painkilling, good-will feeling endorphins and serotonin so you eventually feel better. The brain does not seem to know the difference between a fake and real smile. There is truth to the statement, “Fake it until you make it.” The same phenomenon works for your body posture.

Social psychologist Amy Cuddy found that striking power poses such as putting your hands on your hips when standing or leaning forward with your arms wide, palms down on the table like you are ready for action increases your testosterone and decreases your stress hormones. If you assume the position for seven minutes before you go into a meeting, you will be more convincing when you talk to people. Cuddy found volunteers who held the pose before giving a speech rated higher on persuasiveness and the likelihood to be hired. Set your emotional intention with your body before you enter the room.

Finally, it is our voice. Genard (2018) suggests that many aspects of leadership have to do with performance, and high on the list is the need to speak powerfully.

That involve aspects of a leader’s “voice” in the sense of communicating a vision and concern for one’s followers. But it is also literal, in terms of vocal power, subtlety, and variety of expression.

Genard also mentions silence.

One of the most powerful speaking tools leaders should employ is silence. Speech that relentlessly “assaults” the ear without pausing exhausts listeners. Every time we deliver important content, our audience needs a moment to absorb and digest what we have said.

Equally important, to appear to be a confident leader we must give our speech at the pace we want to deliver it, conveying a sure sense of control.

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INTERESTING FACTS

The Blue Banana or the European Spine f Europe has the uninhabited and poor “Empty diagonal”, which stretches from the Atlantic and Portugal to the east of France, it also has the wealthiest “full diagonal”, but it is not called that. It has a completely goofy name, “The Blue Banana”, but some, who are a bit more serious, refer to it as the European Megalopolis or the European spine.

However, some take two most extreme cities connected by the “banana” and call this conurbation the Liverpool-Milan Axis. It’s interesting that this megalopolis contains 111 million people in Central and Western Europe, from England’s Midlands across Greater London, Lille, Benelux, the Rhineland, Southern Germany, Alsace and Lotharingia in France, Switzerland, all the way to Milan and Turin. The concept was developed in 1989 by RECLUS, a group of French geographers led by Roger Brunet.

But why “blue”? Allegedly, Jacques Chérèque gave that name because of the “blue collars”, the many workers in factories which there are plenty in that part of Europe. Why there’s no Paris? Well, Brunet felt that Paris was “dropped” from “European industrialization” for two reasons: the massacre and banishment of Huguenots in the 17th century and the declaration of the Republic in the 18th century, when France became centralized around Paris. Simply put, there aren’t enough cities between Paris and the rest of “The Blue Banana” – Paris is an economic giant, but it’s also an island.

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PEOPLE & EVENTS

29

JUNE

LO CRO BUSINESS CLUB S PRESENTED THE COOPERATION OF CROATIAN AND SLOVENIAN GEOLOGISTS

Study of earthquake in Petrinja as a contribution to future seismic safety was presented in hotel Esplanade in Zagreb on Tuesday June 29th in the business gathering organized by SLO CRO Business Club. The event was attended by the Minister of Construction and State Property of the Republic of Croatia Darko Horvat, who emphasized the importance of cooperation and communication between academic community, entrepreneurs and public institution for the

purpose of better implementation of all projects.

The guests were greeted by dr. Saša Muminović, president of the SLO CRO Business Club of Slovenian and Croatian Businessmen. Experts form Geological Survey of Slovenia (GeoZS) led by director dr.

Miloš Bavec and experts from Croatian Geological Survey (HGI) led by director dr. Slobodan Miko gave a lecture on the subject of “Study of earthquake in Petrinja as a contribution to future seismic safety”.

Minister of Construction and State Property of the Republic of Croatia Darko Horvat and Saša Muminović, President of the SLO CRO Business Club

Saša Muminović, President of the SLO CRO Business Club

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dr. Miloš Bavec director of Geological Survey of Slovenia

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PEOPLE & EVENTS

29

JUNE

FAREWELL VISIT

At the end of his 5 year mandate as Ambassador of the UK to Croatia, Mr. Andrew Dalgleish visited Bright Horizons- International British School of Zagreb. The Principal of the school, Milena Prodanić Tišma, emphasized the importance of the role of the school patron and thanked him for his continuous support in the last five years. The pupils prepared a short program for Mr. Dalgleish and wished him

good luck in his future professional work. Bright HorizonsInternational British School of Zagreb was founded in 2013 beginning with only 5 pupils. 8 years later and the school now has over 140 pupils enrolled and teaches from Years 1 – 8. As of 2021, Bright Horizons was also chosen at one of the top five humanities schools in the world according to LookUp school register!

Ex Ambassador of the UK to Croatia, Mr. Andrew Dalgleish and the Principal of the Bright horizonte school , Milena Prodanić Tišma

14 JULY

FRENCH NATIONAL DAY

The celebration of the French national day was held on Wednesday, July 14 at Zagreb International Airport.

With strict observance of epidemiological measures, the host French Ambassador to Croatia H.E. GAËL FRANÇOIS VEYSSIERE greeted the guests. The ceremony was also attended by Minister of Foreign and Eu-

ropean Affairs Gordana Grlic Radman and Minister of Defense Mario Banozic, representatives of economic, political and cultural life. The intonation of the two anthems and the revue program during the reception were performed by the orchestra of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia.

French Ambassador to Croatia H.E. Gaël François Veyssiere and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordana Grlic Radman

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CULTURE NEWS

Dubrovnik Summer Festival With the raising of the Libertas flag accompanied by the verses of the Anthem of Freedoom, 72nd Dubrovnik Summer Festival was officially opened tonight.

The opening ceremony that took place in front of St. Blaise ‘s Church was attended, among others, by the Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell, Vice President of the European Commission Dubravka Šuica, ministers Nina

The Pula Film Festival officially opened at Arena in front of 1500 people

Obuljen Koržinek, Gordan Grlić Radman and Nikolina Brnjac, as well as many other reputable guests. Numerous participants of the Dubrovnik Forum, which was held today in Dubrovnik, also came to the opening of the Festival.

The festival was thus reopened in its traditional place, and the opening ceremony was held with full respect for epidemiological measures, while everyone who came to the opening was required to show a covid passport.

Croatian film “Murina” Wins Best Debut Film Award At Cannes The film “Murina” directed by Croatian director Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović won the Camera d' Or (Golden Camera) Award for the first film in all the sections of this year’s Cannes Film Festival. This is an extremely prestigious award, and maybe even the biggest award that a Croatian film won in the past decade or so. Camera d’Or Award is an award awarded by a separate jury to directors in their first film who participate in any one of the sections in Cannes. The award was established in 1978, and among the former winners - and the people whose careers it guided - are Jim Jarmusch, Naomi Kawase, Corneliu Porumboiu and Steve McQueen.

Without the traditional fireworks, with a limited number of viewers and by respecting all the epidemiological measures, the 68th Pula Film Festival was opened at the Pula Arena with a half-hour ceremony and a projection of the Croatian film “Murina” directed by Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović. The envoy of the Croatian President, Special Advisor for Culture Zdravko Zima, said at the opening that Pula was recognized, and will remain so in the future - as a unique place of pilgrimage for many film workers. As he pointed out, it is a city that is mentioned because of its many sights, because of the Film Festival and the Book Fair, and he concluded the address by stating that "art is permanent, but human lives are short".

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CORPORATE

The Weekend is Back!

This September, all roads lead to Rovinj again

he event that attracts and unites all those who are interested in trends and novelties in the media and agency world - Weekend Media Festival, returns in style and will be held this year from 23 to 26 September in Rovinj. The 14th edition of the best regional festival returns to the premises of the old Tobacco

T

Factory and will celebrate life, love and togetherness under the slogan "I love Weekend".

The main festival of the media industry where new ideas are created in each of its Rovinj editions is the choice of more than 6,000 experts, lecturers, panelists, visitors, foreigners, locals and all those who want to learn about industry

news, share their experiences and successful practices and comment on new and upcoming trends. At the traditional venue, next to the Rovinj waterfront, the festival will last for three days and, in addition to interesting panels and discussions, top entertainment will be guaranteed. Of course, all with the observance of measures that will

guarantee the safety of all participants and guests.

With the day of the announcement of the new WMF, the sale of Early bird tickets begins, at the best prices, which are reserved only for the period from July 7 to July 13.

See you at the best Weekend of the year!

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CORPORATE

Nem Dubrovnik 2021 Reveales First Speakers TV market with a view is finally back for a live event, hosting representatives from pay-tvs, sports streamings, broadcasters and production companies he wait is over! After a year filled with virtual meetings, NEM Dubrovnik 2021 will once again gather leading key figures from the TV industry in one place. Taking the stage from 6th until 9th September 2021 at Hotel Dubrovnik Palace, various speakers will discuss the latest achievements, the future of the media and various possibilities emerging after a year which greatly impacted the industry.

Some of the confirmed speakers for NEM Dubrovnik 2021 are: • Bill Wijdeveld, Vice President Platform Content Services at M7 Group • Frank Spotnitz, CEO and Executive Producer at Big Light Productions • Peter Parmenter, SVP, Business Development at DAZN • Peter Kolosi, Deputy CEO and Director of Programming at RTL Hungary • Stanislav Georgiev, CEO at Bulsatcom • Natalija Gorščak, Director at TV SLO • Guy Bisson, Research Director at Ampere Analysis • Maria Rua Aguete, Executive Director and Technology Fellow at Omdia • Katarina Pavlović, Program Director at Prva Srpska and O2 • Richard John Brešković, Director of Marketing at Hrvatski Telekom • Miranda Mladin, Executive Director for Central Marketing and Innovation, Atlantic Grupa See the full list at NEM

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DETAILS OF THE PROGRAM FOR NEM DUBROVNIK 2021 WILL COME IN THE FOLLOWING WEEKS. YOU CAN FIND ALL THE INFORMATION ABOUT THE EVENT AND THE COST OF PARTICIPATION FEES ON THE OFFICIAL NEM DUBROVNIK 2021 SITE Dubrovnik 2021 official website, which will be updated in line with any new upcoming confirmations.

This year’s agenda will again focus on the much needed live networking during the three days of lectures, panels, screenings, Q&As, and smaller networking events. The fourth and last day is reserved for sharing the impressions and new experiences.

The organizers are especial-

ly focused on adapting the event according to the epidemiological measures. NEM Dubrovnik 2021 will be held mostly outdoors so all the participants feel safe, enjoying the summer breeze.

INDISPENSABLE B2B EVENT IN THE CEE REGION NEM Dubrovnik is a B2B event, every year focusing on the TV industry development in the CEE region. Regular visitors are key representatives of pay-tv channels,

FTA channels, streaming services, telecom operators, and other television services providers, but also actors, producers, directors, writers, and other participants in the audiovisual industry. This year, Dubrovnik will also host the finalists of the NEM Network screenplay writing competition, who will get the chance to meet with potential partners, buyers and/or investors from the industry.

Thus far, NEM Dubrovnik was supported by more than 180 influential companies on the global and local level, some of which are Eutelsat, Deutsche Telekom, A1 Telekom Austria Group, United Group, Comcast, Irdeto, Global Agency and HBO Adria, as well as BBC Studios, ViacomCBS, Disney, NBCUniversal, Warner Bros., Fremantle, Sony Pictures Television, Pickbox, MGM, ITV Studios Global Entertainment, Viasat World, Telekom Srbija Group, ZDF, BETA Film, HRT, Nova TV, RTL Croatia, RTL Hungary and many others.

NEW EUROPE MARKET New Europe Market (NEM) is a collective name for several events organized by the marketing and TV industry agency Mediavision.

With an already traditional NEM Dubrovnik, 2019 saw the introduction of a winter edition called NEM Zagreb, dedicated to the creative side of the TV industry. During the challenging 2020, the new platform NEM Network was introduced, so that the professionals could stay connected regardless of the physical travelling restrictions.

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