Today, January 6th, marks Epiphany, a significant Christian feast day and a public holiday in Croatia. Known as "Sveta tri kralja" (Holy Three Kings) in Croatian, it commemorates the visit of the Three Wise Men to the infant Jesus, symbolizing the revelation of Christ to the world.

Across the country, Epiphany is a day of reflection and tradition. Epiphany also signals the end of the festive season for many, with Christmas trees and decorations traditionally taken down after this day. Being a public holiday, businesses and schools are closed, giving Croatians a chance to spend time with loved ones and observe this important cultural and religious tradition.

Croatia's presidential race has entered its final stretch, with voters set to return to the polls on Sunday, January 12th, after no candidate secured a majority in the December 29th election. The stage is now set for a fiery runoff between incumbent President Zoran Milanović, backed by the opposition SDP, and HDZ candidate Dragan Primorac, who enjoys the support of Prime Minister Andrej Plenković.

As the candidates scramble to rally support ahead of Friday's midnight campaign cutoff, the gloves have come off in a contest that is as much about policy as it is about personal accusations and political rivalries.

Milanović: A Call for ‘Sensible Changes’

President Milanović, vying for a second term, held a rally in Koprivnica on Saturday, where he positioned himself as the defender of Croatia’s constitutional integrity. In an impassioned speech, he urged citizens to vote, framing the election as a referendum on Croatia's democratic values.

“I call on people to come out and vote, regardless of the weather, and give me their support—not to humiliate my opponent but to send a clear message that we need changes,” Milanović declared. “Not radical changes or revolutions, but sensible ones—a return to the foundations of the Constitution.”

The incumbent’s rhetoric struck a measured tone, but his focus on "constitutional respect" appeared to contrast sharply with the corruption accusations hurled by his opponent.

Primorac: Corruption Allegations Take Centre Stage

Dragan Primorac, the HDZ candidate and Milanović's main rival, turned up the heat at a Saturday press conference, launching scathing attacks on the president’s alleged connections to a high-profile corruption scandal.

Primorac questioned Milanović’s relationship with Dragan Kovačević, the former director of JANAF, a state-owned oil and gas transportation company embroiled in a corruption trial. “Is it a coincidence that his [Kovačević’s] company is registered at the same address as JANAF? Is this friendship that led to one of Croatia’s biggest corruption scandals just a coincidence?” Primorac asked rhetorically.

In a blistering tirade, Primorac accused Milanović of failing to prioritize Croatia, painting his rival as a liability. “This is a person burdened with scandals. He does not put Croatia first. Zoran Milanović wants to enslave Croatia,” he claimed, adding fuel to an already contentious race.

A Clash of Ideologies

Milanović’s campaign has centred on maintaining his image as a reformer focused on constitutional principles and democratic accountability. His appeal to moderate voters hinges on his promise of stability and measured change.

In contrast, Primorac has adopted a combative tone, leveraging allegations of corruption and scandal to erode Milanović’s credibility. As the HDZ candidate, his campaign highlights his party’s ongoing commitment to economic reform and nationalistic values, appealing to conservative voters and those dissatisfied with the status quo.

The Stakes Are High

With both candidates representing opposing political factions, the stakes in this election are immense. Milanović, backed by the SDP, faces the daunting task of convincing voters that his tenure has been marked by integrity and progress. Meanwhile, Primorac, buoyed by HDZ support, is looking to exploit dissatisfaction with the incumbent and frame himself as the agent of change Croatia needs.

As the clock ticks down to Sunday’s vote, one thing is clear: Croatia’s presidential runoff has become a battleground not only for political power but for the future direction of the nation. With accusations flying and the electorate increasingly polarized, all eyes are now on the final hours of this high-stakes campaign.

Dubrovnik has been named one of the hottest travel destinations for 2025, according to a recent report by Yahoo Finance using data from Kayak. Ranking 10th on the global list, Dubrovnik saw a 6% year-over-year increase in interest, solidifying its place as a must-visit destination.

The average airfare to Dubrovnik is listed at $1,272, highlighting its appeal as a premium travel destination for international visitors. 

The list places Dubrovnik alongside global hotspots such as Sapporo, Japan (31% increase in interest), Marrakech, Morocco (20%), and Washington, D.C. (11%). The report emphasizes Dubrovnik’s ability to stand out even among highly competitive destinations, drawing attention to its unique charm and year-round tourism appeal.

Dubravka Šeparović Mušović, the national opera champion of the Zagreb Croatian National Theatre (HNK), is the face of the new mini jewelry edition from the Dubrovnik brand RDcode. Since its creation in 2010, the brand has been known for its unusual bags and backpacks, and this spring, for the first time, it introduced a mini jewelry edition inspired by the Japanese wabi-sabi concept.

This is not the first collaboration between Dubravka Šeparović Mušović and the Dubrovnik slow fashion brand RDcode, whose owner and designer is journalist Renata Debeljak. The two women share a connection to their beautiful city, Dubrovnik, and they have already collaborated on the fashion-art project 'Doors & Bags.'

Renata Debeljak - Photo RDcode

The inspiration behind RDcode's story this time is completely different. The main motif for this mini jewelry edition is the perfect imperfection of life, represented through the Japanese wabi-sabi concept.

Not only does this perfect imperfection exist in everything around us, but it also exists within us, and through wabi-sabi, it reaches the true art of living. What is the art of living? Minimalism, simplicity, and a connection with nature through wabi-sabi encourage us to constantly seek beauty in imperfection, accept who we are, stay in the present moment, and appreciate the simple, transient phases of life. The pursuit of perfection is futile, as everything around us is in an imperfect state. We should strive for excellence, not perfection, says Renata Debeljak, owner of RDcode.

RDcode’s ‘At the Crossroads of Hypocrisy’ Jewelry Edition: A Bold Stand Against Mass Consumption and Greenwashing

The jewelry edition is part of the concept 'At the Crossroads of Hypocrisy,' created at the beginning of this year. The story deals with a concept that arises outside the realms of so-called trends and time periods, focused on timeless art/fashion details with a vegan philosophy, minimalist design, and an individual approach in limited editions.

Photo - RDcode

In the vastness of hypocrisy, in a time filled with mass consumption, uniformity, copycats, the déjà vu effect, and oversaturation in all aspects of life, when trivialities become new values, to persist in completely individual concepts in any context of fashion and artistic expression seems absurd. That path is not easy, but it makes more sense. In the realm of hypocrisy, banalities and trivialities become dominant. These realities are obsessed with consumer impulses, colored by hypocrisy, meaninglessness, subversive metamorphoses, and interwoven with various forms of greenwashing. Through them, senseless consumerism infiltrates all pores of life, sneakily hiding behind labels like green, sustainability, recycle, cruelty-free, and ethical... The list is too long. RDcode focuses on a slow fashion concept that aims to be as unaffected by hypocrisy as possible, says Renata Debeljak.

The jewelry is mainly in black and gray, RDcode's favorite colors. Materials used include wood, rubber, and wire, with the collection primarily featuring rings and bracelets. Dubravka is joined by her dog Vigo in the photographs.

The conceptual stories 'Doors & Bags' and 'At the Crossroads of Hypocrisy' are the current cornerstones of the RDcode brand, and original backpacks and bags continue to be created in its creative studio.

You can learn more about the RDcode brand on their Facebook page or via their Instagram profile @rdcodestudio.

Collaboration on the 'Doors & Bags' project

The conceptual story 'Doors & Bags' by the RDcode brand was created in 2016 as a symbolic link between bags and doors. As part of this story, editions of bags and backpacks inspired by interesting doors from various cities and countries, such as Dubrovnik, Oslo, Rome, London, and Hamburg, were created. One of the Dubrovnik historical doors that inspired RDcode for this bag edition was the door of the Rector’s Palace. The model for the bag with motifs of one of the most famous historical doors of Dubrovnik, once the entrance to the impressive seat of the powerful Dubrovnik Republic, was Dubravka. The fashion story for this collaboration was created in 2016 and photographed in front of the doors of Dubrovnik’s Rector’s Palace.

Following official announcements from the Ministry of Tourism, it has been confirmed: Dubrovnik is the champion of Croatian tourism in 2024, achieving the highest number of overnight stays.

Across Croatia in 2024, over 21.3 million tourist arrivals and more than 108.7 million overnight stays were recorded, representing a 4% increase in arrivals and a 1% increase in overnight stays compared to 2023, according to Dubrovnik’s city administration.

The most visited destinations by overnight stays include Dubrovnik, Rovinj, Split, Poreč, Umag, Medulin, Zagreb, Vir, Zadar, and Pula. Specifically, Dubrovnik recorded 4,555,636 overnight stays and 1,397,052 tourist arrivals, making it the most visited destination in Croatia by overnight stays and the second most visited by arrivals, behind Zagreb.

Compared to 2023, Dubrovnik saw a 9% increase in both arrivals and overnight stays.

Mayor Mato Franković emphasized the significance of these results for the city. “Dubrovnik has once again confirmed its status as the champion of Croatian tourism in terms of overnight stays. This success is the result of the dedicated efforts of all stakeholders in tourism and a clearly defined strategy for sustainable development. I am especially pleased that these figures show our city is becoming a year-round destination, attracting visitors not only during the summer but also in the pre-season and post-season. These results motivate us to continue investing in the quality, diversity, and sustainability of our offerings, making Dubrovnik a shining example of successful tourism in Croatia and beyond.”

The Online Vacancy Index (OVI) for 2024 indicates that labor demand fell by 3.2% compared to 2023, the Economic Institute in Zagreb reported on Friday. Analysts do not expect a significant decline in labor demand in 2025.

“The total number of ads in 2024 was the second-highest since 2005, when we began tracking the index, but it was lower than the record year of 2023. The largest decline in the index is now behind us, as it occurred during the first eight months of the year. In the last quarter, there was an increase of 1.4% compared to the previous quarter. Judging by monthly and seasonally adjusted data, the OVI index stabilized in 2024, and given the expected macroeconomic trends, no significant decline in labor demand is anticipated for 2025,” the Economic Institute noted on its website.

Shifts in Labor Demand

The greatest contribution to the annual decline in demand came from ads seeking low-skilled workers (down 1.1 percentage points), followed by those seeking medium-skilled workers (down 0.7 percentage points). Ads for high-skilled workers had the smallest negative impact (down 0.2 percentage points).

Consequently, the share of ads for low-skilled workers decreased by 1 percentage point to 14.5%, while the shares of ads seeking medium and high-skilled workers increased by 0.7 and 0.3 percentage points, respectively, during 2024.

Most In-Demand Occupations

The ranking of the top five most in-demand occupations saw little change over the year. Salespeople were the most sought-after, followed by chefs, who overtook waiters to claim the second spot. Warehouse workers and drivers remained in fourth and fifth places.

The largest positive annual growth in demand was recorded for accountants, teachers, and finance professionals. Conversely, construction workers, waiters, programmers, production workers, teleoperators, and teachers saw the largest declines. Among construction workers, bricklayers dropped the most, falling from 25th to 30th place, while pharmacists, civil engineers, and nurses climbed higher—pharmacists from 28th to 24th, civil engineers from 14th to 10th, and nurses from 22nd to 18th.

Shift Toward Permanent Employment

In 2024, there was a further increase in both the number and share of permanent contracts, primarily at the expense of fixed-term and seasonal employment. The share of permanent contracts reached 53%, a 4.8 percentage point rise compared to the previous year.

Regional Variations

All regions except Southern Dalmatia recorded a decline in job postings on an annual basis. Central Croatia led the decline, contributing 1.4 percentage points with a 58% share of total ads. It was followed by the Northern Adriatic (down 1.2 percentage points) and Eastern Croatia (down 0.4 percentage points). Overseas ads also fell by 29% annually, with a negative contribution of 0.7 percentage points.

Southern Dalmatia was the only region with a positive trend, achieving an annual growth of 6.5% in job postings, contributing a positive 0.9 percentage points to overall growth. The most in-demand occupations in this region included salespeople, hospitality workers, civil engineers, chefs, and teachers, while demand for warehouse workers, waiters, and bricklayers saw the largest declines.

About the OVI

The OVI – Online Vacancy Index – is a monthly index of online job postings developed by the Economic Institute in collaboration with the MojPosao portal. Its purpose is to provide timely information about the current state of labor demand.

The OVI is calculated by counting unique new job postings with application deadlines ending in the month for which the index is calculated. Since the data is based solely on postings from a single portal, the number of ads is expressed as an index (with 2020 as the base year).

Gas supply in Croatia continues without disruptions, the Ministry of Economy reported on Thursday following the suspension of Russian gas transit through Ukraine. The country secures its gas needs from three primary sources: the LNG terminal, domestic production, and the underground storage facility at PSP Okoli, which is currently at 60% capacity, reports HINA. 

“Thanks to the strategic role of the LNG terminal on Krk, the Republic of Croatia has not been dependent on Russian gas since the terminal began operations. Gas is supplied from the LNG terminal, domestic production, and PSP Okoli, meeting all national energy requirements and providing significant support to neighboring countries,” the Ministry stated.

The Croatian LNG terminal has played a crucial role in ensuring gas supply security for Southeast Europe. Replacement routes and sufficient storage capacities have been secured for EU member states most dependent on the gas transit route through Ukraine.

Croatia’s annual domestic gas consumption has steadily declined, from 3.04 billion cubic meters in 2020 to 2.59 billion cubic meters in 2023. The LNG terminal alone can supply 2.9 billion cubic meters annually, exceeding total national consumption and guaranteeing supply security.

Since its launch, the LNG terminal has delivered gas to the Croatian system from 108 LNG ships, primarily from the U.S., but also from Trinidad and Tobago, Algeria, and Egypt, importing a total of 15.062 billion cubic meters, with some volumes exported to neighboring countries.

The Croatian government has designated the “Accompanying Infrastructure for the Strategic Investment Project LNG Terminal” as a strategic project. Valued at €534 million (excluding VAT), it includes critical pipelines such as Omišalj-Zlobin and an interconnection with Slovenia. With expanded LNG terminal capacity and new pipelines, Croatia aims to position itself as an energy hub for the EU, ensuring independence and secure gas supply.

Was 2024 a good year for you? And have you made (or maybe already broken) your New Year resolutions?

As 2024 draws to a close, it leaves us with a tapestry of events that swung from the absurd to the profound. The year has been a kaleidoscope of human endeavors, marked by geo-political upheavals, unexpected alliances, and moments of collective introspection. From the highs of sporting triumphs to the lows of political melodrama, 2024 offered a compelling blend of the significant and the surreal.

World politics in 2024 resembled a theater where the scriptwriters had perhaps overdosed on caffeine. In the United States, the presidential election stole the show, with campaigns that felt more like reality TV episodes than policy debates. The candidates spent more time exchanging personal jabs than discussing actual issues, proving that some things never change. Europe, meanwhile, found itself wrestling with old ghosts and new dilemmas.

The war in Ukraine continued to dominate headlines, with sporadic ceasefires offering hope, only to be shattered weeks later. Yet, in the midst of conflict, there were glimmers of unity. Countries rallied to support displaced citizens, and grassroots movements reminded us of the resilience of ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances.

Nature, as always, had its say in 2024. The year was a stark reminder of the planet’s unpredictability. Record-breaking heat waves swept across continents, while unexpected deluges left others reeling. Scientists’ warnings seemed to grow louder, and finally, some governments began to listen—or at least pretend to.

The Mediterranean endured one of its hottest summers on record. In Dubrovnik, days blurred together in a haze of sunscreen, cold drinks, and prayers for a mercifully quick sunset. Any chance that 2025 will have a cooler summer?

This summer heat, turbo-charged by global warming (yes, Mr. Trump that really exists), is starting to get way too hot for me the older I get.

Nothing brings people together—or tears them apart—quite like sports. The Paris Olympics proved to be a unifying force in a fractured world. Athletes from every corner of the globe reminded us what dedication, skill, and a healthy dose of competitive spirit can achieve. The Games weren’t without controversy—when are they ever?—but the sight of athletes sharing moments of camaraderie transcended political borders. If there’s one recurring theme in 2024, it’s the sheer tenacity of the human spirit. Whether it was communities rebuilding after natural disasters or individuals standing up against injustice, this year showed us that even in the face of adversity, hope endures.

As we bid farewell to 2024, it’s tempting to wonder what the next year will bring.

If history is any guide, it will likely be a mix of triumphs and trials, laughter and tears. But if there’s one lesson from this year, it’s that we are capable of navigating even the most turbulent waters.

So here’s to 2025: may it bring fewer headlines that make us wince and more stories that make us smile. And for those of us lucky enough to call Dubrovnik home, may it continue to be a sanctuary where the world’s chaos feels just a little bit further away.

Happy New Year to you and your loved ones!

Read more Englishman in Dubrovnik…well, if you really want to

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About the author

Mark Thomas (aka Englez u Dubrovniku) is the editor of The Dubrovnik Times. He was born and educated in the UK and moved to live in Dubrovnik in 1998. He works across a whole range of media, from a daily radio show to TV and in print. Thomas is fluent in Croatian and this column is available in Croatia on the website – Dubrovnik Vjesnik