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The paper presents an innovative economy - bioeconomy and explains the role of geography education in its development. The aim of the bioeconomy is to develop low-emission economies focused on developing the primary sector (agriculture, fishing, forestry), food security and sufficiency, encouraging the use of biomass in industry, protecting biodiversity and the environment (European Commission, 2012). The shift from the traditional linear model of economy to the bioeconomy entails a move away from fossil resources and toward bio-renewable resources as well as a transition from a linear to a circular economy. Alongside entrepreneurs, the government/policies, scientific institutions, and international cooperation, formal, non-formal and informal education of every stakeholder in this economic area plays a key role in the development of the bioeconomy. The primary goal of this paper is to emphasize the role of geography education in and for the development of circular economy (bioeconomy), which is an aim of the Republic of Croatia defined by Development Direction 3, "Green and Digital Transition" (National Development Strategy 2030, 2020.). The secondary objectives of this paper are to analyse general theoretical features of the bioeconomy as well as employment and turnover structure in the EU bioeconomy sectors, with a special emphasis on the situation in the Republic of Croatia. The results of the work show that the Croatian bioeconomy is only in the initial cycle of its development. The Geography curriculum for primary schools and grammar schools (2019) contains a significant number of educational outcomes that concern energy sources, climate and climate change, ecosystems, biodiversity and the development of smart cities. Adopting these outcomes may contribute to the acquisition of competencies necessary for the development of new approaches of more innovative economies. The research was conducted using quantitative and qualitative methods. The analysis of the curricular content, especially the elaborations of outcomes geared toward a further development of the bioeconomy, is the basis for shaping professional development training for geography teachers to enable a more innovative and efficient management of the learning and teaching of these contents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper analyzes labour market services, as one of the labor market interventions. Labour market services represent all activities of the public employment service and other publicly funded services for jobseekers, which include counseling the unemployed, mediation between workers and employers, informing, monitoring the unemployed and sanctioning in the case of non-compliance, and are considered to be the most cost-effective labour market intervention. Although in recent decades the main focus of labour market policy has been on measures of active labour market policy (such as training or employment incentives), in recent years, with the actualization of the activation concept, labour market services have taken their turn. This paper presents the main features, development, advantages and disadvantages of this intervention in the Republic of Croatia and the opinion of the main actors of this intervention, the Employment Advisors of the Croatian Employment Service. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Open access (OA) to scientific information is an important feature of the current scientific publishing. Many research funders mandate open access to publications written as part of the projects they support, and they are also willing to cover the costs of these publications in the OA (so-called article processing charges – APC). Due to the increased number of articles published through OA journals, as well as the practice of archiving manuscripts in OA digital repositories, the total number of OA articles is continuously growing. According to the data from the Web of Science Core Collection, at least 45 % of all papers indexed in 2021 are available in OA. Among publishers who publish exclusively open access journals and charge publication fees, MDPI publishes the largest number of papers. Publisher’s propulsive business policy is the subject of controversy at an international level, but the number of their journals and papers published in those journals and indexed in international bibliographic databases is increasing rapidly. Only in 2021, MDPI launched 86 new journal titles, and in the same year, they published 235,638 articles, almost one third of the total number of articles published throughout their 25-year existence (Fig. 1). In this article, we focus on the impact of MDPI on a small scientific community – the Croatian one. Constant increase in the number of articles published by Croatian authors in MDPI journals indexed in WoSCC is shown in Fig. 2. Substantial increase of the share of MDPI articles in the total Croatian scientific production in journals indexed in WoSCC, and in the total number of articles in journals available in OA is given in Fig. 3. In 2021, more than a fifth of all papers by Croatian authors indexed in the WoSCC was published in MDPI journals, representing a third of all Croatian OA papers published in the respective year. We have compared these data for Croatia with the data for Slovakia, Austria, and Finland. While Slovakia shows an even larger increase in the share of articles published by MDPI journals in the period 2019–2021, the impact of MDPI on Austrian and Finnish research community is somewhat lower. Still, a constant increase in the share of articles published in MDPI journals is noticed in all scientific communities analysed (Fig. 4). According to available data, 48 % of the aforementioned papers published by Croatian authors in 2021 were written as part of projects funded by Croatian institutions, but the data on OA publication costs and funding sources are not publicly available. Transparency of these data, which could be provided through the Croatian scientific bibliography CROSBI, would be useful in planning the activities of national financial authorities, as well as for a more successful cooperation with publishers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims at exploring the decisions of the highest national courts that had declared the decisions of the CJEU ultra vires, without binding effect in their countries. The same as the Czech, Danish and German courts, the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Croatia (CCRC) could deliver such a decision according to Article 129 of the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia (CRC) and Article 104 of the Constitutional Act on the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Croatia (CACC). In the procedure, the CCRC should not only respect relevant provisions of CRC and CACC, but also the procedural rules of the CJEU, ensuring that the decision are indeed well founded and genuine. Although the CJEU’s reaction could easily be launching an infringement action against a member state whose court has delivered such a decision, the Union’s acceptance of these decisions seems to be a much more appropriate solution. Following the introductory considerations, the second part of the paper deals with the cases of the Czech Republic, Denmark and Germany, where the highest national courts have delivered such decisions. The third part of the paper researches into the CCRC’s possibilities for delivering such decisions. The research into possible reactions of the CJEU to decisions of the highest national courts declaring the CJEU decisions ultra vires is the subject of the fourth part of the paper emphasizing the decision that stands out as the most adequate in the context of constitutional dialogues between these courts and CJEU. Concluding remarks are given in the final part of the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Living and working environments are most often closed spaces where it is necessary to provide health protection for family members and employees. Some activities require special protection, especially during a pandemic. The living and working environments can be kept clean and tidy in three ways: by cleaning, disinfecting, and sanitising. This paper presents a review of the literature linking disinfectants, their use, and resistance of microorganisms to disinfectants. In addition, it gives an overview of critical points that have arisen in various testing laboratories in the Republic of Croatia, related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and as a consequence of the lack of guidelines in norms. The literature search was conducted based on the keyword ‘disinfection’ in PubMed, Science Direct, Web of Science, Scopus and Google Scholar databases, and on the CDC and HZJZ websites due to the latest recommendations regarding COVID-19 infections. Results have shown that a norm is a basic document that needs a specific upgrade depending on the type of laboratory and its activities, and it should not be an independent decision of each individual laboratory. Based on the identified needs and problems, state institutions should provide detailed instructions depending on the laboratory activity. Therefore, this situation and the experience gained should be used as a starting point for document development that could be applicable in crisis states generally. In addition, it could be used as a basis for education and training in crisis states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After the abolition of the county administrative offices in January 2020, the tasks performed by the county administrative offices as first-instance state administration bodies were delegated to the counties, as the second level self-government units in Croatia. By this organizational change, the model of deconcentrated performance of state administration tasks was replaced by the model of administrative decentralization. In this context, the paper presents the features of the delegated scope of competence as an organizational performance model of state administration tasks in territorial units and administrative decentralization with a delegated scope of competence as an institutional result. The review of the scholarly literature on the delegated scope of competence and the effects of administrative decentralization is supported by a comparative review of the delegated scope of competence in the Czech and German local self-government. Based on theoretical considerations and comparative practices, the paper discusses the possible effects of the application of the delegated scope of competence in Croatian counties on their institutional development and performance of the delegated tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The beginnings of the world metallurgy date back to the 7000 years B.C. On the territory of today's Croatia, metallurgy has been present for 6000 years. Three civilizations have left the evidence of this: Vucedol, Celtic, and Roman civilization. After the arrival of the Croats, metallurgy has been more intensively present in the Sisak-Banovina and Samobor regions, as well as Gorski Kotar region. Casting of bells (and cannons) was developed in Dubrovnik and Zagreb. The industrial production start date was in 1853 (Foundry in Rijeka), in 1937 (the production of aluminium and Al-alloys in Lozovac) as well as in 1939 with the construction of the blast furnace in Caprag. In the period after 1945, until 1990, Croatia had several metallurgical companies and acceptable production of coke, iron, steel, ferroalloys, electrodes, casting, reinforced concrete steel, seamless and welded tubes, strips, billets, aluminium, etc. In 1990, total production of various metallurgical products in Croatia was 2.670.000 tons of which up to 2.000.000 t/y came from Steelworks Sisak. From 1990 to 2012, over 2.600,00 t/g of metallurgical products were demolished or discontinued, which represented the collapse of Croatian metallurgy. The paper cites more important publications on the Steelworks Sisak, which was a long-standing carrier of metallurgical production in Croatia. There is also a review of the last published Proceedings of the Sisak Ironworks (2019). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper analyzes the impact of the tax-benefit system on work incentives in Croatia and Slovenia. Unemployed and inactive persons and their hypothetical transitions to employment are considered. As the main indicator of work incentives, the participation tax rate (PTR) is estimated, as it represents a portion of additional income that is lost because taxes increase and benefits decrease in transition of a person from non-employment into employment. Unlike previous research, which was made for both countries on hypothetical data, in this paper for the first time the calculations and analysis of PTR are based on survey data, which for both countries gives a realistic picture of the situation in the field of work incentives. The analysis is carried out on data and the tax-benefit system for 2017, and the main tool used is EUROMOD, a tax-benefit microsimulation model for the EU countries. The results show that the average PTR in Croatia is of a moderate size of 31.3%, while in Slovenia it is 11.3 percentage points higher. People with higher number of dependent children and those with lower level of market income obtained by other household members are more likely to have a high PTR in both countries, and in Croatia people with only primary education will also have it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Republic of Croatia does not have a legal framework for regulating lobbying activities. With the adoption of regulations governing lobbying, this informal activity is translated from the "grey zone" into an activity under the "watchful eye" of the competent authorities. Although there is a large amount of professional and scientific literature on the concept and activity of lobbying, it can be noticed that the academic community is much less concerned with the legal institute of lobbying contract, its classification, characteristics and content. The lobbying contract in the wider context of the Croatian science of civil law and legal practice, comprises the features of certain legal transactions, primarily a contract for services / or a mandate contract. The object of performing a lobbying contract is the execution of a lobbying activity, as a rule for a consideration, and in that sense, it represents a specific form of a contract for services. The mandate contract features found in the formation of the lobbying contract will also be emphasized. The paper aims at presenting the basic features of the lobbying contract and emphasizing certain outstanding issues that may arise in any legal regulation of this legal act in the Republic of Croatia. The comparative approach in the paper points to legal solutions applied by legal systems with a long lobbying tradition as a legitimate part of the legislative process. It also points out the plausible solutions that have emerged from the legal systems of predominantly former communist and transition countries, and which are all the more adequate to possible Croatian lobbying contract regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Counsellings with the public are in the Croatian context a relatively new instrument of public participation in legislating regulations and other general acts whose characteristics and effects have not been scientifically researched in practice to a greater extent. The aim of the paper is to contribute to these perceptions by the elaboration of a subject i.e. analysing the participants of e-counsellings on regulations and planning documents that concern organizing and performance of the public archival service in Croatia. The subject is suited for a complete elaboration, since in the period from 2017 to 2020 the competent Ministry of Culture (renamed in July 2020 Ministry of Culture and Media) had carried out counsellings via the central internet portal on 8 such legal acts (two laws, five ordinances and one planning document). Apart from the new ordinance on registers and other official archival documentation that has yet to be regulated, this constitutes a comprehensive normative and planning framework of the public archival service coordinated with changes in the surroundings where public archives work. The data had been gathered by the method of quantitative analysing of the content of individual reports on conducted counsellings available on e-Counselling portal, as well as additional documents. The Data on the number and structure of participants (natural persons, various categories of corporations) and amount of comments they sent (in total and for each e-counselling) are interpreted as an important indicator of the public interest for the public archival service i.e. the work of the state archives who are intrusted with performing it. On the other hand, the participation of individual professional archival societies, state archives and their administrative and professional employees on e-counsellings is interpreted as the indicator of interest for strengthening of normative infrastructure pertaining to their own service. The total of 412 comments was sent to the analysed e-counsellings, submitted by 56 participants. Since individual procedure of e-counselling is conducted for each legal act, the same natural person or corporation can appear as a participant in several counsellings. Therefore, in the total number of 56 participants individual natural persons or corporations were counted more than once, depending on the number of e-counsellings they participated in. Further analysis established that 40 different natural persons and corporations participated in e-counsellings. The largest number of participants, as far as 30 or 75 %, participated in just one e-counselling. Six participants took part in two counsellings (15 %), whereas three counsellings had three participants (7.5 %). Four counsellings had no participants, whereas only one person (2.5 %) took part in five of them, which is also the largest number of noted participations by the same participant. Research results further show that from the total of 40 various participants of e-counsellings 30 of them are natural persons and only 10 corporations. In the process, the natural persons had 43 and the corporations 13 participations. The same number of persons from the professional archival community (administrative and professional employees in archives, state archives and professional archival associations) and persons from social environment i.e. interested public in the broad sense participated in e-counsellings. The former comprises of 21 participants and the latter has 19 of them. The biggest difference between the two groups concerns the number of participations. The professional archival community had 35, whereas other interested public 21 participations. The presented results indicate a rather low level of interest of the general public, as well as the professional archival community, for the normative infrastructure of the public archival service. This conclusion is supported by the comparison of the number of participants from both groups with other relevant data, such as the number of creators of documental and archival records under the jurisdiction of state archives i.e. the number of employees in state archives. The authorised ministry and state archives should use this as the basis for re-examination of the current approach in implementing e-counsellings i.e. encourage them to further motivate the professional community and the general public to participate in this segment of their work. The lower turnout can certainly be put into context of influences of the e-counsellings that had so far taken place, regarding the formation of the final proposals of legal acts in terms of the level of acceptance of the sent suggestions (comments). Analysis of this segment, including the content and types of comments (without arguments, with arguments, technical, professional etc.), is only pointed out in this paper as a subject that warrants separate research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper seeks to explain how the government in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia has responded to the challenges of the pandemic of Covid-19, with an emphasis on the constitutionality of measures and activities, ensuring and restricting human rights and the results of government organizations. Namely, the goal is to examine whether these two countries responded in a timely manner to the greatest challenges of the pandemic, improving the legal framework of their countries and ensuring the highest level of human rights protection. The comparative overview of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia was made due to its geographical proximity, but also the fact that Croatia is in the EU, and Bosnia and Herzegovina is in the process of European integration. I want to see how much Bosnia and Herzegovina has followed its neighboring countries and adopted European practice. Namely, whether they had a similar or completely different approach to resolving emergency situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many countries, including Croatia, support households in need not only through social transfers, but also through ‘socially motivated’ reduced VAT rates for goods such as food. These measures are also useful to those who are richer, so the question arises whether it is more desirable to increase social benefits that target low-income housholds. This paper analyses distributive effects of a hypothetical reform of the Croatian system of taxation and transfers which includes: (a) abolition of socially motivated reduced VAT rates; (b) increase of generosity and the number of the users of guaranteed minimum benefit and the users of allowance for vulnerable energy buyers. The reform is designed to be virtually neutral fiscally in the sense that almost all additional VAT is spent on the increase of guaranteed minimum benefit and allowance for vulnerable energy buyers. Results of the analysis conducted by a detailed microsimulational model of taxation and transers that uses the data from EU-SILC and the Survey on household consumption show that the reform reduces poverty and inequality based on income after taxation and transfers, in spite of the increase of the regressivity of VAT and the decrease of the progressivity of the guaranted minimum benefit and allowance for vulnerable energy buyers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides an analysis of the practical implications of the concept of solidarity economy and the elements of public policies that affect the solidarity economy in Croatia. In a broader sense, solidarity is a common component of economic behaviour. In a narrower sense, solidarity refers to a set of economic practices that meet the criteria of balancing economic, social and environmental sustainability, joint ownership and participatory governance. Solidarity economy supports the construction and maintenance of common economic goods, which may occur within legal entities, as well as in contractual relations or informal cooperation. Solidarity economy is close to the concept of social economy, and significantly different from collaborative (sharing) economy. Public policies that encourage solidarity-based economic practices have their origins in the welfare state regime and the level of solidarity in society, which is followed by ideologies, strategies and activities of political and economic actors. The social contributions of the solidarity economy and the risks to which it is exposed justify state intervention in this area, which can be reflected in regulation and institutional, financial and tax support to its actors and processes. Public policies in Croatia generally do not recognise the importance of the social and solidarity economy and its actors, such as cooperatives and social enterprises. Although the recognition of possible contributions of the social and solidarity economy to society and the economy in Croatia is growing, the incentive framework is incomplete and insufficient, which is reflected in the results and future prospects of this sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper explores organizing dynamics of Croatian war veterans and the key attributes of membership in veterans’ organizations. We use data from the Register of associations of the Republic of Croatia for the period 1991-2014, as well as data from 2015 survey research on sociodemographic profile, veterans’ identity and political preferences of members of veterans’ organizations. The results show that membership of veterans’ organizations is determined by the war experience, socio-demographic and political factors. Veterans’ organizations are predominantly local in nature, and the key internal divisions are based on victimization and the status of volunteer. Members and non-members of veterans’ organizations significantly differ in political orientations. Members of war veterans organizations are more oriented towards the right side of the political spectrum, indicating that on certain occasions veterans’ organizations could direct the collective action of war veterans in support of right-wing political parties and candidates in the political arena. The paper discusses insights on associational density, differences between members and non-members of veterans’ organizations as well as patterns and cycles of veterans’ organizing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper deals with various analyses by Croatian economists of the so-called process of transformation and privatization in the 1990s. In recent decades, especially since the first multi-party parliamentary elections in April 1990, the process of political-economic transformation has not only decisively changed the socio-economic structure of Croatia, but also influenced the Croatian polit-economic thought. By reviewing works by Croatian economists, political economists and sociologists, this paper has the ambition to make a contribution to a new approach of studying the process of transformation and privatization. This paper develops the thesis that the process of transformation and privatization was essentially a restoration of capitalism through primary accumulation of capital. What is also called wild capitalism, cronyism, and even tycoon capitalism – was in fact the usual course of the emergence and development of peripheral capitalism. Its specific feature is connected with the nation-state which had the role of system-maker as well as ruling-classmaker, rather than the other way around – that the ruling class had created its own state and economic system. At the same time, we reject as simplified various conclusions that the transformation and privatization process should have been and could have been more just and fair. In the end, one can better understand the paradox of Croatia starting the process of transformation and privatization as one of the countries with the best features and finishing as one of the most unsuccessful examples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents an analysis of the model of occupational safety process management in the Republic of Croatia. The process model derives from the national legal provisions governing this area. In the first part of the paper, emphasis is placed on the theoretical settings of process management, process access, and occupational health and safety. An understanding of the theoretical assumptions is necessary in order to carry out a systematic analysis of the safety process management model. The second part of the paper presents an analysis of the safety process management model. In doing so, the key duties and responsibilities of the participants in the occupational safety management process in the Republic of Croatia are analyzed. Based on the analysis conducted, the discussion and conclusion outline opportunities for improving the process management of the occupational safety and health in the Republic of Croatia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with the architecture of Bartol Felbinger in the context of the relevant and positively evaluated conceptual levels of design. The architect's work is thus perceived in the context of building up the City of Zagreb and the initiation of Croatian Modern architecture. Furthermore, the paper looks into Classicism and Biedermeir inherently linked with Felbinger's work. They are viewed here in the context of the architectural culture of continental Croatia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The focus of the paper is the content of education for sustainable development in the curricula in Serbia, Montenegro and Croatia. The paper is based on a comparative analysis of the following curricula: the curriculum of the elective program Education for Sustainable Development for Serbiangrammar schools, the curriculum for the interdisciplinary field of Education for Sustainable Development in Montenegro and the curriculum for the interdisciplinary theme Sustainable Development in Croatia. The analysis was conducted by comparing the following didactical aspects: teaching topics and contents, ways of realization, teacher's role, and ways of assessment presented in these curricula. The results showed that the scope of contents of education for sustainable development in Montenegro and Croatia is much wider than that in the elective program in Serbia, as they include all three dimensions of sustainable development: economic, social and environmental. The student is presented as an active subject in each of these curricula, as someone who finds solutions to various problems by experiencing real-life situations, and therefore aquiring skills necessary for living in a modern society, while the teacher's role is represented as supporting: the teacher is an assistant and a collaborator. The assessment of the students' achievements in interdisciplinary fields is oriented towards the evaluation of the students' reflections on the sustainable development problems, their abilities, and their relations with others, while the way of assessment in Serbia is not particularly emphasised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the authors point out important practical issues arising in the application of international treaties in Private International Law, such as the complex situations that may arise in connection with the entry into force of the treaty, the succession of international treaties, the hierarchy of international treaties, and an analysis of the common rule on the primacy of bilateral treaties. Besides, the need for reviewing existing bilateral treaties Law has been discussed as well, bearing in mind more efficient solutions envisaged in the conventions of the Hague Conference on Private International Law. Finally, the paper also indicates the specific cases where the innovated solutions of the new PIL Act of the Republic of Croatia and the Draft PIL Act of the Republic of Serbia are considerably more favorable than the binding multilateral agreement on determining the content of foreign law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Starting from the fact that the participation of citizens in the decision-making process is not only realized in the legislative and executive, but also in the judicial power, this paper discusses the requirements (that is, qualifications) for lay participation in a trial. The introduction of particular requirements, and particularly their increased number, significantly can influence the ability of lay citizens to participate in a trial, limiting the number of those who can meet these requirements and reducing the ability to materialize important role of participation that does not only contain the vital imperative in the contemporary constitutional democratic state for democratization of the judiciary, but also an important educational and integrative component. Having in mind the fact that in some periods of Croatian history lay citizens participated as jurors in a jury trial and then as lay judges in mixed tribunals, in the effort for a complete and systematic approach to this matter, the paper examines relevant regulations and available literature on the legal regulation of requirements for lay participation in a trial in Croatia in the period from 1848 to 2018 to explore the possible impact of previous regulations on this matter on the existing regulation, as well as the possible improvement of the latter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work presents the development of the scientific field of metallurgy in technical sciences of the Republic of Croatia from 1960 to 2020. Development of the scientific field of metallurgy was accomplished through the Department of Metallurgy (1960–1974), and Metallurgical Engineering Department of the Faculty of Technology, University of Zagreb (1974–1978), Zagreb Institute for Light Metals (1949–1968), Sisak Institute for Metallurgy (1961–1978), Faculty of Metallurgy of the Sisak Iron and Steel Works (1979–1991), and Faculty of Metallurgy as part of the University of Zagreb (1991–). Development of the scientific field of metallurgy is closely connected to the metallurgical industry of the Republic of Croatia (Sisak Iron and Steel Works, Šibenik Light Metals Factory, numerous foundries, etc.) and professional libraries. Presented are the education, scientific research, professional, publishing, and journalistic activities in the scientific field of metallurgy. In addition, the contribution of other higher school institutions and professional societies is presented. Up to December 31, 2019, achieved were 763 academic titles and 34 doctor-of-science degrees in the field of metallurgy at the University of Zagreb. During the 1960–2020 period, published were over 3000 scientific and professional papers in domestic and international journals, as well as in proceedings of international and domestic conferences. As a result of professional activities, produced were over 1000 studies, numerous professional reports for metallurgy and similar companies, about twenty patents registered, etc. During this period, published were also several monographies from the field of metallurgy, over fifty books and university textbooks, seven proceedings (1999–2006), and eleven books of abstracts from international casting conferences, as well as numerous university and internal scripts, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper aims at analysing Croatian professional sport and the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on it. Football was taken as a model for other team sports because of the share of professional sports clubs in the Republic of Croatia in football. In addition, the legal framework set in football may apply to other sports for successfully developing a similar pattern. The analyses are conducted into the revenues (sponsorships, ticketing and TV rights), and expenses (expenses on behalf of players remuneration) of the football clubs in the First Croatian Football League, providing an overview of the professional status of sports clubs, athletes and coaches. It also encompasses an analysis into measures taken by the Government of the Republic of Croatia to support Croatian sport during the COVID-19 crisis. The COVID-19 crisis has been taken as a possible starting position for better regulation of sports in future, especially as regards the professional sports in the Republic of Croatia contributing significantly to the promotion of the Republic of Croatia worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper the authors analyze the emotions of survivors of the camp system Gospić-Jadovno-Pag, where people of Serb and Jewish ethnic descent were murdered during the summer of 1941, as well as communists and other political enemies of the ustashi regime. The approach to the study of emotions is based on the eyewitness accounts published by the historian Đuro Zatezalo. The paper starts with an analysis of the emotions in history with a particular emphasis on the testimonies of survivors as a distinctive and extremely important source in the studies of the Holocaust and genocide. Afterwards, the authors examine the intentions of those who collected the testimonies, as well as memories and emotions as aspects which a historian who researches testimonies ought to have in mind. A description of the impact of race laws issued by the Independent State of Croatia is provided together with an overview of the history of the camp system Gospić-Jadovno-Pag, followed by an analysis of the emotives expressed in the testimonies, with the focus on the emotions of fear, anxiety, hope and joy. The relation between recollection and emotions is also discussed, in addition to the way in which the flow of time can alter the intensity and the contents of emotion, which can provide a valuable methodological insight to the researchers focusing on the history of genocide and oral history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. The aim of this paper is to present the goals and the process of establishing the Croatian DOI Office as part of the National and University Library in Zagreb, the development and characteristics of the DOI-HR System as well as the work and the accomplished achievements of the Office. Approach/methodology/design. The paper uses the descriptive method to explain the basic characteristics of the DOI identification system, its registration agency the Crossref and the Crossref registration office in the Republic of Croatia – the Croatian DOI Office. Along with the analysis of the statistical data recorded at the end of 2018 on the current Croatian scientific and professional journals, the paper presents the reasons for founding and the benefits of the membership obtained through the mediation of the Office. The paper mainly focuses on the work process and procedures of the Croatian DOI Office, the analyses and description of the DOI-HR System, its structure, purpose, functionalities, collaborations models, and metadata submission methods. Findings. The paper presents in detail the establishment and the activities of the new service of the National and University Library in Zagreb. It shows the necessity of the establishment of the Croatian DOI Office at the Library. The paper describes a new Crossref model operated by the national DOI office that provides signifi cant financial savings and broad range of other benefits for publishers who use the service through the Croatian DOI Office and DOI-HR System, such as Similarity Check services, technical support for assigning and registering DOIs, permanent storage of registered articles and all-rounders, maintenance of permanence of DOI, semi-automatized inclusion of articles in the Croatian National Bibliography and publication on the portal Digitalne zbirke Nacionalne i sveučilišne knjižnice u Zagrebu (Digital Collections of the National and University Library in Zagreb). Practical implication. The paper is intended for the wider library community and publishers who use or want to use the Croatian DOI Office registration service and other national and university libraries that consider establishing a national DOI office. Originality / value. The paper describes the establishing of the Croatian DOI Office, a new service of the National and University Library in Zagreb, the first national and one of the three university libraries in the world that use the new Crossref model of representing publishers (Sponsoring Organisation). Furthermore, the value of and the need for this unique type of service, that the Croatian Ministry of Science and Education has recognized too, are presented. The paper describes a unique system, the DOI-HR System, developed especially for the needs of the Office by the National and University Library in Zagreb. The System allows easier constructing and registering DOIs for the publishers, submitting metadata and objects and provides connectivity to other systems, and, at the same time, fulfills other tasks of the publishers and the national library, such as delivering and receiving of the legal deposit of online resources and their inclusion in the national bibliography and the digital library [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. The aim of the paper is to briefly present the founding and development of the Public library “Juraj Šižgorić’’ Šibenik from its establishment to 1980s, especially in the context of the development of the Croatian librarianship and libraries, but also of general social and political circumstances. Approach/methodology/design. The first part of the paper describes the circumstances in Šibenik during the 20th century, at the time when the city library was founded and developed. The second and the third parts of the paper present the development of the Public library “Juraj Šižgorić’’ Šibenik in the context of the development of Croatian librarianship, from 1920s to the Second World War, and the third part describes the period from the war to the 1980s. The data were collected from the daily newspapers, available in digitized form, thanks to the digitization activities of the Public Library “Juraj Šižgorić’’ Šibenik, as well as the University Library in Split, and the data from the scientific and professional literature. The librarians from the Public Library “Juraj Šižgorić’’ Šibenik have published several papers about their library on different topics: contributions by deserving directors, creation and development of collections, the role of the library in the contemporary social and cultural life of the city. Findings. This paper gives an insight into the historical development of the Public Library “Juraj Šižgorić’’ Šibenik and its connection with social and cultural life of the city. Throughout its long history, the library has often faced many problems such as lack of space and fi nancial support, but has always strived to keep up with the contemporary demands and needs of the community. Originality/value. The development of the library has been viewed both in the social context and through the general development of libraries in Croatia. The paper may serve as a basis for further research, but it may also be the inspiration for writing reviews about the history of other libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim / Purpose. Goodreads is a popular web portal and a social network focused on books and reading. The aim of this paper is to explore the use of Goodreads by the users from Croatia, focusing especially on their readers’ advisory activities: writing and reading book reviews, as well as book recommendations. Furthermore, the aim is to find out which terms the users use in their book reviews published on Goodreads when describing various aspects of book appeal. The purpose of the paper is to acquaint the professional community with the possibilities of the use of data from the portal Goodreads in library activities (readers’ advisory, catalog creation, etc.). Also, the purpose is to present the literature related to Goodreads and readers’ advisory, as well as to present the concept of book appeal. Methodology. Methods used in the research were: online survey and content analysis of book reviews written by the Goodreads users from Croatia. The content analysis was based on the taxonomy related to five aspects of the book appeal described by J. Saricks. Findings. The research findings indicate that the majority of the survey participants write reviews of books which they have read, that in these reviews almost half of the participants are adding book recommendations, and that almost all the participants sometimes choose a book to read based on the recommendations of other Goodreads users. Through the content analysis it was established that the authors of the reviews use different terms for describing five aspects of the book appeal. Originality/value. The paper presents the topic which has not been presented in the domestic literature, and it is additionally enriched with the research results. Various activities of the Goodreads portal users are pointed out, particularly those whose study could improve the library activities, especially the readers’ advisory activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Before the physical destruction of the Jews from Bosnia and Herzegovina, several different laws and regulations, based on antisemitism were adopted. Most of them were adopted in the period of only five months. Their names and sequence show the means of „resolving the Jewish Issue“ on the territory of the Independent State of Croatia that encompassed Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Holocaust of the Bosnian and Herzegovinian Jews was conducted following the general pattern of the Nazi ideology. The representatives of the Nazy ideology left the „resolution of the Jewish issue“ and the commitement of crimes to the Ustasha regime. Therefore, this paper will be oriented towards two basic considerations – the emergence of antisemitism on our territory, as an important factor in the commitment of the crimes, and the development of the legal framework of the Nazi regime, and its implementation and further development in Bosnia and Herzegovina. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Finds of freshwater and terrestrial malacofauna at archaeological sites can provide valuable information on the paleoenvironment, nutrition and use of mollusks as raw materials for the manufacture of objects for various purposes. The paper presents the results of archeomalacological analysis of freshwater shellfish of the genus Unio found in prehistoric strata at the site Ilok – Dvor knezova Iločkih in eastern Croatia. The analysis included 35 shell fragments originating from ten stratigraphic units. According to morphology, the species Unio crassus, Unio pictorum and Unio tumidus were determined. One specimen has a perforation on the umbo, which may indicate the use of the object as a pendant. Taphonomic changes in shellfish indicate extraction of raw meat, while a modest set of findings suggests sporadic use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By combining several methods that include the use of predictive modeling in GIS, remote interpretation and field survey, several settlement structures from the late Neolithic of circular and oval layout and one rectangular layout belonging to the late Middle Ages were discovered south of Bračevci at the Bašćina site. This is one of the first known and successful uses of modeling in Croatia in the discovery of Late Neolithic circular fortified settlements. The newly discovered settlements were observed in the context of the hitherto known network of late Neolithic settlements in eastern Croatia. Remote sensing was followed by an intensive field survey. Numerous fragments of ceramic vessels, fragments of ceramic whorls and weights, as well as complete pieces and fragments of knapped and polished lithic objects were found during the survey. The position and concentration of the findings were recorded, and diagnostic fragments were collected, some of which are presented in this paper. Fragments of pottery belong to the late Neolithic period. Among the non-diagnostic fragments, fragments of coarse and fine pottery were found. Among the finds of fine pottery, black polished high-gloss surface treatment dominates. Two fragments of Neolithic pottery with traces of painting have also been recorded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Citizens’ involvement in the regulatory process has become a very prominent issue in administrative science and practice. Despite growing and more refined interest in the topic, the complex issue of public participation effectiveness still preoccupies scholars. The existing research generally recognizes the desirability to recognize the perspectives of different actors involved in the participatory process. It also points at the existence of various actors’ perceptions with regard to participation effectiveness. Public consultations represent a common instrument of administrative participation. In Croatia, public consultations (e-consultations since 2013) represent a rather novel instrument for involving the public in the regulatory process, which has not undergone wide scientific analysis. The purpose of this paper is to explore the attitudes of two main categories of actors involved in e-consultations – civil servants and interested public (participants) – in order to answer the research question regarding the existence of different perceptions of e-consultations effectiveness. Research findings, obtained by means of questionnaires and interviews, suggest that civil servants’ and participants’ attitudes significantly differ in the evaluation of public influence as well as in the detection of the main problems related to e-consultations implementation, while the perceptions of the main purposes of e-consultations vary only moderately. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Europeanization of housing piolicies was, separately as well as a part of wider European social policy, of marginal research importance in housing studies because of non-interference of EU in member states’ domestic housing policies. Responsibility for housing policies lies at the level of EU member states and therefore it is necessary to study European integration in this area multidimensionally. Europeanization impacts related to housing policies are comparatively analysed by using integration mechanisms approach on two post-socialist EU member states: Slovenia and Croatia. Concluding discussion is focused on pointing out the Europeanization deficit in the housing area when Croatia is concerned, in relation to Slovenia. Finally, country sample enlargement is advised by including other cases of post-socialist EU member states dealing with European policy impulses in housing area, which puts this paper in service of further housing policy research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Oštarije-Tounj area lies in the contact zone of two large geomorphological units: the Ogulin-Plaški basin and the Una-Korana plateau, along the northern edge of Dinaric karst in Croatia. This is a highly karstified landscape, with numerous surface and subterranean karst forms. The objective of this study was to determine the significance of the karst relief and the processes of its formation, with the aim of examining the interaction of these two large units during their geomorphological evolution. General and specific digital geomorphometric analyses were used, with geomorphological mapping. Within the morphogenetic approach, the morphostructural conditions of karstification, spatial distribution and significance of karst, and fluviokarst relief forms were analysed. Several dry valleys were established, indicating that this area was the important corridor for surface runoff from the Ogulin-Plaški basin towards the Una-Korana plateau. Tectonic up-lifting of the narrow zone between these two units created an orographic barrier, which hindered any further surface runoff and created the conditions for the development of karst subterranean watercourses. This paper provides a proposal of the morphogenesis model of the Ogulin-Plaški basin, summarised with the description "flattening and closure". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of wood in shipbuilding industry dates back to prehistoric times. Historical sources prove that in the distant past Dalmatia and the Dalmatian islands were densely forested, which is confirmed by various written documents. The records show that the beginnings of woodworking in the territory of the Republic of Croatia first occurred on the Adriatic coast where wood used in shipbuilding was processed and prepared with particular regard. The paper points out the importance of wood in the construction and maintenance of wooden ships on the example of one of the oldest, if not the oldest trabaccolo still sailing on the Adriatic Sea. It is trabaccolo St John built in 1878 in the Piran shipyard of the Apollonio family. The trabaccolo is made of several types of wood: oak, larch, pine and mulberry. The structural members of the lower part of the ship are made of sawn and carved boards. The traditional caulking method was used to seal off its surfaces and thus make them watertight and protected by the old method of applying pitch. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The State Audit Office of the Republic of Croatia audits companies' performance and gives recommendations for performance improvement. The Office reviews the implementation of the recommendations and establishes whether the companies acted in accordance with the recommendations. The aim of this paper is to determine whether local and regional self-government units-owned companies, whose supervisory boards' performance were audited, implemented the recommendations given. In this context, it analyses the types of recommendations given, their occurrence, and failure to implement them. The analysis was conducted into the recommendations' implementation reports. On the basis of the data collected, the recommendations were surveyed by application of statistical analysis method, comparison, and synthesis. In conclusion, the research results confirmed for a large number of non-implemented recommendations, the assumption that it is necessary to set the written rules and criteria for the appointment of the members of the Supervisory Boards. The results also show that the implementation of the recommendations both affects the line of business and has a positive impact on the public sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper deals with the architectural production of Ludwig & Hulssner architectural practice. They were employed in Croatia thanks to Iso Kršnjavi, head of the Croatian Government's Department of Religous and Educational Affairs. The schools were built according to their designs from 1894 in Zagreb, Sušak, Nova Gradiška, Karlovac, Ruma, Ilok, and Gospić including a boarding school in Gospić. They also produced standardized projects for rural schools, parish apartments and hospitals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the paper, the viewpoints of the representatives of the Croatian post-war emigration in regards to two orthographical concepts, which interchanged in the Croatian orthographical practice, is discussed. Among those who advocated for the return to the morphonological or etymological orthographical concept by writing their linguistic and literary works in accordance with the rules of the morphonological/etymological writing, there was also the majority of those who insisted on the usage of orthography predominantly based on the phonological principle. For them, the question of returning to the morphonological (etymological) orthography meant the revival of an interrupted orthographical tradition, which would neglect and devaluate all of the accomplishments in the development of the Croatian literary language in the interwar period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teaching initial reading and writing in the Croatian language is based on the transfer of the spoken language modality into the written one with the precondition of the development of phonological awareness. Initial writing is taught using the standard school script, standardized by the Croatian Orthographic Manual of the Institute of Croatian Language and Linguistics (2013) and compulsory in every methodical template for teaching in primary education since 2014. The aim of this paper is to test the extent of aberration of fourth-grade primary school students in the Republic of Croatia (N = 354) from the standard letter formation in forming each particular letter and its connection, as well as to examine whether the students' texts exhibit impaired letter legibility. Statistically significant differences have been determined regarding the students' gender and teachers' service years. The results have revealed that boys show a statistically more significant aberration in forming some of the letters, as well as in their connecting. Students of the teachers with more service years have mostly shown less aberration from the standard letter formation than students of the teachers with less service years. The letter legibility in students' texts is for a larger percentage unimpaired. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infographics are a communication tool used in the digital environment that can present information, data or knowledge in an easy and understandable way to a wider audience. This article presents infographics as a form of communication and describes and outlines its possibilities in the field of public health and health care, with special emphasis on health and safety at work. Visualization of key statistical data, standardized elements, systems and practices in the style of infographics enables health and safety specialists to easily educate their employees about the consequences of poor health, the risks involved in work processes and the non-implementation of work safety processes and safety measures. The paper analyzes available infographics of leading institutions in the field of health and work safety in Croatia and in the world. Infographics are a recognizable form of communication worldwide. However, there is only a small number of infographics in the field of health and work safety in Croatia. It is important to raise awareness of the importance of infographics among Croatian experts working in the field of health and work safety because of the possibilities that infographics offer as a form of communication. Infographics should not be neglected because they can be used to present important information and directions in an easily understandable and universal way to various audiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the preliminary results of bioarchaeological analysis conducted on the skeletal remains of 46 individuals recovered from the Late Avar cemetery in Šarengrad, eastern Croatia. The obtained results indicate that the Šarengrad population was characterized by relatively high subadult mortality caused by very poor childhood health, which is reflected in the high frequency of subadult stress indicators (cribra orbitalia and linear enamel hypoplasia) and sub-periosteal new bone formation, but also in the occurrence of subadult cases of scurvy. Paleodontological analysis strongly suggests that a large portion of the diet of these people was based on carbohydrates which points to subsistence mostly based on agriculture. A complete absence of perimortem injuries in Šarengrad strongly points to the fact that the inhabitants of this community were exposed to a low level of intentional violence, and that the injuries primarily occurred as a result of accidents. Three cases of maxillary sinusitis could be related to the heating/cooking system (ovens and open fire pits) where prolonged direct exposure to smoke could have led to various respiratory tract diseases such as sinusitis. Finally, the comparison of the Šarengrad sample with other contemporaneous assemblages did not show any major differences, suggesting similar living conditions in the region during the 8th cent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traffic connectivity, and thus the accessibility of islands as specific spatial units surrounded on all sides by the sea, is an indispensable precondition to their physical and functional integration with the mainland. The paper presents the accessibility concept of the Croatian insular area and it also quantitatively and qualitatively analyses the main determinants: traffic connectivity, travel time, time dependent accessibility, type of traffic lines and the adaptation of sailing schedules to the islands population needs, for whose calculation the 2018 sailing schedule was used. The results show zonal distribution of the islands according to the time dependent accessibility, as well as more unfavorable quantitative and qualitative indicators for the islands with reduced area and population and which are more distant from the mainland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors deal with selected aspects of past and present border shaping processes in Croatia, regarding its sociological and historical perspective. Some circumstances under which the boundaries between countries are established, maintained and changed are discussed. As socially constructed phenomena, the boundaries change their meaning over time, aiming to exclude the Others and/or Strangers and to determine the belonging. They are under ambivalent pressure of limitations, divisions, conflicts and exclusions on ethnic or national level on one hand and under impact of the enlarging processes, inclusions and political interests on local, regional, national and supranational levels, on the other hand. Such a comparative interdisciplinary approach reveals liminal character and importance of Croatian borders which, positioned at almost same places as today, were in the Early Modern Period perceived as the civilization edge (e.g. Antemurale Christianitatis) and confessional barrier towards the Other. The analisys showed that the role of Croatian borders is apparently, among the others, to strengthen the defence of the Fortress Europe (Schengen area) from the irregular migrants and migrants as the Others. On selected cases the paper examined how do political elites manage to shape the borders and make it (non) permeable for the movement of goods, services and people, depending on their interests. While the certain policies were imposed from above, everyday practices of local population were usually opposed and still happen to oppose proclaimed limitation, turning the boundary from the barrier to the place of exchange and cooperation. Simultaneously, the fragmentation of European space and strengthening of national interests leads to stronger "Europe of borders" instead of the proclaimed ideal of "Europe without borders". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

European Court of Human Rights interprets autonomously through its case law the concept of civil rights and obligations under Art 6 of European Convention for protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. Due to the great importance of Art 6 it did not identify the meaning of these concepts with the same meaning in the national legal systems of the Contracting States of the European Convention for protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. Instead, through its case law has given an extensive interpretation of these terms. Therefore, in this paper is presented a detailed analysis of the origin and content of civil rights and obligations as well as the doctrine of autonomous concepts. Also many examples are listed from the case law of the European Court of human Rights, which clearly show that he is expanding the meaning of these terms, and the consequences that their injuries had on the legislation of certain Contracting States. This paper explains the concept of civil rights and obligations in terms of the convention in the Republic of Croatia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although inland water transport is considered to be one of the safest transportation ways, accidents i.e. injuries can happen there. The Drava, the Danube and the Sava rivers, which flow through Croatia, are waterways of international importance and border rivers at the same time. Consequently, there is always a great possibility of an international dispute. Examples of noncontractual liability for damage comprises liability for death and physical injuries, damage to objects (damage of banks, breakwaters, port facilities, floating objects etc.), pollution of river environment and vessel collision. The paper analyzes regulations in applicable law to non-contractual liability for damage in inland water transport according to applicable legal sources of inland transport and international law of persons. The most important links have also been dealt with as well as advantages and disadvantages of particular solutions. Since one of the essential issues of the legal framework regarding inland water transport is non-uniformity of regulations and numerous legal voids, this work conveys suggestions for changes i.e. amandments to national legislation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Starting from the thesis that in the Republic of Croatia the time has (finally) come for the radical reform of local and regional self-government in generaly, and especially for the reform of the established areas of local and regional units, the author emphasizes the question of constitutional requirements for the territorial reform. Because of the fact that in the context of the territorial reform we shoul start from the constitutional provisions, this paper analyzes relevant provisions of the Croatian Constitution, and of the European Charter of Local Self-government, the Law on Local and Regional Self-government, and of the other relevant legal sources. The author concludes that any change in the area of local and regional units should include prior opinions of this units inhabitants and that the way to obtain this opinions may only be (local) advisory referendum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents a review of the issues connected to the clay tobacco pipes discovered in the archaeological excavations of the old city core of Zadar, kept today in the Zadar National Museum, in the Zadar City Museum Department. The Museum holdings contain fourteen pipes that belong to the western and eastern types. While the western type is represented by one piece only, the pipes of the eastern or Mediterranean type are much more numerous within this collection, and they include various subgroups in terms of their origin from different workshops. For instance, within this type we find Italian pipes of the Chioggia type and wheel-thrown pipes as well as pipes of Austro-Hungarian, Turkish and Zelovo origin. All analyzed finds of clay pipes belong to the period from the mid-17th to the end of the 19th century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we tried to determine with more precision in which period the church ... sancti Stephanis regis circa Drauam was assigned its patron saint - St. Stephen the King. Based on written and archaeological material sources on the examples of two highly important mediaeval centres south of the Drava, Zagreb and Knin, both with churches whose patron saint is St. Stephen the King, the time and the spatial preconditions that rendered a location eligible to have a sacral object dedicated to the most glorious ruler of the Hungarian throne, Stephen I was determined with more precision. The Hungarian dynasty pursued its aspirations for the lands south of the Drava, among other things, by a cultural policy reflected in the spread of Christianity through the church organization, and one of the methods was the assignment of a patron saint to chosen sacral buildings. Only five other are known, which were situated next to important communications as an essential factor in connecting the Hungarian Pannonian territory and its centres with the territory south of the Drava. The conclusion was reached that the consecrations took place after Andrew II first consecrated the Zagreb church, after issuing the document in 1217/1227, and at the latest until the rule of Bela IV (-1270) in the second half of the 13th century. That act, as well as the wide distribution of those churches in the area of the Zagreb diocese, was probably motivated also by intense activity of bishop Stephen II. At the moment of the consecration to St. Stephen the King, the church in Torčec had already been constructed, in favour of which speaks the number of neighbouring settlements, whose existence is documented by systematic archaeological excavations of that area, as well as by the find of a deformed S-ring. The considerable number of neighbouring settlements first of the Early and later also of High Middle Ages, at a given moment resulted in the need to form a parish centre and to continue with the burials around it. A testimony to its continuity is provided by archaeological excavations carried out at the site of Cirkvišče, as well as by the situation in the first half of the 14th century, documented in historical written sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper contains a more detailed presentation of the finds from the late Hallstatt settlement in Zbelava - Pod Lipom, in the Varaždin district of Podravina. The analysis lays special emphasis on the structures that represent significant elements in the settlement layout, as well as on the chronologically and culturally important metal and selected ceramic finds. They point to a cultural connection of northwestern Croatia with the neighbouring areas, primarily with the important centres of the late Hallstatt culture in Slovenia, but also with the contemporary sites in western Hungary and eastern Croatia. The value of these finds lies in the fact that they represent well-documented settlement finds from late Hallstatt, which still remain a relative rarity in the territory of northern Croatia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Ischemic heart disease (IHD) has been t he leading cause of mortality in the Republic of Croatia (RoC) for years.1,2 During the year 2017, 11,069 persons died of IHD.3 Analyzing the time series of mortality of acute myocardial infarction (AMI), which is the leading manifestation of IHD, the aim of this paper is to show the trends of mortality and in-patient treatment of this disease in the RoC. Methods: The analysis of the data of the Croatian Bureau of Statistics and the Croatian Public Health Institute on mortality of AMI (diagnosis I21 according to ICD-10 classification of the disease) during the period from 2001 to 2016 has been made at the level of the RoC and the counties. Age-standardized death rates (ASDR) were calculated based on population estimates for each year. In order to present the rates as realistic as possible, the standardization was performed on the 2011 Census of the RoC. The data on the frequency of in-patient treatment for the diagnosis I21 has been analyzed for the period from 2009 to 2016, when the hospital system used DTS (diagnostic and therapeutic system) as the only and official way of recording, accounting and invoicing medical services in hospital healthcare system. Results: During the observed period, a continuous decline in ASDR of AMI (Figure 1) has been observed. In 2001, ASDR of AMI was 114.71 in the City of Zagreb, similar to that in region of the RoC (117.69), while this rate was considerably higher in the County of Zagreb and was 171.28/100,000 inhabitants. In 2016, ASDR of AIM significantly decreased and accounted for 85.97 for the County of Zagreb, while ASDR was 75.79 for the RoC, and ASDR accounted for 50.90/100,000 inhabitants for the City of Zagreb (Table 1). In 2016, the lowest ASDR of AMI was recorded in the County of Dubrovnik and Neretva (37.85) and County of Split and Dalmatia (49.32), while ASDR of AMI was highest in Varaždin (119.98) and County of Osijek and Baranja (117.65/100,000 inhabitants). Analyzing the changes to ASDR of AMI for the year 2016 compared to those in 2001 by to the Croatian counties (Table 2), the highest decrease in ASDR by 55.62% was recorded in the City of Zagreb and by 49.81% in the County of Zagreb, while ASDR of AMI decreased by 35.60% during the same period in the Republic of Croatia. The frequency of in-patient treatment of AMI in the RoC during the period from 2009 to 2016 significantly increased (41.5%) in all Croatian counties (Figure 2). Conclusion: The combined approach to adhering to prescribing the therapy according to the guidelines is an available and timely intervention in AMI in the Croatian Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Network4, that when accompanied by numerous scientific and professional activities and preventive and promotional programs has resulted in better AMI outcomes. The decline in mortality by 35% has been recorded in the observed period, while the number of hospitalizations rose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Nurse education in Europe differs between countries and usually adapts to the changes in clinical practice and the needs of society.1 Transformation and adaptation have been especially noticeable in the last decade because development of medical sciences and advances in technology have significantly changed clinical practice. It's completely clear that these changes lead to the alterations, expanded demands and challenges in nursing practice.2 Those challenges demand certain changes in the systems of education, continuous improvement and vocational training of nurses. Therefore, development of specific educational program for cardiac nurses is needed to answer the needs of modern society, as well as follow the trend in developed countries where specialized nursing professions have been created. Occupational standard that contains the key information on the defining occupational properties, employer needs and workplace specifics will form the basis for development of quality educational programs. This paper will show the results of the Survey on cardiovascular nursing occupational standard. Methods: The data has been collected in the organizations that employ workers in the afore-mentioned occupation, the attributes of the described workplace, needed education, key jobs that workers on those workplaces perform, and the skills and knowledge needed for practice. The survey also collected information on the needed level of development of key competencies for lifelong learning, needs for specific generic skills, psycho-motoric capabilities and working conditions. Results: Survey on cardiovascular nursing occupational standard was conducted in Croatia during 2018. Research processed answers of 41 representatives of employers that mostly belong to the group of large employers. The jobs that the participants indicated as key in the occupation cardiac nurse can be summed in 28 job groups. Jobs that were mostly specified were conduction of diagnostictherapeutic procedures, nursing care, educating patients and families, administering therapy, monitoring of patient status and administration. Knowledge and skills needed to work in the career of a cardiac nurse have been categorized in a total of 72 groups that include generic skills and personality traits. The employers mostly cite that workers should know the process of nursing, communication skills, conducting treatments, monitoring of patient state, education of staff, education of patient, know cardiovascular diseases and possess good communication skills. Most needed key competencies for life-long learning, according to the employer's assessment, are oral communication in Croatian language, willingness to learn, written communication in Croatian language, having initiative and willingness to act. From the offered generic skills, the employers found responsibility, team work, focusing on patient needs and empathy to be crucial. From the psychophysical skills, the employers found the time of reaction and maintaining focus to be the most important. According to the employer's assessment for the cardiac nurse occupation the most suitable level of qualification according to the Croatian qualification framework, which would comprise of university graduate studies or specialist graduate technical studies. Conclusion: Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of mortality in European countries, which has led to a renewed interest in developing specialized nursing education that is needed to bring forward the full potential of nurses that work in cardiovascular treatment centers. Standard of profession that contains the key information on the defining occupational properties, employer needs and workplace specifics will form the basis for development of quality educational programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]