Latest news with #ZagrebUniversity
India Gazette
18-06-2025
- Business
- India Gazette
India, Croatia to speed up bilateral ties three times, to formulate Defence Cooperation Plan: PM Modi
Zagreb [Croatia], June 18 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday that India and Croatia will promote cooperation in many areas including pharma, agriculture, information technology and a Defence Cooperation Plan will be made for long-term cooperation in the defence sector. In a joint press statement with Croatia PM Andrej Plenkovic after their delegation-level talks, PM Modi said the two countries have emphasised joint research and collaboration between their academic institutions and India will share its space experience with Croatia. PM Modi reached Croatia earlier in the day in the last leg of his three-nation visit. 'We have decided to speed up our bilateral relations three times in our third term. A Defence Cooperation Plan will be made for long-term cooperation in the defence sector, which will focus on training and military exchange as well as defence industry. There are many areas where our economies can complement each other. These areas have been identified,' he said. 'We have decided to increase cooperation in many areas to increase bilateral trade and create a reliable supply chain. We will promote cooperation in many important areas like pharma, agriculture, information technology, clean technology, digital technology, renewable energy,' he added. The Prime Minister said there are also ample opportunities for Croatian companies in the port modernisation, coastal zone development and multi-modal connectivity being carried out under India's Sagarmala Project. 'We have emphasised joint research and collaboration between our academic institutions and centres. India will share its space experience with Croatia. Our centuries-old cultural relations are the root of mutual affection and goodwill... Today, we have decided to give more strength to our cultural and people-to-people relations. The duration of the MoU of Hindi Chair in Zagreb University has been extended till 2030. A cultural exchange program has been prepared for the next five years. The mobility agreement will be completed soon to facilitate the movement of people,' he said. PM Modi expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the Croatian Prime Minister and the Croatian government for the enthusiasm, warmth and affection with which he has been welcomed. 'This is the first visit of any Indian Prime Minister to Croatia, and I have had the good fortune of it. India and Croatia are connected by common values like democracy, rule of law, pluralism and quality. It is a happy coincidence that last year the people of India have given me and the people of Croatia have given the opportunity to Croatian Prime Minister, Andrej Plenkovic to serve for the third consecutive time,' he said. The Prime Minister was earlier accorded ceremonial welcome on his arrival in Croatia. (ANI)
The Hindu
18-06-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
India and Croatia to make long term plans for defence cooperation: PM Modi
NEW DELHI India and Croatia will make long term plans for deepening defence partnership, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday (June 18, 2025). Speaking in Zagreb after official dialogue with Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic Prime Minister Modi said, Croatian companies will be welcomed to participate in developing India's coastal infrastructure and that India and Croatia will jointly work on space ventures. Prime Minister Modi appreciated Croatia for expressing solidarity with India in the aftermath of the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. 'In the field of defence cooperation, a long term plan will be made that will focus on defence production alongside training and military exchange. There are many areas where our economies can supplement each other's capacities,' said PM Modi adding that India is going to enhance investment into Croatia's critical industries like pharma, agriculture, IT, clean technology, digital technology, semiconductors. 'According to the Sagarmala project, port modernization, coastal zone development and multimodal connectivity will provide vast opportunity for Croatia's companies,' said Prime Minister Modi welcoming Croatian participation into ship building. Mr Modi highlighted India's old connection with the Adriatic region and said this connection helps in building people-to-people connection. Prime Minister Modi reiterated his call for resolving international conflicts through dialogue and diplomacy and conveyed India's appreciation for the support that Croatia extended to India after the April 22 terror attack. 'We agree that terrorism is an enemy of humanity and an opponent of those who believe in democracy,' said PM Modi expressing gratitude to the Government of Croatia and added, 'Such support during such difficult moments from friendly states was very significant for us. Croatia's support and cooperation is very important for us in firming up strategic partnership with the European Union. We both support that irrespective of Europe or Asia, solution to disputes can not be found in the battlefields and dialogue and diplomacy alone is the only way out.' Mr Modi announced academic institutes of India and Croatia will carry out research projects jointly. 'India will share its space expertise with Croatia,' said Mr Modi appreciating the Indology department in Zagreb University. The two sides also finalized five year plan for cultural exchange programme. Prime Minister Modi also announced that India and Croatia will 'soon' sign a mobility agreement to help in movement of people between the two sides. Prime Minister Modi arrived in Croatia late on Wednesday on his way back home from the G7 summit in Canada where he had highlighted the necessities of the Global South that has been affected by the commodities crises that erupted against the backdrop of the Ukraine war.
Malay Mail
30-05-2025
- Business
- Malay Mail
Croatia's coastline under threat as tourism boom fuels environmental concerns
BOZAVA, May 31 — With its rugged coastline, pristine waters and more than a thousand inlets and islands, Croatia has seen a tourist boom in recent years. Last year alone, more than 20 million visited the Balkan nation, much of which stretches along the Adriatic Sea. But the environmental impact of tourism on the nearly 6,000-kilometre (3,720-mile) coastline and marine life is troubling experts—and prompting calls for action. Sakarun beach on Dugi Otok island is often called 'Croatia's Caribbean'. Tourist boats drop anchor in the turquoise waters of the bay and head for its white sands. Some visitors complained, however, about unsightly swathes of Posidonia or dark Mediterranean seagrass on the shore, which led to its removal. The heavy machinery involved also removed sediment, resulting in the gradual disappearance of the sandy beach over the last decade. Croatia only has only a small number of sandy and pebble beaches, while the rest are rocky. 'We don't have many sandy beaches so it's important that the sand we have is protected,' said geologist Kristina Pikelj, from Zagreb University Faculty of Science. In 2021, she launched a project to monitor Sakarun, and to educate locals and tourists about the vital role played by the so-called 'lungs of the sea'. Posidonia—a key store of carbon and producer of oxygen—is critical to slowing the effects of climate change, as well as being vital for marine habitats and providing an erosion buffer for the beaches. For the past three years Posidonia, which was once used as a vineyard fertiliser, has been left on the beach, spread apart in piles. 'We understand the tourist aspect, to show them the sand, this bay is beautiful and people really enjoy it,' said Pikelj. Marija Meklav, one of three students participating in the fieldwork at Sakarun, added: 'We are trying to raise public awareness and achieve something directly through field and laboratory work. 'Our generation can achieve something in this regard,' the 24-year-old said. Artificial beaches With tourist numbers growing, local authorities have been expanding beach capacity for tourists in search of sun, sea and sand. At some locations so-called beach nourishment—adding sediment to repair natural erosion—has been carried out. But the technique has also been used to cover natural rocky parts with gravel or even concrete. During winter, the sea carries it away, meaning the costly process has to be repeated every season Dalibor Carevic, from Zagreb University Faculty of Civil Engineering said in places like Primosten, often called 'the town of beaches' on the central coast north of Split, the practice has gone too far. Experts repeatedly warned against the removal of hundreds of metres of rocks along one of its central beaches. The rocks were ground and mixed with quarry stones to make an artificial pebble beach that opened in 2011, with the process repeated every year. In less than a decade the coastline at the Mala Raduca beach has shifted by some 20 metres towards the sea, satellite pictures show. Primosten's veteran mayor Stipe Petrina, though, said beach nourishment was essential for a town dependent entirely on tourism. 'One cannot have a capacity for 15,000 people and beaches for 2,000,' he told AFP comparing it with a ski resort that hosts thousands of skiers but only offers a few hundred metres of slopes. When tourism started to take off in the 1960s, locals ground rocks to make access to the sea easier. 'Once there were vineyards here that could have remained but we would have all emigrated. The question is what is better,' said Petrina. 'In another Primosten bay there are rocks but I cannot see many tourists there,' Petrina said. The town of 2,800 people hosted nearly 90,000 tourists last year, mostly between July and August. In early May, German tourist Karin Hoggermann watched trucks bringing new gravel to prepare the beach for the season. 'For swimming and going in the sea, for kids, it's better that they repair the beach. Tourists would not come if they would not do that,' she said. Conquest of the sea Unlike in Italy, Spain, the Netherlands or France, which also use beach nourishment, few rivers flow into the Adriatic Sea off Croatia, making its ecosystem more vulnerable as it is less accustomed to additional sediment input. Excessive construction even in protected marine areas, concreting, non-compliance with regulations and huge fleets of charter boats also take their toll. The number of car parks, marinas, ports and roads are also growing. One long-term solution is to raise awareness among locals and authorities as well as education, experts said, urging consultation for more sustainable solutions. 'That conquest of the sea is not good and should be discouraged,' said Carevic. — AFP
Asharq Al-Awsat
30-05-2025
- Business
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Booming Tourism Takes its Toll on Croatia's Coast
With its rugged coastline, pristine waters and more than a thousand inlets and islands, Croatia has seen a tourist boom in recent years. Last year alone, more than 20 million visited the Balkan nation, much of which stretches along the Adriatic Sea. But the environmental impact of tourism on the nearly 6,000-kilometre (3,720-mile) coastline and marine life is troubling experts -- and prompting calls for action. Sakarun beach on Dugi Otok island is often called "Croatia's Caribbean". Tourist boats drop anchor in the turquoise waters of the bay and head for its white sands. Some visitors complained, however, about unsightly swathes of Posidonia or dark Mediterranean seagrass on the shore, which led to its removal, AFP reported. The heavy machinery involved also removed sediment, resulting in the gradual disappearance of the sandy beach over the last decade. Croatia only has only a small number of sandy and pebble beaches, while the rest are rocky. "We don't have many sandy beaches so it's important that the sand we have is protected," said geologist Kristina Pikelj, from Zagreb University Faculty of Science. In 2021, she launched a project to monitor Sakarun, and to educate locals and tourists about the vital role played by the so-called "lungs of the sea". Posidonia -- a key store of carbon and producer of oxygen -- is critical to slowing the effects of climate change, as well as being vital for marine habitats and providing an erosion buffer for the beaches. For the past three years Posidonia, which was once used as a vineyard fertilizer, has been left on the beach, spread apart in piles. "We understand the tourist aspect, to show them the sand, this bay is beautiful and people really enjoy it," said Pikelj. Marija Meklav, one of three students participating in the fieldwork at Sakarun, added: "We are trying to raise public awareness and achieve something directly through field and laboratory work. "Our generation can achieve something in this regard," the 24-year-old said. With tourist numbers growing, local authorities have been expanding beach capacity for tourists in search of sun, sea and sand. At some locations so-called beach nourishment -- adding sediment to repair natural erosion -- has been carried out. But the technique has also been used to cover natural rocky parts with gravel or even concrete. During winter, the sea carries it away, meaning the costly process has to be repeated every season Dalibor Carevic, from Zagreb University Faculty of Civil Engineering said in places like Primosten, often called "the town of beaches" on the central coast north of Split, the practice has gone too far. Experts repeatedly warned against the removal of hundreds of meters of rocks along one of its central beaches. The rocks were ground and mixed with quarry stones to make an artificial pebble beach that opened in 2011, with the process repeated every year. In less than a decade the coastline at the Mala Raduca beach has shifted by some 20 meters towards the sea, satellite pictures show. Primosten's veteran mayor Stipe Petrina, though, said beach nourishment was essential for a town dependent entirely on tourism. "One cannot have a capacity for 15,000 people and beaches for 2,000," he told AFP comparing it with a ski resort that hosts thousands of skiers but only offers a few hundred meters of slopes. When tourism started to take off in the 1960s, locals ground rocks to make access to the sea easier. "Once there were vineyards here that could have remained but we would have all emigrated. The question is what is better," said Petrina. "In another Primosten bay there are rocks but I cannot see many tourists there," Petrina said. The town of 2,800 people hosted nearly 90,000 tourists last year, mostly between July and August. In early May, German tourist Karin Hoggermann watched trucks bringing new gravel to prepare the beach for the season. "For swimming and going in the sea, for kids, it's better that they repair the beach. Tourists would not come if they would not do that," she said. Unlike in Italy, Spain, the Netherlands or France, which also use beach nourishment, few rivers flow into the Adriatic Sea off Croatia, making its ecosystem more vulnerable as it is less accustomed to additional sediment input. Excessive construction even in protected marine areas, concreting, non-compliance with regulations and huge fleets of charter boats also take their toll. The number of car parks, marinas, ports and roads are also growing. One long-term solution is to raise awareness among locals and authorities as well as education, experts said, urging consultation for more sustainable solutions. "That conquest of the sea is not good and should be discouraged," said Carevic.
