According to the Serbian Economist, Croatia is officially reintroducing compulsory military service on January 1, 2026 after a 17-year hiatus.
According to changes to the Defense Law approved by the Croatian Parliament in October 2025, the country is introducing two months of basic military training for conscripts amid rising tensions in Europe and the Balkans.
According to Ministry of Defense clarifications and government communications, the mandatory service will apply to men, primarily young men born in 2007 and onward, while women will be able to participate on a voluntary basis. The first calls for medical examinations are scheduled to be sent out at the end of December, while the first conscripts will enter military units in March 2026.
Basic service (temeljno vojno osposobljavanje) will last two months and include handling personal weapons, use of modern equipment, first aid and basic self-defense skills.
Recruits will receive about 1,100 euros per month (2,200 euros for the entire term of service), with payment for food, accommodation and travel; the time of service will be counted in the employment record. For conscientious objectors, civilian service in the civil protection system for up to three or four months with a lower payment (about 250 euros per month) is envisaged.
Previously, compulsory conscription in Croatia was abolished in 2008 amid the transition to a professional army and NATO membership. The authorities explain the decision to return military service by the need to strengthen defense capabilities and prepare the population to act in crisis situations against the backdrop of Russia’s war against Ukraine and the general growth of instability in the region.
https://t.me/relocationrs/2005
Developer Perfect Group has commissioned more than 60 thousand square meters of housing in 2025, the press service of the company told the agency “Interfax-Ukraine”.
“In 2025 we actively worked on a number of Residential Complexes within the consolidated portfolio: we completed Residential Complex ”7 KVARTAL“ house 7.2, Residential Complex ”Swan Guest House“ and put into operation lines in Residential Complex ”Likograd”. We are actively working on projects, among which are apart-hotel “VELMY”, Residential Complex ‘Stanford’ and Club House “LA MANCHE”, – said the head of Perfect Group projects Alexey Koval.
In particular, according to his data, the total area of the commissioned house in “7 KVARTAL” is 21 thousand 605,0 sq. m., there are 288 apartments with the area of 16 thousand 18,4 sq. m. in it. Residential Complex “Likograd” total area is 31 thousand 691,9 sq. m., the area of 384 apartments is 25 thousand 199,5 sq. m. LCD “Swan Guest House” – total area of 8 thousand 264.5 sq. m., 163 apartments totaling 7 thousand 889.4 sq. m.
“The peculiarity of the year – realization in conditions of increased requirements to safety and autonomy of houses, therefore a part of technical solutions were specified already in the process of construction”, – Koval emphasized.
According to him, among the practical changes that have become “the new norm”: strengthening of engineering solutions for the operation of the house during power outages (backup power supply of critical systems, optimization of ITP/pumping equipment), additional fire safety measures and for the organization of evacuation, as well as a more systematic approach to barrier-freeness in common areas (entrances without thresholds, convenient routes to elevators, width of passageways, navigation).
“Some of the solutions were refined to take into account the availability of materials/logistics and the safety situation, but the overall concept of project quality was retained,” he says.
Next year, the company expects a cautious increase in market activity, provided the safety situation is relatively stable and demand financing tools are maintained/expanded.
“Our focus is on projects with proven liquidity, phased queues and clear economics. We are planning to fully complete the 7 KVARTAL Residential Complex, bring the LA MANCHE Residential Complex to the final stage, and introduce the first stages of the Standford Residential Complex. From new projects – LCD “New Tone”, – said Koval.
As for prices, he believes, their cost price will be primarily influenced by the wage factor. “We have already faced a catastrophic shortage of labor in the Ukrainian market. We are actively working on labor contracts with foreigners for contract work, including the search for workers in India and a number of other countries,” Koval said.
In addition, the project manager added, the cost of production is pressured by the cost of energy, logistics and import-dependent positions. A separate item is the tightening of requirements for engineering systems and security.
“Our base scenario is cost of production growth within 15-20% y/y, but the range will depend on the exchange rate, material prices and the situation on the labor market. We are building in a margin of safety through longer contracts with contractors, optimizing design solutions without sacrificing quality and planning critical material purchases ahead,” said Kowal.
Founded in 1991, Perfect Group has delivered 45 homes since 2010, with 18 homes under construction.
On December, 23rd Kharkivoblenergo JSC announced about the intention to conclude with IC VUSO (Kiev) the contract for the purchase of services of compulsory insurance of civil liability of owners of land vehicles (OSAGO).
According to the message in the system of electronic public procurement Prozorro, the price offer of the company – the only participant of the tender corresponded to the expected cost of purchasing services of UAH 423.5 thousand.
IC “VUSO” was founded in 2001. It is a member of ITSBU and NASU, a participant of the Agreement on direct settlement of losses and a member of the Nuclear Insurance Pool.
INSURANCE, Kharkovoblenergo, Motor transport, MTPL insurance, VUSO
Ukraine has joined the group of countries with the highest level of maturity of digital public administration according to the updated GovTech Maturity Index 2025 (GTMI) of the World Bank, according to the published report of the organization.
According to the report, GTMI 2025 covers 197 economies and divides them into four groups according to the level of GovTech development: A – Extensive, B – Significant, C – Medium and D – Low.
Ukraine is assigned to Group A, which includes 80 states demonstrating the most advanced solutions in the sphere of digital public services, basic information systems, open data and digital interaction with citizens.
The document notes that over the period from 2022 to 2025, the share of Group A countries has increased and the gap between leaders and outsiders of digital transformation of the public sector has widened. Europe and Central Asia as a whole remains one of the most mature regions in terms of GovTech.
Earlier, the researchers pointed out that Ukraine has significantly improved its performance in recent years and moved from Group B to Group A on the GovTech index, reflecting progress in the digitalization of public services, the introduction of electronic document management systems and the development of open data.
The Serbian Economist reports that Prindon Sadrija, the husband of Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani, called on Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner to move the Trump Hotel project to Pristina, which his organization had previously rejected in Belgrade.
Sadrija wrote on social network X that the withdrawal from the Belgrade project confirms the thesis that “significant projects should unite, not divide,” and suggested “moving this idea to Pristina” with the transformation of the capital’s Grand Hotel into Trump Hotel.
The statement came amid reports that Affinity Global Development, linked to Kushner, has withdrawn from plans to build a hotel and residential complex on the site of the former General Staff building in downtown Belgrade, which was damaged during the 1999 NATO bombing and has been the subject of public controversy over memory preservation and cultural heritage status.
The company notified the decision to withdraw from the project after months of protests and amid a legal scandal surrounding the removal of the site’s protected status, for which the Serbian prosecutor’s office sought to prosecute a number of officials.
In Serbian statements, the losses are estimated at “at least 750 million euros” – a figure that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and representatives of the ruling party have voiced, linking the investor’s withdrawal to the pressure of protesters.
At the same time, earlier publications on the parameters of the project estimated the investment at about $500 million.
https://t.me/relocationrs/1999
On November 28, 2025 the Supervisory Board of the Insurance Company “VUSO” has decided on early termination of powers of a member of the Board – Deputy Chairman of the Board for operational activities Marina Plastomak.
As reported in the information of the company, posted in the system of NCSSM, the decision was made on the basis of her application and comes into effect from December 31, 2025. Dismissal is carried out by transferring her to the position of Director of the Department of work with projects of PrivatBank from January 1, 2026.
It is also specified that she was in this position since July 1, 2019. Marina Plastomak owns a stake in IC “VUSO” in the amount of 4.928226%.
According to the information, Olga Levchenko was appointed by the Supervisory Board of the company on December 23, 2025 to the position of a member of the Management Board, Deputy Chairman of the Management Board of IC “VUSO”, by transferring her from the position of Director of Health Insurance. The appointment was made on the basis of the decision of the Committee for Supervision and Regulation of Non-banking Financial Services Markets of the National Bank of Ukraine dated December 19, 2025.
During the last five years Levchenko held the positions of Director on medical insurance of IC “VUSO”, Deputy Chairman of the Board on underwriting and personal insurance of IC ‘VUSO’, First Deputy Chairman of the Board of IC “Alfa Insurance”.
IC “VUSO” was founded in 2001. It is a member of ITSBU and UFS, a participant of Direct Loss Settlement Agreement and a member of Nuclear Insurance Pool.
