The Czechs discovered a new Croatia. Where to buy an apartment by the sea? Czechs love Croatia and vice versa. But mass raids on the Adriatic coast have caused many people to look for other quieter destinations. Albania, which is currently experiencing a huge boom in infrastructure, tourism and gastronomy, is gaining attention, with aging tourism being one of the pillars of the local economy. We tend to look at Albania as a neglected island in the Balkans. Despite past prejudices, Albania is now a safe and hassle-free country. Thanks to accession talks with the EU, Albania is rapidly raising the standard of service, while maintaining very favorable prices. The hospitality of the local people, monuments referring to the Roman and Ottoman history of the country and Mediterranean cuisine suggest that Albania can offer the same even more as Croatia's favorite Croatia. Improvement of conditions for tourism has attracted more enterprising Czechs, Albanian real estate agencies are already seeing increased interest in demand for investment real estate. Real estate prices have risen 30 percent in the last three years and further growth is expected. The relocation of private investors from overcrowded Croatia to the south is a long-term trend that has had a positive effect on the Montenegrin coast, which has developed tourism thanks to EU support. This resulted in rising prices for real estate and apartments to prices similar to those in Croatia - an average of 2,500 euros per square meter. Today's prices in Albania on the coast are around 1000 EUR per square meter. This is a very favorable price for a new apartment in Durrés (Durres), where a direct line from Prague flies. In the next five years, we expect an appreciation of EUR 2,100–2200 per square meter, ”says Daniel Mikulka for Successful Investments. The interest of tourists was also supported by the expansion of air connections with Europe, including low-cost flights from Prague, Berlin and Vienna with a frequency of 2-3 times a week. Durres on the Adriatic coast, with its almost 3,000-year-old history, has ambitions to become the capital of Albanian tourism. The historical part of the city will be transformed into a tourist zone with a modern promenade, a passenger transport terminal and a mooring for private yachts. The offer of apartments is, for example, wide in Drač. It is a new building in a modern neighborhood close to the beach and promenade full of shops, restaurants, cafes, stalls and bars. “From the airport you are on the beach in half an hour. You go on holiday to a place that is yours. When you are not heading to the sea, but tourists are flying there, you can rent an apartment, "describes Daniel Mikulka. THE FUTURE EUROPEAN TIGER? Economic indicators predict Albania as another promising destination for trade development. The Albanian economy is currently growing at a rate of 4.4 percent of GDP year on year. One of the biggest drivers of growth is tourism, which accounts for 14 percent of the Albanian economy. The country has opened accession talks with the EU, and important reforms are under way to revitalize growth and create jobs. In Albania, the Swiss and the Dutch invest the most. Of the Czech companies, the Czech company Forschner does business in Albania, and Preciosa, Budějovický Budvar, Paramo and ŠKODA are also represented here. https://www.living.cz/cesi-objevili-nove-chorvatsko-u-more-koupite-apartman-za-cenu-chaty-u-rybnika/

A single dose of a coronavirus vaccine can reduce household transmission of the virus by up to half, a study shows. Those given a first dose of either the Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccines - and who became infected three weeks later - were between 38% and 49% less likely to pass the virus on than unvaccinated people, PHE found. Health Secretary Matt Hancock described the study's results as "terrific news". He has urged "everybody to get their vaccines as soon as they are eligible". In the study, protection against Covid was seen from about 14 days after vaccination, with similar levels of protection regardless of age of cases or contacts, PHE said in a statement. It added that this protection was on top of the reduced risk of a vaccinated person developing symptomatic infection in the first place, which is around 60 to 65% - four weeks after one dose of either vaccine. Dr Mary Ramsay, head of immunisation at PHE, said: "Vaccines are vital in helping us return to a normal way of life. Not only do vaccines reduce the severity of illness and prevent hundreds of deaths every day, we now see they also have an additional impact on reducing the chance of passing Covid-19 on to others." But, while she said the findings were "encouraging", she said it was important people continue to act like they have the virus, "practise good hand hygiene and follow social distancing guidance". Households are high-risk settings for transmission, meaning the study provides early evidence on the impact of vaccines in preventing onward transmission, PHE said. Similar results could be expected in other settings with similar transmission risks, such as shared accommodation and prisons, it added. University of Warwick epidemiologist Mike Tildesley said the findings were significant but pressed people to continue to take up vaccination offers. "We need to remember these vaccines are not 100% effective either at preventing severe symptoms or at allowing yourself to be infected but the evidence is suggesting they are providing at least some level of protection from passing the virus on if you do get infected," he told BBC's Breakfast. He said the study was extra evidence that as many people as possible needed to be vaccinated, even if they are not at risk of developing severe symptoms, in order to get much higher levels of protection across the population and reduce the number of people who get severely ill and die from the disease. This is the latest piece of evidence to indicate that vaccines are slowing the transmission of the virus as well as saving lives. Households are among the most likely places for infection to spread, so these set of results are particularly encouraging. Public Health England has said it would expect similar results in other high-risk settings, such as shared accommodation and prisons. All this bodes well for the continued easing of restrictions, especially as the vaccination campaign is making good progress into younger age groups - who are more likely to spread the virus. And it also gives further reassurance to those concerned about the fact that children will not be vaccinated - and so might bring infection into households. A cause for concern, though, is whether newer variants of the virus, which might be more resistant to vaccines, might cause a new surge in infections. But the expert opinion is that the current vaccines will provide a significant degree of protection, especially against severe illness. https://www.bbc.com/news/health-56904993

The European Parliament has backed the Brexit trade and security deal, a key step in ensuring that tariff- and quota-free trade between the UK and EU continues. The Trade and Co-operation Agreement (TCA), which has been operating provisionally since January, was approved with 660 MEPs in favour and 5 against, with 32 abstentions. However, in an accompanying resolution the chamber described the 23 June 2016 Brexit referendum result as a “historic mistake”. Lord Frost, the UK’s chief negotiator, said that the vote “brings certainty and allows us to focus on the future”. Michel Barnier, Lord Frost’s opposite number in the Brexit negotiations, was less enthusiastic. “This is a divorce. It is a warning, Brexit. It’s a failure of the European Union and we have to learn lessons from it,” he told the European Parliament. The deal does not address all the tensions that remain in the wake of Brexit. Northern Ireland trade remains covered under a separate protocol defining it as part of the EU’s single market, meaning that goods shipped to the country from the UK must undergo Eu checks. While the TCA covers trade in goods between the UK and the Eu, it does not cover services – which make up the bulk of the UK economy. Other areas not covered by the TCA include foreign policy, financial services and student exchanges.The UK’s exit from the EU at the start of the year prompted a record loss in trade between the two blocs, with UK exports to the continent falling by 40.7% and imports falling by 28.8% in January. Though trade volumes have since increased, they remain below pre-Brexit levels. https://www.lawyer-monthly.com/2021/04/european-parliament-votes-through-brexit-trade-deal/