June 19, 2022 - The Association of Croatian American Professionals conference, ACAP 2022, has been an unqualified success. So much excellence in just one room in New York City. 

A lot of my Croatian friends laugh at me when I am positive about the future of Croatia. I can understand why, after the disappointments and dashed hopes they have been forced to endure of the 30 years since that hard-won independence. The corruption, nepotism and emigration was certainly not part of the deal they thought they were signing up for in developing a newly independent country. 

One thing I have learned about Croatians is that positive new initiatives are mostly embraced by skepticism. Something might worked wonderfully in every other country in the world, but in Croatia? 

But things are changing, and I genuinely believe that. Overcoming that skepticism and turning the mindset into a positive direction is one of Croatia's key challenges, but - at least from where I am sitting - I see more and more bright spots, new initiatives, success stories, and a strengthening of the eco-system of Croatia 2.0 to realise that we are an a path of change. 

Being a fly on the wall in a room in New York this week was probably one of the best snapshots of how far Croatia has come, and an indication of the direction it is heading. So many examples of Croatian excellent in so many sectors came together and networked, bonded, and connected. My social media feed and inbox has been flooded with positivity from New York these past few days from the ACAP 2022 conference. 

So who was there and speaking? The ACAP 2022 Facebook page did a great job keeping us all updated. Congrats to the organisers and participants - the future of Croatia is looking just a little brighter. 

For more news from the Croatian diaspora, follow the dedicated TCN section. 

June 17, 2022 - The 6th ACAP (Association of Croatian American Professionals) Conference, a three-day event, kicks off today, June 17, at one of the city's most iconic venues - the New York Athletic Club.

The sixth annual ACAP conference (https://www.croampro.com/page/nyc2022) will bring together professionals from all facets of the American, Croatian and international professional community — communication and social media specialists, scientists, artists, healthcare professionals, athletes, engineers, journalists, attorneys, business executives, accountants, and students — for networking, education and socializing. With presentations by two unicorns, one shark, and one 40-time Emmy Award-winning producer, as well as fireside chats and panels with some of the most prominent Croatian business leaders and innovators, this historic event is the largest gathering of the Croatian professional community in the USA.

The conference hosts 30 events over three days with the first day featuring a keynote and 17 different panels, fireside chats, workshops, and networking events (https://www.croampro.com/page/confagenda). Today’s keynote speaker is Robert Herjavec, a globally recognized motivational, business, and cyber security leader.

Strategic address will be delivered by Nikolina Brnjac, Minister of Tourism and Sports of Croatia. Panel ““Educating the Next Generation of Tech Entrepreneurs” will present Croatian companies that are leading the way in K-12 space as well as college level curriculum. Our panelists from CircuitMess, TinkerLabs and STEMI will discuss about Croatia's carving out the presence in leading educational applications in Europe, and soon, in the USA. Three other discussion panels are: “US Health Tech Companies Tapping into Croatian Talent”, “Building a Sustainable Tourism Ecosystem”, and “The Evolution of Environmental Social Governance in Croatia”.

Participants in Networking4All sessions will have an opportunity to meet experienced Croatian entrepreneurs and start-up companies looking to expand to the American market, American professionals looking to enter the Croatian market, Croatian professionals and company representatives looking to meet investors, students and job seekers looking to meet Croatian and American entrepreneurs and potential employers, and other Croatian professionals from the USA that are looking to expand their network and make positive changes in Croatia and Croatian professional community in the USA.

B2B workshops include Taxation workshop, Education & foundation workshop, Medical Tourism committee workshop, and Croatia and web3 workshop. A topic that has occupied many Croats in the USA is a long-awaited Croatia-U.S. Double Taxation Treaty. Taxation workshop topics will cover both individual and company tax-related topics. For individuals, the two main topics covered are Croatia-U.S. Double Taxation Treaty and tax issues for Croatian citizens living in the USA. For companies, topics of corporate taxation in the USA and Croatia will be covered. Furthermore, the workshop will also look at the EU funding opportunities and other Croatia tax hot topics.

For more, check out our dedicated lifestyle section.

June 8, 2022 - New York is the destination for two Croatian Unicorns and many other rising stars from Croatia for the 6th ACAP (Association of Croatian American Professionals) conference.

Looking to see the very best Croatian talent on display? New York is the place to be next week for the 6th ACAP conference, which kicks off on June 16, with a star-studded cast. 

How nice it is to open with the sentence - Two Croatian Unicorns will be among the keynote speakers at the event in New York. 

Both Mate Rimac, CEO of Rimac Bugatti, and Silvio Kutic, CEO of Infobip, will be among the speakers. Impressive as this is, what I find even more exciting is the sheer depth of talent of other participants. If you want to see a snapshot of the people driving real change in Croatia and beyond, this is the conference for you. 

The Association of Croatian American Professionals has done an excellent job in recent years bringing the 1.2 million Croatian American diaspora closer to the Homeland, with a particular emphasis on business and medical tourism. The annual conference is an excellent opportunity to showcase Croatian talent, as well as networking. You can see a full list of speakers here (as well as register).

Additional key speakers include Robert Herjavec of Shark Tank fame, Pete Radovich, Senior Creative Director, VP Production at CBS Sports, Emil Tedeschi, CEO of Atlantic Grupa, Dubravko Lakos Bujas, Chief Equity Strategist at JP Morgan, Marko Ratesic, COO of Americas Financial and Strategic Investors Group, Goldman Sachs, Jasmine Golubic, Senior Director Automotive Marketing, SiriusXM, Kreso Marusic, Managing Director of Bridgewater Associates, and Maja Vujinovc, Managing Director of OGroupLLC. 

The proposed program, which is subject to change, can be found below, but please check the link above for the latest information and schedule.

For more news and views from the Croatian diaspora, check out the dedicated TCN section.  

June 5, 2022 - One of the most important Croatian diaspora meeting opportunities returns for its 8th edition next month - Meeting G2.8. The press release. 

Join us at MG2.8!

We present to you this year's MEETING G2.8 Conference "DiWine Summer" which will be held on Tuesday, July 5th, starting at 5 pm in the premises of the Croatian Heritage Foundation, Zagreb, Trg Stjepana Radića 3.

MEETING G2 Conference is aimed at networking business people of Croatian origin from around the world, and this year, for the first time since the 2019 Conference, our participants from Croatia and the world - will gather live in Zagreb. Due to the global pandemic, the past two years have been marked by virtual and hybrid conferences, which did not bypass MG2, so we are looking forward to reuniting live, exchanging business cards, meeting exceptional business people and sharing successful and inspiring business stories.

We believe that you will be delighted by the central theme of this year’s Conference "Croatia on the global wine list", and you will have the opportunity to participate in the most attractive part of our program which we traditionally call “WHO’S WHO in G2”.

As in the past seven years, we are persistently building business relations and encouraging investments in Croatia, and so far cooperation has been established between companies and businessmen and women from Croatia and 26 countries on five continents.

The registration fee is 100 euros, which includes participation in “WHO’S WHO in G2”, panel, wine tasting and dinner. Warm welcome and see you at MG2.8!

Association for Business Connection of Homeland and Croatian Diaspora

Radnička cesta 1A, HR-10000 Zagreb

Privredna banka Zagreb

SWIFT: PBZGHR2X

IBAN: HR3723400091110925819

REGISTRATION FORM

You can learn more about Meeting G2.8, including the finalised programme as it appears on the official website. 

For more news and features about the Croatian diaspora, visit the dedicated TCN section. 

ZAGREB, 4 June 2022 - Croatia has the constitutional obligation to help Croats abroad and will pursue that for the preservation of their identity in states in which they live as a national minority or a constituent people, a round table in Tupolje, eastern Croatia heard on Saturday.

The round table "Croats outside Croatia - Challenges of coexistence" was held as part of events marking Osijek-Baranja County Day, bringing together Croatian representatives from Serbia, Montenegro, and Hungary.

The state secretary for Croats outside Croatia, Zvonko Milas, said it was important to raise awareness among Croats in Croatia "about everything our compatriots are, what they are going through and what they live with."

We must meet each other halfway and raise people's morale, but we know there is no progress without financial support, he added.

He said that over the past six years the Andrej Plenković cabinet had increased those funds and that it would go further to preserve what distinguished Croats in Serbia, Hungary, Montenegro, and other states.

"We must all work together on becoming one inseparable Croatian people, one global Croatian family, and then we will be successful," Milas said.

County head Ivan Anušić said Croatia must politically stand behind Croats abroad, and protect their rights and interests so that they could organize and function normally in the countries they live in.

80% of funds for the Croatian community in Serbia come from Croatia

Serbian MP Tomislav Žigmanov said 80% of the funds from the Croatian community in Serbia had come from Croatia's government, counties, and towns.

We pay taxes in Serbia and would like to draw what a minority community needs from Serbia's state, local and regional budgets, he said.

There is progress on that front, but it is still not the system Croatia has in dealing with institutional and financial support to minority communities, he added.

The president of the Croatian National Council in Serbia, Jasna Vojnić, said it was important for Croats outside Croatia to become empowered, to talk and convey examples of someone's successful dealing with challenges, and eventually to come to Croatia

Croatian community's contribution to Montenegro's NATO and EU accession

Adrijan Vuksanović, the Montenegrin minister without a portfolio, said it was very important that Croats had a minister in the Montenegrin government, as that would support the community's fight for the continuity of the Croatian identity in Montenegro.

"Although a small community, we make an immense contribution to the renewal of Montenegrin survival and the process of Montenegro's accession to NATO and the EU."

He said Croats helped Montenegro position itself geopolitically there where its statehood began, among the Western civilizations.

Croats' main goal in Hungary is represented in parliament

The president of the Croatian Self-Government in Hungary, Ivan Gugan, said the most important goal of Croats in Hungary was representation in parliament, which would be fair and useful, as Hungarians have it in Croatia.

We are represented at all levels of the political system, he said. In Hungary, 116 settlements, six counties, and the capital have Croatian self-government units financed from the Hungarian budget, acting independently and creating the Croatian community's policy, he added.

The goal is to become stronger in education, he said, adding that over 3,500 children in Hungary learn Croatian.

For more news about the Croatian diaspora, visit our dedicated section.

May 28, 2022 - Edward Bernays University College announced it is giving away free and reduced tuition fees for communication and tourism study programs to four members of the Croatian diaspora!

Classes will be held in Zagreb, with the undergraduate level lasting three and the graduate level lasting two years, while the selected candidates choose themselves which level they wish to enroll in, depending on their previous education. Candidates who meet the conditions of the competition will have the opportunity to receive one free tuition for all years of study and up to three spots with tuition fees reduced by 50 percent for each year of study. The openings are intended for members of the Croatian diaspora who want to study in their homeland, while applications are open until 4 July 2022.

Communication and tourism study programs at Bernays University College introduce students to the latest techniques and skills in the public relations and tourism professions, and through the individual involvement of students in teaching and learning, they develop their critical thinking and creativity. A specific characteristic of academic education at Bernays is, in addition to the theoretical basis, the opportunity for numerous work placements that students can do in one of the 90 leading media companies, marketing, and public relations agencies, domestic and foreign companies, and corporations, world-famous hotel chains, tourist boards, and various organizations in the tourism and communication industries. Therefore, studying at Bernays is complemented by the practical application of learned theoretical knowledge, which contributes to the improvement of specific competencies required for current challenges of the profession and competitiveness in the labor market.

Image: Edward Bernays University College/Facebook

At Edward Bernays University College most classes are conducted in Croatian, while certain courses are held in English. Exams can be taken in the Croatian or English language. Thanks to this, Croatian returnees who, based on the conditions of the competition, receive either the free tuition or one of three reduced tuition fees for each year of study, will have the opportunity to study in Croatian and English, as well as obtain a comprehensive education for professions of the future.

All interested candidates must apply by 4 July 2022 by sending all of the required documents from the Open Call to the email address of Bernays’ Office for International Cooperation: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. One of the conditions is that candidates must have at least a B1 level of knowledge of English and at least an A2 level of knowledge of Croatian.

More information on the conditions can be found in the Open Call on the official website of Edward Bernays University College.

For more news about the Croatian diaspora, visit our dedicated section.

May 20, 2022 - Representatives of the Society for the Preservation of Šibenik Heritage Juraj Dalmatinac - President Nikola Grubić and members Jolanda Krnić Zmijanović and Deana Karađole Radovčić, and senior curator of the Šibenik City Museum Marina Lambaša, presented Šibenik's cultural heritage in New York as part of the project 'Šibenik - Cultural Heritage through Globalization'.

The project was approved and financed based on the Public Call for Proposals for Cultural Promotion, Public Diplomacy, and International Recognition of the Republic of Croatia, implemented and organized by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and diplomatic and consular missions.

The Society for the Preservation of Šibenik Heritage Juraj Dalmatinac (http://www.jurajdalmatinac.com/) was founded on June 9, 2011, as a non-governmental and non-political organization with the aim of caring for the heritage and promotion of Šibenik. It currently has more than 300 members, most of whom are from Šibenik, but also from other parts of Croatia and the world.

Exhibition “Šibenik through the Centuries” presented the history of the city and the Society's projects (reconstruction of fortresses, revitalization of the city center, Geonucleus and magazine Juraj) at the celebration of Statehood Day and the 30th anniversary of Croatia's membership in the United Nations last Friday. The exhibition was attended by the Consul General in NY Nikica Kopačević and numerous employees and guests of the consulate in the exhibition space of the restaurant Dubrovnik (https://www.dubrovnikny.com/), and the evening was enhanced by the klapa Astoria.

With the same exhibition, the Society and the Museum presented themselves at the Croatian Center of St. Nikola Tavelić after Sunday Mass in the Croatian Church of St. Cyril and Methodius. The exhibition brought together parishioners, including many people from Šibenik who live in NY, and the musical atmosphere was again provided by the klapa Astoria.

During their stay in NY, members of the Society and representatives of the Museum also visited the UN headquarters, where Minister Adviser Dijana Delaye, from the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Croatia to the UN, introduced them to the work of the UN bodies.

The Society and the Museum thank everyone who contributed to this beautiful promotion of Šibenik in the world.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated lifestyle section.

May 28, 2022 - The celebration of Statehood Day was held last Friday in the restaurant Dubrovnik in New Rochelle, NY.

The ceremony was opened by Lidija Babić, Consul of the 1st class, and then the Consul General of the Republic of Croatia in New York Nikica Kopačević greeted everyone on her own behalf and on behalf of all employees of the Consulate General. He emphasized that this year also marks the 30th anniversary of Croatia's international recognition and thanked all Croatian veterans and their families, especially those who laid down their lives in the Homeland War, which is the foundation of the creation of a free Croatia. Kopačević also emphasized the importance of the unity of Croats in the homeland and Croats in the diaspora and thanked emigrated Croats around the world and especially Croats in the United States and New York for all they have done to create a free and independent state of Croatia.

In his speech, he also referred to the words of the first Croatian president, Dr. Franjo Tuđman, who said that May 30 was the constitutive creation of a new and democratic Croatian Parliament, which was the beginning of modern Croatia and the long-term dream of many Croats. and emigration. A minute of silence was observed in honor of all the fallen Croatian defenders who built their lives into the foundations of Croatia.

The program of the celebration began with the performance of the American and Croatian anthems, which were magnificently sung by the klapa Astoria from New York, accompanied by Viktor Šarić. Along with the klapa Astoria, everyone sang “God Save Croatia”, and later during the party they were joined by Joško Grbac, a member of the group Dalmati from New York and Croatian-American music artist Tommi Mischell.

The celebration of Statehood Day in New York was enhanced by representatives of the Society for the Preservation of Šibenik Heritage Juraj Dalmatinac (http://www.jurajdalmatinac.com/) led by its president Nikola Grubić, who set up the exhibition Šibenik Through the Centuries and presented the work of the society on rebuilding fortresses and portals in the city center of Šibenik, the Geonucleus project, magazine Juraj and other projects.

Special thanks for preserving Croatian national and cultural identity in New York was given to the Croatian Catholic priests from the Croatian Church in Manhattan and the Croatian Catholic Mission in Astoria, as well as to the Croatian Radio Club NY - "Voice of Free Croatia", which has been operating in New York for more than 50 years. Among the representatives of the Croatian Radio New York, the celebration was attended by Zvonimir Crnogorac, the oldest member and one of the hosts of that radio since 1972.

(Photos credit: Ane Strazicic Rodriguez)

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated lifestyle section.

May 9, 2022 - The Center for Latin American Migratory Studies developed an online search engine that allows you to find out, in just three steps, on what date and on what ship your Croatian ancestors set foot on Argentine soil.

Only with the surname, name, and validating the Captcha code it is possible to access the date of arrival of each of the immigrants who arrived in Argentina between 1800 and 1960, reports infobae.com. You will also be able to know which ship your Croatian ancestors traveled on and which port on the Argentine coast they arrived at.

All of this is now possible thanks to the online search engine of the Center for Latin American Migratory Studies (Cemla), which also allows us to find out what profession or occupation your Croatian ancestors had and from where in Europe they left. This possibility of knowing the history of each family that arrived in the country is the result of one of the most important tasks carried out by the organization, due to its meaning and scope.

Cemla was founded by Father Luigi Favero on December 28, 1985, preceded by the First Conference on Immigration and Identity, held in August of that year, and by the publication of the initial number of Latin American Migratory Studies, the first academic journal dedicated to exclusively to migratory issues in the subcontinent.

It also has an important Documentation Center specialized in national and foreign migrations from Argentina that has the objective of preserving the records of entry into the country for each of its ports as the first specialized library dedicated exclusively to migrations from Argentina. Currently, it has more than four thousand volumes between books and serial publications.

At the end of the 19th century and during the first decades of the 20th century, the great wave of European immigration to Argentina took place. Those who arrived, for the most part, came from Italy and Spain, but Ukrainians, Poles, Russians, Croats, French, Germans, Swedes, and Irish, among others, also arrived.

According to data from the University of Tres de Febrero and the book "Migration Policies in Argentina" by Susana Novick, between 1880 and 1915 more than 1,500,000 Europeans arrived on Argentine soil.

How to search in three steps

1. Enter the link: www.cemla.com/buscador/ (DUE TO GREAT DEMAND, THE DATABASE MAY PROVIDE ERRORS)

2. Write the surname and first name of grandparents, great-grandparents, or relatives who arrived in Argentina between 1800 and 1960.

3. Validate the Captcha code

Image: infobae.com

Among its first tasks, Cemla began the preservation and microfilming of documentary sources of immigration in Argentina and, in particular, Italian immigration in Argentina, Uruguay, and Chile.

With the same desire to preserve history, it held special Congresses and Conferences that included the participation of specialists from various disciplines from both Argentina and Latin America.

For more news about the Croatian diaspora, visit our dedicated section.

April 20, 2022 - Gabriel Vidović is the 11th Croat in history to play for Bayern Munich in a competitive match and replaces Josip Stanišić as the youngest!

Bayern Munich beat Arminia 3-0 away in the 30th round of the German Bundesliga, and two Croatians played for the Bavarian giant. Josip Stanišić entered the game in the 48th minute, while in the 89th minute, Gabriel Vidović replaced Gnabry and thus made his debut for the Bayern Munich senior team in a competitive match. Vidović thus became the 11th Croat in history to play for Bayern in a competitive game, but he can also boast that he is the youngest to do so, reports Vecernji List.

The oldest Croatian debutant for Bayern is Zlatko Škorić, who was 31 in 1972. Vidović replaced Josip Stanišić as the youngest, who made his debut for Bayern at 21. The third youngest is Mario Mandžukić, who made his debut at 26.

Gabriel Vidović is a child of the Croatian diaspora - his father, Zoran, is from Žepče, and his mother, Marijana, is from Kiseljak. Zoran Vidović has been living in Germany since 1995, and Gabriel was born on December 1, 2003.

Although he only came of age in December, Gabriel's work and sacrifice at such a young age led him to share the pitch with players such as Lewandowski, Neuer, Müller, Kimmich, and many other Bayern stars.

"Everything is perfect. They accepted me as an equal; there is no hierarchy. Both the coach and the players talk to me in the most normal way; they share tips that will help me in my career. These are all international coaches and players, so you have to listen to them when they give you some advice because you know it will help you in the game. But yes, all these great players want and love to help," Vidović said recently.

A few years ago, at the invitation of Petar Krpan, Gabriel decided to play for the Croatia national team over Germany. 

"When it comes to playing for your country, you have to decide for yourself within your four walls, with your family. There is no one else to influence that decision. There was not much thinking in the conversation with mom and dad; I decided quickly and said that I wanted to play for Croatia. Germany also called me to come and play for them, but Croatia has always been number one," said Vidović, who played in some friendly matches for the Germany U15 team.

Gabriel, by the way, was not born in Munich but in Augsburg, where he still lives with his family. However, he trains and plays in Munich.

"Four times a week, the Bayern driver comes to pick up Gabriel in Augsburg and drives him to train in Munich and to the games. It is a 120-kilometer drive in both directions, and it has been five years since Gabriel moved to Bayern," Gabriel's father, Zoran, said.

That may change now that Gabriel has become a member of Bayern's first team. This debut for the first team confirmed that Bayern is seriously counting on Vidović for the future. Coach Julius Nagelsmann also supports this.

"He is an outstanding football player; he is our future!"

Vidović recently signed a contract with Bayern until the summer of 2025. :

"Gabriel is a player with fantastic technical abilities who creates many great opportunities in front of the opponent's goal. He has been with us for six years, during which he has done numerous training at our academy, so the time has come for the next big step in his career and on the way to the first team," said sports director Hasan Salihamidžić.

To follow the latest sports news in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.