ZAGREB, 11 May 2022 - Vertreibungstag was observed in Krndija near Đakovo on Wednesday in memory of the day at the end of WWII when the Partisans expelled the majority German population and turned the village into a labour camp for villagers who had not left their homes and other members of the German community.

A prayer was said at the memorial at the local cemetery, wreaths were laid and candles lit. The commemoration was organised by the Đakovo branch of the Danube Swabians Association and was also attended by representatives of the City of Đakovo.

Parish priest Đurica Pardon recalled that 77 years ago today the expelled Germans left their homes in Krndija, whose population then was almost 2,500.

The villagers who stayed ended up in a grave at the local cemetery alongside many others from the Đakovo area and other parts of Croatia who had been brought to the Krndija labour camp, he said.

Pardon spoke of the horrors the inmates went through and said that none of the Danube Swabians who lived in Krndija until the end of WWII ever came back.

Today the village has 40 inhabitants and the church has been reconstructed, which the Partisans shelled and later used as an artificial fertiliser warehouse.

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

May the 8th, 2022 - The Croatian IT company Q has come together with the German startup Streamways and developed a mobile and web app for German driving school students to pass part of their driving tests.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the Croatian IT company Q, in cooperation with the German startup Streamways, has developed a mobile and web application that will help the younger generations and students of German driving schools to more easily master their driving theory exams. The solution was launched back in early February and is currently being used by over 30 driving schools in Germany.

The founders of Streamways - Christian Karstoft and Magnus Werner - came up with the idea while taking their own driving tests, when they noticed that the driving test system in Germany was very much outdated. Students of driving schools had to solve exactly 1,300 questions prescribed by the German state, as well as successfully pass the simulation of the exam five times in order to even get the right to take the theory exam.

This pair of young founders saw the space and opportunity to build a more modern application which would be more youth-friendly, and as such, they turned to the Croatian IT company Q. Q, in collaboration with Streamways, has created a platform that makes driving exams much easier and more fun. With it, the whole process doesn't look like learning, but instead a game, and each student can choose the pace at which they want to learn. An additional advantage is that through it, driving instructors can monitor the progress of their students.

“When creating this application, the main challenge was to increase the motivation and interest of students in learning, but also to find a way to engage them to master driving in a more interesting way. Therefore, the focus of our project was to empower young people to feel freer while gaining knowledge through the best digital educational experience,'' said Q CEO Filip Ljubic.

Streamways is available to German driving schools, and this new web and mobile edition is also available to students. Each lesson has its own three-minute video in which it explains to the participants the theory part of traffic regulations and rules, often referred to as the highway code. Streamways has optimised the application to motivate users to continuous learning, which is why they solve a quiz related to the material after each lesson. The Croatian IT company Q worked on the design and branding of the platform, patenting the desktop and mobile version of the app for students, as well as the desktop version for driving schools and administrators.

“The applications that were previously available to users weren't developed for young people who have grown up with digital technologies. In Germany, over a million people take their driving tests every year, and mastering the material through the application is mandatory. That's why we decided to develop a solution that would help end users find it easier to master the theory part of the test,'' added Christian Karstoft Madsen, co-founder and CEO of Streamways.

The Croatian IT company Q is otherwise continuing to grow its business across a variety of key markets, after the company was selected as one of the five finalists in this year’s EY Entrepreneur of the Year award. In addition to startups such as the German Streamways, the company also collaborates with already established brands such as Novartis, The Times, Manpower Group and many others.

For more, check out Made in Croatia.

ZAGREB, 1 May 2022 - A majority of companies which are members of the German-Croatian Chamber of Industry and Commerce estimate that the war in Ukraine will adversely affect their business in the future.

The German-Croatian Chamber of Industry and Commerce carried out a survey between 22 March and 22 April this year among 32 of its members to examine the possible impact of the Ukraine conflict on their business.

The survey revealed that at this point the situation in Ukraine was not having a negative effect on the operation of 55 per cent of the companies. However, 70 per cent of them believe that its impact will be negative in the future.

The vast majority of the companies (84%) do not have suppliers in Ukraine, 87% do not have buyers and 78% do not have subsidiaries there. Similar figures were revealed for their suppliers, buyers and subsidiaries in the Russian Federation.

Also, 90 per cent of the companies estimate that the war in Ukraine will have a certain effect, possibly a strong one, on the Croatian tourism industry this year, while 10 per cent believe the impact on this year's tourist season will be insignificant.

"The entire economy at global level will be affected by increased energy prices. We need to redefine our relationship with the Russian Federation and separate our energy needs from unilateral energy dependence," said Thomas Sichla, President of the German-Croatian Chamber of Industry and Commerce.

For more, check out our dedicated business section.

March the 11th, 2022 - German Croatian holiday booking was exceeding 2019's pre-pandemic levels and experiencing a real ''boom'' just before Vladimir Putin's shock invasion of neighbouring Ukraine a couple of weeks ago.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes, up until the beginning of the unjustified Russian invasion of Ukraine last month, German Croatian holiday booking levels were truly excellent, even better than in pre-pandemic 2019, but what the rest of the tourist season will look like this year is uncertain because the entire European market is currently in a state of shock.

This is how Romeo Draghicchio, director of the Croatian National Tourist Board (CNTB) in Germany, describes the current situation, on the occasion of the ITB Berlin fair, which is being held in a virtual form this week for the third year in a row due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"In Germany, there are concerns about the war in Ukraine, but so far we aren't really seeing a significant impact on consumer habits. However, since the beginning of the war, programmes for Russia and Ukraine have been cancelled, while cruises aimed at St. Petersburg are being diverted to other ports. It will take more time to assess the real consequences for the summer season because there is currently a shock in the market. When we talk about Croatia, until the outbreak of the conflict, booking was at a higher level for the country, even when compared to the 2019 tourist season, which was a great sign,'' he said.

''What the further course of the season will unfold like remains to be seen, but the good position of this country on the German market has been confirmed by the recently published research "Reiseanalyse" of the FUR Institute for 2021, according to which Croatia climbed to the ranks of the top four German destinations. In addition to that, as pointed out by the FUR, in 2021, Croatia was the only destination that increased its market share when compared to 2019,'' added Draghicchio when describing the German Croatian holiday booking trends so far.

It's worth noting that this year's ITB is being held in two parts, one part was held from March the 8th to the 10th, the ITB Convention, which focuses on digital and sustainable solutions with the transfer of all sessions on the official ITB platform. The programme also includes lectures by a number of international top speakers and tourism experts. The second part of the ITB refers to the Digital Business Day, which will be held on March the 17th.

It is a concept conceived as a platform for the networking of exhibitors and buyers, and each participant creates their own personal business profile and communicates with potential partners or clients through audio/video tools. Within this part of the ITB, CNTB representatives will also create their profiles and hold a series of meetings with partners and the interested business community.

CNTB Director Kristjan Stanicic pointed out that if the situation in Ukraine lasts any longer, we can expect greater disruptions in the wider tourism market, especially in countries in the immediate vicinity of Ukraine, such as Poland, Slovakia and Hungary.

For more, check out our travel section.

December the 30th, 2021 - One German financial expert has claimed that Eurozone entry for Croatia, which is due to take place quite soon, is still premature. Is the country ready for the changes? Apparently not, according to Otmar Issing.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, in addition to joining the Schengen area, Croatia's Eurozone entry has been cited as one of the main goals of Croatian foreign policy for years now. This goal should be achieved at the beginning of 2023, for which Croatia has the support of Brussels.

That said, there are some economists such as former European Central Bank (ECB) Executive Board member Otmar Issing of Germany who believe that Eurozone entry for Croatia would be premature, Deutsche Welle reports.

As he said in an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitungu (FAZ), currently no country is ready to join the Eurozone. "At the moment, I can't see any country that is ready enough to join the Eurozone," Issing told FAZ on the occasion of the recent twentieth anniversary of the introduction of the euro into circulation back on January the 1st, 2002, which those of us who grew up in Europe remember so well.

"It can't be said that every new member of the Eurozone necessarily contributes to the weakening of the euro, but these countries must guarantee some lasting stability. It isn't enough to get ready for the wedding and then return back to your old habits once you're married,'' said Issing, who also played the role of ECB chief economist from 1998 to 2006 and was credited with strategically planning the introduction of the euro as the bloc's single currency.

The last EU member state to enter the Eurozone in 2015 was Lithuania, and currently Bulgaria is also aiming to join. In fact, according to the membership agreement, all members of the European Union are obliged to accept a common currency when they meet the criteria, the only exceptions to this was the United Kingdom, which kept pound sterling, and Denmark.

Issing believes that the heterogeneity of Eurozone member states and thus different focuses when it comes to interests is already a big problem for the ECB. He believes that the governors of the national central banks should follow a common course and not simply blindly follow national financial policy. Issing also defended the euro against accusations that its introduction has made everything more expensive.

"It can look like that when it comes to purchasing daily necessities, so that's the impression people have. But when we look at spending which occurs in regard to most of the household budget, such as rent or heating costs, those costs have remained stable even after the introduction of the euro,'' Issing told FAZ.

Issing, who previously held the same position at the German central bank before taking office at the ECB, said the decision to print non-national symbols on euro banknotes at the time was a decision that proved correct in the end.

“Imagine if the French wanted to put Napoleon on their banknotes. How would the countries who were occupied by Napoleon react to this? That's why we decided on the symbolic motif of the bridges,'' Issing concluded.

For more, check out our politics section.

December the 15th, 2021 - Faithful German tourists who were among the first to pack their famous motorhomes and hit the road to Croatia following the lifting of lockdown measures have praised Croatian campsites. There is, however, still one thing missing in their view...

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes, although Croatian campsites have an offer that, in terms of all categories of quality and content, significantly differs from the European average, the unimpressive vaccination rate across the country and high mortality throughout the COVID-19 pandemic here in Croatia could cost this sector and the entire tourism industry next season, especially when it comes to the German market, as shown by an analysis from the popular German car club ADAC.

This is important now because reservations for next summer are already coming in for Croatian campsites, and an additional problem for Croatian campsites is that currently only 46 percent of them can be booked. ''Others need to wake up and make an effort to become more visible online,'' warned Uwe Frers, the CEO of Pincamp, ADAC’s booking portal for campsites.

His portal is otherwise the most important campsite search engine in the entire German market with six million unique users in Germany, whose importance is all the greater given that camping is generally not advertised or sold on major online platforms such as Booking.com.

“Pincamp's analysis showed that an automatic and flexible cancellation policy (42 percent) and applications with an alarm about the current conditions under which travel can be key to raising confidence in travel over the next twelve months. If you don't announce your cancellation policy now, you could lose guests who would like to come to Croatian campsites. Don't wait for others to announce theirs before you do, because an interested guest would rather seize the first opportunity,'' said Frers from the Congress of Croatian Camping, which took place in Tuhelj at the end of last week.

Pincamp has nothing but pure praise for Croatian campsites, even in the last turbulent year the availability of online booking has increased from 24 percent to 46 percent, and it is important for guests to book a pitch in advance. For comparison, in Austria, a place can be reserved for the next season in 88 percent of camps, and in 63 percent of camps in Slovenia. In this respect, Croatia is on a par with Italy, Germany and the Netherlands, although these are significantly larger markets.

''For even better sales next season, it is important for Croatian campsites to simplify their prices as much as possible, to calculate all of the additional costs. In terms of quality and content, Croatian campsites can hardly be much better than they are now,'' praised Frers.

This ADAC analysis show edthat Croatian campsites have on average 11 percent better quality in terms of their pitches than average European campsites, meaning that Croatia is 37 percent better than the average in terms of bathing facilities (sea, swimming pools, aquaparks), and 20 percent better in terms of entertainment and similar content.

As many as 43 percent of average Croatian campsites have better ADAC ratings for shopping and restaurant facilities, but safety security could prove to be a problem, although the campsites themselves are not to blame.

"Safety is very important for the Germans in choosing a destination for next year, and they're closely following the news and statistics, coronavirus incidence is very important to them, as is the vaccination rate. This is where Croatia comes off quite badly when compared to competitors across the Mediterranean, such as Italy, France, Spain... and you must be aware that this is the signal you're sending out to your potential guests. Please send out a good message to German tourists,'' warned Uwe Frers in conclusion.

For more, check out our dedicated travel section.

ZAGREB, 5 Oct, 2021 - An NGO called Croatia Green Building Council on Tuesday signed an agreement with the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB), a Stuttgart-based non-profit organisation, on the DGNB system for certification of sustainable buildings, building interiors and districts.

The DGNB Certification System, a second-generation system compared to other international certification systems, includes assessment which revolves around ecological aspects, DGNB says.

DGNB-certified buildings consume fewer resources during construction, have lower greenhouse gas emissions and largely can be recycled.

The DGNB director, Christine Lemaitre, said today in Zagreb after the agreement-signing ceremony that she was glad to see that Croatian partners opted for promoting the DGNB system.

The head of the Croatian NGO, Dean Smolar, explained that the system was adjusted to EU regulations and the Life Level(s) project which is being implemented by the Croatia Green Building Council.

To date, over 8,200 public and private buildings and districts in 27countries worldwide have acquired DGNB certificates.

For more about politics in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

September 17, 2021 - The DANUP-2-Gas Project, developing renewable energy opportunities for all Danube countries, is set to hold a stakeholder event on September 28 at the University of Zagreb's Faculty of Engineering and Computing (FER).

The beautiful Danube region in Slavonia, apart from boasting natural beauty, also has a lot of historical and archaeological significance. This is evident with the European Commission having recognised the ''Iron Age Danube Route'' earlier this year.

That being said, the Danube river also boasts a political and economic factors, the one that unites all the countries through which the Danube flows. One form of such international cooperation is the DANUP-2-GAS project.

''The Danube region holds huge potential for sustainable generation and the storage of renewable energy. However, to date, this region has remained highly dependent on energy imports, while energy efficiency, diversity and renewables share are low. In line with the EU climate targets for 2030 and the EUSDR PA2 goals, DanuP-2-Gas will advance transnational energy planning by promoting generation and storage strategies for renewables in the Danube region by coupling electric power and the gas sector,'' says the official website of Interreg Danube which is handling the project.

In an effort to achieve their goals, the DANUP-2-Gas project aims to bring together energy agencies, business actors, public authorities, and research institutions to join the cause.

The project started on the July 1 2020, and it will last until the end of 2022. So far, 24 institutions from Germany, Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Slovakia, and of course Croatian partners have begun cooperating for DANUP-2-Gas, united by the geographical fact that the Danube connects them all. The Hrvoje Požar Energy Institute (EIHP), the International Centre for the Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems, and the University of Zagreb's Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing (FER) are the project's Croatian representatives. Check out the full list of partners in the project here.

As (EIHP) reported on its website, September 28 will be an important date for the DANUP-2-Gas project as FER will hold a stakeholder event from 09:30 to 12:30, the lectures held in English will explain the potential of the project, as well as the uses and benefits of renewable energy in the hope of encouraging more support.

The event is imagined as a hybrid event, being held partly online and partly in person, but as EIHP warns, there is a risk of the event ending up being held entirely online, depending on the epidemiological situation.

''Based on the platform developed during the DTP project ENERGY BARGE, it will incorporate all pre-existing tools and an atlas, mapping previously unexamined available biomass and energy infrastructure. Further, a pre-feasibility study utilising an optimisation tool for efficient hub design will identify suitable locations for sectors coupling hubs and a combination of two idle resources in the Danube region.

The unused organic residue (e.g., straw) will be processed to biochar for easy transport along the Danube river and as the basis for synthesis gas generation. Adding hydrogen produced from surplus renewable energy allows for the upgrading of this syngas to a renewable natural gas. This will enable the storage of surplus energy in the existing gas distribution grid, increasing energy security and efficiency. All of the resources required for this process are available in the Danube region and the ten partner countries,'' the Interreg Danube website stated, elaborating the positive changes it is attempting to achieve.

Learn more about Croatian inventions and discoveries from Tesla to Rimac on our dedicated TC page.

For more about science in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

August the 2nd, 2021 - The Croatian summer tourist season is now in full swing, with many more tourists in the country than could even be thought of this time last year, the country has been managing to keep hold of its favourable epidemiological picture. The German coronavirus map, now updated with a few new rules, has showcased Croatia's safety for travellers.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, Germany introduced new rules for its travellers returning from foreign holidays on the 1st of August. There are now some stricter rules for Germans returning to their country from being abroad and a new way of categorising risk areas on the German coronavirus map, writes Index.

Who should have a negative test when returning to Germany?

According to the new rules, all passengers entering Germany who haven't yet been vaccinated, as well as those who cannot prove they have contracted and since recovered from the disease must have a negative coronavirus test (and it has been that way since yesterday).

This has so far only applied to air passengers, and has now been extended to all others.

The measure took effect yesterday and will remain in force until the end of the year, with the exception of children under the age of 12 and those who need to cross the German border every day due to work. Road traffic controls will not be carried out systematically, but sporadically, German officials added.

"All unvaccinated people entering Germany will have to show proof of a negative test, whether they come by air, road or rail," said German Health Minister Jens Spahn.

"In this way, we'll manage to reduce the risk of additional imports of the infection," he added.

Currently, just over 50 percent of German citizens are fully vaccinated and the government is appeals daily for people to be immunised.

On Friday, the State Epidemiological Institute Robert Koch published a list of countries from which most newly infected people bringing coronavirus into Germany arrive, on which Croatia is behind Spain, Turkey and the Netherlands.

The new German coronavirus map

At midnight on the first of August, the change related to the marking of risk areas took full effect. There will be classifications into only two categories, and not three as it was before. The category of a epidemiologically low-risk area, in which Zadar County was, is no being longer used. This doesn't mean, according to the Robert Koch Institute, that there is no risk in the areas that did belong to that now shelved German coronavirus map category.

They added that the risk areas will be classified into high-risk areas and areas with virus variants. Croatia isn't in any of the categories, but both Portugal and Spain are in the high risk category.

A high-risk area is an area that has a seven-day incidence greater than 100. People who come from such areas must enter into a ten-day quarantine if they haven't yet been vaccinated, or if they can't show proof of their recovery from the infection. They can exit quarantine after five days, if they take and produce another negative test.

For all you need to know about coronavirus specific to Croatia, make sure to bookmark our dedicated COVID-19 section and choose your preferred language.

June the 17th, 2021 - When it comes to German tourists, Croatia has always been a firm favourite and the sight of a German convoy of motorhomes carrying bikes and small boats bombing along the motorway to the Adriatic coast isn't an unusual sight in normal years. Thankfully, this sight has gradually started to become the norm again, and if lockdowns can be avoided, as far as the Germans are concerned, there could be a record September in Croatia this year.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, Selimir Ognjenovic, the head of the Munich tour operator ID Riva tours, was present at a recently held meeting between the Minister of Tourism and Sport, Nikolina Brnjac, and Karlheinz Jungbeck, the Deputy President of the respected and well known German Auto Club ADAC.

Commenting on the encouraging travel and tourism announcements from the German market, he said that this car club is the right place from which to send a message about Croatia's safety and readiness to welcome foreign guests once again. He also pointed out that the Croatian Safe stay project had been met with a great response.

"People who arrive in Croatia by car are, of course, our focus, that is, they've been important before, however, given the situation, it's clear that all eyes are on them, and that air traffic will still take a bit longer to recover from this.

As for the situation in Bavaria and the announcement for the upcoming season, I can say that the Bavarian capital has come back to life, even faster than I expected, and we have 250 to 300 inquiries and reservations a day, which is almost like it is during even the best months.

What does represent a problem, however, is the very short time for the realisation of these announcements, given that a good part of the booking in normal years is done at the end of the year or in February. I'd say that the success of the tourist season will depend on how long it will last, or how long things in the off-season will last.

If we aren't put back into another lockdown due to the possible deterioration of the epidemiological situation, and that remains the basic condition for arrivals, September in Croatia will be a record one for us.

For that reason, Minister Brnjac's meeting with German bus companies, which are also an important part of the pre- and post-season in Croatia, and which suffered a strong blow due to the pandemic in the form of reduced traffic, is extremely important,'' Selimir Ognjenovic told Novi list of the potential for a fantastic September in Croatia.

For more, follow our travel section.