January 18, 2023 - Slavonia is trying its hardest to remain full of life, but how is everything in and around it doing in reality? Not well. Vukovar-Srijem County is indeed still full of heartbreak. As much as things are starting to look up in some ways in the county's central point with the city of Vukovar looking better and better, some of its citizens deciding to stay, fight, and drive the economy themselves, tourists visiting more and staying longer; the area is still in significant social, moral, and demographic decline. 

As SiB / Danas.hr write, after the final results of the population census were finally released last year, there was a decrease in the number of inhabitants in the Vukovar-Srijem County compared to 2011. The county lost 35,083 inhabitants (a drop of 19.54 percent), with 13.6 percent fewer residents in Vukovar.

The Statistical Office of the European Communities (Eurostat) has published data on the places where the most significant depopulation occurred from 2015 to 2020 and the most significant increase in the number of inhabitants

?‍?‍?Over the period 2015–2020, the rural region with the highest rates of depopulation in the EU was:
?? Vukovarsko-srijemska županija (-2.5% per year)

The rural region with the highest population growth:
?? Ikaria, Samos (+2.8% per year)

?https://t.co/Q4YgBSsA3Q pic.twitter.com/aNR0P9nZlg

— EU_Eurostat (@EU_Eurostat) January 17, 2023

The Vukovar Srijem County has had the highest rate of population emigration in the European Union, amounting to -2.5% per year. On the other hand, the Greek island of Ikaria recorded the highest increase of 2.8% per year.

Recall, after the final results of the population census were finally released last year, there was a decrease in the number of inhabitants in the Vukovar-Srijem County compared to 2011. The county lost 35,083 inhabitants (a drop of 19.54 percent), and there are 13.6 percent fewer residents of Vukovar.

Požega Slavonia County ranks second in the EU in terms of emigration rate, with it being -2. From 2015 to 2020, Osijek-Baranja County recorded an emigration rate of -1.7%. Brod-Posavina recorded -2.1%, and Virovitica-Podravina -2.1%. The Sisak-Moslavina County is also ranking quite high (or low) with -2.1%, while all other Croatian counties recorded a much lower rate of emigration, around -1% or less. The City of Zagreb, on the other hand, has seen a positive change of 0.2%.

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

ZAGREB, 6 June 2022 - On Monday, 16.4 tonnes of humanitarian aid worth HRK 247,311 (€33,000) collected by Vukovar-Srijem County in cooperation with cities and municipalities in this eastern Croatian county was sent from Vinkovci to Ukraine.

At the initiative of County Prefect Damir Dekanić and with the support of the Embassy of Ukraine in Croatia, Vukovar-Srijem County organized the collection of aid for the friendly Transcarpathian region, mainly durable food, baby food, water, and cosmetics.

"We are a region that has experienced the horrors of war in the worst way and it would be sad if we did not recognize someone's suffering. We have accepted refugees from Ukraine since day one and we are ready to continue to do so, but we hope the war in Ukraine stops," said Vukovar-Srijem County Prefect Damir Dekanić.

According to Dekanić, the campaign, led by the county, was joined by 17 Vukovar-Srijem municipalities and the cities of Ilok and Otok. The county provided HRK 142,751, while cities and municipalities contributed HRK 104,560.

For more, check out our politics section.

April 17, 2022 – Good news coming from eastern Croatia, with trends showing an increased interest of domestic tourists in the golden fields, fiery stews, and the sweetest wines of Slavonia.

As hrv.hr writes, last year's trend of increasing the number of overnight stays in eastern Croatia continues this year as well.

According to the Vukovar-Srijem County Tourist Board (TZ VSŽ) for the first three months of this year, the number of overnight stays in this part of Croatia increased by more than 40 percent compared to the same period last year.

Most of the guests are domestic tourists who have had a positive impact on the county's tourist results with their arrivals and overnight stays, and it is evident that their interest in the eastern part of Croatia is finally stable and growing.

According to the director of the Vukovar-Srijem County Tourist Board, Rujana Bušić Srpak, the results of the first quarter, but also the whole of last year, show that tourism can be maintained even in crises such as a pandemic.

“It is important to emphasize that the survival of tourism in the continental part of Croatia should be credited to domestic guests. They are in our focus, and they are the ones who can maintain the tourist movement even in crises, revive the tourist potential, and stimulate the domestic economy. The majority of our guests come from Croatia, and almost half of them are from Zagreb and the Zagreb County”, says Rujana Bušić Srpak, adding that in the wave of current price increases, the county still has affordable prices and provides excellent value for money.

For more, check out our lifestyle section.

ZAGREB, 15 Nov 2021 - Businesses in Vukovar-Srijem County generated a consolidated net profit of HRK 655.5 million in 2020, which is an increase of 7.2%, while gross investments in new long-term assets decreased by 43.7% to HRK 193.9 million, a report by the Financial Agency (FINA) shows.

A total of 2,273 businesses had their registered headquarters in Vukovar-Srijem County and employed 20,063 people, which is an increase of 310 or 1.6% year-on-year.

Entrepreneurs in the county generated a total revenue of HRK 22.7 billion in 2020, up 17.4% on the year, whereas total expenditure increased by 17.8% to HRK 22 billion.

Profit amounted to HRK 1 billion, which compared to the previous year was an increase of 10.2%, while losses jumped by 16.3% to HRK 359.3 million. The result is a net profit of HRK 655.5 million or an annual increase of 7.2%.

Exports rose by 39.2% to HRK 9.2 billion while imports fell by 9.6% to HRK 968.1 million, resulting in a trade surplus of HRK 8.3 billion.

The average net monthly wage amounted to  HRK 4,749, or 6.5% more than in 2019, and 20.5% less than the national average of HRK 5,971.

Of the two largest cities in the county, Vinkovci registered 688 enterprises with 8,267 employees and a loss of HRK 170.8 million, whereas Vukovar generated a total revenue of HRK 13 billion and a profit of HRK 516.3 million or net profit of HRK 404.2 million, FINA reported.

The Prvo Plinarsko Društvo gas company from Vukovar generated the highest profit in that period (HRK 226.6 million), the highest total revenue (9.8 billion) and the highest revenue from foreign sales (HRK 6.9 billion).

The Boso retail chain from Vinkovci had the largest number of employees (965) while the biggest loser in 2020 was the PIK Vinkovci Plus agriculture company,  generating a loss of HRK 70 million.

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

ZAGREB, 31 Oct, 2021 - A joint delegation of the Defence Ministry, the Interior Ministry, the War Veterans Ministry and the Vukovar-Srijem County on Sunday laid a wreath and lit candles at the Memorial Cemetery of Homeland War Victims in Vukovar on the occasion of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day.

The delegation was led by Defence Minister Mario Banožić and included Vukovar-Srijem County Prefect Damir Dekanić, who called for unity.

"With a joint wreath we send a message of unity, a message that no one can joke with or belittle those who gave their lives for Vukovar, Vinkovci, the entire Slavonia, a message to all authorities in Croatia that we must keep together if we want to resist challenges which await us in the coming period, especially in terms of keeping people in this area," said Dekanić.

Asked by reporters why there were no representatives of the City of Vukovar in the delegation, Dekanić said that "it is simply a joint agreement and a joint message from the ministries and the county" and that he, as well as other county representatives, would attend protocol celebrations of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day wherever they manage to.

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June 9, 2021 - The fascinating question of the Cultural Identity of Vukovar is researched in a new book edited by Dr. Mateo Žanić and Petar Elez. However, as the editors stressed in the introduction, further research is needed to encompass all social groups in Vukovar and their contribution to the heritage of Vukovar.

After being published back in April this year, the book „Cultural Identity of Vukovar – Contribution to Investigating Heritage and Successors“, was presented this Wednesday in Vukovar. As Ivo Pilar Social Research Institute writes on its website the book was published in cooperation with the Vukovar State Archive, so it was only suitable that the first book presentation was held in Vukovar at the videoconference hall of College Of Applied Sciences „Lavoslav Ružička“ (named after a famous Croatian chemist whose work is awarded a Nobel Prize). In addition, the event marked International Archive Day.

The book was edited by Dr. Mateo Žanić and Petar Elez, and the presentation, alongside editors, saw scientific experts Dr. Dražen Živić, Mirela Hutinec, and Dr. Domagoj Tomas talks about the book.

„Fast events triggered by globalization process and information revolution which paradoxically lead to today's societies being fiercely occupied with the meaning of past, and preserving its valuable traces. In that context, there is a spreading interest for heritage that holds an important component to understand the relationship between the past and present“, says the editorial introduction of the book.

The editors went on to explain how „the city proved to be futile to interpret the meaning of heritage and its contribution to cultural identity,“ and the editors wanted to present various aspects of Vukovar's cultural heritage.

Apart from editors Žanić (who wrote a chapter „Layers of memories and material heritage in modern-day Vukovar) and Elez (author of the chapter „State archive in Vukovar and development of archive service in Vukovar-Srijem County“), the book features eight more authors. Ivan Rogić (Whose Heritage? Who is the successor?), Dražen Živić (on Vukovar's feudalists), Vlasta Novinc („Danube, food, Corso“), Dragana Drašković (on the cultural life of Borovo Selo), and more by Dragan Damjanović, Toni Roca, Ivana Bendra and Ivan Hubalek.

With these broad presentations of culture and heritage in Vukovar, editors hope this book will encourage further research as they are aware this is certainly not the final word on these interesting questions and issues.

„As editors, we are aware that the book does not deal with topics that concern different social groups that left their trace in Vukovar end enrich the history of the city. We hope that future editions that will deal with this topic expand the reach of issues and help us to realize better what do we inherit from the past and why is that important“, concludes the introduction of the book.

So far, the book is available only in Croatian, and research that will, as editors say, deal with other social groups in Vukovar is yet to come. Keeping in mind the terrible aftermaths of the war in Vukovar in the 90s and inter-ethnic tensions, further findings on joint cultural contribution to Vukovar may indeed be the enlightenment needed for peaceful cohabitation and development of Vukovar as a perspective city in Croatia.

Speaking of heritage, learn more about UNESCO recognized heritage in Croatia on our TC page.

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

ZAGREB, November 28, 2020 - Vukovar-Srijem County Public Health Institute head Kata Kresic said on Saturday that based on epidemiological data, the recent increase in the number of new coronavirus infections in the county was not related to the Vukovar Remembrance Procession of November 18.

"The number of new infections has been growing since early November and we think it is primarily connected with family gatherings, including church fetes as well as pig butchering, which is common at this time of year and is usually attended by several families which help one another," Kresic told a news conference in Vinkovci, calling on everyone planning pig butchering to do so within their own family.

The increase in new cases is also due to the introduction of fast antigen testing, and the number of new infections is expected to continue to grow in the coming days, Kresic said.

"What is worrying is the fact that there is a larger number of patients who do not know how they got infected, which indicates horizontal transmission of the virus and a high risk of infection," Kresic said, calling on the residents of Vukovar-Srijem County to comply with epidemiological restrictions and behave responsibly.

Currently, 62 people are hospitalised due to COVID-19 and the number of hospitalisations and releases has been even recently.

An additional facility has been prepared for the admission of patients with milder clinical symptoms as the number of new infections is expected to grow.

A record 226 new infections were confirmed in this eastern county on Saturday, and 1,406 people are self-isolating.

ZAGREB, October 17, 2020 - The second annual book and publishing fair of ethnic minorities in Vukovar-Srijem County opened in Vukovar on Saturday as part of Croatian Book Month.

The fair was organised by the Association of Ruthenians in Croatia, featuring the Bosniak, Hungarian, Ruthenian, Slovak, Serb, Albanian, German and Ukrainian minorities.

"The purpose of the fair is to present the publishing activities of the ethnic minorities and to show the Croatian public what they do, what they write and what they publish, given the fact that some people question what the money from the Council for National Minorities is spent on," the head of the Association of Ruthenians, Dubravka Rasljanin, said at the opening ceremony.

She said that this year the Council for National Minorities had provided the largest sum of money in the last five years, which would be spent on projects aimed at promoting the customs, religions, languages and scripts of the ethnic minorities and preserving their identities.