Funduk family returns to Garčin after six years in Germany

More Croatian families are choosing to move back to Slavonia after years abroad, leaving destinations such as Germany and Ireland behind. Local officials and returning residents cite municipal financial incentives for buying or building homes, help with renovations and more favourable conditions for families with children as key reasons for the shift.

One of the families that decided to return is the Funduk family, who moved back to the village of Garčin near Slavonski Brod after six years in Germany. They succeeded in buying a spacious house at a favourable price and started a new chapter in their home region.

Marina Funduk, explaining the decision in an interview with HRT, said: "The first two years were fine. Until the corona. Then prices started to rise, rents and health care costs, everything. It simply no longer made sense. When you put everything on paper, it's better to be here and to be your own."

Municipal incentives

Local authorities in Slavonia have for years made retaining young families and attracting returnees a priority, using a variety of financial measures to ease housing and demographic pressures. In Gornja Vrba, the municipality offers direct financial assistance to households resolving their housing situation.

"We give 4,000, 5,000 euros for purchasing or building new houses. We plan to keep these funds for at least one year, and if we find room in the budget, we will try to increase them," said Daniel Grgić, mayor of Gornja Vrba.

Garčin runs a similar programme: the amount of support for buying or building property ranges between 4,000 and 6,000 euros. Municipal officials say these measures are intended to slow population decline by making it more affordable for young couples and families to settle in eastern Croatia.

Photo: press material from the event