Every Friday the Czech government reviews the list of countries with a low risk of infection with the corona virus. Germany has been on the list since last week, but this is no longer the case as of November 16.

The real effects are small. For foreigners, the necessity of an important reason for entry continued to apply. Only for those who had one, the procedure will now be more complex ( compulsory quarantine and testing).

You can find the details under Current Corona Rules in Saxony and Czech Republic.

The new entry rules for the Czech Republic will come into force on November 9th. For this purpose, the world will be divided into green, orange and red category countries, depending on how the COVID 19 pandemic develops in the country. Germany is in the orange category, so from there on you basically can enter the Czech Republic as before the pandemic. A scheme of the Czech Ministry of Health for entering the Czech Republic explains this very well.

But: As long as the state of emergency applies (for the time being until 20.11.), foreigners may only enter the Czech Republic for important reasons.

Further details can be found under Current regulations on Covid-19 in Saxony and Czechia.

The Dresden Poetry Award is awarded every two years for poetry in German or Czech. This year the readings will take place online. The works are presented by their authors in videos, and the award ceremony on 8 November will take place in a zoom conference.

In addition to the main award, there will be an audience award donated by the Euroregion Elbe/Labe for the first time. Voting will also take place online.

To the videos of the authors To the vote

Why not take a look when the cultural sites are closed for the moment?

Following the agreement of all German states and the Federal Government, largely identical regulations to combat the corona pandemic will come into force nationwide from Monday. These are initially limited until 30 November.

These will lead to a so-called "lockdown light": almost all facilities for entertainment and leisure activities and all gastronomic establishments (except for takeaway sales) and all tourist accommodation will be banned.

In addition, a quarantine of 10 days will be mandatory from tomorrow on when entering the country from risk areas (including the Czech Republic). This can hardly be shortened: only after 5 days a corona test may be carried out, which will end the quarantine if the result is negative. As you normally have to wait at least 2 days for the result, you can shorten the quarantine by a maximum of 3 days.

All regulations in detail can be found in our overview of the corona rules in Saxony and the Czech Republic.

After exceeding the incidence value of 50, the state capital Dresden issued a general decree with additional rules - following the Sächsische Corona-Schutz-Verordnung. These include, among other things, the obligation to wear a mouth-nose cover outdoors in the city center, in an area from the main train station through the old city and the main street bin to the entire Äußere Neustadt.

This comes into force on 27.10.

You can find more details in our updated overview of the Corona Rules in Saxony and the Czech Republic.

In the Czech Republic, measures the government is taking to slow the spread of the coronavirus are being tightened further. From Thursday, October 22, 2020, from 6 a.m., only shops with the basic range (groceries, drugstores, pharmacies) or shops with household supplies or animal feed will remain open. Service providers such as hairdressers and libraries are also closing. Schools or restaurants are still closed. You can currently find further details here .

30 years of the Saxon Switzerland National Park - a special day for the anniversary and further articles from the area of the national park, experiences and regional topics can be found in the 127th SandsteinSchweizer newsletter.

Newsletter for download

Source: Joint initiative of the Sachsenforst state enterprise, Saxon Switzerland National Park Administration and the Landschaf (f) t Zukunft e. V.

The planned general meeting of the Euroregion Labe on October 15th, 2020 was canceled due to the epidemiological situation in the Czech Republic.

Today, stricter regulations to fight the COVID 19 pandemic came into force in the Czech Republic. Cultural and sporting events are now completely prohibited.

The new regulations were announced last week, a few days after the state of emergency began, because the number of infections had not improved. This unplanned action does not increase confidence in the Czech government's forward-looking approach.

The currently effective regulations can be found here.

On Saturday, October 3rd, 2020, Christian Preußcher, long-time managing director of the Euroregion Elbe / Labe, died after a long illness.

Christian Preußcher was a driving force behind the founding of the Elbe / Labe Euroregion and worked as its managing director on the German side from its founding in 1992 until he retired due to illness in 2014.

In this activity he has made an outstanding contribution to the development and intensification of diverse cross-border relationships between Saxony and the Czech Republic. On the other hand, as a convinced European, cooperation with other border regions and the growing together of Europe were important concerns to which he devoted himself wholeheartedly. It is fair to say that the Elbe / Labe Euroregion and probably also the Saxon-Czech relations would not be at the level they have achieved today without him.

We mourn the loss of this founding father of the Saxon-Czech euroregional cooperation and hereby express our condolences to his relatives.

The entire team of the Euroregion Elbe / Labe

The Czech government has declared a national corona emergency for 30 days from October 5, 2020. Numerous measures are associated with this to overcome the crisis.

More information can be found here .

New joint website of the Europe Direct centers in the new federal states “ Reingeschlittert! 30 Years of East Germany in a United Europe ”with interviews, podcasts and interesting facts from the individual regions!

• Do you know ... that Saxony has four Euroregions ? Euroregions are associations of districts and municipalities
  at national internal and external borders. Four Euroregions have formed in Saxony: The Euroregions Neisse,
  Elbe / Labe, Ore Mountains and Euregion Egrensis. The aim of these regional associations is the cross-border
  To promote cooperation in the region in order to increase the competitiveness of the entire area.

Further information can be found in the press release

Ource: Europe Direct Information Center (EDIC) Dresden

The Saxon Minister of Health Petra Köpping informed on Tuesday that Germans can stay in the Czech Republic for 48 hours without having to be in quarantine. Czech citizens are only allowed to stay in Germany for 24 hours without subsequent quarantine.

There are exceptions for commuters and direct neighbors

Commuters should be exempted from the quarantine requirement. Regular testing options continue to exist for them. In addition, people who live in the border region should continue to have neighborly encounters. In principle, Saxony wanted to treat the Czech Republic like a region in Germany in which such a difficult situation would arise.

Source: MDR Jump

On Wednesday, the whole of the Czech Republic, with the exception of the Ústí and Moravian-Silesian regions, was placed on the RKI's list of risk areas.  These exceptions had caused some surprise, as they could not be justified by the development of infection rates alone. This is also shown by the current "traffic light" map of the Czech government (see map).

Now it is over: As Czech Foreign Minister Tomáš Petříček announced on Twitter, Germany will declare the entire Czech Republic a risk area today. This would have been decided at an extraordinary meeting of several federal ministries.

source: novinky.cz (in Czech)

More about the Corona rules in the Czech Republic and Saxony.

The Robert Koch Institute today declared the whole of the Czech Republic a risk area, with the exception of the Ústí and Moravian-Silesian regions. These exceptions are somewhat unexpected. It remains to be seen how long they will last.

The Saxonian office for early neighbour-language education (LaNa) based in Görlitz has provided the offices of the Euroregions Egrensis, Erzgebirge / Krušnohoří, Elbe/Labe and Neisse-Nisa-Nysa with a neighbouring language kit for free lending. In the suit-case itself are among other things folders " pedagogical tools " in addition many suggestions, in order to discover the neighboring country with the children.  With a variety of impulses, the pedagogical work in the day-care centers in the area of early neighborhood education in the border region can be improved.

If you are interested, please contact Mrs. Richter, telephone 0351 - 48 28 78 15 or by e-mail richter@elbelabe.eu.

Information on these play and learning materials can be found in the materials library at https://www.nachbarsprachen-sachsen.eu/de/materialpool.

Due to the sharp rise in the number of infections and the resulting increasing difficulties in tracing infection chains, the Czech government also set all four districts in the Elbe/Labe Euroregion (Ústí, Děčín, Teplice and Litoměřice) to the second highest corona warning level on September 18th. According to the traffic light symbolism applied there, they therefore appear yellow.

The number of new infections in the last 7 days, which is important for German decision makers, is also very high. In the district of Ústí it was 137 - calculated per 100,000 inhabitants. In Germany, the first measures are taken from 35 onwards, from 50 it's getting serious.

Due to these developments, it is expected that the whole of the Czech Republic will soon be declared a risk area by the Robert Koch Institute. Travellers from the Czech Republic would then have to be quarantined in Germany, including return travellers who have only been in the Czech Republic for a short time.

source: website of Czech Ministry of Health

More about the current corona rules in Saxony and the Czech Republic can be found here.

Despite the restrictions due to the COVID-19 situation, 150 Saxon and Czech young athletes and their coaches met in Bílina on Friday to test their athletic strength.

Due to the restrictions in force in the Czech Republic, this time the games took place only in three basic sports: Soccer - boys, Volleyball - girls, and Athletics for mixed teams. In each sport there were four teams in traditional colors, LABE team in blue, ELBE team in green, KRUŠNOHOŘÍ in red, and team ERZGEBIRGE in yellow.

The athletes were welcomed by the captain of the Ústí Oldřich district Bubeníček and the mayor of Bílina, Mrs. Zuzana Schwarz Bařtipánová, as well as Mr. Lipský, managing director Euroregion Labe.

In ideal weather, the individual competitions began at 11 a.m. in the stadiums FK Bílina, AK Bílina and in the Green Hall in Tyršová Street.

The athletics finished their competitions (60 m, distance, ball, 4x60 relay, 800 m and 4x800 m relay) first. After that, the soccer tournament ended. In our experience, the competitions in volleyball lasted the longest.

Results:

Soccer

1. Erzgebirge
2. Labe
3. Krušnohoří
4. Elbe

Athletics

1. Erzgebirge
2. Krušnohoří
3. Labe
4. Elbe

Volleyball

1. Krušnohoří
2. Labe
3. Elbe
4. Erzgebirge

The overall victory was won by the Euroregion Erzgebirge/Krušnohoří.

On September 11th, 2020, the binational local steering committee of the Euroregion Elbe / Labe gave the green light for German-Czech projects in the border area in the branch office of the Environmental Center Dresden eV. Four projects are financially supported with EU funding of around EUR 35,600.

You can find more detailed information on the approved projects here .

Yesterday the Robert Koch Institute classified the Prague city area as a risk area for corona infections. This means that persons who have been there in the last 14 days are generally obliged to remain in domestic quarantine for 14 days when entering Germany. This can be avoided by a fresh, negative corona test.

You can find more information on the regulations when entering Germany from risk areas here (in German or Czech only).

In the period from September to December 2020, the Aktion Zivilcourage eV organizes a series of online seminars as part of the voluntary training forum, which offer practical impulses on current and relevant educational topics around the topic of volunteering.
The seminars usually start at 6 p.m. and take place online via Zoom. You can take part in the seminar quickly and easily from anywhere and do not have to drive to the venue, which saves time and effort. All you need is a PC, tablet or smartphone.

Topics of the online seminars

• Introduction to association law - founding an association, tasks, rights and obligations of the association's board
• Introduction of finances in the club - accounting obligations and taxes in the club
• Project management - effectively organizing board meetings and discussions, formulation of goals and indicators, methods for seminars and workshops
• Human resource management
• Time management
• Recruiting - Methods and strategies for small and medium-sized clubs
• Donations, corporate volunteering and sponsoring - cooperate with companies
• Crowdfunding - from the idea to the campaign
• Online seminars for a better understanding of MS Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
• Design of online seminars: focus on video moderation, tools and programs for working with groups
• Design of presentations for lectures and online seminars.

You can find an up-to- date overview of all online seminars and events, which are continuously updated, on the website: www.weiterbildung-ehrenamt.de .
Registration will be by e-mail: weiterbildungsforum-ehrenamt@aktion-zivilcourage.de or by calling 03501 460,882th

Source: Aktion Zivilcourage e. V., Lange Straße 43, 01796 Pirna, email: post@aktion-zivilcourage.de

"If you live in Dresden, Bohemia is practically on your doorstep. Ústí nad Labem and Teplice are closer than Chemnitz, Liberec is hardly further than Görlitz and Leipzig, Prague much closer than Berlin. And from the town of Wehlen it is just a few steps away. In spring 2017 I travelled for longer and several times in South and West Bohemia, in autumn 2018 I made two trips through the northern and eastern regions and another two days in Prague. Bohemia is mainly a region of small towns," says photographer Peter R. Fischer, who has been working in Dresden since 2008.

His photographs, he continues, "mostly come from smaller towns, small and occasionally large cities, rarely from landscapes. "Historical, important" motifs are not left out, but the focus here is on the search for one's own or new perspectives, the detection of unexpected connections. Apart from that, my eye is strongly devoted to the details that more or less tell how people deal with history, what has what value in the present, what an eye or no eye is there for, what is more vital or not".

The exhibition is supported by the Euroregion Elbe/Labe.

The Saxon Switzerland National Park Center invites you to an expert discussion on Saxon-Bohemian Switzerland "The Elbe - common natural heritage" on Thursday, September 10, 2020, 9:00 am to 3:30 pm. The event takes place in the National Park Center Saxon Switzerland in Bad Schandau. The free event, including moderation and discussion, will be fully interpreted simultaneously.

Registration until September 3rd, 2020

Invitation and program for download as well as information on the website of the organizer

Source: organizer

The Saxon mountaineering choir "Kurt Schlosser" Dresden will give a guest performance on Sunday, August 16, 2020 in the Grosssedlitz Baroque Garden . From 5 p.m. the most beautiful mountain and folk songs from the ensemble's diverse repertoire will be heard under the baton of choir director Axel Langmann and conductor Christian Garbosnik. The program includes the legendary song of the mountains "La Montanara".

The organizer is the Elbe / Labe Euroregion.

Tickets are available at the box office for 20 and 15 euros *. As Gabriele Löwe from the Baroque garden reports, there are enough chairs available. You are also welcome to bring blankets for extended seating.

* Only cash payments possible. The discount applies to pensioners, schoolchildren, apprentices, students, holders of the Dresden Pass or the volunteer pass, as well as people in the federal voluntary service or FSJ.

Photo: Manfred Döbler

The next submission deadline is July 24th. The application (by post and online), including a cost and financing plan with various attachments, must be submitted to the municipal association Euroregion OE / OE eV in Dresden with a meaningful project description with legally binding signatures from both cooperation partners.

Further information can be found on our homepage under Funding / Small Project Fund.

Green League Osterzgebirge e. V. and the Czech association Lužický horský spolek are organizing a German-Czech camp in the Eastern Ore Mountains in late July and late September.

Registrations for the end of September are still possible.

The camp is open to adults and young people from the age of 17 who have fun in nature and in German-Czech encounters. Language skills are not a prerequisite for participation: hands, feet, openness and language mediators will ensure communication!

Registration using the online registration form at www.heuhoj.de or by email at heuhoj@gmail.com. More information on the website and on facebook.com/heuhoj .

Source: organizer

On Friday, 19th of June, 2020, the Local Steering Committee of the Small Projects Fund in the Euroregion Elbe/Labe met in Ústí nad Labem. After the meeting in March had to be cancelled due to Corona, we were very glad to meet again in person.

The committee had six project applications with a total volume of 70,986.68 Euro for decision, three each from German and Czech side. These were all unanimously approved.

More detailed information on the approved projects can be found here.

On a new interactive map we present a variety of interesting places in the Euroregion Elbe/Labe, which are not necessarily among the well-known highlights of the region, but are definitely worth a trip. Let us inspire you! We are sure that there is something new in it for everyone.

To the interactive map

From the press release of the German-Czech Future Fund:

The competition for the German-Czech Journalism Prize 2020 is open. Applications can be submitted until 30.6.2020.

In its fifth year, the German-Czech Future Fund, together with the journalist associations of both countries (DJV and Syndikát novinářů), is again awarding a total of eight prizes for outstanding journalists whose work arouses interest in the neighbouring country and contributes to a better understanding between Germans and Czechs through their differentiated and cliché-conscious reporting.

"The mutual perception is also currently strongly dominated by the Corona crisis, which unfortunately is also rekindling prejudices that were thought to have already been overcome, and is directing the focus of many media primarily towards Germany. This makes it all the more topical and urgent for us to offer this prize, which we would like to use to support journalists working across borders with an unbiased view," say Petra Ernstberger and Tomáš Jelínek, the managing directors of the German-Czech Future Fund.

Prizes will be awarded to the best German and Czech-language contributions of the past 12 months in the categories text, audio and multimedia (including TV). In addition, the special prize "Milena Jesenská" is awarded to a German or Czech contribution that focuses on the topics of moral courage, multicultural understanding and tolerance in a special way and with a contemporary relevance. With the special award for long-term outstanding journalistic activity, the organizers honor journalists or journalistic formats that have rendered outstanding services to more differentiated reporting on the neighboring country over a longer period of time.

The prize is endowed with 2000 Euros each, while the special award for long-term activity is an honorary award without prize money.

Contributions can be submitted by the authors themselves, or proposed by editorial offices or third parties. This year, for the first time, two entries per author and category may be submitted to the competition. A nomination by a third party is required for the special award.

The call for entries and the conditions of participation as well as further information on the award are available online at: www.deutsch-tschechischer-journalistenpreis.de.

A short video review of the last year can be found here: https://youtu.be/b6marzhVjq4.

Contact:
Silja Schultheis
Mail: silja.schultheis@fb.cz
GSM: +420 737 505 790
www.zukunftsfonds.cz
www.deutsch-tschechischer-journalistenpreis.de

"Our neighbors among us: How multilingual growing in Kita-day life can be supported?" - with this motto all interested parties to Saxon-Czech specialists and practice day as part of the are Czech-German Culture Days invited to Dresden.

when: 07.10.2020, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

where: Saxon State Center for Political Education , Schützenhofstrasse 36, 01129 Dresden

Participants: Saxon, Czech and Polish actors from the field of pre-school education, in particular:

• Daycare professionals and daycare providers
• German / Czech / Polish native speakers who work in daycare centers in the respective neighboring country

as well as everyone interested in the topic.

Conference languages: German, Czech

You can find detailed information, the conference program and the option to register online at www.nachbarsprach-sachsen.eu/fachag2020 .

German-Czech event flyer

Source: Saxon State Office for Early Neighbor Language Education, Bahnhofstrasse 24, 02826 Görlitz

The Czech government decided this morning that the Czech borders with neighboring countries would be open again from noon. Entry and exit are possible without restrictions.

During a visit to the Karlovy Vary Region, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš announced today, according to idnes.cz, that the government will hold an extraordinary meeting tomorrow morning at 7 a.m. to decide on the full opening of the borders with all neighbouring states. This should be effective from midnight, if it was up to him.

(source: idnes.cz)

The Czech government installed today a system for classifying countries according to Corona risk, starting from June 15th. Safe countries are given the color green. Czech citizens can travel to and return from these countries without restrictions. It will also be possible to travel to the Czech Republic from these countries without restrictions.

How lucky: Germany is green!

Countries marked in orange are a less safe, so foreigners still need a negative corona test to enter the Czech Republic from there. Traveling back from the countries marked in red, even Czechs will need a negative Corona test

(source: novinky.cz)

Tomorrow once again some meetings along the Czech-German (and Polish) border will take placing, showing the strong desire for a real opening of the border. 12 locations are planned along the Saxon-Czech border (see map below). The Euroregion Elbe / Labe will be present at the Eulentor near Rosenthal. This time there will be a colloquium with lectures on rather different topics.

The Czech government decided today that from tomorrow, May 26th, there will be no continuous border controls at the borders with Germany and Austria, only random checks. However, the general restrictions for entering Czechia remain, i.e. the requirement for a negative corona test and a good reason to travel (you can find more information here).

There are also some Eurocity trains running between Berlin and Prague. The traffic will be expanded in June. The Nationalparkbahn/U28 does not yet run cross-border again.

(Source: landesecho.cz)

Municipalities can apply for vouchers worth 15,000 euros for the installation of WLAN networks. The hotspots are to be set up in places where free WiFi is not yet available. Applications can be submitted until June 4th, 2020. Further information and sources can be found here .

Everywhere along the Czech external border, people from the Czech Republic and neighbouring countries met yesterday - as they did two weeks ago - at the closed borders to demand it's opening. There were particularly many meetings on the German-Czech border. A map of all meetings can be found at www.hej-nachbar.de. A press release was published as well,

In the Euroregion Elbe/Labe the meeting took place between Špičák and Oelsen. This time about 120 people joined in. There was singing, talking, eating, drinking, sunbathing... The police on the Czech side was present, but did not intervene.

Both Saxon and Czech television were present this time:

Report in MDR Sachsenspiegel (DE)

Report in CNN Prima (CS, minute 25:00)

Further press reports:

Ústecký deník (CS)

Just like two weeks ago, people from the Czech Republic and Germany are meeting again this Saturday at the common border to send a signal about how much they miss the meeting with people from the neighbouring country and to call for an early opening of the borders.

In our region they will meet at the following two places:

• on the meadow between Oelsen and Krásný les below Špičák mountain, where the Euroregion will also be present,
  Map
• as well as on the meadow at the Žebrácký roh between Holzhau and Moldava.
  Map

This is not a general demonstration against corona containment measures. All safety rules will be observed.

Next year the new funding period is to begin, also in the INTERREG area. For this purpose, the cooperation programme Saxony-Czech Republic is currently being developed.

In order to ensure that the funding priorities are not determined without taking into account the needs, we are interested in the feedback of potential project sponsors on which topics they could imagine projects, which is why a general survey is being conducted.

If you are interested in cross-border cooperation, think about project ideas or develop cross-border projects and want to carry them out with partners in the Czech Republic or Saxony, you can make an important contribution to the preparation of the programme with your information.

The German language version of the online survey can be found in the participation portal of the Saxon State Government under the following link:

https://buergerbeteiligung.sachsen.de/portal/sn-cz2020de/beteiligung/aktuelle-themen/1019849.

Before you start, one more technical note: On the start page of the survey, click on the link (top left) "to the questionnaire" to go to your own survey.

The survey starts on 11 May 2020 and will be active until June 5th, 2020.

From Monday, 11 May, it will be possible for all groups of people to cross the Saxon-Czech border at crossings which are currently only open to commuters and road freight traffic from 5 am to 11 pm.

At the same time, three more border crossings will be opened: Dolní Poustevna, Hřensko and Kraslice.

Source: https://www.mvcr.cz/clanek/od-11-kvetna-bude-vice-moznosti-kde-prekrocit-hranice.aspx

The mayor of Dolní Poustevna, Robert Holec, addressed a petition to the Czech government to open the Dolní Poustevna - Sebnitz border crossing for commuters. The petition demands a reasonable possibility to travel to work. Representatives of towns on the Czech and German sides of the Elbe/Labe Euroregion also demand that the border crossing be opened.

"The risk of the border closure being relaxed is not great compared to the impact on the lives of people who have to travel 150 km a day, because it is the same group of people who are affected by this concern and need, and the latter I have classified as more serious," said the mayor.

Source: https://www.idnes.cz/usti/zpravy/dolni-poustevna-sebnitz-hranicni-prechod-pendleri-koronavirus.A200504_142141_usti-zpravy_pakr

Since mid-March, the German-Czech border has only been passable in a few exceptional cases. This closing of the border has been criticized from various sides. Yesterday people from both countries met at six different places to send a signal that the border should be reopened as soon as possible. In the Euroregion Elbe/Labe, the meetings took place in Ostrov near Tisá and in Zinnwald/Cínovec. Some border crossings are said to have happened, without any intervention by the state.

Facebook-Group (with photos and discussion in DE/CS)

Report in newspaper Ustecký Deník (CS)

Just right for Labour Day in Corona times: As of June 30, 2019, 11,129 Czech citizens were employed in Saxony subject to social security contributions. In addition, there were 986 marginally employed persons who are not included in the following evaluations.

Most of these employees, namely 9,134, are cross-border commuters, i.e. they lived in the Czech Republic. This share of 82% commuters is much higher than, for example, for Polish employees in Saxony (53%).

If you look at the sectors, it is not - as one might expect - the hotel and restaurant industry or the health care sector that are in first place, but the manufacturing industry, which employs almost a quarter of the Czech workforce.

In Euroregion Elbe/Labe, 3,307 Czech citizens worked on the German side, of which 2,629 are cross-border commuters. In addition, 350 Czech* nationals were marginally employed here.

In the whole of Germany, approx. 35,700 cross-border commuters from the Czech Republic are employed (in Bavaria there are probably more than 25,000). This shows the extent of the effects of the current border closures.

More interesting information (also on Polish employees in Saxony) can be found in the DGB's short info of 28.04.2020 (PDF, German only).

On Tuesday afternoon some forest was on fire in Zinnwald, about 350m from the border on Czech territory. Since the fire was not accessible from the German side, German fire brigades were permitted to attack from Czech territory, helping the Czech fire fighters.

The fire brigades of Altenberg, Zinnwald, Duchov, Teplice and Dubi then worked successfully together. The fire was extinguished in the evening.

The cross-border cooperation of the fire brigades (and the control centres) worked well here. Altenberg's mayor Thomas Kirsten also see a joint exercise last autumn as a reason for that.

We are very glad that the many years of efforts to improve cooperation between Saxon and Czech fire brigades have borne fruit here.

Source: Sächsische Zeitung (online, 29.04.2020) (unfortunately only in German and behind paywall)

Interessanting video about that (sorry, just on Facebook): https://www.facebook.com/hzsulk/videos/273606083802160/

Saxony to the Czech Republic (and back)

From April 27th, 2020, EU citizens can enter the Czech Republic under the following conditions:

• for the purpose of economic activity (with evidence),
• maximum 72 hours stay in the Czech Republic,
• upon presentation of a negative corona test that is a maximum of four days old.

The same applies to EU students in the Czech Republic.

Furthermore, various exception rules apply for employees in critical infrastructure and in the transport industry, for cross-border commuters and if there are valid reasons.

You can find the exact rules and all necessary bureaucratic stepshere .

The background to the relaxation was a court ruling that forced the Czech government to make changes.

Czech Republic to Saxony (and back)

Czech citizens (and foreigners with a residence permit) are allowed to leave the Czech Republic without hindrance. To return without a quarantine requirement, you also need a negative Cotona test.

However, entry into Saxony is restricted. Anyone entering Saxony from the Czech Republic must be in quarantine for 14 days. Exceptions are initially:

• Employees in the transport industry,
• Employees in critical infrastructures,
• regular cross-border commuters,
• Employees for at least 3 weeks in German companies (with appropriate measures),
• People with particularly important reasons for travel.

But everyone else can also enter Saxony without quarantine if they have not been abroad for more than 48 hours .

Source:Saxon Corona Quarantine Ordinance of April 17, 2020

The trade unions in the border triangle of Saxony, the Czech Republic and Poland today published a joint declaration on the situation in the border region:

"We call on the governments of Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic to immediately restore freedom of movement on the cross-border labour market in the border triangle for all cross-border workers. Border closures are not an instrument to combat corona, but an acute threat to jobs and livelihoods of cross-border workers," said Markus Schlimbach, Chairman of the DGB District Saxony.

The trade unions note with annoyance that European cohesion is currently falling by the wayside. Those who suffer most are the employees in the common cross-border labour market. In the Free State of Saxony there are more than 11,000 employees from the Czech Republic and about 20,000 from Poland who are subject to social security contributions. Among them are more than 9,000 cross-border commuters from the Czech Republic and more than 10,000 from Poland.

Due to the quarantine regulations in the Czech Republic and Poland, it is hardly possible for them to come to Germany to work. The countries are violating the right to free movement. The border crossers are threatened with dismissals!

The IGR Elbe-Neisse was founded in 1993 and works for a social and fair development of the border region. It consists of the DGB District Saxony, the regional divisions of the Bohemian-Moravian Confederation of Trade Union Associations (ČMKOS), the Polish OPZZ and the NSZZ "Solidarność".

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

On April 6th, the Local Steering Committee decided (this time by circulation procedure due to the Corona crisis) to support 14 projects from the Small Projects Fund in the Elbe/Labe Euroregion. Of these, 8 projects from the Czech Republic and 6 from Saxony had been applied for, and no project was supported.

It is unclear for many project sponsors whether they will be able to carry out their activities as planned. In each individual case, the Euroregion tries to find solutions to ensure funding.

More information on the individual projects can be found here (in German only).

The German-Czech Lawyer's Association has published a sharp criticism of the closing of the border between the Czech Republic and Germany on their website (in German only). We from the Euroregion Elbe/Labe are also quite unhappy with the current situation.

Here the Announcement of the German-Czech Future Fund :

Dear friends of the German-Czech Future Fund,

spring is here and shows itself from its best side beyond the closed borders - as if to remind us that even in times of crisis we can rely on beautiful things :-)

Reliability is essential in these weeks of uncertainty. Because if the current crisis reminds us of one thing every day, it is that it cannot be tackled alone. What is needed is cooperation and cohesion from all of us, in politics as well as in civil society.

In the Future Fund, we asked ourselves where our help is now most urgently needed and how we can quickly and unbureaucratically help those who have been hit hardest by the pandemic in the German-Czech community. We are providing them with special funding totaling 373,000 euros.

We dedicate part of this to organizations that take care of the surviving Nazi victims in the Czech Republic, who play a key role in building trusting relationships between Germans and Czechs. Because of their age and the agony they suffered, they are most at risk from the pandemic and now require special protection.

We provide further support to the often freelance bridge builders who have made a significant contribution to improving German-Czech relations in recent years and who are now feeling the economic effects of the crisis. We have advertised a special funding program for bridge builders for them.

And finally, we would now like to help those who provide social and medical help in the German-Czech border region - in a region where a lot of trust has been built between the citizens of our two countries over the past 30 years, and that is not being jeopardized may due to the social and structural effects of the crisis, which could be particularly noticeable here.

If you know of organizations in the German-Czech border area that offer help for particularly vulnerable people and could use financial support, please let us know and please enter your information directly into the form of our special funding program for the border regions .

We are confident that together we will be able to offer reliable support to those who need it most now.

You too can stay confident - and healthy!

Your German-Czech Future Fund

1. General

The simplifications mentioned below do not represent a change in the existing legal framework for the implementation of cooperation projects. They are only intended to limit the negative effects of the COVID-19 crisis on program implementation.

If you want to take advantage of one of the aforementioned facilitations, you must credibly explain the connection between the current situation of your project and the corona crisis. On the basis of documents, you must be able to prove that you were unable to influence the costs incurred and that you took all due care to avoid or at least minimize the costs. You submit the documentation to the supervisory authority (SAB or CRR) together with the settlement of the expenses. When assessing the facts, the success of the project as a whole is primarily assessed. This includes the implementation of the activities, the achievement of the project goals and project results.

Even under the more difficult conditions, the regulations of the grant agreement, the joint implementation document including award regulations and the relevant regulations of the European Union continue to apply.

2 Funding of expenses for project activities

- Did you incur financial expenses for activities for your project that could not or only partially be carried out due to the COVID-19 crisis (e.g. room rental despite a canceled event, travel expenses, no reimbursement of participation fees already paid by the Organizer, cancellation fees), these expenses can be subsidized.

- If you are reimbursed or compensated for the costs incurred by another body (e.g. from insurance, short-time working allowance, etc.), this must be reported to the SAB / CRR. In this case, the eligible expenses will be reduced by the amount paid by third parties.

- Expenses that may arise in connection with the implementation of project activities in an alternative format (e.g. virtual meetings, e-learning and the like) must make a decisive contribution to the project objectives. They must be adequately documented and justified.

- Expenses for products or services that were planned for a project activity but can now be used at a different time or for another activity outside the project due to the COVID-19 crisis are not subsidized. This applies, for example, to items of equipment, gifts or prizes for competitions that were purchased by the beneficiary and are now used for another purpose.

3 Implementation of project activities

- Changes to the overall project are to be reported to SAB by the LP before the end of the project term.

- About changes that do not have any significant impact on the achievement of the project goals (e.g. postponement of events, change of the format of an event, such as "online" instead of "on site", extension of the project duration in order to catch up on activities ) the SAB decides.

- About major changes, such as B. the change of the expenditure and financing plan or the change of the project activities, which significantly impair the achievement of the project goals, is decided by the monitoring committee.

- Project activities that could not be implemented but are necessary to achieve the project objective must be made up for or replaced in consultation with the SAB.

- At this point it is expressly pointed out that the regulations of the procurement law according to the grant agreement as well as the joint implementation document - if they are to be applied - must be observed for the changed project activities.

4 deadlines at the supervisory authority

- Inform your supervisory authority (SAB or CRR) if you cannot meet deadlines. New appointments will be arranged with you unbureaucratically.

- If you urgently need a withdrawal, report it to your supervisory authority. Your current statement will be rescheduled or you will be asked to submit an additional payment request.

5 small project funds

For the beneficiaries of small projects, the regulations in paragraphs 1 to 4 apply analogously, whereby the notifications and information mentioned therein must be submitted to the respective responsible Euroregion. If you have any further questions, we recommend that you contact the relevant project secretariat in your Euroregion.

© Sächsische Aufbaubank - Förderbank -. All rights reserved. 04/09/2020

If projects cannot be carried out as planned due to the Corona crisis, the following regulations apply:

Costs for the cancellation of external orders due to the Corona problem are eligible costs. They can be listed in the billing list.

If events are postponed to another point in time that is no longer in the original project period, an amendment agreement will be made to the grant agreement in order to extend the project period.

If planned events are held at a different time and exceed the approved budget due to cancellation costs, the local steering committee will propose a resolution to increase the funding amount (which will certainly also be approved). However, this is only possible if the maximum amount of 15,000 euros has not yet been exhausted.

You can of course contact us at any time if you have specific questions in connection with a project. It is best to write an email , we mostly work from home.

The Coordination Centre German-Czech Youth Exchange - Tandem Pilsen is looking for a volunteer with residence in Germany for a stay of 12 months (1 September 2020 to 31 August 2021) for the project ahoj.info.

At the same time Tandem Regensburg is looking for two volunteers with residence in the Czech Republic for the project. The volunteer service is carried out within the framework of the European Solidarity Corps (formerly Erasmus+ / European Voluntary Service).

The Elbe / Labe Euroregion has been promoting cross-border cooperation between Saxony and the Czech Republic for almost 28 years. This is implemented by a large number of active members in associations, municipalities and other institutions.
All interested parties who would like to find out more about the possible support of the Euroregion Elbe / Labe for cross-border projects, who are looking for individual advice on contact placement and financial support, are cordially invited to an information event in Dippoldiswalde. When?
On Wednesday, March 25th, 2020, at 6 p.m., in the Dippoldiswalde Park Halls (Small Hall), Dr.-Friedrichs-Straße 25, 01744 Dippoldiswalde.
During the event, other options for supporting cross-border projects with the Czech Republic will be discussed and your questions will be answered.
In order to better plan the event, please register with Ms. Viera Richter by March 19, 2020 at richter@elbelabe.eu or 0351-48287815.

A young woman wanders through the family jungle and haunts the end of a relationship, constantly trying to escape the torrent of everyday life. She moves from the Czech Republic to Germany and travels to London, where she plunges into the nightlife. She fantasizes about a bank job and looks for a job as a coach driver. We read of bursts and outbursts of toxic loves and strange therapy sessions. Desperate by her unsuccessful attempts to integrate, she finally makes a radical decision: She moves into a wardrobe. Sensitive and with a lot of humor, Tereza Semotamová tells of the absurd search for your own path in a world in which nobody knows exactly where to go.

Tereza Semotamová (* 1983 in Boskovice) is a prose writer, publicist and translator. She studied screenwriting and dramaturgy at the Janáček Academy for Music and Performing Arts, German studies at Masaryk University in Brno and completed her doctorate with a dissertation on German radio plays from the 1950s. She writes radio plays, features and columns, translates German-language literature into Czech, teaches and works for the German-Czech platform já-du.

Photo: Richard Klíčník

The reading will take place on April 21st at 7.30 p.m. in the Dresden Central Library (in the Kulturpalast, Schlossstrasse 2). Admission is free.

A cooperation between the Euroregion Elbe / Labe, Dresden City Libraries, the Czech Literature Center and the Czech Center Berlin. Under the auspices of the Consul General of the Czech Republic in Dresden, JUDr. Markéta Meissnerová.

An important item on the agenda was the status of the preparation of the new funding program in the area of cross-border cooperation. A joint working group was set up for this purpose, made up of the chairmen of the two Euroregions, their representatives and their managing directors. For the Ústecký kraj region, representatives from the regional development department will be there.

The new managing director of the Euroregion Krušnohoří, Ing.Petra Konečná, introduced herself at the meeting. She is the successor to František Bína. Captain Oldřich Bubeníček thanked him for his many years of work and presented him with the captain's medal with a memorial letter.

Read the press release from the Ústí district administration.

The European Solidarity Corps enables a new (that means second) volunteer position at the cultural centre Řehlovice in the Czech Republic. This volunteer position is available for six months from 01.03. to 31.10.

Experience an exciting summer full of art, culture, politics and society on the farm. During your time at the cultural centre, you will be part of various projects, experience international encounters and help to organise them. We are looking for help with public relations, planning and implementation of the projects, practical activities on the farm and creative input and expression.

We support accommodation, travel costs, seminars, food etc. and you will receive some pocket money.

Application to: andre.schmahl@posteo.cz

Questions can also be sent via Instagram @kulturdaca

Application deadline: February 28, 2020
Further information (please save forms before filling in):

https://tu-dresden.de/gsw/slk/slavistik/das-institut/news-und-termine/ausschreibung-sommerschulen-tschechien-2020

Applications by post and as PDF by email to:
Dr. Astrid Winter
Institute for Slavic Studies

All students who are regularly enrolled at a German university can apply. If you are paying yourself, please contact the respective summer school directly.

Would you like to learn more about cross-border cooperation?
Do you speak German, Czech and possibly also English?
Are you communicative and open for new experiences?

A volunteer position for six months is available now.

Your tasks:

- Support with the organisation of the annual event
- Publication of news, objectives and achievements of cross-border projects

The position is advertised in cooperation with the Interreg Volunteer Youth initiative for young Europeans aged 18-30. The coordinating organisation AEBR offers you a financial support of 28 € per day and helps you with travel expenses and insurance.

Applications to kontakt@sn-cz2020.eu.

More information about the IVY initiative can be found under this link: https://www.interregyouth.com/.

Source: SAB

The Collegium Bohemicum in Ústí nad Labem is looking for a new cultural manager. One of the main tasks would be the organization of the Czech-German cultural days on the Czech side.

You can find more information on the website of the Collegium Bohemicum .

Applications for the funding of German-Czech small projects from the small project fund of the Euroregion can be submitted until January 31st. The next submission deadline is May 1st, 2020. You can find all dates here .

European Academy Berlin: This year again, 14 young professionals will meet selected experts in a series of workshops in order to receive practical recommendations, ideas and suggestions for their future careers.

This year's theme ties in with the current challenges and approaches that arise from climate change for our society, for the economy and for politics. The following three workshops will take place under the focus on " Sustainable Business & Lifestyle - Czech and German Answers ":

• from March 12th to 15th, 2020 in Berlin,
• from June 18 to 21 in Prague as well
• from September 24th to 27th in a German and a Czech town in the border region

Young professionals from Germany or the Czech Republic who want to network across borders and professions and who want to deal with current political and social issues can apply by January 31, 2020.

Application requirements are at least three years of professional experience and very good knowledge of the English language.

The advertisement can be found in the attachment and here .

The project is funded by the German-Czech Future Fund.