Lesson Five, Culture

Transportation Infrastructure

Transportation in the region features the following major differences as compared to the situation in the United States:

• Small distances within countries make domestic air transport very uncommon.
• Airplane tickets are considerably more expensive than in the US.
• Renting a car and/or traveling in one's own vehicle is far more expensive than in the US.
• Traveling by train is far more common and far less expensive than in the US.
• Traveling by bus is at the price level of train rides and remains the least expensive form of communication.
• Road infrastructure is far less developed than in the US. There are only a few highways, and other roads are narrow and in very poor conditions.
• Driving habits are different in a sense that most drivers engage in speeding and all kinds of dangerous conduct.
• Inner-city transportation is more developed than in the United States - in most cities one does not need a car to get things done.

The most common manner of arriving in the target countries is by airplane, after having to switch planes in one of the major European centers (such as London, Munich, Frankfurt, etc.) The three major international airports in the region are: Airport Pleso in Zagreb, Croatia; Butmir Airport, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina; and Surčin Airport, Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro. Airports can also be found in other cities, such a Niš, Podgorica, Tivat (Serbia and Montenegro), Banjaluka, Mostar (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Split, Dubrovnik (Croatia), etc. The major airlines in the region are: JAT, Serbia and Montenegro; Croatia Airlines, Croatia; and AirBosna, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Railways are state owned. Their names and abbreviations are as follows:

ŽSCG Železnice Srbije i Crne Gore (Serbia and Montenegro Railways)
HŽ Hrvatske Željeznice (Croatian Railways)
ŽBH Željeznice Bosne i Hercegovine (Railways of Bosnia & Hercegovina)
ŽRS Željeznice Republike Srpske (Railways of the Republic of Srpska)

Bus transportation is carried out by a myriad of smaller companies, each based in a different city.

Public transportation is organized in a unified network including buses, streetcars, and trolleybuses.

Major Cities

The major cities in the region include Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, and Serbia and Montenegro; Zagreb, the capital of Croatia; Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Hercegovina and the Federation of Bosnia and Hercegovina; Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro; and Banjaluka, the capital of Republic of Srpska.

Other important cities include: Novi Sad, Niš, Subotica, and Kragujevac in Serbia; Nikšić in Montenegro; Mostar and Tuzla in Bosnia and Herzegovina; Osijek, Rijeka, and Split in Croatia.

All these major urban centers host universities and major cultural institutions, as well as leading industrial complexes.

Major Companies

Traditionally, major companies in the region are comprised of the energy sector (oil companies, power plants), mining, communications, transport, and tourism. However, the companies with the most prominent international presence are pharmaceutical firms such as Bosnalijek from Sarajevo, Pliva from Zagreb, and Galenika from Belgrade; and complex construction and know-how companies such as Energoinvest from Sarajevo, and Energoprojekt from Belgrade. An interesting case is also the Croatian company Podravka from the small town of Koprivnica, which has been commanding considerable international attention with just one single product, a condiment called Vegeta.

Working Conditions

Two major differences in working conditions between the United States and the target countries should be mentioned here: First, levels of loans in the region are considerably lower (on average somewhere between one and four tenths of American loan levels). Second, all employees enjoy much broader rights than their US counterparts. This includes longer vacation time, paid sick leaves, more holidays, etc. In general, what is in United States considered a benefit one has to earn is considered a basic right which comes with employment as a matter of course.