{"id":1689,"date":"2026-09-07T15:55:15","date_gmt":"2026-09-07T13:55:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/punturs.ch\/?post_type=case_study&p=1689"},"modified":"2026-09-07T15:55:15","modified_gmt":"2026-09-07T13:55:15","slug":"between-ai-and-tradition-ceo-urs-hammer-on-the-future-of-swiss-croatian-relations","status":"publish","type":"case_study","link":"https:\/\/punturs.ch\/en\/case_study\/between-ai-and-tradition-ceo-urs-hammer-on-the-future-of-swiss-croatian-relations\/","title":{"rendered":"Between AI and Tradition: CEO Urs Hammer on the Future of Swiss-Croatian Relations"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bilateral Synergies and Strategic Innovation: Switzerland and Croatia in Focus<\/h3>\n

In an in-depth interview with the magazine Diplomacy & Commerce<\/i><\/a><\/span>, our founder, Dr. Urs Hammer, took stock of the close relations between the two countries shortly before the end of his term as Swiss Ambassador in Zagreb. The conversation shows how targeted Relationing<\/b> and the exchange of know-how create tangible economic and social benefits.<\/p>\n

Political Stability and Humanitarian Cooperation<\/h4>\n

Political relations between Switzerland and Croatia are excellent and marked by deep mutual trust. Urs Hammer notes that this closeness even extends to personal communication \u2014 he sometimes speaks with Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grli\u0107 Radman (who lived in Switzerland for a long time) in Swiss German. A milestone of his term was closer cooperation on humanitarian demining in Ukraine, where both countries pool their expertise.<\/p>\n

Economic Exchange: The \u201cSwiss Contribution\u201d Effect<\/h4>\n

A central instrument of cooperation is the Swiss enlargement contribution. Urs Hammer explains how investments amounting to millions (currently the second tranche of CHF 45.7 million) have brought lasting improvements:<\/p>\n

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    Infrastructure:<\/b> modernisation of water and wastewater systems.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    Health:<\/b> a new focus on expanding palliative care.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    Investment:<\/b> more than 70 Swiss companies are active in Croatia and create thousands of jobs. The high quality of Croatian skilled professionals is particularly valued.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Future Markets: AI and the Green Transition<\/h4>\n

    For further economic development, Urs Hammer sees enormous potential in new technologies. Among other things, he initiated cooperation between the Croatian AI association CroAI<\/i> and Swiss stakeholders to foster exchange in artificial intelligence, digitalisation, and automation. There are also major opportunities for cross-border partnerships in rail infrastructure and the green energy transition.<\/p>\n

    Cultural Bridges and the \u201cHuman Factor\u201d<\/h4>\n

    Around 100,000 people of Croatian origin live in Switzerland and act as important bridge-builders. Urs Hammer points to outstanding figures such as Nobel laureates Vladimir Prelog and Lavoslav Ru\u017ei\u010dka, both of whom worked at ETH Zurich, or current leaders such as Marijana Jaki\u0107 (CEO of St. Moritz Tourism). This personal interconnection strengthens not only science, but also tourism and cultural exchange.<\/p>\n

    The Conclusion: Quality as a Trademark<\/h4>\n

    Whether in chocolate, watches, or strategic advisory work \u2014 for Urs Hammer, the Swiss secret of success lies in the combination of tradition, innovation, and the strictest quality control<\/b>. He represented these values successfully in Zagreb, and they now form the core of the PUNT.URS philosophy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Bilateral Synergies and Strategic Innovation: Switzerland and Croatia in Focus In an in-depth interview with the magazine Diplomacy & Commerce, our founder, Dr. Urs Hammer, took stock of the close relations between the two countries shortly before the end of his term as Swiss Ambassador in Zagreb. The conversation shows how targeted Relationing and the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":""},"kategorie":[],"class_list":["post-1689","case_study","type-case_study","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/punturs.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/case_study\/1689","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/punturs.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/case_study"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/punturs.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/case_study"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/punturs.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1689"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"kategorie","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/punturs.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/kategorie?post=1689"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}