Past news

With the Infrastructure for the Future Act, which has now been passed by the Bundestag, eight key projects for East Brandenburg – for which the East Brandenburg Chamber of Industry and Commerce has long been campaigning – have also been set in motion.

The RE 1 regional express line is one of the busiest regional express lines in Germany. The signatories of this appeal therefore welcome Deutsche Bahn’s announcement that it will invest in the modernisation of this line. Nevertheless, the construction work must not cut off the capital region, Eastern Brandenburg and the neighbouring Polish region from one another for months on end, as this would have drastic consequences for a large number of businesses, workers and institutions in Eastern Brandenburg and Poland.

The East Brandenburg Chamber of Industry and Commerce and the Frankfurt (Oder) – East Brandenburg Region have published their first joint brochure, entitled “Facts and Figures – Key Statistics for East Brandenburg”, containing comprehensive regional indicators – focusing on East Brandenburg as a business location.

The Oderland-Spree Start-up Partners Working Group is once again looking for committed entrepreneurs this year who have successfully brought their business ideas to fruition. The Start-up Award comes with prize money of up to 2,500 EUR, which can be divided between two winners. The closing date for applications is 31 August 2026. 

It all began 35 years ago with a single training programme commissioned by the employment services. Today, the Fürstenwalde Training Centre run by Kolping Bildung Deutschland is one of the most important partners for education and integration in Eastern Brandenburg – offering programmes in joint vocational training, language and integration support, and career guidance for young people. The team is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year.

In June, a total of 14,831 people were registered as unemployed in the city of Frankfurt (Oder), the Märkisch-Oderland district and the Oder-Spree district. That is 190 fewer than in May and 103 fewer than in June 2025. The unemployment rate stands at 6.5 per cent, exactly the same as in June last year.

If you’re still looking for a varied holiday experience for the 2026 summer holidays, or would like to start planning a late-summer break on the water, now is your chance: At the Blossin Youth Education Centre, there are still a few places left on two summer holiday camps in July/August, as well as places available on the sailing and windsurfing courses in August/September. 

The Brandenburg Chambers of Industry and Commerce (IHKs) are calling on member companies that provide apprenticeships to ‘throw in the towel’. This is purely symbolic, as part of a major social media photo and video campaign to mark the start of the summer holidays. Many companies are still looking for interested young people to start apprenticeships, even at the last minute before the training begins. The “Towel Challenge” is designed to provide wide-reaching support to the local economy in its search for new recruits.

A new chief conductor, new formats, a new ‘Artist in Residence’ from the Berlin Philharmonic: the Brandenburg State Orchestra Frankfurt and its new General Music Director presented the 2026/27 season on 24 June. It is a concert season featuring internationally renowned guests. 

Last week, representatives from European institutions and EGTCs (European Groupings of Territorial Cooperation) from 13 different countries gathered in Frankfurt (Oder) and Słubice. They wanted to give the twin city a boost in its efforts to establish an EGTC and to share their experiences.