Vidošević: The EU Will Not Solve Any Croatian Structural Problems

-The situation regarding the end of the global crisis is still unclear. The EU and the USA have taken various measures to save the financial and economic sectors and have resorted to state protectionism measures.

The crisis has been halted, but recovery is gradual and slow. The demand for financial resources from developed countries is increasing in this situation, which will hit smaller countries like Croatia the hardest as it will make these resources more expensive for them. We cannot emerge from this situation without our own recovery model because the EU will not solve any of our structural problems. We must seek a breakthrough outside of Europe and leverage the geostrategic advantage of our position, which allows economic powers to see Croatia as a point of expansion, especially into the EU market,” said Nadan Vidošević, president of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK), opening the 6th Session of the HGK held on June 9 in Zagreb.

 -“By this, I do not mean to say that I am against joining the EU, but that our position is currently our strongest asset, and we must be mindful that our fate is not tied solely to Europe, but to the whole world. Croatia has less than two percent of technically educated people, and the HGK has been warning about this process of complete deindustrialization for about 15 years. Although the presentation on the review of trends in the Croatian economy, the work of the HGK chambers, and the report of the Supervisory Board on the review of the Final Account, which assessed the operations of the HGK as orderly and economical, was carefully listened to, the attention of those present was drawn to the explanation and report on the opening of the HGK office in Moscow on June 19, as well as the planned opening of an office in the capital of Afghanistan, Kabul, in July. It was emphasized that the HGK has made the greatest strides in developing economic diplomacy and has initiated economic exchanges in all areas where it has operated. Unlike the demanding Russian market, which we are finally systematically entering, Afghanistan presents a particularly interesting opportunity for our economy.

-“Tens of billions of dollars in development aid are flowing into Kabul; there is no good or service that is not needed there, and we are among the first six countries to establish an office there. Doing business in Afghanistan is, indeed, associated with risks, but I repeat, it is also a great opportunity,” Vidošević emphasized.
At the end of the session, the publication of the rulings of the Court of Honor at the HGK was left, which, by means of a public warning announced at the HGK Assembly session, penalized companies for ‘moral’ violations: Hrvatska telekomunikacije, T-Mobile Hrvatska, Zagrebački holding, Amonal d.o.o., Croatia osiguranje, Hiems, and Lovreira d.o.o.  (D. T. T)