Foreign companies will not invest in Croatia until corruption is curbed and the efficiency of public administration is increased – emphasized Paul Vandoren, head of the European Union Delegation in Croatia, at the presentation of the project ‘Development of the Investment Environment’.
This is the third phase of the implementation of the Regional Certification Program for Investments, which is being carried out in Croatia in cooperation with the Ministry of Economy, Labor and Entrepreneurship, and the program is designed to enhance the potential of 20 Croatian counties to attract foreign direct investments. The total value of the project is 2.5 million euros, of which the EU finances 75 percent and the Republic of Croatia 25 percent. In addition to corruption, Vandoren emphasized that the lack of coordination between the central government and local authorities significantly hinders the development of the entrepreneurial climate and that due to disorder in public administration offices, Croatia is unable to attract a larger number of direct foreign investments.
– Croatia has begun to address corruption, but it is necessary to prove to the member states of the European Union that this fight is sincere, and I hope that in a few months there will be some verdicts regarding corrupt activities. In addition to the fight against corruption, Croatia must also resolve the issue of land registries and various registers to avoid problems in property legal relations – said Paul Vandoren, adding that resolving these issues would create good conditions for a more serious arrival of investors. The Minister of Economy, Labor and Entrepreneurship, Đuro Popijač, emphasized that the Government accepted a catalog of public sector investments worth around 14 billion kuna in September and that the Ministry of Economy has created a catalog of investment potential in the private sector.
