Atlantic Group: November 23 is the last day for the acquisition of Droga Kolinska

The economic strength of a country determines its political power, and the economies of regional countries can only be strengthened through regional integration, some of the main conclusions of the third regional conference titled ‘Regional Economic Integration’ organized by Ekonom:east Media Group.

There are also exceptions that cannot be entirely tied to the existence of a state. The best example of overcoming borders is Atlantic Group, which, through its recent acquisition of Droga Kolinska, has positioned itself directly in three countries and indirectly in the entire CEFTA market.  The Secretary General of Atlantic Group, Ivan Mišetić, specified the date of the final acquisition of Droga Kolinska. Speaking at the conference, he emphasized that November 23 is the last day for the acquisition. – For us, the region has been and will remain a domestic market. By the end of the year, we will complete the acquisition of Droga Kolinska and we will be the second largest distributor with 4,500 employees. We have added a portfolio of coffee, beverages, food… Mišetić also noted that we must be aware of how small our markets are and that only the free flow of capital, services, and people can increase competitiveness.

CEFTA is precisely the magical formula for the participants of the meeting on the path to the EU, which is cited as an example of a model of regional cooperation. In addition to CEFTA, cooperation in the fields of energy and transport was mentioned as a positive example. Vesna Arsić, State Secretary in the Ministry of Economy and Regional Development, pointed out several fundamental problems in regional countries that can be solved through cooperation:
– Small economies, current and external balance deficits, high unemployment rates, significant dependence on the foreign economy, insufficient inflow of foreign investments, especially in the real sector, inadequate competitiveness, deindustrialization, insufficiently developed administrative capacities…

Due to different levels of EU standard implementation, in which Croatia is leading, Arsić raised the question of the readiness of countries to enter the EU and the determination of that moment. Almost all countries in the region have invested effort and energy in promoting the purchase of domestic products. Conference participants agree that this action does not have a long-term effect. – In the short term, the action can evoke emotions, but in the long term, it is not a solution – said Jerko Ivanković-Lijanović, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Lijanovići.  – Consumers are turning to quality, and it is unrealistic to expect them to be a substitute for poor economic policy – he added.

For Toplica Spasojević, Chairman of the ITM Group, these actions made sense at the beginning, during the positioning moments, but that phase, according to him, has passed and now the opening follows. For many problems burdening the CEFTA market, participants see a solution in the Union, which, in their opinion, should arbitrate in relations between countries that violate contracts so that they are better prepared for a much larger market tomorrow.  (Dejan Kožul)