The Leader’s Export Club was held today at the Zagreb School of Economics and Management, with special guest Joško Klisović, Assistant Minister of Foreign and European Affairs.
The Export Club welcomed three new members, Elka, Vetropack Straža, and Genera, and the event at ZŠEM was opened by Dean Đuro Njavro. He emphasized that ZŠEM is responsible for human infrastructure as a quality workforce is needed for us to integrate into the European market.
– This year and the next will be exceptionally difficult, and it will require a lot of innovation and imagination to survive and succeed. A large number of countries we cooperate with will experience a decline in GDP, which means we will either fit in or we will not exist – said Njavro. He pointed out that the growth of BRIC countries will slow down, while Africa presents an opportunity that is expected to grow.
The Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the weekly Lider, Manuela Tašler, presented the exporters’ dashboard, which showed that 2012 was exceptionally successful with a 0.3 percent growth to 9.6 billion euros, but she highlighted that this is still half of what our exports should be.
However, Tašler also warned of disturbing signals coming from the first quarter of this year, where a 16 percent decline is noticeable compared to the same period last year. In the first three months, Croatia exported goods worth 700 million euros monthly, which is on average 100 million euros less than last year.
– There is a noticeable decline in exports to the CEFTA market, although this market will be much more affected after July 1 when we enter the European Union. Also, exports to the European Union will no longer be part of the export dashboard as we will be part of a single market. We should be concerned because exports to the USA, Japan, and Russia are small – said Tašler.
There is a noticeable decline in shipbuilding, basic chemical products, and iron, which lost between 650 and 700 million euros in value last year. On the other hand, the pharmaceutical and metal industries, food and beverages are growing, while stagnation is recorded in clothing, footwear, and furniture exports.
Joško Klisović addressed the Leader’s Export Club, presenting the first version of the economic diplomacy program, with the final version to be presented in mid-June after discussions with all interested parties. On this occasion, companies for whom exports are vital conveyed their thoughts on what should be worked on to facilitate their operations in foreign markets.
– This will be a process because economic diplomacy needs to be treated as a living organism as the market changes every day. We must make available all the resources that the ministry has, especially concerning honorary consuls who are ready to assist Croatian companies – said Klisović.
