The President of the Croatian Employers’ Association (HUP) Gordana Deranja expressed hope at today’s Lider conference ‘Day of Great Plans‘ that a stable government will be formed as soon as possible, which will capitalize on the momentum of the economy and urgently begin the changes necessary for the domestic economy.
Andrej Plenković on the economic policy of the new government: By 2020, we want economic growth of 5 percent
– I believe that we are planning for 2017 with more optimism. GDP has grown, the tourist season is excellent again, exports continue to rise although at a slower pace, and the export forecasts for next year provide optimism. There are more and more investments in the plans of HUP members, which is particularly good news. There are indeed reasons to be satisfied that we have entered calmer waters. But we need to maintain a degree of caution. We do not determine the business conditions ourselves; they are created by politics. We will soon have a new government and we expect decisive and swift actions. This economic momentum needs to be utilized and conditions created for growth to be greater. A growth rate of 2 to 3 percent is good, but insufficient; we employers are not satisfied because we remain at the bottom of the EU. Croatia can and deserves better; we can achieve growth of 3 to 4 percent, which is possible if the state undertakes serious reform measures. We expect the rapid formation of a stable government that will start changes as soon as possible, improve business conditions and the investment climate, thus enabling business to be easier, results better, and economic growth stronger – said Gordana Deranja.
Sergej Gurijev: Croatia has managed to achieve significant growth in tourism, but governments must prepare for risks
The technical minister of entrepreneurship and crafts, Darko Horvat, announced a GDP growth of five percent for 2017, adding that the previous growth rates of 2 to 3 percent under the given conditions were realistic and sustainable.
– Just this year, in the segment of laws that support investors, investments of nearly 10 billion kuna have entered. Investments from the private sector worth another 14 billion kuna are on the verge of decision-making regarding support. When someone claims that things in Croatia happen by chance, all these figures provide a realistic picture of the Croatian economy. A growth rate of 3 percent is, although I agree with my colleagues from HUP, realistic and sustainable, and for the next year I expect that this realistic and sustainable growth will be 5 percent – said Horvat.
Marko Jurčić, envoy of the President of the Republic: Exports are crucial, we must strengthen them even more
Horvat boasted that the state administration has finally learned how to successfully draw money from the European Union’s structural funds, and also emphasized that the current government has managed to turn domestic financial institutions such as HBOR and HPB into a financial service for domestic entrepreneurs.
– Today, looking back 10 months, we have learned something. We have learned to draw money from EU structural funds, and 2017 will be the first year in which significantly more capital will be drawn from EU funds than we have managed so far. This was the trend in Poland and Slovakia – investments that occurred thanks to the funds, and we are on the right path for that – said the technical minister of entrepreneurship and crafts. He also added that the crafts segment, as the backbone of every economy, will have a clear picture of its position in the state budget over the four-year term of the government.
