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- Bilateral meetings held between representatives of around 60 Croatian and Macedonian companies
- Opportunities for expanding cooperation in the fields of energy, tourism, transport, and construction
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With the participation of around 60 representatives from Croatian and Macedonian companies and organizations, the Economic Forum Croatia – North Macedonia was held at the Croatian Chamber of Economy. This is a continuation of activities aimed at deepening the economic ties between the two countries, which were intensified in mid-last year when HGK President Luka Burilović held meetings with the President of the Republic of North Macedonia Stevo Pendarovski and representatives of professional chambers.
At the gathering in Zagreb, a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed between HGK and the partner economic chambers of North Macedonia; the Economic Chamber of Northwest Macedonia and the Federation of Economic Chambers of Macedonia, which was attended by, among others, Dr. Luka Burilović, President of HGK, Ivo Usmiani, President of the Macedonian-Croatian Business Club, Dr. Milaim Fetai, Ambassador of the Republic of North Macedonia to the Republic of Croatia, Oleg Butković, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia and Minister of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure, and Fatmir Bytyqi, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of North Macedonia responsible for economy, coordination of economic sectors, and investments.
HGK President Luka Burilović emphasized in his introductory speech that the growth of trade exchange between the two countries and the possibilities for cooperation in the fields of energy, tourism, transport, and construction industry obligate them to even more intense cooperation and stronger ties in the area of economic diplomacy, where Croatia, as a future member of the Eurozone and Schengen area, can be a reliable partner and ally for North Macedonia on its path to EU accession.
– In recent years, the trade exchange between the two countries has been around 200 million euros annually, but last year there was an increase to 246 million euros, and this trend has continued this year, with a 30% increase in trade exchange recorded in the first seven months. I believe that by strengthening economic ties and direct contacts between Croatian and Macedonian entrepreneurs, we will significantly increase these figures in the coming years, as there is interest and potential for this on both sides – concluded Burilović.
The Deputy Prime Minister emphasized that we have good entrepreneurs present in the area of North Macedonia.
– The goal of this forum and the signing of the Memorandum is to increase the trade exchange between our countries, given that there is a whole range of areas of mutual interest. North Macedonia is a friendly country that successfully opened negotiations with the European Union this summer. We have found ourselves again in a global and European crisis caused by this war, in which everyone within their countries is struggling with responses to the energy crisis. These are significant challenges for North Macedonia, and EU membership is welcome for them, with Croatia being able to help a lot in this regard – concluded Butković.
Fatmir Bytyqi, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of North Macedonia expressed satisfaction with the friendly and partnership relations between the two countries, which need to be further enhanced in the field of economy.
– North Macedonia sees itself as a full member of the European Union in the near future, and we significantly rely on the support of the Government of the Republic of Croatia and the concrete experiences of Croatian entrepreneurs in doing business in the common European market – emphasized Bytyqi.
As part of the forum, panels were held on the possibilities of economic cooperation and the role of economic chambers in connecting entrepreneurs, as well as cooperation in the fields of foreign investments, energy, and infrastructure, after which bilateral meetings of Croatian and Macedonian entrepreneurs followed. According to data from the Croatian National Bank, from 1993 to 2021, Croatia invested about 108 million euros in North Macedonia. Last year, goods worth 101 million euros were imported into Croatia, while goods worth 145 million euros were exported. In the structure of trade exchange, food, medicines, and various products from the metallurgy industry dominate. Macedonian tourists achieved over 207,000 overnight stays last year, which is an increase of 63% compared to the pandemic year of 2020.
