In the new issue, read about the opportunities offered by the domestic automotive industry

Automotive plants are a common sight across Europe, from neighboring Slovenia to Serbia, and even to other Eastern European countries like Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Romania, which have attracted many investors from the Western European industry over the past twenty years due to low wages and small taxes. However, such plants are also abundant in Germany, France, Spain, and Sweden, which have always had their automotive industry. The facilities from these countries have not left. In such plants, which are often larger than some neighborhoods in Zagreb, thousands of people work, and the multiplicative effects tell a story of their own. Croatia not only did not have its automotive industry but also lacked the luck or skill to attract such investors. Either we had high taxes or excessively high wages or no incentives, so we settled for companies that performed ancillary tasks for the automotive industry, such as glass, rubber, plastic production, and parts for production lines. Now Croatia has the know-how, but we lack new factories. Ksenija Puškarić writes about the domestic automotive industry in the topic of the week.

A 39 percent increase in car sales, a drop in unemployment below the magical number of one hundred thousand, an increase in the average salary by 84 euros in three months, and a jump in the attractiveness ranking for investment in the CEE region are just part of the positive news that has emerged recently. This year’s optimistic indicators have also resulted in revised forecasts from many global institutions, including the European Commission and the World Bank, which predict higher growth for the Croatian economy than initially forecasted. As things stand now, recession is definitely no longer ‘carried’, although the past period has shown the full splendor of the term ‘unpredictability’. However, as we approach the middle of the year, it increasingly shows that there is no need to fear a serious decline in economic activity. On the contrary, the atmosphere is very optimistic, and a prolonged period of economic growth can be expected. Antonija Knežević writes about optimistic economic forecasts.

Some time ago, information spread through the regional printing market that the owners of the most modern Macedonian printing house Kiro Dandaro are considering selling the company. The information also reached Croatia, including the entrepreneur Ratko Habus from Zabok, the owner of Sato, one of the leading self-adhesive label printers in the region, who is simultaneously being approached by various equity funds to persuade him to sell. For companies that have reached their maximum in the domestic market and are well-capitalized, growth through acquisitions in foreign markets is generally the best option, which usually achieves the desired effects the fastest. However, although we have excellent examples of this, Croatian companies are more often prey than hunters. Manuela Tašler writes about domestic acquisitions abroad.

The largest global fossil fuel companies are quietly planning dozens of oil and gas projects that activists have already dubbed carbon bombs. Their massive investments in new fossil fuel production could only pay off if countries fail to quickly reduce carbon emissions, which is vital, scientists say. It seems that the creators of new potential climate threats are not bothered by such trivialities. Currently, there are 195 carbon bombs in the world that threaten at every turn, as Jozo Knez writes.

With the new issue comes a special supplement on the Pharmaceutical and Medical Market.