Suker has said the visit was organised at the right time given that the Croatian government is expected to approve the draft strategy soon, which the executive directors are due to discuss and adopt at a session in London in mid-May, the Finance Ministry said in a statement.
Suker said he was pleased the draft strategy provided for a turnabout in cooperation for the first time, with an emphasis on greater EBRD activity in the private sector and in the financing of local self-government units, whereas new EBRD loans with state collateral are no longer envisaged.
The minister agreed that international financial institutions should be more active in co-financing projects which are financed in part from EU pre-accession funds. He also commended the EBRD for being the first international institution co-financing one such project - a waterworks and sewerage system in Karlovac.
Suker informed the delegation about the state of Croatia's EU accession negotiations, notably those on the 14 chapters the Finance Ministry is active in.
The executive directors were interested in the minister's opinion on the macroeconomic environment and the progress of structural reform. They commended Croatia for the successful completion of the stand-by arrangement with the International Monetary Fund, and voiced hope that the World Bank's PAL 2 loan, as confirmation of a successful structural reform, would be approved next month.
The eight-member delegation is on a five-day visit which began yesterday to confirm the EBRD's readiness to support investment in Croatia and assess the investment climate and reform implementation.