Presenting the transition report by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) for 2006, Schweiger said that Croatia, nevertheless, was a leader in southeastern Europe according to many indicators.
On the other hand, in comparison to Romania and Bulgaria, there is still much room for progress to be made in the Gross Domestic Product growth rate, efforts to attract foreign investments and reduction of state subsidies.
Regarding the assessment of individual sectors, the EBRD has given the highest grades to reforms in the privatisation of small and medium-sized companies, in the trade system and in the banking sector.
Progress in ensuring a competitive market climate and in the restructuring of the economy has been given the worst grade.
Over the past year, Croatia made the biggest headway in the financial sector, notably in its non-banking segment.
In this context, Schweiger pointed out the establishment of the Croatian Agency for the Supervision of Financial Services, whose acronym in Croatian is HANFA.
According to Schweiger, the EBRD expects Croatia to advance to a full market economy, privatise big companies, improve the situation in market competition protection and in competitiveness on the domestic market, and continue restructuring the economy.
EBRD Country Manager for Croatia Charlotte Ruhe said progress in the Croatian economy was evident with an increasing number of investors being interested in doing business in Croatia and more and more Croatian companies trying to find possibilities for expansion abroad.
She, however, warned about a slowing down in the privatisation and restructuring of the economy, adding that the EBRD was particularly monitoring the situation in the steel and shipbuilding sectors.