The Croatian finance ministry reported that Suker wrote that the assessment of the World Bank, which ranks Croatia 118th on a list of 155 countries evaluated according to their business climate, was not grounded on accurate and current figures.
The letter was sent today to World Bank Vice President in charge of Europe and Central Asia, Shigeo Katsu, who recently visited Croatia and could see for himself Croatia's achievements in the creation of conditions promoting business and investment, as well as to World Bank Executive Director Ad Melkert and the Bank's regional office director in Zagreb, Anand K. Seth.
Croatia has the lowest ranking among eastern European countries when it comes to the business climate although the current situation is expected to change soon, the World Bank says in its 2006 report on conditions for doing business in 155 countries. Among the 155 countries, Croatia is ranked 118th, Slovakia 37th, the Czech Republic 41st, Hungary 52nd, and Poland 54th.
Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader on Wednesday responded to the report announcing that his government would lodge a protest with the World Bank over its assessment of the business climate in Croatia.
"The World Bank's assessment of the business climate in Croatia is simply not correct and I, as Croatian Prime Minister, do not accept it," Sanader said at a business forum, a traditional gathering of government officials and business people at the Autumn International Trade Fair in Zagreb.
Sanader called on the World Bank to name one transition country that has a one-stop shop or is in the middle of reform of its land registry.
"We know our worth," the prime minister said, adding that international credit rating agencies had increased Croatia's credit rating at the end of 2004 for the first time in seven years.