A positive signal to business people will be the start of Croatia's membership talks with the EU, Deiss said at a round table discussion in Zagreb on Friday, which was organised by the Swiss-Croatian Business Association.
We have the basic instruments for good economic cooperation, such as agreements on free trade, double taxation avoidance and investment protection, Deiss said, adding that in the future focus should be shifted to Swiss investments in Croatia, which he said were lower than Croatian investments in Switzerland.
The Swiss minister said he was impressed with the progress Croatia had made in transforming itself from a Socialist country into a market economy.
He added that Croatia could be a model to other countries in the region in areas such as refugee return and land mine removal.
Earlier in the day, Deiss was received by Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader and held talks with Economy and Labour Minister Branko Vukelic.
According to figures released by the Swiss Embassy in Zagreb, Croatia is Switzerland's third biggest trade partner from south-eastern Europe. Swiss direct investments in Croatia amount to 250 million Swiss francs, with Croatia's investments in Switzerland coming to 180 million dollars in 2004 alone. There are 42,000 Croats living in Switzerland.