ZAGREB, Feb 9 (Hina) - Croatia's Economy, Labour and Entrepreneurship Minister Branko Vukelic on Monday announced the possibility of establishing industrial districts in Bjelovar-Bilogora, Varazdin, Lika-Senj and Primorje-Gorski Kotar
counties.
ZAGREB, Feb 9 (Hina) - Croatia's Economy, Labour and Entrepreneurship
Minister Branko Vukelic on Monday announced the possibility of
establishing industrial districts in Bjelovar-Bilogora, Varazdin,
Lika-Senj and Primorje-Gorski Kotar counties.#L#
"We expect much from the program of industrial districts in Croatia,
and those projects refer to the textile, leather and metal-processing
industries," Vukelic said after talks with an Italian business
delegation, which was headed by Adolfo Urso, Italy's deputy minister
for productive activities in charge of foreign trade.
Concrete measures to establish industrial districts will be discussed
tomorrow at a seminar which will be organised at the Croatian Economy
Ministry by Croatian officials and members of the Italian delegation.
Adolfo Urso said that Italian companies were interested in
metal-processing, textile, footwear, wood-processing and tourist
industries. There is a considerable interest of Italian companies in
airports, distribution and the food production sector, Urso said,
mentioning several big companies such as Eni, Ferrero etc.
Croatia is Italy's most important trade partner from the Balkans and
more than 4,600 Italian companies are present in Croatia, particularly
in the banking sector. Thousands of small and medium-sized companies
from different sectors are operating in Croatia as well.
Italy is Croatia's most important foreign trade partner. Minister
Vukelic said that Croatian exports to Italy last year saw a
significant increase in relation to imports.
Last year's trade between the two countries totalled US4.2 billion,
with Croatian exports amounting to 1.6 billion (an increase of 46.2
percent on 2002) and imports rising by 39.5 percent to 2.6 billion.
(Hina) rml sb