ZAGREB, April 15 (Hina) - Croatia's foreign debt at the end of January 2004 totalled 23.24 billion, which is a drop of 1.8 percent or 427 million less than at the end of 2003.
ZAGREB, April 15 (Hina) - Croatia's foreign debt at the end of January
2004 totalled 23.24 billion, which is a drop of 1.8 percent or 427
million less than at the end of 2003.#L#
The January amount of the foreign debt accounts for 71.1 percent of
the projected GDP for this year.
This is a drop of 96 per capita in relation to the end of 2003, which
makes the total foreign debt amount to 5,238 per capita, experts with
the Croatian Chamber of Economy have said.
The January decrease in the foreign debt is partly the result of
changes in the dollar-euro exchange rate, i.e. the appreciation of the
dollar in relation to the euro.
The biggest drop in the foreign debt was registered in the banking
sector, which saw a decrease of 4.6 percent or 340 million dollars.
According to data released on the web site of the Croatian National
Bank, the total foreign debt of banks at the end of January amounted
to 7.095 billion dollars or 30.5 percent of the overall foreign debt.
The state continues to be the biggest debtor on the foreign capital
market, with 8.364 billion dollars or a 36 percent share in the
overall foreign debt, which is a drop of only 0.9 percent (80 million)
in relation to the end of last year.
Companies and other sectors accounted for 5.946 billion or 25.6
percent of the entire foreign debt, a drop of 0.3 percent or 16.6
million.
Direct investments accounted for 1.838 billion dollars (7.9 percent)
of the foreign debt, an increase of 0.6 percent.
(Hina) rml