SKOPJE, Feb 4 (Hina) - A free trade agreement and a memorandum of understanding between Croatia and Macedonia, signed last summer, have created new opportunities for the sale of Croatian products in Macedonia.
SKOPJE, Feb 4 (Hina) - A free trade agreement and a memorandum of
understanding between Croatia and Macedonia, signed last summer,
have created new opportunities for the sale of Croatian products in
Macedonia. #L#
Croatia's oil company Ina could again be selling its products in
this country after several years of pause. An international tender
is expected.
The opportunity offered by the free trade agreement has already
been seized by Croatian tobacco and alcohol manufacturers.
Croatian cigarettes are exported to Macedonia free of customs,
while alcoholic beverages, especially produced by the "Badel"
company, have been continuously exported for the past years. Badel
is a large supplier of vinegar to Macedonia also.
The new Macedonian government has changed the means of allocating
contingents for customs-free goods. Amounts are no longer
allocated by commission. Rather, each importer reports its needs to
the customs service and whichever company registers first, it gets
the right to import.
Advantages of the agreement have already been grasped by Croatian
confectionery companies, Kras in particular. The exporters of
milk, dairy products, meat and meat products have so far only used
22 percent of the opportunity due to the perishable nature of the
goods.
Croatian exporters to Macedonia are satisfied with the agreement,
but at the same time, they must pay additional contributions for
expenses for each customs tariff number. EUR100 are collected,
which, they say, is not in accordance with the agreement.
Overall trade between Croatia and Macedonia is 115 million US
dollars per anum, and major products which are exchanged are
foodstuffs, fruit and vegetables, industrial raw materials, semi-
manufactured products and metals.
The Koncar Elektroindustrija concern has made a successful
comeback on the Macedonian market, where it got a job to reconstruct
five hydroelectric power plants, while several Croatian shipyards
are again purchasing sheet metal from the Skopje Ironworks.
(hina) lml sb