FINANCE MINISTER SAYS INTEREST IN CROATIAN EURO-BONDS IS HIGH

LONDON/ZAGREB, Jan 25 (Hina) - The new issuance of Croatian euro- bonds will be better than all previous ones, Finance Minister Mato Crkvenac said on Friday, adding a recent presentation of Croatia's economy in eight European cities had met with great interest among foreign investors. Crkvenac is at the helm of a delegation which this week presented the domestic economy in Madrid, Milan, Copenhagen, Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Munich, Frankfurt, and London, on the occasion of the latest issuance of government bonds. Available data show interest among foreigners in investing in the new bonds is very high, with more than EUR1.2 billion offered thus far. Croatia has announced issuing EUR500 million worth of bonds, so the big interest will affect the setting of a more favourable price, Crkvenac expects. The new bonds have been issued for a seven-year period. The price will be known on Monday. The finance minister is particularly satisfied that the new issuance, besides the usual investors in Croatia, like Germany and Great Britain, has attracted new ones, like Greece, Luxembourg, and Spain. The investors have commended the stable macroeconomic situation in Croatia. Compared to current economic growth rates in Europe, Croatia's has been assessed as very high, with a low inflation rate and constant decrease of all types of deficits. (hina) ha sb