"EUROPA FORUM" HELD IN VIENNA

VIENNA, June 20 (Hina) - Most deposits in Croatian banks (almost 90 percent) is in foreign currencies, mostly in euros, and 90 percent of the banking system is in foreign ownership -- owned by European banks. In this context Croatia is already deeply integrated into Europe, deputy Governor of the Croatian National Bank, Boris Vujcic, said at the Europa Forum taking place in Vienna under the organisation of Bank Austria Creditanstalt, the mother company of the HVB bank Croatia. Expressing regret that Croatia was not among candidate countries for the first round of joining the EU, Vujcic said this was a political standstill, since all conditions had been fulfilled from the economic, especially monetary aspect. The Europa Forum, held for the third consecutive year, was opened this year by Austrian President Thomas Klestil, who stressed that stopping the expansion process of the EU would mean the end of the Union itself. The Forum gathered about 500 representatives of political and economic life of Central and Eastern European countries, the European Union, United States, Asia and others. (hina) lml sb