ZAGREB, Oct 8 (Hina) - Croatia in Zagreb on Tuesday initialled agreements on admission to the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA), which will open the door to said market next year.
ZAGREB, Oct 8 (Hina) - Croatia in Zagreb on Tuesday initialled
agreements on admission to the Central European Free Trade
Agreement (CEFTA), which will open the door to said market next
year. #L#
The agreements with envoys of CEFTA's seven members were initialled
by Assistant Economy Minister Olgica Spevec following a plenary
session. This constituted one of the final stages in Croatia's
official path to CEFTA, which is comprised of Bulgaria, the Czech
Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia.
The leader of CEFTA's negotiating team, Stanislav Kubinec, voiced
hope Croatia's admission agreement might be signed by the end of
November and go into force at the start of 2003.
Spevec said today's initialling of the admission agreements was
full proof that Croatia would join CEFTA at the beginning of next
year.
"Croatian businessmen will have free access to the central European
market starting next year. They will have to rely on export more.
Despite the existing foreign trade deficit, the trends we have are
positive," Spevec said, expecting these trends will continue.
CEFTA was initiated by Hungary, Poland, and the then Czechoslovakia
in 1992, with the aim to prepare as fast and as well as possible for
integration into Europe and develop a free market. Slovenia,
Bulgaria, and Romania joined them shortly afterwards.
Admission to CEFTA requires membership in the World Trade
Organisation, an association agreement with the European Union and
free trade agreements signed with all CEFTA members.
Croatia has met all conditions over the last three years.
(hina) ha