ZAGREB, Feb 4 (Hina) - In 2000, Croatia exported goods worth 4.39 billion US dollars. Last year's export rose by two percent as against 1999, and this increase, although modest, could indicate a turn in the strengthening of the export
trend.
ZAGREB, Feb 4 (Hina) - In 2000, Croatia exported goods worth 4.39
billion US dollars.
Last year's export rose by two percent as against 1999, and this
increase, although modest, could indicate a turn in the
strengthening of the export trend.#L#
The value of imported goods rose by 1.4 percent to 7.9 billion
dollars in 2000, the national Statistical Office reported.
Only 55.5 percent of import was covered by export, and this
percentage was almost the same in 1999.
A deficit in Croatia's international trade totalled over 3.5
billion dollars last year.
During last year, results in the trade were substantially
influenced by trends in the exchange rate of the US dollar. It
strongly appreciated as against as Croatia's national currency -
kuna. For instance, the value of Croatia's export, expressed in the
kuna, climbed by 18.6 percent in 2000.
Croatia's government cited a rise in export as one of its chief
goals.
One of important characteristics of the last year's export is that
the Croatian export to the European Union's market increased by
13.3 percent to 2.4 billion dollars last year. The export to that
market accounts for 55 percent of the entire export.
As regards the economy's branches, Croatia's chemical industry
exported goods worth 529 million dollars or by 7.6 percent higher as
against 1999. The export of petroleum products climbed by 37.5
percent to 449 million dollars.
On the other hand, the export of the shipbuilding industry fell by
11.2 percent to 640 million, and the textile industry registered a
14.8-percent fall to 389 million. However, the latter will have
more favourable conditions for the export in 2001 thanks to the EU's
decision to completely liberalise Croatian textile companies'
access to its market.
Other favourable conditions for Croatian exporters this year will
be changes in tariffs, a free trade agreement which Croatia and
Bosnia-Herzegovina have recently concluded and Croatia's
membership in the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
(hina) ms