ZAGREB, April 14 (Hina) - Direct foreign investments in Croatia in 2000 amounted to USD 868.38 million, the Croatian National Bank (HNB) reported.
ZAGREB, April 14 (Hina) - Direct foreign investments in Croatia in
2000 amounted to USD 868.38 million, the Croatian National Bank
(HNB) reported. #L#
Property investments accounted for the largest part of foreign
investments, with USD 604.67 million. The amount is nevertheless
twice smaller than the value of property investments made the year
before (1999), when it was estimated at USD 1.27 billion.
Most of last year's foreign investments were made in the banking
sector, which accounted for 71.74 percent of property investments.
The high percentage is primarily the result of the privatisation of
the Privredna Banka Zagreb, which was completed last year, and the
subsequent privatisation of the Splitska Banka and Rijecka Banka.
Crude oil and gas extraction follow with a 5.44 percent share in
property investments, cement production accounts for 3.26 percent,
pharmaceutical industry for 2.69 and concrete construction
materials for 2.56 percent of last year's property investments.
According to the latest HNB report, more than one third (35.2%) of
those investments were made by Luxembourg. Austria follows with
16.33 percent, the United States with 11.4 percent, Germany with
7.8 and Italy with 7.45 percent.
In the period between 1993 and the end of 2000, direct foreign
investments in Croatia amounted to USD 4.68 billion.
The year 1999 was the best investment year, with some USD 1.5
billion-worth investments, a result of the first stage of
privatisation of the Croatian Telekom. The telecommunications
sector was the most attractive sector for foreign investors in the
1993-2000 period, accounting for 23.68 percent of a total of 3.7
billion dollar worth property investments. This sector is followed
by the banking sector (20.89%) and the pharmaceutical industry
(19.63%).
Almost one half of direct investments in the past seven years came
from the United States (23.87%) and Germany (23.45%). The two
countries are followed by Austria (19.67%), Luxembourg (6.82%),
the Netherlands (3.89%), Italy (2.66%), Sweden (2.53%),
Switzerland (2.20%) and Great Britain (2.2%).
Croatian companies last year made USD 24 million worth of
investments in foreign countries and the value of those investments
in the past seven years has been estimated at USD 397.61 million.
Croatia was investing mostly in Poland and Bosnia-Herzegovina, the
main investment sector being the pharmaceutical industry.
(hina) rml