ZAGREB ZAGREB, Nov 8 (Hina) - Economic experts and scientists gathered in Zagreb on Thursday for a two-day third annual conference of the Institute for Business Research, entitled "Croatia's Competitiveness". The conference started
with the presentation of an optimistic hologram with newspaper headlines from Croatia in the year 2015: Varazdin's Dr. Horvat Third Croatian Nobel Prize Winner; Accommodation Facilities in Dubrovnik Full; Split-Based European Chain of Hotels 'Croatica' Best Potential Bidder for Construction of Hotel Complex in Rijeka Dubrovacka; Exceptionally Good Strawberry Yields at Former Corn Fields - Reports Agriculture Ministry in Osijek; Croatia Given Green Ribbon as Cleanest European Country; Along Baltic-Adriatic Speedrail at Speed of 300 km/ph; Olympic Games to be Held in Rijeka in 2016. Jose Maria Figueres, former president of Costa Rica and current director of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Da
ZAGREB, Nov 8 (Hina) - Economic experts and scientists gathered in
Zagreb on Thursday for a two-day third annual conference of the
Institute for Business Research, entitled "Croatia's
Competitiveness".
The conference started with the presentation of an optimistic
hologram with newspaper headlines from Croatia in the year 2015:
Varazdin's Dr. Horvat Third Croatian Nobel Prize Winner;
Accommodation Facilities in Dubrovnik Full; Split-Based European
Chain of Hotels 'Croatica' Best Potential Bidder for Construction
of Hotel Complex in Rijeka Dubrovacka; Exceptionally Good
Strawberry Yields at Former Corn Fields - Reports Agriculture
Ministry in Osijek; Croatia Given Green Ribbon as Cleanest European
Country; Along Baltic-Adriatic Speedrail at Speed of 300 km/ph;
Olympic Games to be Held in Rijeka in 2016.
Jose Maria Figueres, former president of Costa Rica and current
director of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, held an
introductory speech. Croatia and Costa Rica cover approximately
the same area and have similar population figures, Figueres said,
stressing the importance of a national development strategy and
stimulation of competitiveness. Costa Rica, which he headed from
1994 to 1998, has made numerous changes in its macroeconomic,
investment and environmental protection policies, carried out a
tax reform, modernised the customs regime and reformed its pension
system.
According to WEF data, today's Costa Rica is the leading Latin
American country when it comes to productivity. As regards
competitiveness, it is ranked second in Latin America and 35th in
the world.
Figueres also stressed the importance of education, science,
health and the overall social policy, adding 6 percent of his
country's Gross Domestic Product, which amounts to some USD15
billion, was set aside for education, while 1.3 percent was set
aside for science. Special attention is paid to literacy, the level
of computerisation in all high schools is very high, and every
student has free access to the Internet during his studies. The
country's total exports exceed USD6.6 billion, and the export of
USD1,912 per capita makes Costa Rica third export country in Latin
America.
Another important decision in the designing of the country's future
was to declare 30% of the country's territory national parks, which
are visited by 75% of all tourists visiting Costa Rica.
The Zagreb conference will also include a panel discussion on
competitiveness and two round tables on globalisation and
competitiveness, to be held tomorrow.
The honorary president of the committee which organised the
conference, Vladimir Veselica, said the failure of government
officials to attend the conference was inadmissible.
(hina) rml