BRIEF NEWS BULLETIN IN ENGLISH NO. 4492 HINA ZAGREB, DECEMBER 31

HR-BULLETIN-Politika BRIEF NEWS BULLETIN IN ENGLISH NO. 4492 HINA ZAGREB, DECEMBER 31 78% OF FOREIGN TRADE TO BE REALISED IN LINE WITH FREE TRADE REGIME AS OF JAN 1ZAGREB, Dec 31 (Hina) - As of January 1, 2002, around 78% of Croatia's foreign trade will be realised in line with the principle of free trade, which means that most industrial exports and imports will have a zero duty rate while agricultural and food products will be traded with mutual concessions. Croatia enters 2002 with ten free trade agreements signed with 27 countries. It previously signed and has been implementing free trade agreements with Slovenia, Macedonia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, and 2001 saw a record number of free trade agreements. This year Croatia signed free trade agreements with Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Poland, and the countries of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), as well as a Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the European Union. Most of these agreements will go