ZAGREB, Sept 25 (Hina) - A Croatian delegation attending the annual session of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund in Prague met the president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Jean
Lemmierre, and EBRD's vice president Charles Frank on Monday. Lemmierre said the EBRD supported the measures of Croatia's new economic policy, the projection of the state budget for the next three years, and its plans regarding a long-term development strategy. The EBRD particularly supports changes to the fiscal system, which will stimulate entrepreneurship and employment, as well as a social agreement between the country's social partners. If Croatia stays committed to its new economic policy, it could count on EBRD's more intensive engagement in the future, Lemmierre said. The Croatian delegation, which is headed by Deputy Prime Minister Slavko Linic, and includes Finance Minister Mato
ZAGREB, Sept 25 (Hina) - A Croatian delegation attending the annual
session of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund in
Prague met the president of the European Bank for Reconstruction
and Development (EBRD), Jean Lemmierre, and EBRD's vice president
Charles Frank on Monday.
Lemmierre said the EBRD supported the measures of Croatia's new
economic policy, the projection of the state budget for the next
three years, and its plans regarding a long-term development
strategy.
The EBRD particularly supports changes to the fiscal system, which
will stimulate entrepreneurship and employment, as well as a social
agreement between the country's social partners.
If Croatia stays committed to its new economic policy, it could
count on EBRD's more intensive engagement in the future, Lemmierre
said.
The Croatian delegation, which is headed by Deputy Prime Minister
Slavko Linic, and includes Finance Minister Mato Crkvenac, Deputy
Finance Minister Damir Kustrak, Croatian National Bank (HNB)
Deputy Governor Boris Vujcic and associates, today met
representatives of the Daiwa Japan financial company, which
conducted procedures regarding the issuing of Croatian government
bonds on the Japanese market in 1999 and 2000.
The president of Daiwa SBCM, Akira Kiyota, said Croatia's financial
rating has increased so much that the next time it issues bonds on
the Japanese market it could seek a term of ten years (this year's
bonds were issued with a term of payment of seven years).
The Croatian officials also met Michael Deppler, the director of
IMF's department for Europe, the Finance Ministry's spokeswoman
Sanja Mardjetko Kurecic said.
Deppler expressed satisfaction with relations between the monetary
and fiscal policies in Croatia and support for HNB's decision to
decrease required reserves. Deppler was also interested in the
movement of wages and the amount of the budgetary deficit, warning
about the need to keep an eye on inflation developments.
Marko Skreb, the chief advisor to the HNB Governor, held a well-
received lecture at a seminar on financial transition in Europe and
Central Asia, which was held within the IMF's and World Bank's
annual session.
(hina) jn rml