BUDAPEST, Nov 25 (Hina) - "We expect that Croatia will soon have free trade agreements concluded with a majority of countries in the region and this may considerably help promote the bilateral economic relations and the development of
trade," Croatian Economy Minister Goranko Fizulic said on Friday evening in Budapest where he attended a conference of Central European Initiative (CEI) member-countries' economy minister. "We are also expecting that the stabilisation policy in the region will substantially contribute to its economic recovery," Fizulic told reporters. According to him, a speech which a European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) representative gave at the conference, attracted much attention. Th EBRD official expressed satisfaction with the economic recovery of the region adding that the EBRD assessed that this European area would register the average growth in the D
BUDAPEST, Nov 25 (Hina) - "We expect that Croatia will soon have
free trade agreements concluded with a majority of countries in the
region and this may considerably help promote the bilateral
economic relations and the development of trade," Croatian Economy
Minister Goranko Fizulic said on Friday evening in Budapest where
he attended a conference of Central European Initiative (CEI)
member-countries' economy minister.
"We are also expecting that the stabilisation policy in the region
will substantially contribute to its economic recovery," Fizulic
told reporters.
According to him, a speech which a European Bank for Reconstruction
and Development (EBRD) representative gave at the conference,
attracted much attention. Th EBRD official expressed satisfaction
with the economic recovery of the region adding that the EBRD
assessed that this European area would register the average growth
in the Domestic Product by four (4) percent as against last year's
2.2-percent growth.
The Budapest ministerial conference adopted a declaration on small
and medium-sized entrepreneurship.
Besides this conference of economy ministers, CEI member-states'
foreign ministers also convened in Hungary.
Croatia was represented by an assistant to Foreign Minister, Nenad
Prelog.
Prelog told reporters that at the moment the CEI comprised three
types of countries - EU member-countries, countries which are
applicants in the first round to the EU membership, countries which
may become EU members in not so near future.
Now it is important to examine ways for the furtherance of the
cooperation between those countries as the commodity exchange has
increased by 50 percent in the region, the Croatian Foreign
Minister official added.
We are all interested in the exchange with EU members but one should
not forget the trade within the CEI, Prelog said.
The CEI Summit resumes on Saturday when heads of government hold a
meeting in Budapest.
Croatian Prime Minister Ivica Racan is expected to inform the CEI
meeting of the Zagreb Summit held on Friday by 15 EU member-states
leaders and their counterparts from countries covered by the
Stabilisation and Association Process.
Croatian Foreign Minister Tonino Picula will notify the CEI summit
of decisions made at the Zagreb meeting of Adriatic and Ioninan
Initiative, held within yesterday's Zagreb Summit.
(hina) ms