ALMOST 60 CROATIAN PARTICIPANTS IN MUNICH CRAFTS FAIR

MUNICH, March 18 (Hina) - Almost 60 Croatian small business owners are participating in the 18-24 March Munich Fair of Crafts, opened ceremonially by German Economy and Technology Minister, Werner Muller, on Thursday. At this biggest world fair of crafts, Croatians, who are the second biggest group after Austrians to take part in the event, are promoting their products, services and possibilities for inventions under the slogan "Croatian Craftsmen - Your Partner in the New Millennium. A patent of the "universal hydraulic-power press" of the family Jurkovic from Velika Gorica, is among 20 patents that compete for the award for the best original patent at the fair. The Croatian Chamber of Crafts (HOK) organised the appearance of Croatians in Munich. The Hok President, Stjepan Safran, and Croatian Consul-General in Munich Ivan Simek held a news conference in Munich on this occasion. Recalling that Germany is the most important economic partner of their country, Safran and Simek stressed that the trade between the two countries had totalled 2.4 billion dollars last year. However, only a third of this amount was made up by Croatian export and that's why there is space for the expansion of such cooperation, they said adding that products of craftsmen could contribute to the enlargement of the commodity exchange. Speaking of economic indicators for Croatia in 1998, Simek said the direct foreign investments totalled 620 million US dollars in the first nine months last year. Croatia successfully participated in the recent tourism fair 'Munich - CBR' which is the reason for expectations that about a million German holiday-makers could come to Croatia this year, what would be a 20 percent increase in comparison to the 1998 figure. (hina) ms