The meeting was attended by representatives of some 50 Croatian companies and institutions, 20 Austrian companies and the Styrian Automobile Cluster.
Expressing hope that they would find partners in Croatia, Galler said there were 700 companies in Austria producing automobile parts, with 185,000 employees. One-third of the industry, with 44,000 employees, is located in Styria. Styrian producers of automobile parts last year saw a turnover of EUR 9.3 billion and profits worth EUR 1.6 billion.
According to the Croatian Chamber of the Economy, there are around 140 producers of car parts in Croatia, employing some 4,800 workers. Last year's turnover amounted to some USD 230 million.
Styrian Prime Minister Waltraud Klasnik said that car production had gone up significantly in Austria in the last ten years, which she said offered good opportunities to subcontractors and suppliers, as well as to potential Croatian partners.
Croatian Economy Minister Branko Vukelic, who attended the meeting, said his ministry believed the creation of clusters provided an opportunity for the development of small companies. By joining into clusters those companies will become more competitive and find their way to the European markets more easily, Vukelic said.
He added that his ministry was implementing a programme providing funding for the establishment and management of clusters and that it assisted in the training of cluster managers.