ZAGREB, April 11 (Hina) - Direct foreign investment in Croatia in 2003 exceeded US1.7 billion, up 52.4 percent from 2002, while direct foreign investment from 1993 through 2003 amounted to 9.28 billion, according to preliminary data
of the Croatian National Bank.
ZAGREB, April 11 (Hina) - Direct foreign investment in Croatia in 2003
exceeded US1.7 billion, up 52.4 percent from 2002, while direct
foreign investment from 1993 through 2003 amounted to 9.28 billion,
according to preliminary data of the Croatian National Bank.#L#
Last year's foreign investment was the highest annual investment made
in the last 11 years.
In comparison to 2002, last year's growth in direct investment was
mostly the result of reinvested profit, which went up 342.5 percent to
670 million.
Reinvested profit grew in the telecommunications and financial
brokerage sectors and was realised mainly in the April-June 2003
period.
In the October-December 2003 period direct foreign investment amounted
to 692 million, of which nearly 90 percent was ownership investment,
most of which coming from the sale of 25 percent plus one share of the
domestic oil company INA to Hungary's MOL for 505 million. Of other
ownership investments about 40 million came from investing in large
store chains.
Last year 60.85 percent of ownership investment referred to the
production of oil products, 6.72 percent to retail trade and 5.78
percent to monetary brokerage.
Also in 2003, 30.48 percent of direct investment came from Hungary,
23.61 percent from Austria, 19.38 percent from the United States, 8.75
percent from Germany and 6.08 percent from the Netherlands.
In the last 11 years the principal direct investor in Croatia was
Austria, accounting for 24.89 percent of such investments, followed by
Germany with 21.01 percent and the U.S. with 16.37 percent.
(Hina) ha