SLOVENE-CROATIAN TRADE HAS FALLEN

( Editorial: --> 3138 ) ZAGREB, June 23 (Hina) - The free trade agreement between Croatia and Slovenia, clasped in December last year, has not yet given expected results, because export and import in the first four months of this year has fallen, assessed members of the Management Committee of the Mixed Slovene-Croatian Chamber of Commerce at their second session held on Tuesday in Zagreb. They talked about experiences in the implementation of that agreement as well overall economic relations and proposals for improving trade between Croatia and Slovenia. The co-chairpersons of the mixed chamber Dunja Konjevod from the Croatian Chamber of Commerce and Cveto Stantic from the Economic Assembly of Slovenia, signed Regulations on Joint Activity, which have the aim of stimulating economic activities between Slovenia and Croatia. Konjevod said that a Croatian deficit was noted last year in trade with Slovenia, amounting to $US225 million. Assessing that the fall in trade is not alarming, Stantic said that the Croatian deficit can be reduced by increasing export of oil derivatives, and primarily by tourism - which is not included in that data - given that Slovenian tourists made 3.5 million overnight-stays in Croatia last year. Members of the Management Committee advocated that the agreements on avoiding double tax and property-legal relations be signed as soon as possible. (hina) as bag/ha 231710 MET jun 98