Speaking to the press, he said investments picked up since September after declining and a slow start in the first six months of 2012.
Cacic said the EUR 710.2 million constituted 93 per cent of the plan, 43 per cent of the maximum desired plan and 68 per cent of the initial plan adopted by the eight companies' supervisory boards.
Excluding the oil and gas company INA, public companies have signed investment contracts totalling EUR 1.03 billion this year so far and another EUR 385 million is being publicly procured, Cacic said, adding that 4,576 projects of the eight public companies were in the process of realisation, of which 4,204 were launched.
He said that if announcements by INA's management board eventuated, this year's total investments could surpass last year's by more than 50 per cent.
Asked if he was satisfied with public companies' investments, Cacic said a great deal more should be done and that many investments were slow, adding also that public spending must be kept in check.
He said the Public Procurement Commission would number nine members and not three as now, adding that public companies with no investment plans were also an issue.
Cacic said he was least satisfied with the investments made by Croatian Railways but conceded that its management board had encountered a very tough situation.
He said he would evaluate the performance of all public companies' management boards at the end of their first year in office.
He went on to say that data on the projects showed that they were being implemented at lower prices than those planned because more contractors submitted bids than before.
According to the Economy Ministry, the government expects the most this year from the HEP power company, which is expected to invest EUR 349.5 million, followed by Croatian Waters with EUR 270 million, Croatian Roads with EUR 259.7 million, and Croatian Motorways with EUR 254.1 million.
Among some of the larger projects under way this year, Cacic mentioned the Omisalj terminal and port (EUR 19 million), the Moravice-Rijeka railroad (EUR 14 million), the Orehovica-Krizisce road (EUR 36.5 million), the Benkovac-Split gas pipeline (EUR 8 million), and the Beli Manastir-Osijek motorway (EUR 50 million).