Numerous Croatian, Ukrainian companies attend economic forum in Kiev

The forum at the Kiev international convention centre Parkovy, organised by the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK) and the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, was attended by representatives of Croatian companies from different sectors: the pharmaceutical industry, IT, shipbuilding, electrical engineering, construction, energy, ecology, food industry and trade, metallurgy and wood industry, tourism, textile industry, air transport.

"They've come here because they've recognised the potential, they've seen the trend and intensity of our relations and the open door to mutual cooperation," Plenković said, addressing the participants of the forum.

Also, Ukrainians show enormous interest in Croatia as a tourist market. Ukrainian tourists generated more overnight stays in 2021, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, than in the record tourist season of 2019, he said.

Plenković announced that Croatia was planning to open a National Tourist Board office in Kiev and thus send another strong message on how to improve cooperation in this important sector.

He also said that Croatia was open to foreign investors, underscoring that by mid-2021 foreign direct investments in Croatia worth nearly €37 billion had been made.

The most concrete interest in investing in Croatia has been expressed by the System Capital Management (SCM) company, owned by one of the richest Ukrainian entrepreneurs, Rinat Ahmetov. There is talk about SCM's investment in a poultry farm in Banovina, which would employ between 2,000 and 3,000 people, and the company is also interested in investing in Croatian agriculture, energy sector and ports.

Croatia-Ukraine trade jumped by 25% in 2020 and by 5.2% in the first seven months of this year, which shows the potential of economic cooperation between them despite the pandemic.

For the potential to be utilised in the best way possible, it is necessary to encourage direct contacts between Croatian and Ukrainian companies and strengthen institutional relations between Ukraine and Croatia as well as the EU, it was said at the forum.

Opening the event, HGK president Luka Burilović said over 200 Croatian and Ukrainian companies from all key sectors were present. This fact and the constant trade growth confirm how important the Ukrainian market is for Croatian companies, he added.

He said 30% of Croatia's export to Ukraine was generated by pharmaceutical companies, adding that IT, agriculture, and the chemical and metal industries were also propulsive.

For the further development of relations, he said, Croatian companies must utilise as much as possible the EU-Ukraine Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement, which opens goods and services markets with big tax breaks.

Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Gennadiy Chyzhykov said that thanks to strategic cooperation with the HGK, enterprises from both countries had new cooperation possibilities.

"This gathering gives us hope that our trade will continue to grow, notably in agriculture, tourism and industry. Energy and digitalisation are two more topics of importance to us, in which we know Croatia has great experience, and we will continue to exchange know-how in those areas," he said.

Also present at the opening of the forum was Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, who said Ukraine was open to foreign investment and that it wanted to advance economic cooperation and trade with Croatia.

Centre for Croatian language and culture set up at Kyiv University

Addressing the university's dean and students, the visiting Croatian Prime Minister said that it was pleasure for him to participate in the opening of the centre that would particularly witness the closeness and similarities of the Croatian and Ukrainian languages.

He recalled that the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of the University of Zagreb also had a Ukrainian language department.

In this way we build our friendship, we develop our relations and strengthen the status of the Ukrainian minority in Croatia and the status of Croats living in Ukraine, said Plenković.

During today's ceremony, Croatia donated about a hundred books for the centre.

Plenković said that he was looking forward to the continuation of cooperation and younger generations fostering the Croatian and Ukrainian relations.

On Thursday, the Croatian premier travels to Lviv.

Text: HINA

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