Croatia's Deputy Prime Minister and Regional Development and EU Funds Minister, Branko Grcic, on Tuesday received British Minister of State for Trade and Investment Stephen Keith Green for the talks on potential for upgrading the bilateral economic cooperation on the back of Croatia's membership of the European Union.
After the talks in Zagreb, Grcic told the press that today's meeting was part of preparations for a visit of Croatia's delegation to Great Britain this autumn so that it would be fruitful.
Croatia is reinforcing its institutional capacities for internationalisation of the economy for the purpose of attracting foreign investments and developing other business connections, the Croatian minister said.
Lord Green added that today's talks had not focused on concrete projects but on preparations for the Croatian delegation's visit to London in the autumn when Croatia is expected to acquaint British business people with what it is offering.
He said that British investors had been showing renewed interest in Croatia following its admission to the EU on 1 July. However, it is still early to speak of concrete headway, given that only three weeks have passed since then, he explained.
Asked by the press whether he was acquainted with challenges which some of the British investors had faced in Croatia, Lord Green said that such challenges existed in many other countries, including Great Britain.
Croatia certainly should work on increasing its attractiveness to investors and on facilitating their efforts to do business through, for example, shorter periods for issuance of some licences. But those are challenges which investors experience in many countries, including Great Britain, the British state minister said.
The Britons are showing interest in Croatia, and this can be backed by the fact British Airways has reinstated Zagreb-bound regular services, Lord Green said adding that the airplane on which he had come to Zagreb had been full.
(Hina)
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