ANALYSIS
EM: n your opinion, what is the Croatian
I
Government doing right on FDI promotion?
What more could it do?
Doko-Jelusic: After many years without an Agency
for Investments and Competitiveness, Croatia now
has one that is very active, driving the development
of several pieces of legislation important to FDI
attraction and FDI-friendly promotion of the country.
A significant change has also been made in Croatia’s
diplomatic network; they have now taken an active
role in strengthening Croatian exports and supporting FDI attraction in addition to their political mandate. The Croatian Ministry of Foreign Affairs put
itself at the disposal of foreign investors as an additional instance of support in the country, usually connecting them with specific government agencies or
ministries.
Positive examples are the personal engagement of
President Josipović and Prime Minister Milanović
leading delegations to economic missions abroad,
which is a relatively new practice in the Croatian
economic environment. There are many other
things which could be done, but there are also limited resources and budgetary constraints, but most
importantly, there is noticeable progress.
EM: ow would you say increased FDI in
H
Croatia has changed the local business
environment?
Doko-Jelusic interview
companies come into
continued from page 11
contact with international markets, they
discover new opportunities, not just challenges.
EM: hat are foreign investors saying about
W
their investment experience in Croatia? Is
there a trend toward expansion of existing
investments?
Doko-Jelusic: People outside the CEE region usually
do not know much about Croatia. They might picture our beautiful coast, Dubrovnik and untouched
nature. There’s no doubt that tourism potential is
Croatia’s greatest competitive advantage. It’s true
that risk aversion in the international business community and decreased investment potential due to
the global recession have decreased the inflow of
FDIs into Croatia. But even in this situation, Croatia
hasn’t suffered from a lack of interest its tourist and
energy sectors.
What peopl