PowerPoint Tim’s much-awaited budget coming soon.
Croatian Prime Minister Tihomir Orešković said on Wednesday at the start of the session of his cabinet that the budget for this year will be presented on 10 March, adding that its adoption is one of the five key points which will be the basis for initiating reforms that his government has promised to the citizens. “This budget is our budget. We have promised reforms to the citizens and that is what they expect from us”, said Orešković and added that the government was moving “in the right direction”, reports Poslovni.hr on February 17, 2106.
He stated that the budget has been the subject of several meetings he has already had and will have in the coming weeks. Prior to that, Orešković will travel to Brussels to attend a meeting of the European Council, and then on 22 February he will travel to London to attend a conference organized by the EBRD.
Orešković pointed out that he had already met with a number of businesspeople, particularly from the IT sector, as well as with ambassadors from the EU and other countries. “They can all see our great potential regarding the investments, particularly in the energy sector, agriculture and tourism. They are all convinced that we can succeed, but only if we stick to agreements”, he said.
Orešković has also had meetings with a large number of potential foreign investors whose interest is substantial, but he added that the main problem continues to be the complexity of Croatia’s business rules and regulations. He repeated that the government had promised reforms to the citizens and then he listed five main points through which these reforms will be implemented.
The first is the activation of half a billion euros in unused assets owned by the state, which will be used to reduce public debt. The second point is the establishment of a fund for small and medium businesses which will also be worth about half a billion euros. The prime minister added that he had discussed this issue with representatives of the Croatian Bank for Reconstruction and Development and commercial banks, which could take part in the establishment of such a fund. The third point is the possibility of withdrawing 10.7 billion euros from European funds, the fourth point are investments with the greatest opportunities seen in tourism, while the fifth and final point is the new budget.
