April the 11th, 2024 – European Investment Bank investment will open a multitude of doors for Croatian enterprises, and the main aims are growth across the Balkans and the reconstruction of Ukraine.
As Poslovni Dnevnik/Ana Roksandic writes, investments by the European Investment Bank (EIB) in Ukraine and the Western Balkans provide an excellent business opportunity for Croatian enterprises and consultants, as was pointed out at the conference organised by the Croatian Employers’ Association (HUP) in cooperation with the EIB and the Ministry of Finance.
The CEO of HUP Irena Weber emphasised that over more recent years, the EIB has directly financed numerous projects in the Republic of Croatia. Those investments have since lead to the creation of jobs, but there is still a problem when it comes to the completely insufficient recognition of all the potential and business opportunities that the EIB provides to Croatian enterprises.
Weber emphasised that there is potential here especially because Croatia is a small and open economy, one of the most important focuses of which is export. The head of the EIB Group office in Croatia, Slađana Ćosić, said that there are multiple efforts and initiatives by the EIB and the European Union for financing and investing in key economic sectors across the Western Balkans as well as in war-torn Ukraine.
“The EIB’s focus outside the European Union in the coming period will be the reconstruction and recovery of Ukraine, investments in countries planned for the enlargement of the EU, and the implementation of the EU’s Global Gateway programme,” Ćosić revealed.
Matteo Rivellini, head of the department for the Western Balkans and Turkey, said: “Last year we financed almost 1.2 billion euros in infrastructure, as well as in the private and public sectors. This year we’re aligned with the priorities of the new EU’s growth plan for the Western Balkans, so that we can finance investments in green infrastructure”.
He explained that the emphasis of investments is primarily on railways and renewable energy, and that the EIB has become a partner of Serbia and Albania in regard to railway reconstruction and renovation. Croatia’s advantage is certainly its geographical proximity, as well as its cultural and historical ties with the countries of the Western Balkans. Finance Minister Marko Primorac believes that the conference will open the door for the participation of Croatian enterprises in projects that will be financed and carried out in third countries.
