Prime minister is attending the second Western Balkans Investment Summit hosted by EBRD
Croatian prime minister, Tihomir Tim Orešković will be in London on Monday, February 22, 2016, where he will participate in the second Western Balkans Investment Summit hosted by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). The first conference was held in February 2014, and along with PM Orešković, the event will be attended by the prime ministers from the region, government ministers, political decision-makers and leading entrepreneurs.
The event aims at highlighting investment and business opportunities in the region and at promoting the inflow of foreign direct investment and cross-border projects. After a prime ministers’ session, three panel discussions will be held on the following topics: the development of transport links, the potential for renewable energy and the privatisation agenda in the Western Balkans.
Before the summit, the prime minister will meet with the British foreign secretary Phillip Hammond and trade and investment minister Francis Maude. During the conference, prime minister Orešković will also meet with the chairman of BiH ministers, president of EBRD Sir Suma Chakrabarti, EBRD’s first VP Philip Bennet and with representatives of Croatian companies attending the summit.
Considering that our foreign investments have decreased by 50% in the first three-quarters in 2015, it is imperative to entice the interest of foreign investors. Tourism, of course, still attract the most interest when it comes to foreign investments, however US companies are interested in energy projects, German investors are looking into possibilities in the IT, food, telecom and automotive industries, while French companies are already present in Croatia with large-scale projects such as the reconstruction of the Zagreb Airport and Gruž passenger terminal.
