President spoke at a business luncheon organized by Canadian-Croatian Business Network.
Economic cooperation between Croatia and Canada could be much more developed than it is now, and it should be improved by efforts to create a more favourable business climate in Croatia, which includes the government’s proposal for tax reform, said on Friday President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović at a business luncheon organized by the Canadian-Croatian Business Network (CCBN), reports Nacional on October 28, 2016.
“I believe that we will provide more favourable business and investment conditions in order to attract investors”, said the President, describing the government’s tax reform proposal as a step in that direction. “I wish that investors from Canada and other countries recognize investment opportunities in Croatia, not only in tourism but also in other industries”, she added. In this sense, it is necessary to provide for “two-way migration” between Croatia and Canada, so that educated people would not permanently leave Croatia. They should return to their homeland after learning and gathering experience abroad. “This is perhaps the most difficult task that lies ahead”, she said. The President thanked Canadian investors for their persistence in, as she said, “the fight against bureaucracy in Croatia”.
According to Grabar-Kitarović, a special role in the development of Croatian-Canadian relations belongs to a large community of Croatian Canadians. While the past was marked by “stumbles” in relations with the community, this has now changed and that cooperation is based on economic principles, in addition to a dose of patriotism, said the President.
Mentioning Končar, 3. Maj, Borovo, Podravka and other companies present in Canada, she pointed out that, in order to increase modest trade between Croatia and Canada valued at just 44.7 million dollars a year, it was necessary to create business opportunities for Croats from Canada, to attract Canadian companies to come to Croatia, and to encourage cooperation in construction, IT and energy sectors.
The President also spoke about negotiations regarding the free trade agreement between the EU and Canada (CETA). She said that it was “a natural and logical next step” in the relations between Canada and Europe, which will particularly help start-ups and will remove barriers to participation of European companies in tenders for public contracts in Canada.
Canadian Ambassador Daniel Maksymiuk also highlighted the importance of the agreement, which he hoped was “very close” to being signed and would be “ a strong support to ties between Croatia and Canada”. Maksymiuk pointed out recent positive indicators of the Croatian economy and welcomed “a clear prospect of political stability”.
The Canadian-Croatian Business Network (CCBN) is an initiative established in 2010 to encourage the development of economic ties between the two countries. The network currently includes 50 companies, which employ a total of 3,000 employees and have annual revenues of one billion kuna.
