ZAGREB, May 28, 2020 – Croatian and Slovenian economy ministers, Darko Horvat and Zdravko Pocivalsek, met on Wednesday in Mursko Sredisce for the talks on economic cooperation after the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic and on better connectivity with the construction of a new bridge across the Mura River.
After the meeting on the bridge across the Mura River and in the office of the mayor of the Croatian border town of Mursko Sredisce, Minister Horvat said that both economies were cooperating very well and they were the top five strongest trade partners to each other.
They pledged to make sure that the bilateral cooperation should be raised as soon as possible to the level it was prior to the corona crisis.
“We agree that the corona threat has warned us and compelled us to develop much better cooperation in the segment of the common European market but also as two countries that have very good economic relations,” said Horvat.
With reference to Croatia’s current presidency of the European Union and future chairmanship by Slovenia In the second half of 2021, he added that the two countries have been cautious when it comes to the aim of having climate-neutral industries by 2050 and where to find favourable funding to reach that target.
Minister Pocivalsek recalled that last year was a record year for trade between Croatia and Slovenia, exceeding €6 billion.
“We have to take pride that we overcame the corona crisis as far as the health aspect is concerned better than countries that are more advanced and economically developed than us. That gives me hope that we will turn this year’s negative trends into positive figures. And they will be better if we cooperate better,” Pocivalsek said.
He added that the first step to open the borders has been taken by allowing the owners of properties and vessels to enter the country and that as of June 1, the border should be opened for tourists.
The two ministers discussed the construction of a new bridge across the Mura River and a bypass around Mursko Sredisce which would relieve this northern Croatian town of freight traffic in the centre of town. Horvat said that determining junction points was important for the preparation of project documents for the new bridge and bypass road.
Mayor Drazen Sprak said that the road was not only important for the town but that it would also connect the Slovenian motorway from Graz through Maribor towards Budapest and Croatia’s motorway from the Hungarian border at Gorican towards Zagreb and then on to Rijeka and Split.
