ZAGREB, February 11, 2020 – Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović opened the German-Croatian economic forum in Frankfurt on Monday, highlighting the importance of economic relations between the two countries and the high priority which Croatia attaches to economic cooperation with Germany.
“The development of economic cooperation with Germany as one of Croatia’s most prominent economic partners in the European Union continues to be our priority,” Grabar-Kitarović said in her opening remarks.
The forum was organised on the premises of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange as part of the Croatian Business Day event marking the Croatian presidency of the European Union.
It was Grabar-Kitarović’s last trip abroad in her capacity as President, and she stressed the importance of holding such meetings at this level.
“This economic forum is very important to us because it puts special emphasis on innovative companies and their smart solutions in the context of Industry 4.0, which is an additional chance for us to promote our economic cooperation,” the Croatian president said.
She said that Croatia was interested in attracting more German investments, particularly in science, technology and innovation, as well as greenfield investments in the car industry and elsewhere. She noted the support Croatia had extended to a highly innovative project called “Vallis Solaris Croatia”, which is aimed at joint implementation of applied research in renewable energy sources.
Grabar-Kitarović also mentioned Croatian citizens working in that part of Germany, saying that their number had increased significantly since Croatia joined the EU in mid-2013 and that their experience could be used in further promoting the partnership between the two countries.
“Many of them, I am confident, could help create a valuable platform for various business partnerships that could achieve two-way mobility or brain circulation, instead of brain drain, between our two countries,” the Croatian president said.
She announced another Croatian Business Day event as part of the Croatian EU presidency for May in the northern city of Hamburg.
The Croatian president is also scheduled to visit Mainz, just southwest of Frankfurt, where she will present charters and medals to Croatian associations.
More news about relations between Croatia and Germany can be found in the Politics section.
