Prime Minister speaks about his economic plans for Croatia.
Prime Minister Orešković gave an interview for Bloomberg and announced that the government would launch a roadshow this summer which will offer 1.5 billion euros of bonds and other investment opportunities, which should diversify the economy which is dependent on tourism, reports Index.hr on March 15, 2016.
“The Finance Ministry, which will lead the international sales, will use the money to refinance the same amount of debt that has to be paid this year”, Orešković said for Bloomberg. Bloomberg explained that the new government is committed to a policy that includes reducing the fiscal deficit by selling about 30 billion euros of state property and thus pay debts.
Orešković said he was confident that the budget proposal would be accepted in Parliament and that they would be able to attract new investors and build new factories. He talked about plans for cutting procurement costs, reducing the number of state agencies and cutting all unnecessary programs.
“Croatia has a huge untapped potential. Everyone knows about Croatian tourism, but we also have other resources. There is a great interest for energy and infrastructure projects, and our workforce is skilled and talented so it can compete on a global level”, the prime minister told Bloomberg. He also emphasized that his aim is to stabilize the public debt, which is currently at a level of 85 percent of GDP.
He also commented on the position of MOST, which wants to take away certain powers from the Croatian National Bank. “My position is clear – monetary policy must remain independent as is the case in all European countries”, said Orešković.
Asked about Brexit, he said he believed that the issue might be a good test. “We all have our own challenges and differences, but at the end of the day it all comes down to compromise. This is an example of how Europe, when faced with challenges, comes with specific solutions”, said Orešković, whom Bloomberg described as the first Croatian Prime Minister who did not come from the ranks of the two biggest political blocs – HDZ and SDP.
