Croatia and Albania considerably improved their trade last year, but there is still room for further improvement, especially in tourism and the food industry, a business forum was told in Zagreb on Monday.
The Croatian-Albanian business forum took place at the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK) during a return visit by the Albanian Minister of Finance and Economy, Anila Denaj. A Croatian business delegation, headed by Economy Minister Darko Horvat, visited Albania in July last year.
Horvat recalled that during his visit Albania and Croatia had signed a memorandum of understanding, the effects of which were seen already in the second half of 2019 when trade increased by 30 percent.
"2019 was a turning point in economic cooperation between Albania and Croatia," Horvat said, adding that 53 Croatian companies were currently operating in Albania. He said that the volume of trade in the last few years was a relatively modest €60 million.
Horvat said that Croatian companies had established cooperation with Albanian public companies in building infrastructure, roads and motorways and modernising rail infrastructure, and that one of the priorities was for Croatian companies to increase food exports in light of growing tourism in Albania.
Horvat said that Denaj was particularly interested in Croatia's experience with regard to absorption of EU funds and how to prepare Albania for EU accession negotiations.
Horvat said that Croatia's support for Albania's EU membership bid was real and not just lip service. "We want to see Albania and North Macedonia as full members of the EU as soon as possible," he stressed.
Denaj said that the current Croatian presidency of the EU was important to Albania, expressing hope that it would help improve political processes in the entire Western Balkans region. She said that Albania would try to use Croatia's experience in different sectors and improve the cooperation, not just in trade, but also in tourism and industry.
Denaj thanked Croatia and its people for the assistance extended to her country after it was recently struck by severe earthquakes.
HGK president Luka Burilovic said that possibilities for increasing cooperation between Croatian and Albanian companies existed not just in energy, because over 50 Croatian and Albanian companies from construction, food, hospitality, industrial equipment manufacturing, insurance and other sectors attended the forum.
He said that opening a direct flight service between Zagreb and Tirana, building an Adriatic-Ionian motorway and a maritime connection between the Adriatic ports of Durres and Sibenik or Rijeka would help improve economic ties between the two countries.
Ines Mucostepa, the head of the Albanian Union of Chambers of Commerce and Industry, said that tourism had started to develop in Albania only in the 2000s and that Croatia's experience in this field was welcome. She expressed hope that tourist exchanges between the two countries would increase and thus encourage investment.
Mucostepa said that many fiscal breaks available in the Albanian tourism industry were an opportunity for Croatian tourism companies to invest in her country.
During the forum, the HGK and the Albanian Union of Chambers of Commerce and Industry signed a memorandum of understanding.
(Hina/FaH)
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