ZAGREB, December 18, 2018 - A conference on the challenges of Croatian maritime sector in doing business heard on Monday that aside from investing in the maritime infrastructure, it is necessary to improve the port infrastructure required for attracting cargo and the connection between ports and the rail sector.
Over the past dozen years, the government invested over 600 million euro in the maritime infrastructure and it is investing 130 million euro in the Rijeka port through the absorption of European funds, said Maja Markovčić Kostelac, state secretary at the Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure Ministry.
She underlined the importance of concessionaires for attracting cargo as well as the challenge of connecting ports and the rail sector, saying it is necessary to attract investment in the rail infrastructure and logistics.
She said Croatia's tax policy had helped its shipping companies weather the crisis on the global market.
Vedran Devčić of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce said rising protectionism and possible trade wars were key global trends affecting the future of the maritime sector.
He said he hoped for a Croatian mega project worth several billion euros which would comprise a new, big container port on Krk island, a new road and rail bridge between Krk and the mainland and a Rijeka-Karlovac-Botovo railway towards the Hungarian border.
More news on the Croatian maritime sector and economy can be found in our Business section.
