{"id":42785,"date":"2026-04-14T15:29:05","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T13:29:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.predsjednik.hr\/?post_type=news&p=42785"},"modified":"2026-04-14T15:29:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T13:29:12","slug":"president-milanovic-meets-with-members-of-the-exporters-club-only-competitive-and-technologically-advanced-exports-can-drive-growth","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.predsjednik.hr\/en\/news\/president-milanovic-meets-with-members-of-the-exporters-club-only-competitive-and-technologically-advanced-exports-can-drive-growth\/","title":{"rendered":"President Milanovi\u0107 Meets with Members of the Exporters\u2019 Club: Only Competitive and Technologically Advanced Exports Can Drive Growth"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cWe produce little and export little. The total nominal value of exports of goods and services is \u20ac46 billion, which is half of Croatia\u2019s nominal GDP. I stress \u2018nominal\u2019 because nominal figures and purchasing power are not the same, and GDP measured by purchasing power parity should certainly be given priority. Looking at absolute figures, all indicators have risen significantly since joining the EU. However, we remain equally or similarly unbalanced, equally dependent on foreign knowledge and services, and there are no signs of this changing significantly,\u201d said the President of the Republic Zoran Milanovi\u0107 at a meeting with members of Lider\u2019s Exporters\u2019 Club held on Tuesday at the Office of the President.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Milanovi\u0107 agreed with the view that exports are a driver of growth, but warned that only exports that are \u201ccompetitive, technologically advanced, dominant, and penetrating\u201d can play that role. \u201cExports are a measure of strength and advantage over competitors and are best reflected in how much a country manages to sell to others. After 13 years of EU membership, we are still where we started. We are a country highly dependent on tourism, which is the only \u2018industry\u2019 in the broader sense that has developed significantly and benefited Croatia \u2013 but it also represents dependence on a single aggregate factor, a single source,\u201d the President warned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He emphasized that Croatia \u201chas not been and must not be erased by joining the EU,\u201d and that \u201cwe must always be aware of the kind of system we have voluntarily joined, without coercion, and of the rules that govern it.\u201d Speaking about the EU\u2019s position in today\u2019s global landscape, he noted that \u201cthe European Union has an overall trade surplus of \u20ac150 billion,\u201d and that \u201cas a whole, the EU is self-sufficient in food production, which Croatia is not.\u201d However, he cautioned that at the same time \u201cthe European Union is becoming a second-tier global player.\u201d \u201cWe will continue to live relatively well and comfortably for years to come, and our children\u2019s generation will also live relatively well. However, what comes after that is very difficult to discern from the current global landscape,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI will do everything in my power, as someone who formally represents Croatia abroad, to help, support, and open doors for Croatian goods, services, and knowledge. With hope and optimism that Croatia can do better \u2013 although for some reason it often seems unwilling, as if we have been operating on inertia \u2013 I believe these discussions will yield practical benefits. I have no need for self-promotion, I am no longer running in elections, but I will do what I can to help our people generate benefits and strength for Croatia,\u201d President Milanovi\u0107 concluded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following introductory remarks by President Milanovi\u0107 and Lider editor-in-chief Miodrag \u0160ajatovi\u0107, Manuela Ta\u0161ler, Head of Lider\u2019s Exporters\u2019 Club, presented new data on Croatian exports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to data from the Croatian Bureau of Statistics, the top five export markets last year were Germany, Slovenia, Italy, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia, which entered the top five for the first time. Exports to the United States declined, while exports to Canada increased significantly. The data show that more than half of Croatia\u2019s exports are concentrated in just five markets, and nearly two-thirds of export growth was generated in Germany, Slovenia, and Italy. Germany remains the key market for Croatian exports. A major concern is that most exports are still concentrated in lower value-added segments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 43rd<\/sup> meeting of Lider\u2019s Exporters\u2019 Club, held at the Office of the President of the Republic, was attended \u2013 alongside representatives of the business magazine Lider, including editor-in-chief Miodrag \u0160ajatovi\u0107, directors Bojana Bo\u017eani\u0107 Ivanovi\u0107 and Danko Su\u010devi\u0107, and Head of Lider\u2019s Exporters\u2019 Club Manuela Ta\u0161ler \u2013 by representatives of member companies: Katija Klepo, President of the Management Board, AD Plastik d.d.; Sergio Galo\u0161i\u0107, President of the Management Board, Amelicor Group d.o.o.; Ivana Bari\u0161i\u0107, Export Director of Meteor Group, Badel 1862 d.d.; Sanja Kuni\u0107, Export Manager, Badel 1862 d.d.; Ivan Bajkovec, Director, Bajkmont d.o.o.; Zvonko Kolobara, General Manager, BAT Adria; Pavao Pocrnja, Senior Core Manager for BAT Adria (Croatia, Slovenia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina); Snje\u017eana Poljanek, Sales and Marketing Manager, DHL International d.o.o.; Kre\u0161imir Pai\u0107, President of the Management Board, ECCOS-In\u017eenjering d.o.o.; Zvonimir Samodol, President of the Management Board, Croatian Credit Insurance d.d.; Alenka Jajac-Knez, Executive Director, Jadran-Galenski laboratorij d.d.; Ivan Pai\u0107, Member of the Management Board, KON\u010cAR Elektroindustrija d.d.; Vlatka Kameni\u0107 Jagodi\u0107, Director of the Marketing and Corporate Communications Division, KON\u010cAR Elektroindustrija d.d.; Tomislav Bagi\u0107, President of the Management Board, Kra\u0161 prehrambena industrija d.d.; Milena Vu\u0161ak, Member of the Management Board, Kra\u0161 prehrambena industrija d.d.; Ivana Jela\u0161, Financial Adviser to Liburnia (KWAN Advisery), LIBURNIA Maritime Agency d.o.o.; Dario Kauri\u0107, Adviser to the Management Board for International Cooperation and Regulatory Affairs, Oda\u0161ilja\u010di i veze d.o.o.; Ivan Ostoji\u0107, Member of the Management Board, Podravka d.d.; and Nikola Po\u017egaj, President of the Management Board, Po\u017egaj Group d.o.o.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n \n <\/a>\n \n \n <\/a>\n \n \n <\/a>\n \n \n <\/a>\n \n \n <\/a>\n \n \n <\/a>\n \n \n <\/a>\n \n \n <\/a>\n \n \n <\/a>\n \n \n <\/a>\n \n \n <\/a>\n \n \n <\/a>\n \n <\/div>\n\n\n\n\n

PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia \/ Ana Marija Kati\u0107<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cWe produce little and export little. The total nominal value of exports of goods and services is \u20ac46 billion, which is half of Croatia\u2019s nominal GDP. I stress \u2018nominal\u2019 because nominal figures and purchasing power are not the same, and GDP measured by purchasing power parity should certainly be given priority. Looking at absolute figures, all indicators have risen significantly since joining the EU. However, we remain equally or similarly unbalanced, equally dependent on foreign knowledge and services, and there are no signs of this changing significantly,\u201d said the President of the Republic Zoran Milanovi\u0107 at a meeting with members of Lider\u2019s Exporters\u2019 Club held on Tuesday at the Office of the President.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":42784,"template":"","news-cat":[12],"class_list":["post-42785","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-cat-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nPresident Milanovi\u0107 Meets with Members of the Exporters\u2019 Club: Only Competitive and Technologically Advanced Exports Can Drive Growth - President of the Republic of Croatia - Zoran Milanovi\u0107<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.predsjednik.hr\/en\/news\/president-milanovic-meets-with-members-of-the-exporters-club-only-competitive-and-technologically-advanced-exports-can-drive-growth\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"President Milanovi\u0107 Meets with Members of the Exporters\u2019 Club: Only Competitive and Technologically Advanced Exports Can Drive Growth - President of the Republic of Croatia - Zoran Milanovi\u0107\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u201cWe produce little and export little. 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