Croatian President, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, attending the Economic Summit organised by the Süddeutsche Zeitung daily in Berlin on Wednesday, presented her vision of Croatia’s economic growth, saying the country needed to improve the investment climate, implement tax reforms and reduce labour costs.

“We need to bring Croatia closer to the world,” Grabar-Kitarovic said.

With more than 60 speakers, the 2018 Economic Summit is focusing on the major issues moving today’s economy, politics and society, discussing where Germany and Europe are headed, what the future of money holds and whether the breakthrough in artificial intelligence will cost people jobs as well as how leaders can master these challenges.

The event, which was opened on Monday evening with a speech by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, was also attended by the prime ministers of Iceland, Estonia, and Serbia.

“The main message I want to tell you today is that Croatia is open for business,” Grabar-Kitarovic said.

Obviously Croatia has had many problems, she said, but added that the country has nonetheless been “one of the success stories.”

She mentioned some of the difficulties potential investors encounter, “from red tape, bureaucracy, to uncertainty in terms of changing legislation, to high taxes in terms of labour, and perhaps even corruption and obstruction on the local levels,” saying however that the government had been “doing their utmost” to change the state of affairs.

Croatia today heavily relies on tourism, she said, adding production needed to be at the centre of the country’s economy.

Grabar-Kitarovic mentioned the Three Seas Initiative which, she said, is aimed at reducing wealth gaps between east and west European Union countries.

“This initiative was misinterpreted as an initiative of discord, when in fact it is aimed at achieving cohesion within the European Union,” she said.

The Three Seas Initiative is an informal platform for cooperation on projects with the aim of increasing national security levels, better transport and digital connectivity, market development, and social cohesion in general. It is comprised of twelve countries located between the Adriatic, Baltic, and the Black Seas – three Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania), four members of the Visegrád Group (Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Poland), and Croatia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Romania, and Austria. Grabar-Kitarovic first put forward the proposal about that informal political platform in 2015.

Ahead of the summit, Grabar-Kitarovic attended a dinner reception during which she spoke with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

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