Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Friday he was pleased with the European Commission's forecast that Croatia's economy will grow 6% this year, adding that the forecast confirms what the government has been saying.

The Commission revised upward its growth forecast for Croatia from 3.4% last spring to 6%.

That is the contribution of exports, investments and EU funds, the government’s measures, consumption and tourism, Plenkovic said, adding that the 6% forecast is somewhat more optimistic than the government’s forecast.

It’s encouraging that we are one of the five states with the highest growth this year, which is a very good pledge for next year, when the economy is expected to slow down, to 1% according to the Commission and 0.7% according to us, Plenkovic said.

Inflation forecasts for next year converge very well as they put it at half this year’s rate, he added.

Next year Croatia will be much more protected due to membership in the euro area, where a certain fiscal capacity for supporting citizens in the energy crisis has accumulated thanks to a responsible public finance policy, he said.

Plenkovic reiterated that in a few weeks, Croatia will have achieved the goals of joining the euro and Schengen areas.

That is a big success for the investment credit rating, whose effects we will fully understand as years pass. We were modest in our estimate, he said.