Experts discussed the investment climate in Croatia and what the investment sector has been most discussed lately – the arrival of Chinese construction companies on the European Union’s territory.

On the central panel of the fair „Balkan silk road – Is the Peljesac Bridge the First Breakthrough of the Chinese Construction Companies in the EU? ” the speaker was the first man of the Company Hrvatske Ceste, the president of the board, Josip Škorić.

Company Hrvatske ceste is the largest investor in the transport infrastructure in Croatia, and they hold a big number of strategic projects such as the Pelješac Bridge, the recently completed bridge of Čiovo, the planned D-403 road from the Škurinje to Rijeka port and the border bridge over Sava in Gradiška. It will be interesting to hear about the realization of a project worth nearly 3 billion kuna. For the „China Road and Bridge Corporation“, Peljesac Bridge is the first project in Croatia, and the quality of its performance will depend on how the Chinese will continue to perform in Europe.

The Chinese also have big plans in Zadar that could be linked to China by direct lines next year. Chinese develop energy projects in Senj and want to invest in the Knin - Zadar railways, said Siniša Malus, communications manager of the Chinese South East European Business Association (CSEBA).

"The climate for Chinese investments is now much better than two or three years ago, and we can certainly hope for new Chinese ventures in Croatia in the coming years," Malus said.

These are primarily rail and harbors.

- We have an excellent geopromedical position and it is best to use it. We've been abandoning the railroads over the past two decades and I'm sure there is a lot of investment in that segment of infrastructure in the coming years, Malus said.

Croatian ports can become entry ports for all the Chinese cargo traveling to Europe. Investment in the Zadar port has been realized and is now followed by a series of investments that will turn it into a competing company on the eastern Adriatic coast. RO-RO terminal construction is planned. That would shift Zadar's part of the traffic and cargo of Chinese partner companies now in Port of Koper, concluded Malus.