Global economic growth have created conditions for reduction of public debt in 2017. The favorable external and internal conditions supported reduction of general government debt in Croatia in 2017.
The Eastern European consulting market saw a solid year of growth in 2017, with every major country in the region — Poland, Romania, Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia — expanding faster than the year before.
Over the course of the last dozen or so months, EU institutions, as well as the Polish Financial Supervision Authority have intensified their efforts to help fintech companies to develop.
In 2017, the value of fixed capital formation in the EU member states increased by EUR123bn y/y. In Poland, it was EUR5.5bn higher y/y, but its share in relation to GDP decreased to the lowest level in 20 years.
The US natural gas “revolution” has already benefitted European gas consumers: Gazprom has been obliged to lower the prices of many of its long-term contracts with European customers.
The Croatian government has invited LOT Polish Airlines to a possible takeover of a "significant stake" in Croatia Airlines. LOT has declined to comment.
According to the new guidelines of the European Commission, the share of recycled municipal waste will increase to 65 per cent. The EC announced that the EU will become a global leader in waste management and processing of recyclable materials.
Polish-Croatian economic cooperation is at a fairly good level, but it seems that the real momentum is not there yet. One thing distinguishes Poland from Croatia – the desire for success through the cooperation with the Western countries.
The market risk for the European banking sector–associated with growing volatility, potential liquidity shortages and the possibility of drops in asset prices–increased at the turn of the year and is currently at a high level.
In the Q1’18, Croatia was among the EU members with the largest growth in the number of employees on a quarterly and annual level, Eurostat's latest report showed. Still, the country lacks employees in all sectors.