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Zadar - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković on Sunday visited the coastal city of Zadar, where he discussed local projects with the city's leaders, noting that Zadar was developing well. "I believe the situation will be even better in the future. We discussed a number of projects that are financed with EU funds in the amount of EUR 35 million," Jandroković told reporters.
After visiting the city government, Jandroković met with Zadar County head Božidar Longin who informed him of projects that are under way or are being planned, in the sectors of tourism, transport and infrastructure.
"A large number of business zones are being developed, the work is coordinated between municipalities, the City of Zadar and Zadar County. The work is systematic, there are projects that will attract both domestic and foreign investors. A major advantage of Zadar County is its geographic position and excellent transport connections that are very attractive to investors. Considering how serious the projects are and the stage of preparation of the relevant documentation, I expect a large number of jobs to be created in the next few years. I am especially pleased that the number of inhabitants in Zadar County is growing and we all know that that problem burdens the rest of the country," said Jandroković, who also visited the city's Gaženica port.
Asked how interesting Croatia was to foreign investors, Jandroković said that investors' interest in Croatia had increased after the country joined the EU and that investors were not only from European countries. "We can see in Zadar County that there is great interest in investment by investors from big Asian countries, notably China. How much investments we will attract is up to us, we have to prepare documentation, the administrative work must be fast, and the judiciary stable and efficient so that investors feel safe," he said.
Reporters also asked Jandroković to comment on the recent signing of a 20-year concession agreement for Zadar's Gaženica port with the Turkish corporation Zadar International Port Operations (ZIPO) and to say how the city of Zadar would benefit from the contract in terms of concession fees. "That is a development project that will ensure new investments, the sale of Croatian goods on big vessels, job creation... for Zadar and Zadar County the contract means excellent transport connections. So the benefits are huge both for Zadar and the entire country. That is one of the better projects," he said.