Zagreb, March 6, 2013 – The new World Bank Country Director for Central Europe and the Baltic Countries, Ms. Mamta Murthi, is making her first visit to Croatia since her appointment on February 1, 2013.
The objective of Ms. Murti’s visit is to become more familiar with the country challenges and discuss the design of the new joint Country Partnership Strategy for the Republic of Croatia aimed at assisting Croatia to achieve faster economic recovery and maximize the benefits of imminent EU membership.
Ms. Murti’s agenda included meetings with H.E. Ivo Josipović, President of the Republic of Croatia, H.E. Branko Grčić Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Regional Development and EU Funds, H.E. Milanka Opačić, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Social Policy and Youth, H.E. Slavko Linić, Minister of Finance and H.E. Željko Jovanović, Minister of Science, Education and Sports. Ms. Murti also met with Mr. Boris Vujčić, Governor of the Croatian National Bank.
‘I am very impressed to see the progress Croatia has made over the last two decades and the hard work that has been done to finalize the EU accession process. Unfortunately, as in the rest of the region as well as globally, this progress is being slowed down and this has affected Croatia on many fronts,’ said Mamta Murthi, World Bank Country Director for Central Europe and the Baltic Countries. ‘Membership in the EU has served as an engine for economic growth for many countries and Croatia too stands to benefit from the membership. However, membership alone will not be enough, as it will come with large challenges. As Croatia’s partner, the World Bank will continue to assist the Government’s efforts along the path to economic recovery and help the authorities maximize the benefits of EU membership.’
Since joining the World Bank in 1993, Croatia received support from the World Bank in the form of financial and technical assistance, policy advice, and analytical services. To date, the Bank has supported 48 projects in the amount of US$3.3 billion, and it has approved 52 grants with a total value of US$70 million.
