CRO     DEU     ITA

Dear bussiness partners, entrepreneurs and investors,

it is our pleasure to be able to present you with the fifth, revised edition of The Investment Catalogue of the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, which contains developmental projects from various sectors that are of importance for the development of both the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County and Croatia in its entirety.
This catalogue is the result of the long-time cooperation between the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County and the City of Rijeka that aims to systematically present and stimulate investments, thus also contributing to even and comprehensive development of this region.
As a region located at the junction of Central European and Adriatic-Mediterranean routes, with the shortest maritime connections to end destinations, our aim is to become the most desirable region for potential investors in this part of Europe. These are our advantages: geographical position, a rich and diverse flora and fauna, a well-developed transport and utility infrastructure, our human resources and our readiness to accept new challenges.
This catalogue presents the City of Rijeka – the capital of the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, the largest port in Croatia, and one of the most important ports in Europe and the Mediterranean – through projects aimed at the development of Rijeka’s port capacities with the new waterfront, projects that aim to develop the transport infrastructure, tourism and housing construction, as well as other projects that have the ability to transform Rijeka into a distinctive Mediterranean city.
The history of the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County and the City of Rijeka is rooted in a centuries-long tradition in industrial manufacturing, ship construction, the production of petroleum products and petrochemical, pharmaceutical and other products, wood processing industry, tourism and the service sector, as well as the application of new technologies in cooperation with the academic community.
The Catalogue, which we attempted to fashion in a visually appealing and interesting way, contains basic information on each of the projects and provides the option of directly contacting the project proposers.
We hope that this Catalogue will help you make your business aspirations concerning the region of the Primorje-Gorski Kotar a reality.
We look forward to your arrival and your interest in investments and we firmly believe that, by working together, we can make your wishes, interests and project ideas come true, therefore justifying our Croatian Investor Friendly Region certificate.

Vojko Obersnel, M.Sc., the City of Rijeka Mayor

Zlatko Komadina, mechanical engineer, County President

Primorje-Gorski Kotar County Investments Catalogue is intended for all potential investors who wish to invest in the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, providing an overview of projects and basic information such as location, value, ownership structure and brief project description according to individual investment areas. The catalogue highlights the following investment areas:

• Transport infrastructure
• Tourism infrastructure
• Sport and recreation
• Winter sports
• Marinas and ports
• Health tourism
• Business infrastructure
• Power engineering
• Public infrastructure

The Republic of Croatia and, therefore, also the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County have attractive tax incentives, double tax avoidance agreements concluded with numerous countries and are also a part of the European Union Customs Union. Incentive measures pertaining to investment projects within the framework of which subsidies for development investment projects are realised are prescribed at the national level (www.aik-invest.hr).
Incentives for investment projects at a regional and local level are regulated by the decisions of the local self-administration units and are oriented towards reducing the cost of municipal fee and municipal contributions, land price etc.

Why invest in the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County?

Location

Due to its advantageous geostrategic location, the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County represents a crossroad of routes connecting Central and Southeast Europe and parts of West European countries with the Mediterranean Sea. It is one of seven Adriatic counties in the Republic of Croatia. From the north it is bounded by the Republic of Slovenia, from the West by the Istria County, from the east by the Karlovac County, and from the southeast by the Lika-Senj and Zadar Counties. The County also has a part of littoral sea with a state border, which is 22 mm to southwest of the island of Susak.
Its excellent geostrategic location is highlighted as an especially significant point between the Far East and Europe due to fact that it is connected by shortest sea route which, compared to north European ports, makes travel up to 7 days shorter, depending on the port of origin. The Port of Rijeka is the largest and most significant Croatian sea port and it represents a gateway to Europe and to the Far East.
Its exceptionally advantageous geostrategic position and its natural diversity through the interconnection of islands, littoral area and mountains makes the County special and unique i.e. a ˝Blue and Green County“.
The land area of the County is 3,587 km², which corresponds to 6.3% of the total area of the Republic of Croatia, and the sea area is 4,344 km². Unlike neighbouring counties it also comprises a large number of permanently settled islands: Krk, Cres, Rab and Lošinj and the Lošinj archipelago islands: Unije, Ilovik, Susak and Srakane.
The County is marked by an exceptionally well-indented coast line, special climate advantages and its geographical proximity to Central Europe. The total length of the coast line amounts to 1,065 km, of which 133 km is the mainland coastline and 932 km is the islands coastline. There are 55 islands in total.
Administratively, the County has 36 local self-administration units, 14 towns and 22 municipalities.

Infrastructure

Maritime transport

• Port of Rijeka – a port which holds special economic interest to the Republic of Croatia, sea depth 18m. It encompasses the Rijeka, Sušak, Bakar, Omišalj i Raša basins,
• 104 ports open to public traffic (Port of Rijeka, 27 ports open to public traffic at the county level and 76 local ports),
• 4 ferry lines as the continuation of state roads.

Railroad infrastructure

• 160.33 km of railroad in the County,
• section of the international traffic railway Zagreb – Karlovac – Rijeka – Šapjane – Ilirska Bistrica (Republic of Slovenia).

Road infrastructure

• Rijeka – Zagreb – Eastern/Central Europe,
• Rijeka – Trieste – Western/North Europe,
• Rijeka – Ljubljana – North Europe,
• distance by road from European centres is about 500 km.

Air Traffic

• Rijeka Airport – most significant international airport in the County,
• airports: Mali Lošinj, Unije, Grobnik and Rab,
• vicinity of European international airports at 1 hour by air.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census, 296,195 people permanently reside in the County, out of 52% of the population are women and 48% men, which corresponds to 6.9% of the total population in the Republic of Croatia. The median population density of the County is 83 people/km², which is more than the average population density of the Republic of Croatia, which amounts to 76 people/km². The City of Rijeka, with the population of 128,624, represents the business, administrative, economic and cultural centre of the County.

Economy

The gross domestic product of the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County in 2013 was 3,810 million EUR, which places it among the most developed counties in the Republic of Croatia. The principal export activity of the County is the processing industry (shipbuilding, wood processing and manufacturing from wood and cork) and the manufacture of pharmaceutical products. The most important economic activities of the County are:

• wholesale and retail,
• processing industry,
• civil engineering,
• professional, scientific and technical activities,
• transport and storage,
• accommodation services, preparing and serving food.

The good geographical transport position has influenced the economy of the County, so a significant proportion of the population is employed in the economic activities related to transport and the sea. In consequence to the above, centres with developed harbour, maritime transport, shipbuilding and tourist activity developed in the County, which are significant for the entire Republic of Croatia.

Business areas

Production and business activities are the most important part of the County economy. With the objective of their development, many economic zones are active in the County area. Most are small business zones, while the biggest is the Business and Production Zone Kukuljanovo (Bakar and Čavle), with the area of around 500 ha, which is also the biggest zone in the Republic of Croatia.

Education

59 primary and 34 secondary schools operate in the area of the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County.
The University of Rijeka comprises 10 faculties, one academy and four university departments which are attended by over 16,600 students. The County is also home to the Polytechnic of Rijeka which, as an institution of higher education, organises and realises undergraduate and professional degree courses and specialist graduate degree courses which are attended by over 3,000 students.
The Business School PAR also operates in Rijeka. This is the first and only private institution of higher education in the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, and offers students a three-year undergraduate degree course in Financial Management according to the German model which stipulates the same amount of theory and practice during the entire duration of the degree course.
Due to its natural diversity, historical heritage, quick access to Central and Eastern Europe and other EU countries, well-developed infrastructure, trained work force and centuries of rich tradition in tourism, the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County provides a rich and desirable area and environment for life and work, both in urban and in rural environments.

Overview Primorje and Gorski-kotar county

• Total area: 7,931 km²
• Land area: 3,587 km²
• Sea area: 4,344 km²
• Capital: Rijeka
• Administration: 14 towns and 22 municipalities
• Population: 296,195
• Climate: Mediterranean, with the influence of the mountain
• GDP per capita: EUR 12,930
• Uneployement rate: 12.4 %
• Average gross salary: EUR 1,055