Croatia in Austria | Croatians in Vienna | Bilateral Relations

Austria and Croatia - Read the latest headlines about bilateral relations in the areas of economy, business, investment, diplomacy, culture and tourism

Suspicious Secrecy in the Cause of Hypo Group Alpe Adria

In the matter of Hypo Group Alpe Adria, the Austrian government acts disconcertingly. Details on the situation of the nationalized banks are still kept as a secret.

February 1, 2014

Croatia: Monetary Interventions to Stabilize Kuna

On Friday the Croatian national bank sold € 240.2m to commercial banks.

January 31, 2014

OTP: Takeover of Croatian Banco Popolare Fixed

On Friday Hungarian OTP signed a deal to take over Croatian affiliate of Italian Banco Popolare.

January 31, 2014

Slovenia: Dispute with Croatia Just Begun

Slovenian Foreign Minister Erjavec announced to continue dispute against Croatia.

January 29, 2014

CESEE: Overtaking Western Europe Not Before 2055

According to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the transition period of Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe will take longer than initially expected.

January 29, 2014

“Croatia Going through Very Difficult Period“

The World Bank calls for structural reforms in the Western Balkan state.

January 27, 2014

Another Emergency at Hypo Group Alpe Adria

The series of bad news does not come to an end. After enormous capital injections in 2013, the nationalized Austrian lender again needs help from the Austrian state.

January 24, 2014

Croatia: S&P Downgrades Rating

Standard&Poors; has downgraded Croatia’s rating to “BB”. The outloock on the long-term rating for the country is at least “stable”.

January 24, 2014

Considerable Differences Across European Mortgage Markets

According to Fitch Ratings, the performance of European residential mortgage markets as a whole has improved. In Southeastern Europe, by contrast, the recovery will take some more time.

January 23, 2014

CESEE: Recovery Remains Modest

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has published a report on the regional economic prospects. The economic recovery in CESEE remains fragile.

January 23, 2014

Insurance Industry Faces Growing Risks

According to the U.S. rating agency Fitch, insurers in Europe have to accept riskier investments. Ratings may deteriorate, Fitch warned.

January 22, 2014

Bank Dispute between Croatia and Slovenia Reappears

Last year Slovenia was ordered in the first instance to pay back the foreign currency deposits of LB’s former affiliate in Sarajevo.

January 22, 2014

Croatia Supports Albania in EU Accession Course

Albania hopes that EU Accession Negotiations will take place in June 2014.

January 22, 2014

“No Real Wage Loss This Year“

In terms of real wages, Austria may face a trend reversal this year. In Southeastern Europe, by contrast, poverty is growing considerably.

January 21, 2014

Croatia: Hungarian OTP to Acquire Banco Popolare Croatia

OTP will, according to media reports, take over Banco Popolare Croatia which has a market share of only 0.56 percent.

January 21, 2014

Croatia: “Loose Monetary Policy Shows First Signs of Success”

Boris Vujcic, governor of HNB (Croatian National Bank) thinks that the quantitative easing policy works.

January 17, 2014

Croatian Economy Suffers from Low Investor Confidence

In the first nine months of 2013, FDI continued to shrink. However, the FDI will improve gradually, analysts say.

January 16, 2014

CESEE: Massive Increase in Real Estate Investments

In Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe, the total volume of real estate transactions totaled € 10.bn last year. Most transactions were recorded in Russia and Poland.

January 15, 2014

IMF and EBRD Deeply Concerned Over CESEE

Foreign banks continue to withdraw capital from the region. According to the International Monetary Fund, the development is highly considerable.

January 14, 2014

CESEE: Lack in FDI Causes Modest Economic Growth

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is cautiously optimistic about economic growth in CESEE.

January 14, 2014

Basel III Framework to be Softened

The Basel Committee´s oversight body has amended the leverage ratio rules. For the banking industry, this step is an important success.

January 13, 2014

Europe/CESEE: Heavy Trade in Distressed Assets

Until 2018, European lenders will offload about 300bn of bad debts, according to PwC. Above all, U.S. private equity firms are taking the opportunity.

January 11, 2014

Romania: Slight Increase in FX Reserves

In December 2013 FX reserves increased slightly compared to the previous month.

January 7, 2014

Erste Group Bank AG - SWOT Analysis & Company Report

This new report contains in depth information and data about Erste Group and its operations and markets. It contains an overview, business and strategy description, financial ratios, valuation & forecast data, SWOT analysis, plus data on key events.

January 6, 2014

Raiffeisen Bank International AG - SWOT Analysis & Company Report 2014

This new report contains in depth information and data about Raiffeisen Bank International AG and its operations and markets. It contains an overview, business and strategy description, financial ratios, valuation & forecast data and a SWOT analysis.

January 6, 2014

Southeastern Europe Endangered of Civil Unrests

According to the Economist Intelligence Unit, several CESEE countries may face civil unrests in 2014. In particular, Southeastern Europe is in the danger zone.

January 4, 2014

CEE: Economic Sentiment Cautiously Optimistic

The economic sentiment for Eastern European countries is becoming more optimistic, however, only cautiously. Poland is on top of the list of economists at JP Morgan.

January 2, 2014

Croatia: National Bank Forecasts Decent Growth in 2014

Private and public consumption are anticipated to shrink further. Nevertheless, Croatia is expected to return to growth next year.

December 31, 2013

Croatia: Real Estate Market Crisis Goes On

After the collapse of the Croat real estate market in 2009/10, the price decrease still holds on.

December 30, 2013

Croatia Needs Major Bridge Loan

In order to cover its fiscal shortfall, the youngest EU member country takes a bridge loan in the amount of € 200m.

December 28, 2013

Hypo Group: Austrian Government Seems Aimless

Although the restructuring of the nationalized Austrian lender is one of the most pressing issues, the Austrian government could not present a sound concept yet.

December 27, 2013

„CESEE No Driver Yet“

Birgit Kuras, CEO of Vienna Stock Exchange, thinks that the Vienna Stock Exchange is highly influenced by the CESEE operations of listed companies.

December 23, 2013

CESEE: Dependence on Foreign Demand Remains Main Obstacle

In 2014, Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe (CESEE) faces a slight upward trend. The structural difficulties persist, however.

December 21, 2013

Stable Outlook for CESEE Banking Industry

According to the U.S. rating agency fitch, the sector outlook remains stable in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe. However, the well-known risks and weaknesses will persist.

December 19, 2013

CESEE: Potential to Return to Pre-Crisis Growth

According to a report published by the business adviser McKinsey, countries of Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe are fundamentally strong.

December 18, 2013

CESEE: More Robust than in 2008

The U.S. Federal Reserve wants to reduce its easing policy gradually. For emerging markets, the end of the loose monetary policy may prove challenging.

December 17, 2013

Poland: PZU Places Binding Offer for Croatia Osiguranje

Polish insurance company PZU places a binding offer for Croatia Osiguranje (CO).

December 17, 2013

Emerging Markets Face Decrease in Risk Appetite

Foreign investors become more and more cautious about investing in emerging markets. Regions like Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe are highly dependent on foreign sentiments.

December 14, 2013

Croatia: Privatization of HPB Fails

The privatization of the Croat Postal Bank (HPB) has failed for the time being. For the potential buyers, HPB is too risky.

December 13, 2013

Croatia: Major Investments to Boost Economic Growth

The Croatian government on Thursday adopted an investment plan for 2014 which includes large-scale investments, amounting to as much as HRK 73.1 billion.

December 13, 2013

Croatia: Erste Offer Rejected

Austrian Erste Group intended to aquire Croatian HPB. However, the offer was rejected by the Finance Ministry as the purchase price was considered too low.

December 13, 2013

Austrian GDP per Capita Second-Highest in EU

In terms of GDP per capita, Austria is the second-richest EU country.

December 12, 2013

Austrian Banking Industry Depends on Russia and Czech Republic

For the Austrian banking sector, the CESEE region is highly heterogeneous. In the first six months of 2013, net earnings totaled € 1.4bn in the region.

December 12, 2013

Croatia: EU Introduces Excessive Deficit Procedure

In the last years, Croatia´s fiscal situation has deteriorated considerably. Not only the budget deficit remains above 3.0% of GDP, but also the public debt quota has climbed above 60% of GDP.

December 11, 2013

EU/CESEE: Real Income Shrinks

In 2013, the real income will do down in Austria. Since 2010, the Austrian real income was down by 1.3%. In Hungary, real income fell by 15% in that period.

December 9, 2013

Austrian Banking Sector: € 35bn NPL

Due to the gloomy economic situation in CESEE and the stagnating domestic economy, Austrian banks suffer from growing non-performing loans.

December 9, 2013

Sale of Hypo Group: Small Number of Potential Buyers

In 2014, Hypo Group´s assets will be sold. It is not certain whether there will be a bad bank or not. Even a bankruptcy is not completely excluded.

December 7, 2013

Croatia Ready for Allocation of EU Funds

Croatia has been given access to 1.12 billion euros in all EU programmes.

December 6, 2013

Croatia: New Difficulties for Borrowers Ahead

The Croat banking sector pegs the interest rates to the EURIBOR. Consumers may have to pay higher borrowing costs.

December 6, 2013

Sevelda: „We Are Close to the Breaking Point“

In a guest comment published by the Austrian business magazine Format, CEO of Raiffeisen Bank International Karl Sevelda refers to the high burden for Austrian banks.

November 29, 2013