CROATIAN ECONOMY IN THE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT (Introductory Speech on the Conference)

By the beginning of 2017, the global environment, the European Union including Croatia are facing the challenges that can be summarized by the following ten points: 1. The global economy is slowing down, 2. International trade is declining, 3. High level of global indebtedness – even the highest until now, 4. Uneven income distribution, 5. Extremely low interest rates, 6. Deflationary pressures, 7. Migratory crises, 8. Political Tensions, 9. Global processes of international integration are slowing down (globalization is showing its other face), 10. The rise of nationalistic trends (Brexit)