A delegation of the International Monetary Fund, headed by Mr Athanasios Arvanitis, started its five-day visit to Croatia on Wednesday by meeting with members of the central bank's management, headed by the Deputy Governor, Dr Boris Vujčić, and discussing the current economic and financial developments, expectations and monetary and fiscal policy projections for the following year. In addition reviewing the most important economic indicators, the IMF delegation was particularly interested in specific measures undertaken by the central bank over the last several years that managed to preserve the stability of Croatia's banking system even at times of the global financial crisis.
During their visit, the delegation is also expected to hold meetings at the Ministry of Finance, the Institute for Public Finance as well as several of Croatia's largest banks. The delegation will focus its attention on the issue of the budget realisation and government debt financing in this year and the next. They will discuss the state, risks and vulnerabilities of the financial system, the balance-of-payments indicators and external debt. Last but not least, they will discus the focus and the characteristics of the fiscal and monetary policy in 2010 as well as chances of an economic recovery.