In 1991 Croatia declared independence from Yugoslavia and in January 1992 was recognised as an independent state, after a number of years of conflict, peace and stability finally came to Croatia in 1998. In late 2005 accession negotiations began with view to Croatia joining the European Union.

The Republic of Croatia (Republika Hrvatska) has undergone much change since independence and is now, according to the Croatian Government bulletin, Croatia in Focus (early 2006) actively ‘Proposing laws for simplification of administrative procedures and elimination of bureaucratic barriers, in order to increase effectiveness and international competitiveness of Croatian entrepreneurship’.

Most of the Croatian economy is focused in and close to the capital city Zagreb, metal processing, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, electrical appliances, textiles, printing and leather industries, wood and paper processing are some of the main industries. Also important to the countries economy is banking and tourism, with 2005 being somewhat of a boom year for the tourism industry, seeing 50 million overnight stays in the first nine months alone.

Croatia as a whole, has a population of nearly 4.5 million and a workforce of around 1.7 million, however the unemployment rate for some years has stood at around 14%.

The Metropolitan area of Zagreb accounts for nearly a quarter of the countries population with just over one million. The City of Zagreb is also the countries chief centre for business and trans-national trade and commerce, as it is an important transport hub serving Central, Eastern and Western Europe.

Zagreb Airport (Zracna Luka Zagreb) is located around 15 kilometres Southeast of the city and is the largest of Croatia’s airports. In 2005, a throughput of just over 1.5 million passengers were catered for and just under 10,000 tonnes of cargo. Also Croatia has shipping terminals and ports located at Omisalj and Rijeka on the north west coast of the Adriatic Sea, Ploce on the southwest Adriatic coast, Vukovar on the River Danube and Sibenik. Within the country there is a high number of free zones sited in a majority of Croatia’s 20 Counties offering premises and facilities for a wide variety of businesses.

There are 6 Universities, located throughout Croatia, the oldest is in Zagreb having been founded in 1669 and has faculties covering a wide range of subjects, including Law, Medicine, Politics, the Sciences and the Arts.

Croatia boasts 6 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, each with their own unique character, such as the outstanding natural beauty of the Plitvice Lakes (which is also a National Park), to the historic old city of Dubrovnik. There are also 8 National Parks, 6 of which are on the Coast of the Adriatic Sea.

According to Colliers International, the commercial real estate consultants, office occupancy costs in Zagreb stand at 16 to 19 Euros per square metre per month plus tax.