As noted in the Financial Times (March 9, 2005), the Association of Croatian Exporters (HIZ) and USAID signed a partnership agreement on March 9 in Zagreb. This agreement is the latest accomplishment of the Croatia ESP project.

Started in September 2004, the project aims to promote job creation, exports, and investment in Croatia. Nathan Associates and its joint venture partner DAI have also

• Established a national certification system for business service providers and a network of 15 local partners,
• Provided direct assistance to a number of small enterprises and bankDevised a program for bringing unregistered accommodation providers into the formal economy, and
• Linked a branding strategy for tourism providers to a program of promotion and quality improvements.

We will soon be helping establish a private export agent and marketing service company for specialty food products. This company will help smaller Croatian producers reach specialty export markets by lower marketing costs. It will also help producers achieve a sufficient volume of supply by consolidating the production of items under regional appellations and commonly marketing them.