At its 2nd meeting since the free trade agreement between the two sides entered into force in 2002, the Joint EFTA-Croatia Committee met to discuss various aspects of the agreement. The parties exchanged information on various aspects of their trade relation, including their relationship with the European Union, intellectual property rights and government procurement.
Mr Igor Lucic, Assistant Minister for the International Economic Relations in the Ministry of Economy, Labour and Entrepreneurship, headed the Croatian delegation. Mr Lars Erik Nordgaard, Chief Negotiator in the Norwegian Ministry of Trade and Industry, acted as EFTA Chairman.
According to the EFTA Secretariat's statistical sources, the value of EFTA-Croatia merchandise trade amounted to around 294 million USD in 2004, an increase of 19% compared to the previous year. The EFTA States imported goods from Croatia worth 61 million USD (up 49% from 2003) and exported goods to Croatia worth 234 million USD (up 13% from 2003).