Chinese investments in Croatia: Who really benefits?
Chinese take over Croatian construction sites. Domestic companies on the brink of survival!
The Croatian construction industry is at a turning point. While domestic companies were once the carriers of the largest infrastructure projects, today they face a serious threat due to the takeover of large projects by foreign companies, especially Chinese ones.
Using unrealistically low bids, supported by Chinese subsidies, Chinese construction companies are crowding out domestic contractors, which leads to job losses, the collapse of family businesses and the departure of young workers abroad.
Even more alarming, this is happening with the direct support of European money! European Union funds, which should strengthen the Croatian economy, end up in the hands of foreign companies that export the money outside the EU. Although European directives clearly give an advantage to local companies through protective mechanisms, Croatia does not show enough initiative in implementing them. Instead of financing domestic workers and encouraging the development of the national construction industry, Croatian taxpayers become co-financiers of Chinese companies that then export this money outside the country.
As a result, young civil engineers and skilled workers are increasingly leaving to work in Western countries, while our construction sites employ workers from China, Turkey and other countries, often under dubious working conditions. Domestic companies cannot compete because they respect European labor standards, environmental regulations and social contributions, while foreign companies operate under different rules. The result? Croatian infrastructure is being built by foreign hands, while domestic builders are leaving with their stomachs full!
Unfair competition from third countries
The Croatian Employers' Association (HUP) has been warning for years about unfair competition from third countries, especially China and Turkey. Foreign companies use state subsidies, cheaper labor and lower standards to gain an unfair advantage in the market. The result is not only the loss of jobs for Croatian workers, but also a long-term dependence on foreign contractors.
While such practices are strictly regulated and restricted in Western European countries, Croatia continues with a policy of indiscriminately awarding jobs to foreign companies, without taking into account the long-term consequences.
Problems with quality, costs and environmental aspects – Pelješac Bridge as an example!
The Pelješac Bridge, built by the Chinese company China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), was supposed to be a testament to fast, cheap and high-quality construction. However, reality has shown quite the opposite.
The initial contracted price was 281 million euros excluding VAT, but the final costs increased by as much as 50 million euros more than the originally planned amount.
In addition to financial problems, serious quality problems have also emerged. Cracks have already been observed in the bridge piers, requiring urgent repair. Experts warn that while there is currently no immediate threat to the safety of the bridge, the need for early repairs calls into question its long-term reliability and quality of construction.
Environmental problems – are we prepared for the consequences?
In addition to financial and construction problems, the environmental aspects of such projects should also not be ignored. Although specific data on the environmental consequences of the construction of the Pelješac Bridge are not widely available, experiences from other countries warn of possible risks.
For example, in Montenegro, during the construction of the Bar-Boljare highway, also carried out by the Chinese company CRBC, a part of the Tara riverbed, one of the most ecologically important rivers in Europe, was completely destroyed. UNESCO warned of irreparable damage to the ecosystem, but the work continued anyway.
Croatia should learn from these examples and ensure that domestic companies, which respect environmental standards and care for the environment, are given priority when awarded infrastructure projects.
The response from citizens was extraordinary!
To put an end to this practice and protect Croatian workers, a petition was launched in Zagreb and Split, with citizens making it clear that they want change.
The response was extraordinary – thousands of citizens signed an initiative to support the initiative for greater participation of domestic companies in infrastructure projects. Citizens said they want a Croatia that invests in its own capacities, instead of billions of euros ending up in the hands of foreign companies.
This is just the first step. It is time for politicians to hear the voice of the people and start making decisions in favor of domestic industry, not foreign interests.
It's time to protect Croatian interests!
Croatia is being built by Croatian hands! Let's not allow our workers and companies to be marginalized while foreign companies profit from our infrastructure.
This is a fight to preserve domestic industry, jobs, and the future of our country.
It's time for change!
Make your contribution by signing the petition at www.nasposaonasabuducnost.com .
CONCLUSION
Although it is a member of the European Union, which has rules and procedures for the participation of foreign companies (dominantly from China and Turkey), such rules are not applied in Croatia when it comes to infrastructure works. The result of such relations between the Croatian authorities is the fact that companies from foreign countries (China and Turkey) win tenders, while domestic construction companies are closed down, while qualified construction workers go abroad.
Foreign companies that engage in infrastructure projects in Croatia are often subsidized by their home countries, and the quality of the work performed is questionable, as are the rights of workers employed by these companies.
Therefore, a petition has been launched in Croatia to ensure that domestic companies win infrastructure projects.
Similar to Croatia, foreign (dominantly Chinese) companies are engaged in infrastructure projects in the countries of the Western Balkans. Construction companies from the countries of the Western Balkans are engaged as subcontractors. The quality of work carried out by Chinese companies in the Western Balkan countries is also questionable (we recall the example of the collapse of the canopy at the Railway Yard in Novi Sad). In the Western Balkan countries, there are frequent examples of environmental destruction by Chinese companies, and numerous media and NGO reports testify to the violation of the rights of workers hired by Chinese companies.
However, unlike Croatia, in the Western Balkan countries there is no activity by the business community or non-governmental organizations to give priority to domestic construction companies in tenders for large infrastructure projects.