Top tips for trading with Croatia

David Wright of the Enterprise Europe Network outlines his five top tips for trading with Croatia, on the eve of the territory becoming the 28th member of the EU.

1. Introductions - always address colleagues with their title and surname; never use first names unless invited to do so.
2. Conversation - Croatians like to find out all about you, your family and where you are from.
3. Negotiations - Croatians are generally very direct and regard eye contact as essential in business because it is viewed as a sign of respect. They view softly-spoken or shy people as being vulnerable or weak.
4. Taboo topics - in Croatian business culture, subjects such as religion, war and other ethnicities are not discussed.
5. Gestures - never raise the thumb, index finger and middle finger at the same time as this is classed as a negative gesture linked to Serbian nationalism.