Zagreb, Oct 22 (IANS): Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic has said that Germany is Croatia's most important economic partner and the doors are still open to German investors.

He made the remarks while meeting with visiting Germany's Federal Minister of Economic Affairs and Energy Peter Altmaier on Monday, Xinhua news agency reported.

Croatia is particularly interested in investments in the auto industry, and there is a stimulating investment environment, Plenkovic said.

Altmaier stressed that southeast Europe is a region of opportunity for all countries and that Germany wants close exchanges with European partners.

Plenkovic and Altmaier also discussed the goals of Croatia's presidency of the European Union, which will begin on Jan. 1, 2020, with Germany taking over the presidency on July 1, 2020.

Altmaier was also received by Croatian Minister of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Crafts Darko Horvat, who said that the trade in goods amounted to 5.5 billion euros (6.13 billion U.S. dollars) last year, and that Croatian exports to Germany increased by seven percent.

Accompanied by Altmaier, there was also a German business delegation participating in the work of the Croatian-German Business Forum.

After Croatia, Altmaier will visit Montenegro and Serbia.