The coronavirus pandemic has caused not only a global health crisis but a continually unfolding economic one. Croatia, despite its excellent and stringent anti-epidemic measures, hasn't managed to avoid the tremendous and sudden negative economic impact the virus has had. Owing to that, the Croatian Government came forward with economic measures to help stop the domestic economy from sinking, and Croatian employers have been entitled to numerous benefits owing to its introduction.
Just which Croatian employers have received grants from the government, and how much exactly have they been provided with? The issue of transparency is a hot one in Croatia, and the desire for everyone to be able to see exactly where the state grants are going has been a subject of much discussion.
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 29th of April, 2020, a total of 1.5 billion kuna in support was received by almost 84,000 Croatian employers for nearly 485,000 workers, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic stated on Wednesday.
''The government has responded quickly and generously to Croatian employers to make sure they have access to minimum wage funds. That measure was quickly introduced. Within ten days of receiving a request [for the grant by a Croatian employer], that request was realised and everything was done completely transparently. I'd like to reiterate the fact that almost 84 thousand companies received grants for almost 485 thousand workers for the first round of support of 1 billion and 550 million kuna.
The Croatian Employment Service (CES) and the Tax Administration will ensure that no abuse of the measure occurs, and the Ministry, in cooperation with the CES, will definitely act swiftly and efficiently for April, too, with the amount for April being 4,000 kuna,'' said Plenkovic.
The largest number of grants - 77,057 of them, were paid for workers employed by micro-employers which have up to 10 employees. For employees working for small businesses, 5,876 grants were paid out, for medium-sized companies (boasting 51 to 250 employees) 889 grants were paid, and for large companies (with more than 250 employees) 147 grants were paid.
The largest share of government aid seekers lies among micro-entrepreneurs - making up 92 percent. Small businesses make up seven percent, medium-sized companies make up one percent, and large companies make up 0.03 percent.
You can find out more about the grants Croatian employers have received, and futher support, by clicking on the links provided below:
For more on coronavirus in Croatia, visit our dedicated section.
