February 24, 2023 - The Croatian government sent the final proposal of the Trade Act to the Parliament, according to which shops would usually be closed on Sundays. Retailers could choose 16 Sundays a year during which they would be open. The new law would enter into force on July 1, said the Minister of Economy and sustainable development, Davor Filipovic.
"We have the final draft of the Trade Act; we are sending it to Parliament for a second reading. Minister Filipovic will present the details. We believe that this will contribute to everyone's quality functioning. We wanted to make it sustainable and of high quality, and all interested parties were consulted," said PM Plenkovic at the beginning of the Government session, report Index / Poslovni.
As he said, the working hours of shops are regulated so that the shops are closed on Sundays and holidays, and the weekly maximum of working hours that a retailer will be able to distribute independently from Monday to Saturday is set at 90 hours.
"We have planned for some exceptions"
"When this final proposal is compared with the first reading, due to the need to supply the population, the continuous performance of public services, and the operation of those facilities that normally work on Sundays and holidays due to specificity, we have planned for some exceptions. Compared to the first reading, bakeries were removed from those exemptions because we took into account everything discussed in the committees and in the parliament," said Filipovic.
As for the possibility of working on Sundays, as he stated, the Act foresees 16 working Sundays throughout the year. It is also proposed that it enter into force on July 1, and for the sake of adaptation of business entities, in 2023, 16 working Sundays are not counted as working Sundays until the new Act comes into force.
"We found a model of 16 working Sundays, I think it's a good balance, and I believe it will contribute to workers' rights and family life, to quality functioning in this new working regime on Sundays, which was and is part of our program," said Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic in the introduction of the Government session. We wanted to do it in a sustainable and high-quality way, and in the decision-making process, all interested parties were consulted, he added.
Retailers to choose the 16 Sundays they will be open
According to the proposal, the retailer independently determines which are the 16 Sundays of the working year based on individual needs, seasonality, micro-location and other relevant factors. In weeks in which Sunday is a working day, the maximum allowed hours are increased by 15, which makes a maximum of 105 working hours per week from Monday to Sunday.
The act prescribes exceptions to the general rule that are located within or are an integral part of railway and bus stations, airports and ferry ports, ports of inland navigation, ships, airplanes, and ferries for the transport of people and vehicles, gas stations, hospitals, hotels, cultural spaces and religious institutions and other subjects in culture, museums, visitor centers or interpretation centers, nautical marinas, camps, family farms and declared protected nature areas in accordance with special regulations.
Who is exempt?
Exceptions also apply to the purchase of primary agricultural products, the sale of own agricultural products at retail stands and benches at markets and the sale of own agricultural products at stands and benches at wholesale markets, occasional sales at fairs and public events, and sales through vending machines and distance selling.
As a special form of sales outside shops, press distribution through kiosks can be open on Sundays and holidays from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.
As stated in the explanation, the mentioned exceptions are prescribed due to the need to supply the population, the continuous performance of public services, and the operation of those facilities that normally work on Sundays and holidays due to the specific needs of consumers.
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