Business

ZAGREB, February 23, 2020 - Last year the Croatian Employment Bureau (HZZ) provided HRK 446 million (€60m) in aid for self-employment, benefiting 8,723 people. Self-employment grants, financed by the state budget, the European Social Fund and the Youth Employment Initiative, are part of the HZZ's active employment policy measures. They are intended for starting sole proprietorships, limited liability companies, simple limited liability companies and cooperatives. Between 2010 and 2019, a total of HRK 1.25 billion (€169m) was granted for promoting self-employment, covering 32,793 persons, the HZZ told Hina. In 2019, grants were mostly awarded for professional, research and technical activities,…

As Morski writes on the 23rd of February, 2020, a ship carrying parts and segments of the steel span structure for Peljesac bridge, which departed from China for Croatia on January the 25th, 2020, is scheduled to arrive in Ploce today. This information was confirmed to Vecernji list from Croatian roads (Hrvatske ceste) and the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), the main contractor for the construction of the long awaited Peljesac bridge in Dalmatia. There are no Chinese workers aboard the ship who would be remaining in Croatia following its arrival, only the ship's actual crew members. CRBC said…

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 22nd of February, 2020, all employees of the Croatian company Kanaan who take out a housing loan at a commercial bank this year will receive a five percent non-refundable subsidy from the company on the amount of the loan raised, there are also awards for best employees, scholarships for their children, and more. Kanaan, a leading producer of chips in Croatia, whose factory is located in Donji Miholjac very near the border with Hungary, bought 32 laptops back in early February 2020. What makes this praseworthy is the fact that those laptops Kanaan purchased…

Organised by the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK), Croatian innovators met with potential Malaysian partners through business forums and individual talks in Kuala Lumpur. Could the distant Malaysian market offer opportunities for Croatian companies? As Novac writes on the 22nd of February, 2020, Roto kruna (crown), Citus, Sestan-Busch, Priroda lijeci (Nature heals), Dizz Concept and Altpro have presented their products and services. A visit to the Malaysia Technology Expo Innovation Fair and Exhibition was also organised, where the Croatian companies presented themselves in the organisation of the Association of Croatian Innovators and won an impressive four gold medals. Gold for…

ZAGREB, February 21, 2020 - Croatia's annual inflation rate, as measured by the consumer price index, was 2.0% in January 2020, the National Bureau of Statistics (DZS) said on Friday. The annual rise in consumer prices was mostly driven by the rise in transport prices (+4.9%), on the back of the rise in prices of fuels and lubricants for passenger vehicles (+9.8%). This was the result of a considerable drop in prices of Brent crude oil at the end of 2018, analysts at Raiffeisen bank (RBA) said. Compared with January 2019, prices of food and soft drinks increased by 3.4%,…

ZAGREB, February 21, 2020 - A total of 228 counterfeit kuna banknotes were withdrawn from circulation in the second half of 2019, a 3.4% decrease compared with the same period in 2018, while the number of counterfeit euro notes increased by more than 14 times to over 4,000, the Croatian National Bank (HNB) said on Thursday. Between July and December 2019, 4,056 counterfeit euro notes were withdrawn from circulation in Croatia, which is an increase of 1,323.2% compared with the same period in 2018 when 285 such notes were removed from circulation, the central bank said. The majority of counterfeit…

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Brnic writes on the 19th of February, 2020, a year and a half after they rented the summer residence on Smokvica island from the state, which had been used by former Agrokor boss Ivica Todoric and his family for years, the Zelena nekretnina (Green real estate) company knocked on the door of the Ministry of State Property with the idea of ​​allowing it to build new, luxury facilities. Such an option was not foreseen in the tender and bidding process, in which the real estate investment fund Balansz Zártkörű Nyíltvégű Intézményi Ingatlan Alap, founded by OTP Banka,…

As Suzana Varosanec/Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 20th of February, 2020, HZ Infrastructure has signed a contract with Swietelsky for the reconstruction of the Zagreb West Railway Station - Savski Marof line, worth a massive 365.7 million kuna (VAT excluded), of which the majority (210 million kuna) is financed with a World Bank loan for reconstruction and development. The implementation deadline is 27 months from the date of the conclusion of the contract, and according to World Bank Director for Croatia Elisabette Capannelli, this investment will help eliminate critical infrastructure issues, improve efficiency and safety, and achieve the financial sustainability…

February 20, 2020 -  The fifth Adria Business Network, organized by entrepreneurs Željka Barišić and Kristina Krstinić, will be held on March 4, 2020, at 6 pm at the FORUM Zagreb Convention Center. To lead the first part of the event, the guest lecturer is a new generation fitness trainer and owner of the brand BE FIT - Marko Loncar. We are aware of how much work and daily stress can affect our diet, lifestyle, and thus our health. Keeping top form and avoiding potential burnout is a challenge for us all.  Thus, at this Adria Business Network event, participants…

Throughout the first nine months of 2019, the Crikvenica Jadran hotel company's accommodation revenue increased by eighteen percent when compared to the same period in 2018. As Poslovni Dnevnik/Suzana Varosanec writes on the 20th of February, 2020, after having concluded a long-term loan agreement in December in the amount of 13.4 million euros for financing investments, the Crikvenica Jadran hotel company is continuing its already started business expansion. Based on several lease agreements they have concluded, the company has just transferred its leased accommodation capacities in several hotels located in Novi Vinodolski, Baška Voda and Umag. They announced this through…