Business

The Croatian economy, much like the global economy, has been forced to grind to a halt owing to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. In a time when Croatia, known for its seasonality in terms of employment, would be gearing up for the summer season and employers would be seeking out waiters, chefs, bar staff and more, the unemployment rate is only increasing. For the Croatian economy, of which the strongest branch which makes up around 20 percent of GDP is tourism, coronavirus threatens absolutely devastating economic consequences. The trade sector, which is also of enormous importance, both in the sense of…

As Julije Domac/Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 23rd of April, 2020, could we have ever expected this? The crisis caused by the COVID-19 virus is shaking Croatia and the Croatian economy, as well as that of the whole world. We're currently living in times that would otherwise be really difficult to even begin to imagine. The coronavirus crisis we're now in is testing absolutely everything that matters most to us and that we simply take for granted. This includes the mere functioning of the Republic of Croatia as a country. Not only has the functioning of the state been called into…

April 23, 2020 — Days spent in isolation. Socially-distancing through limited, lazy movement. Plenty of staring at the same handful of faces. A mere wave from a safe distance serving as friendly interaction. It sounds a lot like a holiday at sea. At least that’s what Croatia’s nautical tourism industry hopes as it plots a course towards a “new normal” in the coronavirus era. Several reports show the marina and charter sector of the economy ready for a little shove via government incentives to help it set sail, and a little luck to help it pass stormy seas. Tourism Minister…

ZAGREB, April 23, 2020 - The Croatian Employers' Association (HUP) on Thursday welcomed the government's plan to relax restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus outbreak, saying that clear guidelines were needed from epidemiologists and that solutions should be devised to boost the economy. "Today's decision by the government provides a clear direction for intensifying business activities and for a return to work as a precondition for generating revenues and providing funds for workers' wages," the HUP said in a statement. HUP director-general Davor Majetić appealed for clear and unequivocal instructions on safe work procedures to be given to employers as…

ZAGREB, April 23, 2020 - EU tourism ministers will hold a video conference on April 27 to discuss the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on tourism and measures to enable the quickest possible recovery of the sector, the Croatian Tourism Ministry said on Thursday. The video conference will be held on the initiative of Croatian Tourism Minister Gari Cappelli. The event will be organised as part of the Croatian presidency of the Council of the EU, and Minister Cappelli will chair the meeting as the relevant minister of the presiding country. The conference was to have taken place in Dubrovnik…

ZAGREB, April 23, 2020 - The government-designed measure to help employers to retain workers during the coronavirus crisis will actually help some companies to profit from that measure for 131,000 employees on a minimum wage, the Večernji List daily said on Thursday. The impact of the coronavirus epidemic on monthly salaries could not be seen in the latest statistical data on wages earned in February and paid in March. In nominal terms, the average take-home pay was HRK 6,789, 4% higher than in February 2019. The median monthly wage in February was HRK 5,705, which means that 657,000 workers in…

ZAGREB, April 23, 2020 - The opposition Civil and Liberal Alliance (GLAS) has called for the payment of full wages for people in self-isolation rather than HRK 4,250 (€560) a month as is now the case. The party has put forward amendments to the Compulsory Health Insurance Act proposing that people ordered into self-isolation because of the current coronavirus pandemic be paid the full amount of their wages. It also suggested that organ donors on sick leave also be paid their full pay. "We don't expect the government to accept our proposal. The coronavirus has brought about many changes, but…

April 23, 2020 - As campaigns to 'Buy Local' took root around the world, Dutch entrepreneur Jan de Jong in Split makes an intriguing pledge to hire more Croatian staff.  People often complain that while Croatia is a beautiful place for a two-week holiday (it IS!), the realities of living here are another story. No jobs, corruption, negative mindset, nepotism, the list goes on. And so the young emigrate for better opportunities.  As one of the relatively few people who decided to emigrate from my home country to Croatia as everyone else was leaving, I have perhaps a different perspective…

ZAGREB, April 23, 2020 - Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Wednesday evening held telephone conversations with four European heads of government on restarting the tourist industry, a sector important for the Croatian economy. The ban on nonessential travel imposed by many countries in a bid to curb the spread of COVID-19 has adversely affected the tourism sector, which makes up a 20 percent of Gross Domestic Product of Croatia, a popular destination for many Europeans. According to the information which he tweeted on his Twitter account, Plenković held telephone calls with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz,…

The Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK) has started to get itchy feet in the face of the stringent anti-epidemic measures put into place by the Croatian Government and the National Civil Protection Headquarters. The opening hours for shops are giving them the biggest headache. As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 22nd of April, 2020, Croatian wholesale trade has dropped significantly, more precisely from 8.1 percent (from 9.6 billion kuna down to 8.9 billion kuna) in the previous month compared to March last year, while the situation in the retail trade was slightly better as the amount of fiscal receipts issued…