ZAGREB, 24 Oct, 2021 - The Croatian Ministry of Agriculture put a HRK 30 million (€4m) aid scheme for sugar beet producers to public consultation earlier this week.

The scheme will provide financial support to sugar beet farmers facing a slowdown or complete suspension of economic activity caused by the coronavirus pandemic. It should help them recover from losses, provide liquidity, restore the pre-pandemic level of primary production, maintain the present level of employment and prevent disruptions to the food supply chain. 

The ministry said that the pandemic has hit hard nearly all sectors of the economy, including agriculture, and that in the case of cropland it has resulted in a strong decrease in areas sown with sugar beet.

Only 10,200 hectares of land was sown with sugar beet in the pandemic years 2020 and 2021, down by 20.3 percent compared with the pre-pandemic average for 2018-2019 and by nearly 48 percent compared with 2017.

The value of the scheme is HRK 30 million (€4m) and the entire amount will be provided from the state budget. The aid will be allocated in accordance with the Temporary COVID-19 Framework, the ministry said.

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September the 1st, 2021 - As Croatia prepares to further loosen its measures and allow the currently closed off parts of coffee bars, restaurants and cafes to work as normal as of today, Minister Aladrovic has spoken out about which sectors can expect what in terms of aid, if anything at all.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, Labour Minister Josip Aladrovic announced the reduction of state aid to sectors that have achieved good business results, as well as the continuation of aid to those who still desperately need it, as was further detailed previously.

"This is no longer the situation on the labour market and in the economy in which we need to continue to have very intensive support from the state," said Minister Aladrovic, adding that with more than 12 billion kuna in net support for enterprises and their employees paid out, the pool of those who actually do need that help is decreasing, according to a report from H1.

Depending on the unfolding epidemiological situation, he said, in the coming months there will be a further reduction in aid.

"Certainly, some of those who received intensive support from the government will now, due to changed economic circumstances, believe that they can continue on their own, with the retention of jobs and the retention of business substance and everything that was exposed due to reduced business activity," Minister Aladrovic explained.

He pointed out that the state will continue to support those who need it the most, adding that they have held consultations with various social partners and announced another round of consultations, saying that by the end of this week, they will inform which sectors these new decisions on the paying out of government aid will apply to.

"What we can now say that we see as the most exposed activities are those sectors that are related to extremely large gatherings, the organisers of sporting events, cultural events, the event industry itself, travel agencies… Other sectors that are now able to work at full capacity no longer require that same state support and therefore we will go in the direction of reducing state support where it isn't most needed,'' said Minister Aladrovic, adding that he does not believe there will be additional restrictions introduced anymore.

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August the 29th, 2021 - Labour Minister Josip Aladrovic has revealed who the Croatian economic support created by the government as a result of the pandemic will continue to go to, and who it no longer will. Minister Aladrovic also announced a rise in both wages and pensions.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, economic aid for Croatian companies will remain in place only for those who continue to be the most vulnerable to the pandemic and to any introduced anti-epidemic measures, announced Minister Aladrovic. He stated that because of the easing of the country's epidemiological measures, he sees no reason to continue to stimulate individual employers.

Minister Aladrovic also stated that aid will continue to be paid out to the organisers of sport and cultural events, the event industry, and perhaps the hardest hit of all - travel agencies.

"So, this will keep being paid out to a relatively small segment of our society, but to those who are most exposed," said Minister Aladrovic as a guest on Dnevnik Nova TV, adding:

"If there are economic disruptions again, which we hope won't occur, we're still ready to help those to whom the disruption occurs," he said, calling once again for people to get vaccinated as the best way to preserve both public health and the domestic economy.

As for the much talked about reforms, Minister Aladrovic said that they have been implemented and that he will continue to implement them, but he didn't give a concrete answer as to when concrete reforms in the healthcare system, public administration, or the judiciary will start. He pointed out that the coronavirus pandemic has slowed down certain reforms, but he remains confident that the Government will implement them by the end of its term.

He added that it is difficult to assess whether rising prices will push certain vulnerable individuals even further into poverty.

"What is good, is that salaries are rising," said Minister Aladrovic, adding that pensions are also rising. The average pensioner will receive about 60 kuna more per month, and Aladrovic says that it is equal to almost a billion kuna annually for the state budget.

He didn't bother to properly answer the question as to whether or not it is fair for the average pension to increase by around 60 kuna, and for members of parliament to have theirs increased by as much as 230 kuna. Aladrovic briefly stated that "harmonisation takes place in accordance with the legislative framework".

''Aware of the inadequacy of certain types of pensions, we've decided on a new way of calculating family pensions that are the least adequate and we'll do all that in the next step. The lowest pensions have been increased by more than 20 percent. I'm sure that movements within the pension system will also prevent any increase in poverty,'' said Minister Aladrovic.

Speaking about the Labour Law, Minister Aladrovic said that two things are changing, the relationship between fixed-term contracts and indefinite contracts.

''We want to reduce the number of fixed-term contracts and allow those who want to work more to be able to do that,'' he said.

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