February the 11th, 2022 - Croatian schoolchildren are being offered ways in which to develop and then showcase their entrepreneurial talents, and it's been paying off. Croatian schoolchildren, more specifically those from down in Dubrovnik-Neretva County and Split-Dalmatia County, have a lot to boast about.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, ten teams of young people from primary and secondary schools who want to initiate positive changes in their local communities participated in the first UPSHIFT workshop this weekend in Split-Dalmatia and Dubrovnik-Neretva County.

The three teams of Croatian schoolchildren won cash prizes in the amount of 7,500 kuna and mentoring support during the project implementation by the decision of the expert jury. A total of 35 students participated in teams of three to five students. The winners of the UPSHIFT workshop in the Split-Dalmatia and Dubrovnik-Neretva counties are:

Team 4: Josipa O., Lucija R. and Josipa B. from the Commercial and Trade School in Split, which will focus on educating young people about sex education.

Team 6: Petra S., Karmela K., Vanja S. and Sasha S. from the Vladimir Nazor Elementary School in Ploce, whose project will conduct workshops for the production of didactic subjects intended for children in need.

Team 8: Lovre K., Lana M. and Danijela K. from the Radic Brothers Elementary School in Bracevic, who will try to solve the challenge of the lack of a library in the regional school with the project.

So far, 19 counties have participated

To date, more than 300 Croatian schoolchildren have participated in the UPSHIFT programme across 19 Croatian counties, who have gathered in teams to develop 70 solutions, of which 34 received financial and mentoring support for further implementation. By participating in the programme, young people aged 13 to 19 created solutions to challenges in the fields of ecology and environmental protection, education, inclusion and the fight against discrimination, the quality of life of young people, and many other topics important to young people.

UPSHIFT is a three-day workshop that combines entrepreneurial and team spirit, innovation and practical knowledge, and mentoring support to address the challenges that young people face in their local communities. In order to participate in the workshop, young people gather in teams of three to five members and describe in the application the problems they want to solve. The programme is jointly implemented by the UNICEF Office for Croatia and HUKI within the UNICEF Youth Program me"ZABUM - for the future of youth".

For more, check out our lifestyle section.

January the 18th, 2022 - Croatian biologist Martina Markov has decided to leave the safety of her job and enter into the often choppy waters of entrepreneurialism with her Green Stories project.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marta Duic writes, The Green Stories (Zelene price) written by Croatian biologist Martina Markov, PhD, are illustrated educational stories enriched with humorous elements, with their plots located in Croatia's beautiful national parks and nature parks.

These are all stories written with the desire to convey to the youngest readers among us the natural beauty of the nation's protected areas and rich cultural heritage. Finally, the project entitled "The Adventures of Marko the Seagull in the Parks of Croatia" followed, which was supported by the Croatian Tourist Board (CNTB/HTZ).

It all started for Croatian biologist Martina Makov way back in 2008, all because of an injured sea turtle who spent the Easter holidays at the home of Martina Markov on the island of Murter as it got its strength back.

Her son named the turtle Leonardo, which prompted this woman from Sibenik to become a writer and head her profession as a biologist down an educational path - Green Stories. Today, Markov's collection has a dozen picture books, whose heroes are all animal characters.

“It started out as an interesting hobby related to my profession, and became more serious when I decided to leave my safe job as a biologist at the Kornati National Park and throw myself into new challenges and become an entrepreneur. The company Eco Edu Media was founded in March 2021, and my publishing business began back in late 2019, within the family company Motonautika - Luke. The first six titles were published within that company. For now, I'm alone in the company, but I'm contracting the design and illustration, printing and other similar things.

For novice publishers, this tricky situation with the coronavirus pandemic requires a level of caution because there are many limitations, but I believe that the preconditions for hiring new employees will soon be created, so that I can relieve myself a little and focus more on my creative work,'' explained Croatian biologist Martina Markov.

Within The Adventures of Marko the Seagull in the parks of Croatia, a total of ten areas have been covered so far for young readers (children aged 7 to 10) - Telascica, Lake Vrana, Krka, Biokovo, Mljet, Lastovo, the Paklenica islands, Northern Velebit, Ucka and Brijuni. There are ten of them left for this age group, and it's now the turn of Risnjak, which has already been written and will be published by April, and then Plitvice Lakes, which will arrive at the end of June.

The Ministry of Science and Education has given consent for all of Markov's stories to be used within the education system, city/municipal libraries are slowly filling up with them, and Green Stories can now also be ordered through online.

In addition, Croatian biologist Martina Markov revealed, teachers and other educators already use them when working with children and consider them to be very educational. In addition to picture books, she has designed fun puzzles and memory cards with characters from her stories, and Green Stories already exists in English.

"Within the series, I'm also working on the picture story diary of Marko the seagull, which was prepared for older preschoolers and first-graders and which will be published at the end of January. My plans are to cover all of Croatia's ational parks and nature parks, and to adapt the contents to a wide range of age groups.

In addition to the educational aspect of Green Stories, I want to work on some accompanying educational games and other content that will increase the visibility of Marko the Seagull as an ambassador of Croatian parks and of the protection of nature in general,'' concluded Martina Markov.

For more, check out Made in Croatia.

May 27, 2021 - This June, a five-day Summer Business School organized by Step-Ri Science-Technology Park and the American Embassy in Croatia makes Rijeka the place for entrepreneurs.

Science parks, research parks or technology parks or less intriguingly known as innovation centers, are a purpose-built cluster of office spaces, labs, workrooms, and meeting areas designed to support research and development in science and tech, says Bidwells, one of the UK's most reputable property consultancy companies. Common infrastructures worldwide and in Europe, the biggest city in Kvarner, Rijeka, is no exception in having one.

Step-Ri is a science-technology park, part of the University in Rijeka, and a place where science and economy meet to encourage entrepreneurship based on knowledge and new technologies.

„As one of the leading institutions in Croatia when it comes to entrepreneurship, Step Ri brings the newest knowledge in innovation and management from around the world through interesting education and business consulting. With our knowledge and experience, singlehandedly and with the help of the international network of partners and friends, we create projects and specialized programs to encourage entrepreneurship initiatives for both employed and unemployed, students, and the scientific community. With new services, business models, personal and organizational competencies, we make already successful entrepreneurs more competitive“, says Step-Ri's official website.
One example of such initiatives is the upcoming Summer Business Camp which will take place from June 23-27. And what's more interesting, this five-day program is brought to Step-Ri in collaboration with the American Embassy in Croatia.

„Summer Business Camp brings teams from all Croatia that want to improve or refine their business ideas and solutions through exercises, lectures, and individual coaching, “says Step Ri, promising extraordinary mentoring from successful entrepreneurs and investors.

This year, special attention will be given to the gaming startups, but other industries are also welcome. Regardless of whether you are already an entrepreneur or just aspiring to be one, you are welcome to apply if you have a developed business idea or a functional prototype.

Learning how to bulletproof your idea, experienced entrepreneur as a mentor, a chance to hear directly from investors what are they looking for and how to deliver it, valuable feedback and honest thoughts to accelerate your project, creating new opportunities, meeting other people in the business, and a having a good time- are some of the promises by Step-Ri for those who apply.

But, it would be best if you hurried, as June 6 is very close, and that's the deadline to beat. At least ten teams will be selected after a committee of experts evaluates project applications. Bed and breakfast accommodation for up to two team members, lunch at the venue, local bus tickets for getting to the venue, and a commemorative T-shirt await for those who are selected. And once in, a panel of venture capitalists, business angels, and business people will award the best with Apple iPad Pro (1st prize), Apple iPad Air 4 (2nd prize), and Apple iPad 8 (3rd prize).

Pieces of technologies such as the aforementioned above can certainly come in handy to entrepreneurs, but what about money? The actual finance for your projects?
„Many teams in the past received funding from participating investors and judges. However, nobody but you can answer that! Come and pitch your idea and see how far it will take you!“concludes Step-Ri regarding finance possibilities to turn your vision into a reality.

Learn more about Rijeka on our TC page.

For more about education in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

ZAGREB, 1 February, 2021 - The UGP association of entrepreneurs said on Monday that due to the decisions by the COVID response team that discriminated against entrepreneurs, they were organising a protest rally in Zagreb's main square on Wednesday, calling on entrepreneurs, tradesmen, employees and citizens to join them.

UGP said that the government and the national coronavirus response team were constantly making inconsistent and discriminatory decisions that had for months now been destroying micro, small ad medium-sized businesses. Many enterprises have been stripped of their constitutional right to work without any compensation or allowance. Unlike many other European countries, Croatia has not taken even one step to compensate enterprises, UGP said.

If you are banned from working, then you should be adequately compensated for, but the government just does not want to realise this, UGP claimed.

UGP said that a study by its economic advisory committee indicates that 7,000 companies had been in danger before the last lockdown and that their failure would create a HRK 3 billion deficit in the state budget.

"We reiterate that this jeopardised at least 49,000 jobs and as much as 10% of Gross Domestic Product. With the new lockdown these figures are even higher and 11,000 jobs have already been lost. If small and medium enterprises, as the pillar of the economy, go under, that will create a hole in the budget. How the government intends to finance healthcare, education and security?" the association wondered.

UGP noted that jobkeeping measures are supposed to help workers and not companies.

"Fixed costs will be covered only for the two months for the companies that are formally closed, while no one cares about the rest, some of which have seen their revenues plunge by over 90%, not even the Ministry of Economy. If this continues, there will not be any jobs left that will need saving," UGP warned.

UGP said it was time hundreds of parafiscal fees that burden citizens and the country were abolished, including mandatory membership fees payable to the Croatian Chamber of Commerce and the Croatian Chamber of Trades and Crafts.

January the 6th, 2021 - Last year put the nail in the coffin for many a would-be entrepreneurial venture, but not everything is quite so bleak. The continental Croatian town of Koprivnica, for example, is making quite the name for itself when it comes to stimulating the growth of Croatian enterprises of various types.

As Novac writes, the economic crisis caused by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has hit the tourism-reliant Croatian economy extremely hard, there is practically no sector that hasn't been affected, but even in these extraordinary circumstances there are those who have found the knowledge, energy and new ideas needed to overcome this unprecedented and deeply difficult period.

Indeed, some of them have recognised the crisis as a period in which it is possible to lay the foundations for a new cycle of economic growth. Koprivnica is traditionally recognised as a strong economic, but above all industrial centre. Nevertheless, Koprivnica's local government is implementing a number of projects that stimulate entrepreneurship and make it easier for small Croatian enterprises to start up or expand their existing activities. In terms of the number of employees, Koprivnica is the 15th of all cities and municipalities in Croatia, and over 70 percent of the population is economically active. As a positive example, in this crisis-dominated year, the number of active craft owners increased by 8 percent when compared to last year, and there is even a slight increase in Croatian enterprises.

In Koprivnica today, there are the Dravska business zones covering 38 hectares with 23 business entities, as well as Radnicka with its 41 hectares and 20 business entities. These plots are fully equipped with communal infrastructure and are connected by road with the Podravina highway.

Furthermore, a year ago, in addition to the existing one, a new incubator for creative industries came to life, conceived as a space for the development of innovative and creative ideas, in October it celebrated one year of work. The fact that all rental spaces are now full speaks volumes about the success of the work going on there. Every day, the most modern technology is available to Croatian enterprises and entrepreneurs: holographic and VR equipment, a 3D printer, a gaming station and a teleconference hall.

In order to connect, share knowledge and collaborate, online DevCafe events are organised monthly, which allows all interested parties to get involved regardless of where they're located at that time. They are intended for anyone interested in topics from the fields of marketing, new technologies, design and IT. The project for the construction of the Creative Industries Incubator is worth 13.5 million kuna and is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund.

It, as well as the Entrepreneurship Incubator, is managed by the entrepreneurial support institution Enter Koprivnica, which also implements several national and international projects in addition to that. As part of the ECOS4IN project, work is underway to establish a Digital Information Hub that will serve as the main place for informing the entire ecosystem and small and medium Croatian enterprises operating in the county and beyond, since Enter Koprivnica cooperates very well with the Varazdin Technology Park and the Technology Innovation centre of Medjimurje within the Digital Innovation Hub.

The most recent plan is to establish a database of experts that will be available to all small and medium-sized Croatian enterprises interested in business expansion and digitalisation. This will make it easier for SMEs to access knowledge, technology and funding opportunities. Enter Koprivnica has also been approved the SCALing up in the creative industries for SMEs and self-employed project, which aims to develop special tools for training employees in creative and cultural industries that will support them to improve their competencies and skills needed to strengthen their competitive advantage within this demanding sector.

The European Regional Development Fund also co-finances the project Services for SMEs through PPI Enter Koprivnica, which organises events for entrepreneurs from the county with the aim of facilitating access to business knowledge. All of the above, combined with a series of measures that Koprivnica has itself designed to encourage entrepreneurship, are an invitation to all small and medium-sized Croatian enterprises to develop their business in that town.

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ZAGREB, November 20, 2020 - The European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Croatian Bank for Reconstruction and Development (HBOR) have signed a new, €142.5 million loan agreement to  support small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Croatia, the two financial institutions said on Friday.

This is the second tranche of a package worth a total of €400 million. It is part of the EIB's youth employment initiative under which companies that hire young people are granted loans under more favourable terms.

The initiative addresses the issue of youth unemployment as one of the biggest social and economic challenges faced by Croatia and Europe.

The loan is intended for SMEs requiring funds to maintain cash flow and jobs and for further investment to ensure faster recovery from the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic, HBOR Board President Tamara Perko said.

This agreement is yet another confirmation of our good cooperation with the EIB and will provide us with an additional source of affordable lending and make it possible for us to further lower interest rates on loans to businesses employing people of up to 30 years of age, she added.

EIB Vice-President Dario Scannapieco said that the EIB continued to support faster growth and development of the Croatian economy, this time through support for SMEs.

This is the second transaction signed since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in March, providing a total of €240 million for favourable loans to Croatian SMEs and mid-caps, he said.

Last month the EIB and HBOR signed a €100 million credit line for Croatian SMEs and mid-caps affected by the COVID-19 crisis. 

To date the EIB has supported the economic and social development of Croatia by investing €6.71 billion in the most important sectors of the national economy. Another key component of EIB activities in Croatia is support for SMEs and mid-caps through the creation of long-term financing options in cooperation with local financial institutions. To date the EIB has supported Croatian SMEs by unlocking new sources of finances worth close to €3.75 billion.

November 17, 2020 - The Croatian edition of the prestigious EY Entrepreneur of the Year award has been completed. Hrvoje Josip Balen, Mislav Balković, and Tomislav Dominković from the Algebra company were named as the new Croatian EY Entrepreneurs of the year.

As Poduzetnik writes, one of the largest and fastest-growing educational groups in Croatia was chosen from six finalists in a competition of more than 55 candidates from 40 companies. As the winners of the national edition, Algebra will represent Croatia at the world finals in Monte Carlo.

Algebra is a company focused on undergraduate and graduate education, lifelong learning, and corporate education. Also, Algebra prepares high school students for graduation and offers a digital education for primary school students. They are also active in the field of educational consulting and digital publishing. During the 21 years of its existence, more than 120,000 people have completed various types of educational programs in Algebra, and 15,000 students of all ages enroll in various fields and studies each year.

Today, Algebra is the most important educational partner of companies such as Microsoft, Google, Oracle, Cisco, Adobe, Red Hat, Vmware, and many others, and it is also a prominent member of numerous eminent academic initiatives.

"Despite all the hardships that befell us this year, with great energy and desire, we managed to fight back and continue to develop our dream. We come from a sector that is not primarily perceived as entrepreneurial, from the education sector, but we were committed to building a successful system by which we will participate in creating new ideas, added value, and future professionals for the benefit of all of us. Thank you to fellow entrepreneurs for the recognition, which will certainly serve as an additional motivation for us in the days to come," said Hrvoje Josip Balen from Algebra during the proclamation.

The expert and the independent jury consists of entrepreneurs and investors Nenad Bakić and Saša Cvetojević, together with previous winners Alan Sumina, Đuro Horvat, Marko Pipunić, Mate Rimac, and Silvio Kutić, led by the President of the Management Board of Atlantic Grupa Emil Tedeschi. The winner was chosen according to global criteria which, in addition to financial indicators, focus on entrepreneurial spirit, innovation, personal integrity, and strategic direction.

"Although the circumstances of life and business have changed, what remains unchanged are the values underlying this award and program. These values are positively evidenced by the entrepreneurial news that resonates with the public in recent months, but also over the years. Almost all previous laureates and finalists of the past five years have achieved great results, and they are connected by hard work, knowledge, desire, courage, and the ability to gather outstanding teams. Besides, the desire for constant education and the acquisition of new knowledge is crucial for their success. It is the constant development of new ideas and knowledge that will be the foundation of further success in all areas," said Emil Tedeschi, President of the Jury, in his introductory speech. Speaking about the importance of the award, he added: "This is a unique award given by entrepreneurs to entrepreneurs, which celebrates entrepreneurship with the message that the best among us are all role models and inspiration."

Winners Hrvoje Balen and Mislav Balković from Algebra in the company of Berislav Horvat, Saša Cvetojević, Nenad Bakić, Mate Rimac, and Josip Pavlinić at the award ceremony of the prestigious EY Entrepreneur of the Year award / Poduzetnik.biz

Apart from Algebra, the selected group of this year's finalists, who presented their success stories in Zagreb's Lauba on Friday, November 13, consisted of Nikica Gabrić from the Svjetlost Clinic, Anita Cvetić Oreščanin, Dražen Oreščanin, and Lidija Karaga from the company Business Intelligence (Poslovna inteligencija), Gordan Lauc from Genos, Stjepan Šafran from Metal Product, and Matt Darko Sertić from Applied Ceramics.

During the opening ceremony for the most successful Croatian entrepreneur, Berislav Horvat, Country Managing Partner at EY Croatia, said:

"This year was specific, it put every individual, including everyone who has dedicated their lives to entrepreneurship and creating new values, numerous unexpected temptations. I am convinced that even in such times, it is entrepreneurs and their innovations, optimism, ability to quickly adapt and find the best solutions that can re-create new values and help the further development of society. Therefore, a big thank you to all entrepreneurs for the extra effort they put into building a better society just when it is most needed."

Minister of Finance Zdravko Marić pointed out that glorifying entrepreneurial success is extremely important in these unprecedented times and that entrepreneurs have once again shown how important their role is in the development of the economy and society as a whole.

Croatian entrepreneurship has once again shown that it has the strength and potential, and the sixth edition of this most prestigious world award in entrepreneurship presented the most successful and brought additional motivation for business development and perseverance.

To read more about business in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

August 3, 2020 - The Entrepreneurial Mindset 2020 conference, much like the entire year of 2020, brings you a lot of different, challenging, and unpredictable content, which is sure to go beyond all your expectations!

It is often said that those who can tell a story hold special powers. That’s why organizers of the Entrepreneurial Mindset 2020 conference - media platform “Poduzetnik” (Entrepreneur) and EY Croatia - chose leaders in their fields - entrepreneurs, coaches and educators - for this year’s event. They will come from all corners of Croatia and some from overseas, to pass on their experience and expertise.

Save the date: September 10^th, 2020

The conference will be held on Thursday, September 10^th, 2020, in Zagreb, and will be streamed live on several channels, including the Youtube channel of the Poduzetnik magazine and media partners.  

This year’s program includes: Ana Hanžeković, member of the board of Hanza Media; Ana Lisak, director of Catering Lisak; Ana Volk, member of the supervisory board of Sunce Hoteli d.d.; Ksenija Vrbanić, owner of the Xenia Design brand; Bernarda Cecelja, member of the board of Bernarda d.o.o.; Jasminka Horvat Martinović, president of the board of Wiener osiguranje VIG; Ivan Franičević, president of the board of RASCO; Joe Bašić, founder/director of MPG SouthEast Europe, organizer and promotor of Ultra Europe; Orlando Lopac, director of OrlandoFit; Zoran Mamić, president of the supervisory board of TOMMY; Saša Cvetojević, CEO of MBE Adriatic; Ognjen Bagatin, CEO of the Bagatin Clinic and the owner of the Poduzetnik media platform; Boris Trupčević, director of 24sata; Korado Korlević, an educator, astronomer and manager of the Višnjan observatory; Paul Bradbury, owner of Total Croatia News and Jan de Jong, director of Webpower Adria.

Since analysts predict this autumn will be extremely challenging, filled with unexpected turns, everyone will surely find something of interest in what this diverse and experienced selection of guests will share. In addition to revolutionary ideas, guests will bring wisdom borne from mistakes and experience, stories of their ups and downs, positive vibes, and a lot of unique, interesting content. You will also get to learn how, at a time of crisis (when many others are panicking and looking for an escape), such leaders, free thinkers, and entrepreneurs are instead seeing opportunity and potential.

Join the Entrepreneurial Mindset 2020 conference - ask yourself some questions, ask us some over social media, stay on the #entrepreneurialmindset frequency, and find out where it can take you!

Because, if not now, when?!

If you’re wondering how the organizers were able to pull it off, in terms of organization and production, here are the people and the brands who decided to support the project...

Find out more at: https://mindset.poduzetnik.biz/

July 25, 2020 - What is the awareness of the new functioning of the market and the willingness for necessary changes?

One of the long-term goals of UGP is the development of entrepreneurial, proactive, and creative culture and mindset. We have identified the various training needs of our members, and with the development of the Association, this will undoubtedly become one of the most significant advantages. Given that we are facing a large-scale crisis in a global context, aside from focusing on short-term measures for the survival of companies, we wanted to turn to the changes that will be required in the medium or long term. Considering the unpredictability of the time ahead, it is necessary to strengthen the capabilities of entrepreneurs and their firms in several ways – through new knowledge, attitudes, relationships, values, and interests. To get as much information as possible about the entrepreneur's current activities related to the upcoming period, we asked them, "What are entrepreneurs doing with their business to prepare/adapt to the new circumstances?"

The most significant number of our members, 46% responded that they are optimizing current business processes and human resources, which is very logical and necessary. About 20% said they are developing new methods or remodeling old ones, while 3% is changing the customer pool, which is a slightly higher level of innovation, but the question remains, will this be enough? 11% of responders say they are changing the entire structure of the firm to adapt, and here we can add some just above 5% of those who say they are completely changing both the market and services and are turning to new deals. Relatively small, but not negligible 8% take the financial support and wait for the situation to normalize, and about 5% plan to close the company and transfer their business to another country.

These results leave room for moderate concern. Even though more than 60% of firms are making some changes, only 16% of them are considering the sharp turns that would be required in the worst-case scenario. Of course, it seems that this threatens to disappear more than 13% of firms that passively wait for the situation to develop and hope or leave the country.

Given this situation, it was also logical to check what entrepreneurs thought might lead to their launch and help them start looking for new business models and faster changes that would be required. We got polarizing but very interesting answers to this question: more than 57% understand that measures are not a long-term solution and that they should be canceled relatively quickly (in a matter of months) because people avoid changes until they are forced to. The second answer is given by 23% of respondents who think the opposite – that it is necessary to extend existing measures as long as possible to get time for the required transformation. We believe this is a good indicator of how awareness is growing. It's becoming clear that dependence on government subsidies can't last and that entrepreneurs will have to be even more entrepreneurial.

Finally, we asked our members, "How much time and energy have you invested in developing new ideas and ways of doing business over the past few months?"

About 55% said that they are actively working on new business opportunities and that this is their primary focus, which we think is the right answer. Just above 26% admitted that they did very little to deal with it and mostly focused on crisis and survival. A moderate 14% have adapted somewhat, but plan to continue working on it, and again 3% say their option is to go to another country.

At a time when the necessary reforms are expected to be implemented by the new Government, and in a situation that has already caused the departure of some foreign firms (the latest case is Meggle), it is clear that the fight for the economy and maintaining the quality of life will be tough and will require complete solutions. As a country, we must become more competitive, the four postulates of UGP must be implemented to facilitate business, reduce bureaucracy and administration, ensure that justice is better and faster met, and control all costs well while avoiding clientelism. On the other hand, this will also not be enough if entrepreneurs themselves do not take huge steps and change the strategies and ways of doing business, and some of the industries in which they work. Because of this, UGP supports the lifelong education and progress of the entrepreneurs, which it will also actively work on, hoping to create a positive entrepreneurial climate in the country as soon as possible. If that does not happen, and from these figures, you can calculate black scenarios and a drop in GDP, which will be estimated in tens of percentage points.

***

The GLAS PODUZETNIKA Initiative started as a citizens' self-organized group, most of which are small entrepreneurs, after the announcement of the first set of Government's measures, which the organizers deemed insufficient. The Initiative assembled more than 100,000 entrepreneurs, small business owners, self-employed, and the employees in the private sector in less than 15 days, drawing the media spotlight with its uncompromising requests and appearances. Considering this, GLAS PODUZETNIKA positioned itself as a relevant factor in public discussions aimed to determine Croatia's new economic direction. Its position was also confirmed by the Government of the Republic of Croatia, which has included some of the Initiative's suggestions in the second set of economic measures, thus confirming Initiative's undeniable influence. At the request of the Initiative's members, the GLAS PODUZETNIKA Association was established, gathering more than 12,000 members. More than 200,000 Croatian citizens support the Association.

For the latest on the Glas Poduzetnika initiative, follow the dedicated TCN section.

ZAGREB, June 30, 2020 - Entrepreneurs expect the next government to urgently adopt structural reforms and define a clear economic strategy, according to an online round table organised on Tuesday by the Croatian Employers Association (HUP) and Vecernji List daily.

HUP director-general Davor Majetic said that due to the coronacrisis, there was mainly talk about short term measures, but added that structural reforms must not be forgotten.

He said the next government should continue with the measures to help the economy and retain jobs as well as implement structural reforms from day one. "They have never been more important."

Finance Minister Zdravko Maric said the government must create conditions for the economy to function as well as possible by reducing taxes and non-tax as well as administrative levies and by improving the investment climate.

He said the coronacrisis had shown that the economy could not function without a stable and strong state. He said the state should not be too involved but that, in partnership with businesses, it should decide which industries were strategic and base growth rates on them.

Maric said the EU's Recovery Fund was a big opportunity for Croatia and that it was necessary to start preparing projects.

Josip Tica of the Restart Coalition said strategic sectors should be in the function of added value and that it was necessary to stimulate consumption and investment. He also underlined digital transformation.