PM announces changes to Commerce Act, HGK Act

Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Thursday announced changes to the Commerce Act to allow shop work only on 16 Sundays a year, as well as changes to the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK) Act to exempt small businesses from the payment of the HGK membership fee.

Speaking to reporters after a meeting of the ruling coalition, Plenković said that the meeting discussed possible assistance to individual sectors facing problems due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the coalition decided that a scheme should be devised for sectors such as occasional transport, shipping services, the event industry and travel agencies.

"The scheme would be a financial one and it would be designed to enable them to prepare for the tourist season and normalise their activities," Plenković said.

Economy and Sustainable Development Minister Tomislav Ćorić outlined the proposed changes to the HGK Act and the Commerce Act, and the meeting also discussed the finalisation of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan as well as preparations for a budget revision after the 16 May local election.

As for changes to the Commerce Act, which include a ban on Sunday trading, the idea is to ban shop work except for 16 Sundays a year, taking into account the tourist season, holidays and the principle of proportionality, Plenković said.

Speaking of changes to the HGK Act to abolish the membership fee for small businesses, Plenković said this would reduce the HGK's income by slightly more than HRK 60 million, which would be compensated for either with market services or with funding from the budgets of individual ministries with which the HGK's activities are associated.

He noted that this would also entail a certain reduction in the number of HGK personnel.

Plenković said that the two bills would be fine-tuned at consultations within the government, after which they would be put to public consultation and sent to the parliament.

Asked what the rationalisation would mean for HGK employees, who now number around 500, Plenković said that the number of people to be laid off would depend on how much the HGK's revenue would drop, adding that he could not be more specific at the moment.

Text: Hina

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