The congress, attended by representatives of some 500 small and medium businesses, was organised by the Croatian Employers Association and the Ministry of the Economy.
Sanader said that the government was working towards removing administrative obstacles to doing business and recalled the introduction of the Hitro.hr and e-Croatia projects and the adoption of a project of national export offensive.
"We are proud of how many small companies were established last year, as well as of the fact that the government is co-financing 289 entrepreneurial zones," PM Sanader said.
Economy Minister Branko Vukelic said that the government program aimed at boosting small and medium enterprises was yielding excellent results and that more new jobs would be created this year.
In the period between 2003 and 2006, around 50,000 new jobs were created in the sector of small and medium enterprises, and another 13,000 jobs were created in the sector of crafts.