SIBENIK, June 6 (Hina) - It is mostly thanks to small businesses that Croatia has managed to record an increase in production at a time when Europe and the rest of the world are hit by a recession, Deputy Prime Minister Slavko Linic
said on Friday at the end of the seventh national conference on small businesses.
SIBENIK, June 6 (Hina) - It is mostly thanks to small businesses
that Croatia has managed to record an increase in production at a
time when Europe and the rest of the world are hit by a recession,
Deputy Prime Minister Slavko Linic said on Friday at the end of the
seventh national conference on small businesses. #L#
He said the government's main task by the end of the year was to pass
some 40 laws necessary for Croatia to become a European Union entry
candidate, most of which refer to the economy.
The number of the unemployed, after a record high 415,000 in March
2002, is constantly falling, which is the result of growing
production and new jobs, mostly in small businesses, said Linic.
Speaking about the government's economic policy, he said the state
had to stimulate those investing their money in development and new
jobs. The five-percent budgetary deficit has been caused in the
greatest part by large investments the state insists on and which
give entrepreneurs a chance to land jobs on the domestic market, he
said.
Linic recalled the successes achieved in the restructuring of big
state-owned companies which three years ago did not have money to
launch even basic production but today were investing 18 billion
kuna (EUR2.4 billion) in the infrastructure.
Asked about the amount of the public debt, Linic said the problem
was not the figure but whether Croatia could service the debt. The
answer is simple -- Croatia can do it, he said.
(EUR1 = 7.5 kuna)
(hina) ha sb