GOVERNMENT ON SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTREPRENEURSHIP

SAMOBOR, June 14 (Hina) - Croatian Crafts, Small and Medium Entrepreneurship Minister Zeljko Pecek said on Thursday Ivica Racan's government recognised the global development trend of small entrepreneurship whose role in the overall Croatian economy was more and more noticeable. At the session, Pecek said the government's goal was to increase the employment rate by encouraging the creative entrepreneurship potential. The government presented a development programme for small and medium entrepreneurship by 2004 and legal acts which would enable the implementation. By 2004, 17.2 billion kuna should be invested in the development of small and medium entrepreneurship, and create about 133,000 new jobs. Funds would be ensured from several sources, the state and local budgets, foreign loans. Small and medium entrepreneurship has 55 percent in the Gross Domestic Product. The government session is being held in Samobor, about 30 kilometres west of Zagreb. Small business is Samobor has fallen on fertile ground, Croatian Prime Minister Ivica Racan said, expressing hope Samobor would set an example to the entire country. (hina) it sb