RIJEKA, April 23 (Hina) - Entrepreneurs in peace-time Croatia must be what soldiers were for Croatia during the war, Vice Premier Andrija Hebrang said at a session of the government, which met in Rijeka on Friday to define a programme
of development of entrepreneurial zones until 2007.
RIJEKA, April 23 (Hina) - Entrepreneurs in peace-time Croatia must be
what soldiers were for Croatia during the war, Vice Premier Andrija
Hebrang said at a session of the government, which met in Rijeka on
Friday to define a programme of development of entrepreneurial zones
until 2007.#L#
Goals defined in the programme include an increase in the number of
entrepreneurial zones to an average of 20 in each county as well as an
increase in incentives for new zones from the current 84 million kuna
to 300 million annually.
The government believes that entrepreneurial zones should promote
small and medium-sized entrepreneurship and that the number of
employees in new zones should be increased from 3,000 to 10,000
annually.
In setting up the zones, the government counts on cooperation from
local government units and is ready to provide financial assistance.
The programme also envisages tax benefits for entrepreneurs operating
in entrepreneurial zones, including exemption from the payment of
profit tax in the first three years.
Economy Minister Branko Vukelic said the project was not directed
against big entrepreneurs.
Government officials also announced that vocational schools would this
year be allocated 4.3 million kuna of budgetary funds to improve the
quality of their curricula.
They called on the private sector to cooperate with the government in
development projects, and PM Ivo Sanader dismissed claims that the
partnership between the private and public sectors would stop the
privatisation process.
The government today also agreed to launch procedure to sign an
agreement with the World Bank on a project for protection against
water pollution in the coastal area, totalling 85 million euros. The
Bank is to grant Croatia a loan of 40.4 million euros for the
project.
(Hina) rml