He warned that laws regulating how to do business had not been changed for three years.
Ranogajec said no investments were made this year, adding that capital required security and that people were bothered when terms for doing business were changed two or three times a year.
He said 2012 was another tough year when businesses were opened and closed.
He said the Entrepreneurship and Crafts Ministry had become a strategic partner for business owners and that they were trying to amend many laws to eliminate the barriers holding them and the whole economy back.
Ranogajec underlined the importance of education, saying that without a trained personnel business owners would not be able to compete for jobs upon Croatia's accession to the European Union.
EU entry is both an opportunity and a threat for business owners, so they expect more incentives to obtain certificates and become more competitive, he said.
He also called for amending the law on trades and crafts, particularly with regard to assets, in order to equate business owners with companies on the market.