About 200,000 people work in small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) and when one adds their families, close to half a million people live off SMEs, Entrepreneurship and Crafts Minister Gordan Maras said in parliament on Wednesday presenting a new SME bill.
About 83,000 SMEs employ about 105,000 people, which means that about 200,000 people work in this sector, he said, adding that about 50,000 SMEs folded because of the economic crisis.
The government-sponsored bill is expected to bring security and make the position of SMEs easier.
Under the bill, it will not be possible to seize the house or the flat in which an SME owner lives in order to collect a debt, and SME premises will also be exempt from foreclosure. Until now, an SME's owner entire property could be confiscated.
If an SME folds, the owner will have the same rights at the Employment Service as all other job seekers.
The bill also envisages a reform of the Croatian Chamber of Trades and Crafts.
