Upon its entry into the European Union, Croatia will have about one billion euros from EU funds annually at its disposal, and good preparation of the state and entrepreneurs is crucial for good absorption, it was said at the second day of the 16th national conference on economy and entrepreneurship, which was held in the northern town of Sveti Martin na Muri.
The two-day event focusing on small enterprises on the threshold of integration with the single European market began on Friday.
Suzana Vracevic of the Ministry for Entrepreneurship and Trade said on Saturday that a majority of those EU funds would be used for regional development, and also 35% of funds from the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) had already been used for that purpose.
She advised applicants for those funds to engage project managers to make explanations and reports on the effects of the applied projects.
Consultant for IPA-funded projects, Robert McKean, said that it would be important for Croatian entrepreneurs to reach the EU technical and ecological standards in order to be able to operate on the EU single market.
He said the problem now lay in the fact that less than 5% of those rules had been to date translated into Croatian.
According to him, the biggest opportunities would be offered to wood-processing businesses, while businesses from the food sector should brace themselves for problems.
Some 500 participants including business people, government and local officials gathered for the conference in the northernmost Croatian town.
