Speaking to the press in Karlovac, Maras said that for the first time in four years, more businesses were opened than closed. "But this doesn't mean that small and medium enterprises can pull us out of the crisis. That won't happen without big investments, but small and medium enterprises do help everyone," he said, adding that Croatia definitely needs clusters.

Maras said he would travel to China with farmers on Sunday to present Croatia's exports. "One can't go there without large quantities and we must merge many small producers, medium companies, vintners for example, because when they specialise in a wanted production and place goods together, they do better business and develop a good or even better end product more easily."

Maras said the new law on investment stimulation that was in parliamentary procedure would enable small businesses, if they invested EUR 150,000 and employed five people, to get employment incentives and tax relief, notably on profit tax.