The government is already implementing a great deal of economic measures which are now being proposed by the Croatian Employers' Association (HUP), Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor said in her speech at a gathering organised on the occasion of Entrepreneurs' Day on Monday.
At the event the HUP presented a set of measures for Croatia's development in 2011-2015.
A large part of HUP measures is acceptable to the government and some of those measures are already being implemented, Kosor said, recalling what her cabinet had done over the last two years which she said had resulted in a decline in unemployment and a rise in exports and industrial production.
According to the latest figures published by the Croatian Employment Service, 298,719 people were registered as unemployed in May, and last month 22,684 people got jobs, which was 23.7 percent more than in May last year, Kosor said.
She also boasted of 18-percent growth in exports last year and a 7-percent rise in exports this April with EUR 921 million earned in exports, which was a record high monthly amount for exports in the last three years.
She recalled that industrial production went up 2.7 percent in April on the year.
Kosor announced a new package of measures aimed at reducing budget expenditure.
Croatia is today closing the Fisheries policy chapter in its European Union accession negotiations, she said, recalling that four negotiating areas remained to be closed.
Assessing that pessimism and dissatisfaction now prevailed in society and also among entrepreneurs, President Ivo Josipovic called on business people to show more optimism since the government alone could not implement reforms and reinforce business optimism.
He called on political parties to focus their pre-election campaign on economic programmes.
A new government, regardless of who will form it, will have to embark on reforms decisively, Josipovic said.
The HUP presented a new document entitled "For Croatia 2011-2015; Capital and Jobs Hand in Hand" at today's conference. The document contains business people's proposals for achieving four-percent economic growth annually.
HUP President Ivan Ergovic complained about rigid labour legislation, huge and inefficient public administration and high taxes. He said that business people had borne the brunt of the economic crisis, had implemented all restructuring measures and were now exhausted.
