Croatia no work Sunday: It is a day for family and friends but we also have tourism

ZAGREB, Sept 24 (Hina) – Economy and Sustainable Development Minister Tomislav Coric on Thursday commented on debates related to regulating Sunday trading hours and said that Sunday is a day for the family and friends, but recalled that Croatia generates 20% of its GDP from tourism and as such it needs to be flexible.

Asked whether Croatia would take the Austrian model regarding Sunday trading which his predecessor Darko Horvat spoke about, which means a certain number of working Sundays in the year, or whether another proposal would be put forward, banning Sunday trading, Coric said that things were going in the direction of what Horvat spoke about and that the Austrian model has not been abandoned.

“The idea is for Sunday to remain a day for the family and friends, a day in which our workers, particularly in stores, can rest. On the other hand, it is clear that Croatia is a country in which the share of tourism in GDP is about 20%. As such, during the tourism season we have to enable a certain level of flexibility,” said Coric.

He noted that for that reason he held the first consultation with unions and that a task force would be established soon, comprising representatives from ministries, unions, and employers, that will work in the next two months on preparing a bill.

The idea is for the bill to be put to a public consultation on 1 December and after that, for it to be submitted to public and state administration bodies, said Coric.