The Croatian Parliament approved an amendment to the law regulating the conditions of sale, which affirms the general principle of closed shops on Sundays and public holidays. The ban will apply from January 1, 2023, when shops and stores will be in Croatia Closed on Sunday, with the fact that traders will be able to choose the estnct themselves sun In the year in which the shops will be opened. The law contains a very limited set of exceptions (shops in airports, airports, ferry terminals, gas stations, museums and cultural institutions, sale of own agricultural produce in markets). A closed shop on Sunday should not affect the need for daytime sleep, nor should there be discontent among tourists during the tourist season.
Tourism is a very important sector of the Croatian economy, accounting for 20% of the GDP. Croatia is one of the most popular holiday destinations even for tourists from the Czech Republic (834 thousand visited Croatia last year). It is expected that, in connection with the adoption of the euro and the entry of the country into the Schengen area from January 1, 2023, the number of flights arriving from the Czech Republic will increase.
The new law will come into force on January 1, provided that on working days in the first half of this year, the weekly fee will not be charged until the end of the year. Thus, sellers will have only eleven non-working Sundays this year, that is, they will be able to work throughout the main tourist season and during holidays in the open air (this also applies to popular bakeries).
Among the exceptions, to which the sales ban and the no-Sundays principle do not apply, are shops at bus and train stations, airport and ferry terminals, inland navigation and ship terminals, hospitals, hotels, campsites, markets, family farms, museums, cultural institutions and an erpac station. Tobacco sellers will be open on Sundays and public holidays only in the mornings between 7 a.m. and 1 p.m. Sundays of rest do not apply to the purchase of one’s own agricultural produce, the sale of one’s own farm produce at stalls and benches in retail markets, and the sale of one’s own farm produce In booths and seats in wholesale, wholesale sales at exhibitions and public events, sales through vending machines and long-distance sales. Merchants themselves determine independently which of the many Sundays they will open on, based on individual needs, availability, and other relevant factors.
According to the Croatian Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development, Organizing work on Sundays will not lead to negative workdays, job losses, reduced business income, and a decline in economic activity. On the contrary, organizing work on Sundays can contribute to the problems of the Croatian economy. According to the author of the regulation, the practice in other European countries where there is no work on Sundays (Germany, Austria, Belgium, France, etc.) shows that, on the contrary, income and the number of employees are increasing. As a positive example, I can cite the KTC retail store (www.ktc.hr), which has not worked on Sundays for several years, its sales have increased significantly, and the store has more employees and satisfied customers. However, it is believed that the law will have such an impact on all business sectors operating in Croatia (118,000 women work in the trade sector in Croatia). The law will help balance the commercial and private sectors.
Croatia is a strong society. In the first labor relations, he applies the protection of the first employee, which seems excessive from the point of view of the employer.
It is guided by the conviction that the regulation of basic wages on Sundays as a day off improves the quality of life of workers in the shop, including by providing them with more free time and contributing to a better condition for workers, especially women workers. However, despite his fear of the practice, which he sees as quite common in Western Europe, he will quickly adapt.
Josef Dvok, Economic Diplomat, Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Zip
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