Some financial support for the craftsmen of Zagreb.
The City of Zagreb on Wednesday decided to award grants in the amount of more than 12 million kuna for 694 local craftsmen who are engaged in traditional trades and craft, which is the largest amount appropriated for such purposes in the last ten years. The individual grants are between 10,000 and 30,000 kuna, reports Poslovni.hr on November 5, 2015.
Zagreb mayor Milan Bandić announced that in the next month, along with the Chamber and the Association of Craftsmen, he will make a list of all available business premises in the city and come to an agreement about the lease of the premises to craftsmen for one to five kuna per square metre, just so the craftsmen would start using them.
“It is cheaper for us to give them the premises for one kuna, so they can employ workers and pay utility bills. If that happens, we will already have made some money. We’ll go from street to street and from shop to shop, and solve this problem. There is an economic crisis, but the crisis is also a challenge. We have to give a chance to these people, but we also have to give them space where they will work. They should be free from all taxes for the next five years, so people will have the motivation to create something”, Bandić said.
He added that there is a “real battle” for premises on the streets in the city centre, but that the shops in the third and fourth city zones must also be activated. He said that the prices will be lowered to a rate of only a kuna per square metre, just so the shops would be put to good use. “Since 2000, the city authorities have been continuously encouraging growth and development of small businesses and entrepreneurship, and by the end of 2014 we have spent for this purpose more than 300 million kuna”, Bandić pointed out.
Bandić said that based on this year’s tender, they have received 745 requests for aid and have approved 694 new grants for craftsmen amounting to more than 12 million kuna, which is 42.5 percent more compared to the last year. He added that this has allowed the preservation of 694 workshops and 2,025 jobs.
The mayor also announced the start-up conference “Zagreb Connect” which will take place at the Zagreb Fair on 11 and 12 November. He added that the Technology Park at the Fair will be expanded as well, which will enable start-up companies to use the office space and infrastructure in their first year of business operations for free.
In Zagreb, there are currently some 17,500 craftsmen. Seven years ago, before the economic recession began, there were just over 20,000 craftsmen.
