Open only 16 Sundays a year.
Zagreb. In Croatia, stores will be closed on Sundays and public holidays in the future. The Croatian government introduced a new trade law to parliament on Thursday that introduces restrictions on store opening hours. Most stores in the tourist country, but also Catholic, will only be able to open 16 Sundays a year.
The new regulation, which still needs to be approved by Parliament, is expected to come into effect on July 1. Dealers will be free to choose the 16 Sundays they can work on, Croatian media reported. Commercial establishments located inside train stations, bus stations and airports, ports and marinas, ships, petrol stations, campsites, hospitals, hotels and cultural institutions are exempt from the ban on opening on Sundays. The exceptions are also valid for markets and family farms, tobacconists will be able to operate on Sundays and holidays between 7 am and 1 pm.
Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković sees a good balance in the 16 working Sundays rule. “I believe this will contribute to more rights for workers and better family life,” he said, according to media reports.
(APA)