The Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK) has welcomed the decision by the Ministry of Agriculture to increase funding from the wine envelope by another HRK 13 million.

The HGK said in a statement earlier this week that a proposal for the 2019-2023 national aid programme for the wine sector, the so-called wine envelope, was currently at the public consultation stage and that funding for crisis wine distillation and storage would increase considerably.

Instead of the initially planned HRK 43 million, the Ministry of Agriculture has ensured an additional HRK 13 million, bringing the total amount of aid for stabilising the wine market to HRK 56.5 million.

The HGK association of winemakers welcomed the decision.

Funds have been increased from HRK 38 million to 46.5 million for the crisis wine distillation measure and from HRK 5 million to 10 million for the crisis wine storage measure.

The HGK said that the coronavirus crisis had severely affected the wine-growing and wine-making sector, which is why it had recommended to the Ministry of Agriculture to change the wine envelope.

(€1 = HRK 7.52)