Labour and Pension System Minister Josip Aladrovic said on Sunday that grant schemes in the amount of HRK 2.5 billion for Croatian businesses hit by the corona crisis were in the pipeline for the early 2021.

The current measures including job-retention grants and shortening of working hours are in place until 31 December 2020, and the government is aware that the epidemiological situation is not favourable, which is why it is preparing a new set of measures for the next year, Aladrovic told the NOVA TV commercial broadcaster on Sunday evening.

Currently the amount of money available for that purpose is HRK 2.5 billion, the minister said adding that those funds are planned for the first quarter of 2021.

There is no need for a budget revision, we have already planned that item and also EU funds are put a disposal, he said.

The minister said that in the past period there had been no major turbulence on the labour market, and underscored that the number of the unemployed people was even on a decline in comparison to the situation at start of the epidemic of coronavirus.