The government sent the final proposal of the Trade Act to the Parliament on Thursday, according to which shops would normally be closed on Sundays, and shop owners could choose 16 Sundays a year during which they would work, Economy Minister Davor Filipovic said.

The new law would enter into force on 1 July, he said.

At the Government session, Filipovic pointed out that the final proposal of the Trade Act regulates the fundamental right of workers in shops to weekly rest and resolves the issue of balance between private and business life.

The working hours in the store, as he said, are regulated in such a way that the stores are closed on Sundays and when there are holidays, and the weekly maximum amount of working hours that the retailer distributes independently from Monday to Saturday is set at 90 hours.

“When this final bill is compared with the first reading, due to the need to supply the population, the continuous performance of public services and the operation of those facilities that normally work on Sundays and holidays, we have foreseen some exceptions that will also work on Sundays. In relation to the first reading, bakeries were removed from those exceptions because we took into account everything that was discussed at the committees and in parliament,” said Filipovic.

As for the possibility of working on Sundays, as he stated, the bill foresees 16 working Sundays throughout the year. It is also proposed that the law enters into force on 1 July and for the sake of adaptation of business entities, in 2023, 16 working Sundays are not counted as working Sundays until the new law comes into force.

“We found a model of 16 working Sundays, and I think it’s a good balance,” said Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic at the government session.

The law prescribes exceptions to the general rule that are located within or are an integral part of railway and bus stations, airports and ferry ports, ports of inland navigation, ships, airplanes and ferries for the transport of people and vehicles, gas stations, hospitals, hotels, cultural spaces and religious institutions and other subjects in culture, museums, visitor centres or interpretation centres, nautical marinas, camps, family farms and declared protected nature areas in accordance with special regulations.

Also, exceptions apply to the purchase of primary agricultural products, the sale of own agricultural products at retail stalls and benches at markets and the sale of own agricultural products at stalls and benches at wholesale markets, occasional sales at fairs and public events, and sales through vending machines and distance selling.

Press distribution through newsstands, as a special form of sales outside stores, can be open on Sundays and holidays from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.