On Monday, 6 April, the European Commission approved a Croatian guarantee scheme for companies affected by the coronavirus crisis.
This support is considered to be in line with the State Aid Temporary Framework adopted by the Commission on 19 March 2020, as amended on 3 April 2020.
Croatia notified the Commission of a 6 billion HRK (around €790 million) loan guarantee scheme aimed at providing targeted support to certain companies affected by the pandemic. Any company for which at least 20% of the annual turnover comes from exports will be eligible for this support, which is granted in the form of State guarantees on loans. These guarantees will help support lending to these companies but will not take the form of export aid contingent on export activities.
This scheme aims to limit the risk associated with granting operating loans to the companies that have been hit the hardest by the economic repercussions of the COVID-19 outbreak and thus ensure the continuation of their business activities. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)