engleski

Options to boost the development and the sustainability of the Croatian economy by joining in agricultural cooperatives

The cooperatives constitute an important part of the European economy ; however, their potential is not fully tapped. The European post-socialist societies have been faced with difficulties in shifting the entrepreneurs’ mindset towards cooperatives and shifting the mindset in public administration structures. The purpose of this paper was to investigate the options to boost the development and the sustainability of the Croatian economy by joining in cooperatives. For the purpose of empirical research, a survey was conducted on a sample of 30 agricultural cooperatives on the territory of the Republic of Croatia. Cooperatives in Croatia are essentially small companies engaged in several business activities, among which procurement and sales prevail, while production and processing are less represented. Although aid measures for cooperatives are available, the funds for this purpose are dislocated and scattered in terms of competences and finances. Therefore, it is necessary to adopt a national strategy for the development of cooperatives, to network and connect the organizations which encourage the development of cooperatives, and to promote cooperatives as the main driving force behind SMEs.

cooperatives ; agricultural cooperatives ; EU ; countries in transition ;

UDC 338.24(4)(063) ISSN 1847 (CD ROM)