Zagreb Craftsmen Association leaders focus on member challenges and business improvement

Leaders within the Craftsmen Association of Zagreb are preparing to tackle key challenges and enhance the business environment for their members over the next four years. The guilds, considered the core of the association, bring together craftsmen by professional fields, advocate for their interests, organize training, promote trades, and preserve Zagreb's rich craft tradition.

Recent constitutive sessions saw the election of new guild presidents, including Anita-Slavica Prka Đurašić, Zlatko Prosinečki, and Damir Juretić. These leaders are expected to play a crucial role in strengthening collaboration among craftsmen, representing their collective interests to various institutions, and creating more favorable conditions for the growth and sustainability of craftsmanship within the city.

Anita-Slavica Prka Đurašić, president of the Guild of Intellectual Services of an economic nature, highlighted the evolving landscape of crafts. She noted that beyond traditional roles like tailors or mechanics, the perception of craftsmen now includes translators for international companies, IT specialists driving digital transformation, educators, and consultants assisting small businesses. These intellectual service providers have increasingly registered as crafts or flat-rate businesses, taking on the risks of the private sector to operate legally.

"Our mission will be even stronger connection and strengthening competitiveness," Prka Đurašić stated. She emphasized that these intellectual service providers, who contribute significantly to the economy and digital transformation, now form over half of the association's membership. As the new president, she acknowledges the responsibility to strategize for the future, particularly addressing the challenges that have recently impacted their business models, with over 90 percent of members facing difficulties.

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Our mission will be even stronger connection and strengthening competitiveness.