"The current suspension of public procurement is understandable considering the scope of the crisis (caused by the coronavirus pandemic) and efforts to secure the liquidity of the state but it should not turn into a measure of a more lasting duration. Public procurement is extremely important for the competitiveness of a large number of sectors," Burilovic said in a statement, noting that in 2018, public procurement accounted for 15% of GDP not including VAT.
"For many companies, such as those manufacturing equipment, performing works and providing services, public procurement accounts for a large part of liquidity. It is therefore important that investment projects and those for which EU funds have been secured continue and that the full scope of planned activities is restored in the long run, once the crisis is overcome," he said in a comment on a potentially major impact of the government's decision to limit the use of funds envisaged by the state budget and financial plans of extra-budgetary users of the state budget for 2020.