Bankruptcy proceedings in Republic of Croatia

Cilj i svrha ovog rada je pobliže objasniti pojam i proces provođenja stečajnog postupka u Republici Hrvatskoj, koji sve subjekti sudjeluju u procesu i koje se sve pravne radnje moraju poduzeti od pokretanja do okončanja navedenog postupka. Stečajni postupci postali su svakodnevica u Republici Hrvatskoj, odraz su lošeg stanja gospodarstva, poslovni subjekti sve više postaju prezaduženi ili nesposobni za plaćanje, čime je zadovoljen glavni uvjet za stečaj. Stečajni postupak je postupak koji se pokreće radi namirenja tražbina koje vjerovnici imaju u trenutku otvaranja stečajnog postupka prema dužniku, a provodi se unovčenjem dužnikove imovine te se vrši podjela prikupljenih sredstava vjerovnicima što u konačnici rezultira prestankom postojanja stečajnog dužnika pravne osobe, dok stečajni dužnik fizička osoba gubi svojstvo trgovca pojedinca, obrtnika ili osobe koja obavlja samostalnu djelatnost.The aim and purpose of this paper is to determine the concept and process of conducting bankruptcy proceedings in Republic of Croatia, which entities are involved in process and what legal acts must be taken from initiation of the procedure until its conclusion. Bankruptcy proceedings became part of everyday life in Croatia, they are reflection of bad economic situation, business entities are becoming more and more overindebted or unable to pay, which makes main criteria for bankruptcy satisfied. Bankruptcy procedure is a procedure which is conducted in order to settle claims which creditors have at the moment of opening bankruptcy proceedings towards the debtor, it is conducted by cashing the debtor’s assets and distribution of the raised funds to the creditors which in the end results in cessation of the existence of debtor’s legal entity, while individual debtor loses its property of a trader, craftsman or person which does independent business