Abstract
A significant principle in evaluating a company’s sustainability is the going concern principle, which assesses its ability to continue with its operations for the foreseeable future. Thus, adequate financial position and profitable business operations are preconditions for fulfilling going concern requirements, which leads to a prudent company’s capital management. However, this is insufficient for capital sustainability, considering that aggressive dividend policies lead to decreased capital. National laws and regulations play a significant role in preserving paid-in and accumulating earned capital, especially those regulations related to companies’ legal systems and accounting practices. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the Croatian legal system regarding the main aspects of regulations on dividend distributions on the one side and accounting recognition and measuring policies related to paid-in and earned capital on the other side. The results are beneficiary for the objectives of the ELI project Guidance on Company Capital and Financial Accounting for Corporate Sustainability related to “restating and modernising well-established provisions of European company law on: (i) distributions; (ii) equity capital maintenance; and (iii) non-distributable reserves, with a view to fostering and facilitating sustainable business conduct through responsible company capital management and financial accounting adjustments”.
Acknowledgements
This publication was prepared on behalf the European Law Institute (ELI)’s SIG on Business and Financial Law. The statements and recommendations contained in this publication have not been approved or endorsed by any statutory body of the ELI and thus should not be taken to represent an official statement or position of ELI.
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Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Research Articles
- ELI Guidance on Company Capital and Financial Accounting for Corporate Sustainability: A Foreword
- The Historical Evolution of Corporate Social Responsibility: A Foreword to the ELI Guidance
- Introduction to “Better Company Law for Sustainable Business Conduct: ELI Guidance on Company Capital and Financial Accounting for Corporate Sustainability”
- ELI Guidance on Company Capital and Financial Accounting for Corporate Sustainability
- The Effects of Applying the ELI Recommendations for Corporate Sustainability: Illustrative Examples
- Financial Sustainability of the Company and the Principle of Share Capital Maintenance
- Accounting Policies and Dividend Limitation: A European Comparison
- Important Features of Capital Maintenance in Germany
- Financial Reporting and the Determination of Distributable Profits: A Broken Link. The Case of Italy
- Accounting Standards for Equity Capital Management and Dividend Distributions in France
- Financial Statements and the Determination of Distributable Profits in Croatia
- Shareholders’ Equity and Dividend Regulation in Japan: How Can Financial Reporting and Capital Maintenance Be Reconciled?
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Research Articles
- ELI Guidance on Company Capital and Financial Accounting for Corporate Sustainability: A Foreword
- The Historical Evolution of Corporate Social Responsibility: A Foreword to the ELI Guidance
- Introduction to “Better Company Law for Sustainable Business Conduct: ELI Guidance on Company Capital and Financial Accounting for Corporate Sustainability”
- ELI Guidance on Company Capital and Financial Accounting for Corporate Sustainability
- The Effects of Applying the ELI Recommendations for Corporate Sustainability: Illustrative Examples
- Financial Sustainability of the Company and the Principle of Share Capital Maintenance
- Accounting Policies and Dividend Limitation: A European Comparison
- Important Features of Capital Maintenance in Germany
- Financial Reporting and the Determination of Distributable Profits: A Broken Link. The Case of Italy
- Accounting Standards for Equity Capital Management and Dividend Distributions in France
- Financial Statements and the Determination of Distributable Profits in Croatia
- Shareholders’ Equity and Dividend Regulation in Japan: How Can Financial Reporting and Capital Maintenance Be Reconciled?