PM Plenkovic: We will do all we can to help save jobs and make Uljanik sustainable

Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Wednesday that seven renowned finance houses had submitted bids to the government's call for consultants in the buyout of Hungarian oil company MOL's stake in its Croatian peer INA.

Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Wednesday that seven renowned finance houses had submitted bids to the government's call for consultants in the buyout of Hungarian oil company MOL's stake in its Croatian peer INA.

"A month ago the government invited renowned finance houses to participate as government consultants in the buyout of the stake in INA. Given that the call ended the day before yesterday, how many bids have been received and when will the government hire the consultants? When will they make recommendations and how much will they cost us?" Bozo Petrov of the opposition Bridge party asked Plenkovic during Question Time.

Plenkovic said seven bids had been received from eminent houses. "The call did not define the deadline by which the best bidder will be chosen, the energy ministry will analyse those bids and when everything is taken into account, the best consultant will be chosen."

He said Hungary was willing to resolve this issue swiftly and equitably. "Those two words are the essence of what will happen in the months ahead."

The PM said the INA-MOL situation had burdened Croatian-Hungarian relations and that this was not good. "Those relations are more important, also in terms of the economic relations between the two states, than one energy cooperation issue."

Dissatisfied with the answer, Petrov asked about specific deadlines and measures. "I appeal to you so that the INA situation doesn't end like the others, so that this government doesn't become a government of failed promises," he said.

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic told parliament during Question Time on Wednesday that he expected the European Commission to provide Zagreb very soon with its position on the government's approval of a state guarantee for the Uljanik shipyard to help with its restructuring and financial consolidation.

Last Thursday the government authorised the Finance Ministry to issue a state guarantee in the amount of 96 million euros in favour of Croatian Postal Bank (Hrvatska Postanak Banka) and/or some other commercial banks in the country and/or abroad for a credit commitment of the Pula-based Uljanik shipyard for the implementation of a restructuring process as well as financial consolidation of the company.

At the start of Question Time, Finance Minister Zdravko Maric said that Croatia was in intense talks with the European Commission about the planned state guarantee for the Uljanik shipyard.

Asked by Social Democrat lawmaker Pedja Grbin when the answer from Brussels could be expected, PM Plenkovic said he expected the Commission to send its opinion very soon and only after that could the government's decision be implemented. He underlined that the Economy Ministry was in intense communication with the relevant EC directorate.

A combination of a state guarantee and selection of strategic partners could be Plan A and Plan B, Plenkovic told Grbin during Question Time after the Opposition lawmaker wanted to know what could be Plan B for Zagreb if the EC refused to give a go-ahead for the decision on the state guarantee.

The premier said his cabinet would care about the shipyard and its employees and that it was also listening to what the unions were saying.

The fact that the government has decided to give its approval for the state guarantee is "a clear message that we will do all we can to help save jobs and make Uljanik sustainable", Plenkovic said.

Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said during Question Time in Parliament on Wednesday that the government would reduce Value Added Tax (VAT).

Reminding him that in the election campaign Plenkovic promised that if he became prime minister he would reduce VAT, Marijo Habek of the Social Democrats (SDP) asked Plenkovic if he would keep his promise.

Plenkovic briefly responded "Yes."

The prime minister also commented on the process of ratifying the Istanbul Convention. The SDP-led government which signed the convention had two years to send it to the ratification process but had failed to do so, Plenkovic said.

He recalled that last year he had said that Croatia would ratify the Convention and added that the relevant minister had carried out everything necessary, including public consultation, which showed that the topic the Convention deals with - violence against women - has been undermined and gender ideology has now come into focus.

"It seems to me we need to shed light on this debate all the way and see what the Convention will bring us, on top of national legislation. So, we will do everything in this term in office to resolve this issue in the best possible way," Plenkovic said.

Referring to the arbitration process with Slovenia, MP Ivan Vilibor Sincic of the Human Shield party said European Commission President Jean Claude Juncker and the EU had clearly stood by Slovenia and asked Plenkovic if Croatia would give in to the pressure from Brussels and Ljubljana and allow Slovenia to take what never belong to it.

Plenkovic disagreed with Sincic and said the European Commission has a pretty simple approach. It wanted to resolve the problem on the agenda, which they did not want but feel partly responsible because the former Commission had mediated in the signing of the Arbitration Agreement.

We are talking with Slovenia, we will insist on a rational dialogue, Plenkovic said.

Text: Hina

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