The Prime Minister talks about privatisation of state-owned companies and First Deputy Prime Minister Tomislav Karamarko.
Prime Minister Tihomir Orešković announced on Thursday that the government would not sell all the companies which had been removed from the list of strategically important companies. He explained the government would sell its stake in Končar (25 percent; 46 million euros), Sunčani Hvar (17 million euros), and Croatia osiguranje, (30 percent), reports Index.hr on May 12, 2016.
"That is around 200 million euros that I had mentioned earlier. We have no intention to sell the other companies”, said Orešković at a news conference before the start of a government session.
He pointed out that he saw positive signals from the European Commission about the government's reforms. “That will be better for all Croatian citizens, GDP, and the public debt, since the deficit will fall below three percent. That will send positive signals to investors and Croatian entrepreneurs”, he said. The Prime Minister added that Croatia in March had the highest growth of industrial production in the EU, and expected that Croatia’s GDP would continue to growth which should lower the budget deficit below the three percent threshold set by the EU.
In connection with the contract between the wife of First Deputy Prime Minister Tomislav Karamarko and MOL lobbyist Josip Petrović, Orešković said he would wait for the decision of the Commission on Conflict of Interest Prevention, adding that he personally believed that Karamarko had done nothing against Croatian interests.
Speaking about INA, he said that he would form a negotiating team regarding the oil company. "INA is a strategically important company for Croatia and I will get involved a lot more in the whole process”, said Orešković, adding that the process of arbitration with MOL would continue.
He also added that the government had a majority in Parliament.
In the meantime, Karamarko announced on Facebook that he was temporarily withdrawing from all decision-making processes regarding INA. “Because of the media lynching against my family and me personally, I have made the decision to exclude myself from all processes that involve making any decisions about INA, until the Commission for Conflict of Interest Prevention does not make a decision”, wrote Karamarko.
