Disagreements about INA have already brought down one government.
Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Martina Dalić said that coalition partners in the government together make all the decisions. She denied rumours that MOST was opposed to the plan for the government to sell part of Croatian Electrical Company (HEP) in order to finance the buyback of INA shares from MOL, reports Večernji List on January 3, 2017.
Responding to the question whether MOST planed to block the privatization of one quarter of HEP, which was unofficially announced by MOST’s Member of Parliament Miro Bulj over the weekend, Minister Dalić said that the decisions within the government were communicated and agreed among coalition partners.
Miro Bulj wrote on his Facebook page that no one had the right to sell HEP except its owner, the Croatian people. “I believe that any decision about the sale of HEP without the support of the majority of Croatian citizens, expressed in a referendum, would be yet another betrayal of national interests.”
Dalić stressed that she was speaking as Deputy Prime Minister of a joint government of HDZ and MOST. “They are our coalition partners. Thus, the decisions which have been communicated and which we are discussing here are policies of the government. That has been explained very clearly by MOST leader and Speaker of Parliament Božo Petrov as well”, said Dalić.
She pointed out that the sale of shares of HEP and buyback of MOL’s stake in Croatian oil company INA were two separate transactions that amounted to protection of national interests with regards to energy independence and security of Croatia. In the end, they will provide the possibility for Croatian citizens to participate in the results of development and operations of HEP.
According to all Croatian and European laws, retaining 75 percent plus one share means that HEP will remain under the full control of the government as it is now with 100 percent ownership. The government’s share in HEP will be regulated by a special law, announced the Deputy Prime Minister. Croatia will maintain full control over its electric power potential and acquire again the right to make decisions about its position on the oil and the energy map of Europe, she concluded.
Disagreements between HDZ and MOST were an important factor in the collapse of their previous government in June 2016.
