ZAGREB, June 3, 2020 - Environment and Energy Minister Tomislav Coric on Tuesday commented on the wind park scandal, saying that after consultations with the Chief State Prosecutor's Office (DORH), it was decided to annul a decision on a new acceptability estimate for the Krs-Padjene wind park, thereby unblocking the project.

In May and June 2017, before I took the minister's office, consultations began with DORH on the matter, after which we embarked on annulling the decision from March in order to protect Croatia's interest and defend ourselves from potential lawsuits, Coric told reporters in Karlovac.

A potential lawsuit could have been filed by the investor to sue Croatia for damages that could have been incurred by the failure to realise the project, he said.

Staff from the ministry's legal and environmental protection departments consulted the deputy chief state prosecutor in July before a commission was established and the decision was annulled, Coric said, adding that in the meantime he exchanged e-mails with the then chief state prosecutor Dinko Cvitan and his deputies.

Asked why his predecessor Slaven Dobrovic did not do that, Coric said the reason was that during his 18 months in office, Dobrovic "did nothing about environmental protection and energy."

He added that Dobrovic's decision of March was subject to a lawsuit. He said the goal of the commission established in July 2017 was to protect Croatia's long term interests in this case.

Asked if it was customary for the executive authority to consult DORH, Coric said that in this case, it was necessary.

Given that the direction could have been problematic for Croatia, we contacted DORH. If we hadn't, I doubt I would have made such a decision, he added.

Coric went on to say that he met with the investor in the Krs-Padjene wind park, Milenko Basic, several times at the ministry in the company of his lawyers and that Basic informed him about his intentions.

I did not see that as pressure because, as the investor, he only presented his legal positions, Coric said, adding that he never discussed the project with Josipa Rimac, a former state secretary at the Public Administration Ministry arrested last week as part of a probe into the wind park project on suspicion of corruption.

Speaking of the Krs-Padjene wind park project, he said: "It's been completed, I don't know if entirely. I suppose incentives have started too." He added that it was private investment.

ZAGREB, June 2, 2020 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Tuesday he did not see anything contentious in Minister Tomislav Coric's decision to revoke a decision for making a new feasibility study for the Krs-Padjene wind park, saying that he does not think Coric would sign something without first checking with experts.

"I don't see anything contentious in Minister Coric's decision if you are referring to the 2017 decision. That was based on the same model as for other wind parks," said Plenkovic during a visit to the Elka company.

He added, however, that he would inspect Environment and Energy Minister Coric's decision which revoked a previous decision on the need to make an environmental impact study and a general assessment of acceptability for the ecological network for the Krs-Paden wind park.

"It is possible to check everything that needs to be checked. I do not think that Minister Coric would have signed anything without first checking with experts in his ministry," said Plenkovic.

He said that Coric did not run the decision by him as those are decisions that are in fact made at the ministerial level.

"There are clear distinctions of authority regarding matters that the government decides on and what ministers decide on. The government cannot make all the decisions," Plenovic said and added that a minimum has to exist with regard to delegating responsibilities and trust.

Asked why such a quick decision was made to penalise former state secretary Josipa Rimac, Plenkovic said that this corruption scandal occurred in real-time during this government's term which is why the reaction followed immediately.

He confirmed that there is an enormous difference between this case and those involving ministers who left the government.

"Let's not generalise stories about this government, ministers, and their responsibilities. Of all the political and media- orchestrated quakes aimed at bringing down the government since 2017 (...) when observed at the operational level, where are those cases? Who is being tried for anything?," asked Plenkovic.

With regard to suspicion of criminal dealings by former public administration minister Lovro Kuscevic, Plenkovic recalled that the case referred to events that occurred while Kuscevic was the mayor of Nerezisce and not a member of the government.

"That isn't something that had any connection to this government and that is the point," he said.

Asked whether he was concerned with information leaks regarding investigations by the USKOK anti-corruption office which, according to some claims, is the reason for the sudden arrests in the wind park scandal, Plenkovic said that that is horrifying.

"People who have that information, that can be a very narrow circle of people, that has to come from the State Prosecutor's Office or the police. They are responsible for that have to find out who is practically compromising their work. I think that is disastrous," the prime minister said.

ZAGREB, June 1, 2020 - Minister Tomislav Coric, who is also the Croatian Democratic Union's election agenda coordinator on Monday said that the party's election platform is a sort of transformation of the economy as a response to the COVID crisis and to the economic crisis that impacted the entire world.

"We will do that primarily through the affirmation of those sectors in which we will aspire for self- sufficiency and that of course includes the agriculture sector in particular and the energy sector," Coric disclosed.

He underscored that the HDZ platform framework also comprehends reforms which relate to public administration hence an entire series of moves that will primarily go towards increasing the efficiency of the state and public companies.

He underlined that the platform wishes to put on the front burner the economy's competitiveness, naturally based on low carbon emissions and clean technology.