In Tuesday's parliamentary debate on an opposition interpellation on the government's work in connection with the Krs-Padjene wind park project, Economy Minister Tomislav Coric dismissed all accusations of favouring investors and corruption, saying his "reputation has no price."
He said the Andrej Plenkovic cabinet could not be held accountable for the project in the October-December 2013 period, and that all documents from the Croatian Energy Regulatory Agency (HERA) and the relevant ministry as well as contracts from investors and the Croatian Energy Market Regulator were public.
Coric said MP Karolina Vidovic Kristo of the Homeland Movement, which initiated the interpellation with the support of other opposition MPs, was constantly manipulating by saying that “someone is hiding something.”
He reiterated that the government had nothing to do with the extension of the contracts in 2018 as such decisions were made by HERA.
Coric said it was also manipulation to claim that HRK 2 billion was stolen from citizens, adding that contracts must be honoured.
As for the revocation of a decision by former energy minister Slaven Dobrovic in 2017, he said it was done after consultations with the State Attorney’s Office.
Stjepo Bartulica of the Homeland Movement said the interpellation was not an attack on the government nor anyone personally. He said the problem was that too high a price was being guaranteed for too long a time and that the government could not give one investor such preferential treatment.
“The government is choosing winners and losers at our expense and favouring is a form of corruption,” he said, adding that he would fight against some being more equal than others.
Miro Bulj of Bridge said Coric had done damage to Croatia worth HRK 2 billion by giving preferential treatment to the investors in Krs-Padjene, calling on him to resign.
Arsen Bauk of the Social Democratic Party said the interpellation was probably motivated by the fact that former state secretary Josipa Rimac ended up in custody for corruption.
Hrvoje Zekanovic of the Croatian Sovereignists said Croatian citizens paid incentives for the production of electricity in wind parks twice as much as some other EU member states, although their ecological aspect was questionable.
Sandra Bencic of the Green-Left Coalition reminded Coric that under an EU directive, making an environmental impact study was mandatory, asking if one would get to know much much wrong decisions cost.
Dalija Oreskovic of SSIP said the only ones manipulating were Coric and the government, calling on them to fulfil their obligations to MPs so one could finally know if the investor was given preferential treatment.
Davor Dretar of the Homeland Movement said the interpellation was directed against corruption, not the ruling HDZ party, and did not agree with HDZ whip Branko Bacic’s assessment that the debate was bizarre.
