MP Jelena Milos (Mozemo party) said in Parliament on Tuesday that the textile company Varteks, which went bankrupt this week after more than 106 years, has become "another sad story of Croatian industry". She asked whether production will be resumed and what will happen to the approximately 540 employees.

“For more than 30 years, we have been living in a country that promotes the property business and not production and industry. We live in a country that has protected tycoons rather than workers all these years, and we live in a country where our dependence on services and tourism is growing every day,” Milos warned.

She said that for several years, stories have been heard about fights at Varteks over its valuable properties, valued at over €26 million.

“Will the whole story end with the construction of residential complexes and shopping chains?”

“What happens now with the bankruptcy process is key, because unfortunately we have such a bankruptcy framework that does not encourage companies to restructure and continue their businesses, but instead encourages the closure of companies and the sale of assets, often due to valuable real estate.”

She wondered what will happen to the Varteks complex project, as the government had declared this complex a private strategic project in 2021, allocated 182 million kuna (24 million euros) for it and claimed that production would continue and jobs would be created.

“That did not happen and the question is what will happen to the Varteks strategic project and the public money now. Will the whole story end with the construction of residential complexes and shopping chains, but again without jobs? This is one of the questions that should be asked to the government,” concluded Milos.