Construction Minister Ivan Paladina said on Wednesday that Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic's statement about the reconstruction of Banija being slow "in a surreal way" did not refer to him, and that it was misinterpreted, which led to speculation of him leaving the government.

“You heard the Prime Minister’s statement yesterday, and he just confirmed what I said on Christmas Eve. His statement was completely misinterpreted… and does not apply to me,” Paladina told reporters ahead of a meeting of the National Council for introducing the euro.

Plenkovic’s statement, he added, refers to the fact that the structural renovation of houses and apartment buildings and the construction of replacement houses is not progressing at a sufficiently good pace, which, he said, is something he has been saying for months.

“Only when we start building 100 houses a month can we be satisfied. I’ve been saying this for more than three or four months. The Prime Minister’s statement refers to that part of the reconstruction process, which must be accelerated,” said Paladina.

Asked for a comment on his statement that he does not have to be a minister if the prime minister is not satisfied, Paladina replied that it was precisely what he had said a few days ago, “but it did not cause any reaction then.”

He pointed out that he is in constant contact with the Prime Minister and all stakeholders involved in the reconstruction process, discussing with them all aspects and proposals to improve the process in terms of personnel and regulations.

Cabinet meetings place for discussion, not media

“We talk at our internal meetings, which are very frequent. I think that is the right place for discussion, not the media,” added Paladina.

Currently, work is launched at 20 construction sites per month, “which is not nearly enough,” he said.

So far more than 300 decisions have been adopted for the construction of replacement family houses and almost 900 for structural reconstruction in the region of Banija, with the ministry having processed more than 40% of all requests for reconstruction, he said.

“At this pace, we will process all requests for the construction of replacement family houses and for financial assistance for structural and non-structural renovation in less than the next six months, and we will process all the requests we currently have in less than a year,” the minister said.

He underscored that regulations on reconstruction for citizens who want to repair their homes on their own has been significantly improved, and that more than 60% of those requests have been processed. Of the structural renovation projects completed so far, some 15 were based on this model. In the last five months, the number of requests for this model of reconstruction has increased by more than 70%, Paladina said.

“We are the coordinating body for renovating public buildings and all the activities co-financed from the Solidarity Fund. Eight months ago, the rate of realisation of allocations was below 10% and now it is about 40% of the total allocations for both earthquakes,” he said.

In September, the realised allocations amounted to €25 million; in October €48 million; in November €56 million; and now it is around €40 million, said Paladina.

“Currently, work is under way at 220 construction sites, at 120 sites it is about to begin but we can be optimistic,” said the minister.