HDZ members of parliament said that financial statements issued by the companies in question and auditors' findings provided for a sufficient level of transparency.
Opposition MPs responded that audits revealed possible irregularities, but they did not show if the state-run companies' property was managed in the interest of citizens.
"Reports by state-owned companies are available on the Internet, and there is also the Office of the State Auditor which audits them and publishes its findings, which ensures a sufficient level of transparency," Kreso Filipovic of the HDZ said during a parliamentary discussion.
Social Democratic Party (SDP) deputy Zvonimir Mrsic said that neither the state nor the commercial audit established whether a company's business activities were in accordance with state policy.
The Opposition also criticised the government for adopting reports on the performance of state-owned companies at its sessions held behind closed doors.
Goran Beus Richembergh of the HNS said that reports on web sites were "instant versions" which concealed information on business activities and which did not show any concrete data.