ZAGREB, Dec 10 (Hina) - Most of the Opposition party benches in the +Croatian National Sabor's House of Representatives on Thursday +supported the Social Democratic Party's (SDP) bill on control and +auditing of the process of
ownership transformation and +privatisation.+ During a heated discussion, Opposition party benches warned of a +series of negative effects of ownership transformation and +privatisation, such as the illegal acquisition of shares, +increasing unemployment, "tycoonisation" etc.+ Croatian Democratic Union's (HDZ) had a completely different +opinion of the bill. The bench opposed the bill, saying it was +contradictory and represented a dangerous precedent for investment +security in Croatia.+ The HDZ said it believed that abuse of privatisation and ownership +transformation processes should be resolved by competent +institutions through a better implementation of laws and a m
ZAGREB, Dec 10 (Hina) - Most of the Opposition party benches in the
Croatian National Sabor's House of Representatives on Thursday
supported the Social Democratic Party's (SDP) bill on control and
auditing of the process of ownership transformation and
privatisation.
During a heated discussion, Opposition party benches warned of a
series of negative effects of ownership transformation and
privatisation, such as the illegal acquisition of shares,
increasing unemployment, "tycoonisation" etc.
Croatian Democratic Union's (HDZ) had a completely different
opinion of the bill. The bench opposed the bill, saying it was
contradictory and represented a dangerous precedent for investment
security in Croatia.
The HDZ said it believed that abuse of privatisation and ownership
transformation processes should be resolved by competent
institutions through a better implementation of laws and a more
efficient judicial system.
Initiatives like the SDP's one lead to economic isolation, and the
mere mention of audits has resulted in foreign investors giving up
their investment plans, the HDZ claimed.
Although critical towards the ownership transformation and
privatisation processes, the Croatian Party of Rights (HSP) bench
opposed the SDP's bill. The party was most critical about the
initiative for the establishment of a state commission for control
and auditing.
Such a commission would have the powers equal to those of the
Government, which would pave the way to collapse of the state of
law, flight of the capital, etc.
HSP representatives added they were committed to the respect of
law, auditing in accordance with the law, as well as the rule of
law.
The most critical opinions came from the Croatian People's Party
(HNS)/Istrian Democratic Forum (IDF) bench, which claimed that the
economy was facing a collapse because of the consequences of
ownership transformation and privatisation.
The bench warned of many irregularities, granting of privileges in
the privatisation process and the problem of recapitalisation. Not
one of the basic privatisation goals have been achieved - the
process was not fair, the state did not get money by selling shares
and private enterprise failed to develop.
The Istrian Democratic Assembly (IDS) believes that the process of
privatisation resulted in the plundering of national wealth. All
those who acquired their property in a fair way, have nothing to
fear, because the control should establish how some managed to pay
their shares during the period of war and general impoverishment,
the IDS says.
The Croatian Peasants' Party (HSS) believes that the
transformation process had been well planned, but was followed by
an "untidy" privatisation.
The Croatian Social-Liberal Party (HSLS) warned of wrong
assessments of the equity of socially-owned companies,
disappearance of small shareholders and etatisation of the
economy, as well as of political clientelism in the privatisation
process.
A series of concrete cases were mentioned during the discussion.
The Liberal Party (LS), for example, asked why the Government had
never answered enquiries concerning the transformation and
privatisation of the newspaper publishing house "Slobodna
Dalmacija", the newspaper distributor "Tisak" etc.
If the Government and the ruling party do not believe that control
and auditing are necessary, the SDP suggests a referendum with only
one question - whether citizens support the auditing of the
privatisation process or not.
In the continuation of the session, HDZ and Croatian Christian-
Democratic Union (HKDU) MPs assessed that the SDP's proposal was a
revolutionary and radical precedent aimed at replacing the
existing legal framework with a new model.
Who can guarantee that that newly-established system would be
efficient in preventing misuse, asked HDZ's Vladimir Seks, warning
that some solutions proposed by the SDP were anti-constitutional.
Djuro Njavro (HDZ) believes that to question the whole process of
privatisation would mean to jeopardise private ownership as one of
the foundations of the Croatian economy.
Bosiljko Misetic (HDZ) said that the SDP's bill was a "propaganda
gimmick aimed at scoring points".
On behalf of his party, SDP's Ivica Racan dismissed claims that the
bill was radical, adding that the SDP did not support the annulment
of transformation and privatisation but their control and
reviewing.
(hina) jn rml