"We believe that the proposed resolution will be voted in. It has been already signed by four Green parties, co-sponsors from Slovenia, Malta, Greece and Italy," Holy told the press in a central Zagreb square where she was speaking to members of the public and gathering signatures for her party's petition as part of its "Say NO to oil, say YES to sustainable Croatia" campaign.
The campaign was launched on April 16, when ORaH submitted an interpellation in Parliament on the work of the government because of the oil and gas exploration and exploitation project in the Adriatic, and will last until mid-June when the petition will be presented to the government. Holy said that the interpellation would most likely be discussed in Parliament next week.
Holy said that her party was not opposed to gas exploitation in the Adriatic, provided that environmental and safety standards were observed, but stressed that they were against oil exploitation. "Gas reserves are located at depths of about 1,000 metres, while oil is located at depths of between 3,000 and 5,000 metres (below the seabed). The deeper the drilling, the greater the risk," she said.
Holy said that the party still did not have information about the number of people who had signed the petition. She said that the response was slightly better in Dalmatia than in continental Croatia, where people were less interested.
"We are trying to gather as many signatures as possible to ensure that the government at least respects the laws governing the implementation of such projects," Holy said, adding that the project had so far been in violation of all legal procedures.
Holy questioned the economic benefits of the project, saying that not more than 40 to 50 percent of revenues would go to Croatia, not between 55 and 60 percent as claimed by the government. She again warned of the risk this project would pose to the tourist industry, which brings in 7.5 billion euros in revenues annually, while the oil and gas exploration and exploitation project would bring in a maximum of 160 million euros.
Right now ORaH is not in favour of a referendum on the issue. "It should be conducted, but only after a well-reasoned public debate. Only then should citizens decide whether they want this project or not. We will accept citizens' view regardless of the fact that we consider it a bad project," Holy said.