I Don’t Sleep at Night Because of 370,000 Unemployed

Although the draft proposal of the Law on Strategic Investment Projects of the Republic of Croatia is causing controversy on social media, Ivan Vrdoljak, the Minister of Economy, assures the public that there is no reason for fear.

He claims that the Law on Strategic Investments is being adopted solely to ‘facilitate the realization of the paperwork’, that is, to stop bureaucracy from stifling private investments.

The proposal for the Law on Strategic Investments was opened by the Ministry of Economy on January 15 of this year, and the public discussion was open only until January 24. After that, the Government will submit the proposal for the Law to the parliamentary procedure. Vrdoljak expects that the Law will be voted on in Parliament as early as February.
– My job and 370,000 unemployed are what keep me awake at night, and my job is to ensure that every citizen of the Republic of Croatia has the right to work. We currently have record unemployment, and this Law does not abolish any procedures that are not already defined by other existing laws. It only accelerates the entire process. Therefore, deadlines that used to be two years will now be much shorter. I therefore invite everyone to participate in the discussion, but you must understand that 370,000 people are unemployed, and tens of thousands are just waiting for layoffs. Do you think citizens should not be involved in the discussion? The doors of the Ministry are wide open to them and to NGOs. Let’s talk! – said Vrdoljak. He also added that discussions about specific projects will take place once the new law is adopted. He mentioned Dina, Brodosplit, or 3.Maj.
– These are thousands of our people and their families, but solutions are on the way. 3.Maj is going the way we predicted to resolve everything. And Dina is being resolved step by step. If Hypo had not initiated the process, the workers would have already been paid. We will do everything we can to ensure that people are paid and that they keep their jobs – emphasizes the minister.

Let us recall, the most controversial part of the Law is its Article 18. This article allows the state to transfer public goods into private ownership if it is determined that this is crucial for the realization of a strategic investment project. The Law also stipulates that the Government of the Republic of Croatia must consult with the relevant ministry or legal entity authorized to manage public goods (for example, in the case of national parks) before transferring public goods into the hands of private owners. Before public goods are handed over to private owners, the Ministry of Economy must provide an opinion on the appropriateness of such a move, and the State Attorney’s Office must provide an opinion on the legal validity of such a contract. 

The procedure for granting a concession for maritime property or immovable cultural property is similar. The Government signs the concession agreement after consulting with the Ministry of Economy, while the Ministry of the Sea or the Ministry of Culture will be responsible for administrative tasks in such cases. The Law also allows the state to expropriate private property if someone’s private land stands in the way of the realization of a strategic investment project. Vrdoljak claims that the expropriation process will be the same as when highways were built. “Everything will be done legally, completely publicly and transparently,” assures the Minister of Economy to the public.