Vrdoljak: The Square of Justice is Stalling Just Like Private Investments

The tug-of-war between the SDP and HNS regarding the construction project of the announced Square of Justice continues. After Minister of Economy Ivan Vrdoljak recently announced this project, Minister of Justice Orsat Miljenić deemed it inappropriate during a crisis when the necessary funds have not been secured, it seems that a dialogue has finally been established between the two ministries, if nothing else, at least on this issue.

Of course, it is perplexing that this dialogue was not established before the official announcement of the entire project, but it is evident that the Square of Justice has also served as a kind of power measurement between the two largest parties in the ruling coalition. As reported by Globus, HNS leaders have recently reached a consensus at the top of the party that they will not abandon this project, and that Minister Miljenić’s response will not deter them.

Minister Vrdoljak has recently sent a letter to Minister Miljenić inviting him to a new round of negotiations. At the same time, the Minister of Economy sent this letter to several other addresses – to Minister of Finance Slavko Linić, as well as to the leaders of the Agency for Investments and Competitiveness and the Center for Energy Investment of Justice.

Vrdoljak states that the ‘Square of Justice project is strategically significant for Croatia and that any slowness in the implementation of this or any other investment has already been identified by private investors as one of the problems that hinders investments.’ However, Vrdoljak also reminds his colleagues from the SDP that this project has already been accepted by the narrower cabinet of the Government.

Although there is still no official statement from the Ministry of Justice, partly due to the fact that they have only recently finished their annual vacations, it seems that the ball has been partially brought down to earth. Vrdoljak clearly wants an agreement in a calm atmosphere so that he can push forward the project he has already announced, and it seems that the Ministry of Justice has not completely ruled out the possibility of its realization. There, as Globus’s unofficial sources claim, they believe that Miljenić’s initial reaction does not mean a final rejection of this project.

However, alongside the consensus-oriented Vrdoljak, there is also a ‘more combative’ faction of HNS members who advocate for the option that the Ministry of Economy should independently carry out the project in case the negotiations fail. But this could lead to an absurd situation where a facility is built for an institution that does not want to move in, which would undoubtedly be difficult to explain to any private investor considering the possibility of getting involved in this project.