Marić: I am not misinformed, but in the case of Uljanik, I wish it were so

Finance Minister Zdravko Marić stated on Wednesday that in a constructive dialogue with the management of Uljanik, they are trying to do everything to ensure that the restructuring plan for the company receives the green light from the European Commission and succeeds in coming to life, while he did not respond to the question of whether he has credible data on the situation at the shipyard in Pula.

>>> The management of Uljanik presented three foundations for the restructuring of Uljanik Shipyard

The Ministry of Finance sent an internal letter to the Ministry of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Crafts at the end of June, expressing dissatisfaction with the management of Uljanik as it does not send detailed data on operations after receiving state guarantees.

Marić explained in a statement to reporters ahead of a meeting of the narrower cabinet of the Government that in the letter from the relevant ministry, he requested that Uljanik be asked to provide certain data, considering the issues of state aid and state guarantees, so that the Ministry of Finance would have full insight into the situation.

He also reported that an internal meeting was held recently with representatives of Uljanik, where it was agreed that in the coming days, as well as in the past weeks, they would intensively work on finalizing the restructuring plan, so that it could be sent to Brussels within the specified period. Given that the Uljanik case touches on the area of state aid and market competition, Marić notes that they already have quite intense communication with the European Commission.

>>> Due to delays in the production process, Uljanik Group recorded a loss of 687 million kuna in 2017

When asked by reporters whether he believes he currently has credible data on the situation at Uljanik, Marić said that at this moment he would not want to comment on that, but that there is a constructive dialogue and communication with the company and that they are trying to do everything necessary for the restructuring plan and the entire program to “not only receive the green light but also succeed in coming to life.”

When asked if he is an optimist, he said he is an optimist in every area, and although shipbuilding is not a department in his ministry, given the issue of state aid and guarantees, the Ministry must certainly be involved. He also stated that as a ministry they would be constructive and seek a solution, considering that everyone knows what shipbuilding means for Pula, Istria, and for two Croatian counties.

However, Marić notes that on the other hand, there are certain rules that must be adhered to.

“I still read today that my name is mentioned in headlines in the sense that I am poorly or wrongly informed. I have no problem admitting to you or anyone else at any given moment that I was misinformed or did something wrong. In this particular case, I wish it were so,” said Marić, referring to the conversation in Jutarnji list with the CEO of Uljanik, Gianni Rossanda.

>>> Rossanda still at the helm of Uljanik Group

Namely, Rossanda stated in the Wednesday edition of that paper that he personally has never seen the letter from the Ministry of Finance, but that from everything he can conclude, Finance Minister Zdravko Marić is either uninformed or misinformed, as they have regularly reported to the Ministry of Economy on all activities since the beginning of the restructuring program’s implementation.

The Minister of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Crafts, Darko Horvat, when asked about the internal letter received by his ministry, told reporters ahead of the narrower cabinet of the Government that he and Minister Marić have information they receive from Croatian shipbuilding and that there is no reason not to trust those reports. He stated that these reports are currently the basis for everything that is not included in the restructuring plan.

“You have seen that we removed this real estate plot from the restructuring plan and the interest of the Croatian Government is to retain jobs in the shipbuilding structure, that is, those jobs that are technically and technologically and in every other way necessary not only for Croatian shipbuilding but for the entire industry,” asserted Horvat.

>>> Kermas Energija selected as strategic partner for Uljanik

When asked if he fears that the situation around Uljanik could unexpectedly complicate, Horvat said that all the latest topics he is dealing with are complicated, but that they have tackled resolving both Agrokor and Uljanik and Petrokemija and that he is confident that by the end of the year they will have solutions for all three problems.