Novotny on the division of ministries: If there are abuses of EU funds, Croatian prisons will not be able to accommodate all those whom EU prosecutors will prosecute

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Although the coalition agreement is still being drafted, reactions are already pouring in regarding the announcements about the distribution of ministries and the new programmatic orientations of the new Croatian government, which will ideologically shift to the right with the Homeland Movement (DP). The DP will now lead the new Ministry of Demography, and it will also take over the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Economy and Energy. One vice president of the parliament will be from the DP, and the other from the minority quota.

Although names are not officially commented on yet, it is quite certain that one of the ministers will be Mario Radić, who will likely also serve as Deputy Prime Minister, and the Ministry of Agriculture would be led by Josip Dabro, the secretary of the DP, according to unofficial sources from Lider, although HDZ members are not very happy with this choice. Who will be the third DP minister is still unknown. Unofficially, we learn that in this constellation, Marija Vučković would take over the Ministry of Tourism, and Nikolina Brnjac would become a representative in the European Parliament. Of course, other combinations are possible, as names, as well as the appointment of state secretaries and heads of public companies, are still being negotiated.

Social media immediately heated up after the agreement on the division of ministries was released, and it is clear, say agile internet commentators, that subsidies are in the crosshairs – for agriculture, and why energy – even children from the back row know that, commentators believe. However, analysts are lifting all veils, those who think they can cheat with subsidies are in for a rough time.

– Croatian prisons will not be enough for all those whom the EU prosecutor’s office will prosecute and arrest for the abuse of subsidies – emphasized Damir Novotny, an economic analyst, according to whom the fact that we are part of the European Union, but also the European Monetary Union, is a good thing for Croatia as it narrows the political maneuvering for opportunists on the right.

– And that specifically means that not much will change for Croatian business – believes Novotny.

Branko Roglić, the owner of Orbico, the largest distribution company in the region and a doyen of Croatian business, thinks similarly, stating that he does not expect anything new or different from the negotiations and the new government, although he notes that patience is needed to wait for the final version of the coalition agreement, should it be technically called that.

– Croatia has never had a ministry of economy that actually did something – notes Roglić, according to whom it was unnecessary to establish a new ministry of demography as, in his opinion, the economy is important for demography.

– It is necessary to facilitate the functioning of the real sector, reduce contributions, increase wages, and no one will leave Croatia – said Roglić, according to whom those entrepreneurs who are waiting to see how the negotiations about the government will unfold are clearly dependent on the government, and that is a very bad position for any economic entity.

Stjepan Talan, the owner and director of Solvis, which produces solar panels, believes that the new government will positively affect the sector in which his company operates, and this is proven, in his opinion, by the division of portfolios.

– The Ministry of Sustainable Development will be a guarantor of monitoring European green policies and investments – thinks Talan.

Analysts, when asked to comment on the course of negotiations, point out that negotiations could have been more transparent, and that public interest should have been taken into account considering that public affairs, not private ones, were being discussed in the negotiations. However, what is their general common conclusion is that the mountains shook, and a mouse was born: in the near future, not much will change in Croatian politics, at least when it comes to the real sector.

– Let’s look at other countries that are in transition or have exited it; their level of democracy is far greater, as is the perception of the fight against corruption. In our case, the level of democratic development is seen in the transparency of negotiations; everything is behind closed doors, and negotiations are held in the government, not in the parliament, which is still the first point of democratic action in Croatia – believes Davorka Budimir, president of Transparency International Croatia.

Luka Brkić, a professor at Libertas University and a long-time professor at the Faculty of Political Science, is on the same track: secrecy in negotiations is not an excuse because public issues of interest to all citizens of Croatia are being negotiated.