The contract on the sale of the carbon-dioxide emission quotas between the Environment Ministry and Interblue Group resembles a ‘garage sale’ – and it isn't a one-time sale, opposition SDKU MP Pavol Freso said on May 21, as reported by the TASR newswire.
“The contract contains mechanisms that enable us to sell all the carbon dioxide quotas we acquired via the Kyoto Protocol to the last gram,” said Freso, adding that Interblue has a very favourable option right to buy quotas until 2012.
Freso accused Prime Minister Robert Fico of bearing responsibility for the contract, as he dismissed the-then environment minister Jan Chrbet as soon as he expressed his readiness to cancel the contract. At the same time, the opposition lawmaker said that as part of a parliamentary inquiry into the sale at the Environment Ministry, he will ask for the data that was deleted from the contract as released by the ministry on its website.
The deleted information was the total amount paid and the volume of the sold emissions. According to Freso, SDKU also wants Fico to clarify the entire background of the contract, including individual orders.
Co-ruling Slovak National Party chairman Jan Slota said earlier on May 21 that the sale was profitable for Slovakia. He said the prices of carbon-dioxide emission quotas fell rapidly at the end of last year, and if countries like Russia, Ukraine and Belarus were to put a third of their potential on the market, Slovakia would have problems selling any quotas. TASR
Compiled by Spectator staff from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
