Slovak Environment Minister Ján Chrbet has proposed that Slovakia withdraw from the contract in which it sold excess greenhouse gas emissions quotas to the US-based Interblue Group last year, the SITA newswire wrote.
Minister Chrbet announced this at a special news conference on the evening of May 4. He claimed that the company categorically refused to allow the publication of the contract it had signed with the ministry. The minister said he had decided to suggest a withdrawal from the contract as a result of media pressure and constant attacks on this transaction.
“We will not lose a single cent,” the minister said adding that the government cabinet will discuss the request to cancel the sale, which the opposition SDKÚ-DS has criticised, at its upcoming session. He added that he will personally vote for the cancellation.
Slovakia will have to return €75 million to the Interblue Group and the company will return the emission quotas. Minister Chrbet stands behind the sale, as he said that no mistakes were made in the transaction.
“Transparency of the sale was in line with the law,” he said.
Environment Ministry spokesperson Jana Kaplanová had previously stated that the ministry would make the contract public and that the environment minister had asked the other contractual party for written approval to publish the contract, as it contains a confidentiality clause. SITA
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
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