Greetings ladies and gentlemen of the Croatia
Driven by constant misinformation
that is being launched from the Croatian Hydrocarbon Agency,
that the whole process of exploration and production of hydrocarbons in the Adriatic Sea
is carried out according to Croatian law, and their media articles
that reduce the potential impact of exploration and production of hydrocarbons to the environment and to the economy,
as the OraH Party representative in the European Parliament
I have decided to react and protect the public interest of all citizens of the Republic of Croatia.
"The obligation of all citizens,
as well as the Croatian Government to respect the Constitution
which in its Article 70
guarantees everyone the right to a healthy life
and obliges the state to ensure conditions for a healthy environment.
According to the same law, everyone shall,
within their powers and activities, pay special attention to the protection of human health,
nature and the environment
In the case of the above mentioned exploration and production of hydrocarbons on the Adriatic Sea,
the Croatian Hydrocarbon Agency and the Croatian Government
violated the Environmental Protection Act, Article 55 and 56
because all activities, including the research conducted by Spectrum,
should have been implemented only after Parliament
passed the Management Strategy for the marine environment and the coastal zone, on the proposal of Government.
The procedure for adopting the Strategy includes consultation with the public,
strategic environmental assessment, consultations
with other countries that belong to the sub-region of the Adriatic Sea,
establishing the overriding public interest,
and the prevailing economic interest
for certain areas and the adoption of the Action Programme that follow from the Strategy.
The current Law on exploration and production of hydrocarbons (Official Gazette No. 94/2013 and 14/2014)
does not comply with Directive 2013/30/EU.
The Croatian Hydrocarbon Agency and the Ministry of Economy
have only recently announced the adoption of the Law on safety of offshore oil and gas activities,
that describes the procedure for public tenders that should, in accordance with that Directive,
prescribe administrative procedures of public bidding and obtaining permits for offshore oil and gas activities.
The Croatian government thus sends a clear message,
that the new law will retroactively legalize all implemented administrative procedures
and their decisions, which is a disgrace to the executive government,
which should be an example to their citizens.
Also, the Croatian Government
on December 17, 2014
adopted the Annual Plan of normative activities for 2015
which neither implements any amendment of existing law, nor passes any new legislation
- so it can be assumed that the Croatian Hydrocarbon Agency and Ministry of Economy
in the period between Dec 17, 2014 and Jan 2, 2015
just now discovered that there is a Directive 2013/30/EU.
Since the Republic of Croatia has not implemented the Directive 2013/30/EU in its legal system,
implementation of the administrative procedure of public bidding
and awarding of licenses for exploration and production of hydrocarbons on the Adriatic Sea
can be considered null and void and contrary to the public interest.
I therefore invite the Croatian Government to respect the Constitution,
to create a Management Strategy for the marine environment and the coastal zone
to allow Croatian citizens to openly and impartially speak out
on the future of the Croatian islands and coast, and cancel the issued licenses
for the exploration and productions of hydrocarbons.
I expect that the Minister of Environment and Nature Protection Mr. Zmajlović,
Minister of Economy Mr. Vrdoljak
and Chairman of the Board of the Croatian Hydrocarbon Agency Ms. Dorić
to finally start working according to Croatian laws
, and in the public interest of the citizens.