President Ivo Josipovic said on Wednesday that one should see if the privatisation of the Petrokemija artificial fertiliser manufacturer was profitable and useful to the state, adding that Croatia needed the privatisation of state-owned companies, as the state generally was not a good owner or businessman.
Speaking for Media Servis, Josipovic said Petrokemija was a successful company and that one should see if its privatisation was profitable, whether it should be partially or completely privatised and what were the reasons for it, adding that the company's functioning and development must be ensured.
"If it's estimated in the end that it's useful for the state and not merely for filling the coffers, which is not reason enough, then we could say that it's justified," Josipovic said, adding that he expected all the parameters to be known to the public and discussed in public.
He went on to say that he did not like allegations of employment in the Hrvatske Autoceste motorway operator without an invitation for applications. "I can't see how that can be in line with the law, but there will be an inspection and the ministry is checking it out," he said, adding that such allegations "are not a good message" and that vacancies should be announced in all public companies.
Speaking of the government's work, the president praised the activities launched to find tax evaders and those to solve the issue of the state-owned shipyards.
Commenting on polls showing that the government's popularity had dropped because of unpopular moves, Josipovic said the government and all other politicians must bear that in mind but not succumb to it.
He conceded that his rating had dropped too. "We must focus on executing programmes and the policies we advocated and citizens will assess in the end if we did a good job or not."
Asked to comment on Monsignor Zelimir Puljic's recent statement that the Church was above the state when a journalist mentioned an investigation into allegations of a paedophile priest, Josipovic said all legal and natural persons in Croatia were subject to Croatian laws, without exception.
Asked if the case should have been reported to the police, he said every crime should be reported to the police. "I don't know if there is a statute of limitations (regarding paedophilia cases), but in moral terms, it's certainly a crime that should be socially condemned. Whether (it should be condemned) legally as well, that depends on the state prosecution and the case."
