BRATISLAVA, November 24, (WEBNOVINY) — Junior member of the ruling coalition, the SaS party blocked the approval of the third PPP package for the construction of the highway near Zilina, which the Cabinet was supposed to greenlight on Wednesday. SaS leader Richard Sulik asked Prime Minister Radicova to abandon this point from the agenda already on Tuesday. The Coalition Council will deal with the package on Thursday. “I got in touch with the prime minister yesterday and asked her to withdraw this issue from the session because I am convinced that such a giant contract for over EUR 2 billion should be debated at the Coalition Council,” Sulik told journalists Wednesday. The party chairman has a few questions about the contract but declined to specify them. He believes that the contract will be approved by the Cabinet next week. Based on the coalition agreement, any coalition partner has the right to ask to discuss any matter submitted to the Cabinet first at the Coalition Council.
KDH leader and Transport Minister Jan Figel, who submitted the PPP-package contract, understands this request since the sum involved is huge. However, he indicated that also some other matters could be behind Sulik’s move. Chairman of SaS deputy caucus Jozef Kollar served as Doprastav’s consultant with the first PPP package which was put on ice by Figel. “I hope that no other motives exist there because ministries and political parties should advocate the interest of the state. I am pushing for the lowest possible price in procurements and quality guarantees. If someone has other interests, they should not be involved in such formation of relations,” Figel told a news conference. The minister pointed out that no demand for an in-depth revaluation of talks was raised over the past months.
On Thursday, the coalition quartet will deal with an increase in health insurance premiums paid by the state for certain groups of people, as KDH suggests. The party proposes premiums at 4.86 percent of the gross average wage instead of 4.32 percent approved within the state budget draft for 2011.Other points on the agenda, too, relate to the state budget draft for next year since changes to tax rates stipulated in the material approved by ministers were suggested during talks in individual parliamentary committees. For instance, the increase in excise tax on beer should be milder. These measures as well higher health insurance premiums might be compensated by a stronger hike in VAT to 21 percent. Spokesman for the Finance Ministry Martin Jaros however declined to comment on these speculations ahead of the Coalition Council meeting.
SITA