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Ruzinsky: Interblue Group Europe Doesn't Want to Contract Out
Tuesday 17 August 2010 Zoom in | Print page
Bratislava, August 17 (TASR) - Interblue Group Europe, which clams to be the legal successor of the U.S.-based Interblue Group that bought Slovakia's carbon dioxide emission quotas, disagrees with the termination of its contract on the sale of the emissions, Agriculture and Environment Ministry State Secretary Martin Ruzinsky told TASR on Tuesday.
"In a letter (sent to the ministry), the company expressed disagreement with termination of the contract concluded between Slovakia and the original Interblue," said Ruzinsky, adding that at the same vein the company wants authorisation to submit the Green Investment Scheme (GIS) projects.
The Environment Ministry, then headed by Jozef Medved (Smer-SD), opted out of the contract earlier this year. Concerns with how the contract was managed prompted former prime minister Robert Fico (Smer) to take away the remit for the ministry from former coalition partner SNS (Slovak National Party).
Ruzinsky reported that the Agriculture and Environment Ministry is considering a reaction to the letter, even though Interblue Group Europe hasn't provided sufficient evidence that it is really the legal successor of the U.S.-based Interblue Group.
Back in 2008, Slovakia sold 15 million tonnes carbon-dioxide emissions to the shady Interblue Group at €5.05 per tonne, even though surrounding countries charged significantly higher amounts for their quotas. Interblue itself later sold the quotas on to Japanese companies at €8 per tonne, according to former Interblue project manager Rastislav Bilas. The contract stipulated that Interblue would pay an additional €1 per tonne to contribute to so-called green projects in Slovakia. The company later said that it had transferred its rights to Interblue Group Europe, which is based in Switzerland.
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