The extra-parliamentary Slovak National Party (SNS) on Tuesday criticised the Government's decision not to meddle in what appears to be a plan by the Italian concern Enel to sell 66 percent of the shares in the Slovak electricity utility Slovenské Elektrárne (SE) to the Czech energy company ČEZ.
“SNS has long maintained that energy companies should remain in the hands of the state. Even the current premier [Robert Fico] in the past criticised the privatisation of significant energy companies to foreign investors”, SNS chairman Andrej Danko told TASR. Fico on Monday described ČEZ as a sound entity and said that the Slovak Government won't stick its foot in the door if the Czechs want to buy the 66 percent of SE's stakes. “ČEZ is a sound firm. The interconnection of the Slovak and Czech energy networks are at such a level and there is an understanding that if Enel and ČEZ reach an agreement, the Slovak Government won't have any reason to interfere in this”, said Fico. The remaining 34 percent of stakes in SE is owned by the Slovak state.
