SMER wants to halt privatization of government-controlled companies and is going to submit a revision to the large-scale privatization law to the next parliamentary session to prevent the cabinet selling off the companies in government hands. SMER leader Robert Fico underscored that the shaped amendment should save power distributor Slovenske Elektrarne (SE), forests, an agricultural company and other institutions worth interest from the cabinet’s plans to loot them in the same way as it had stolen other companies in the past.

SMER wants to amend the stipulation that regards the majority representation of the government. According to the law, the government has to keep 51 percent in strategic companies but Fico says that this does not guarantee factual control of the assets. The ownership right should enable the majority owner to handle the assets and to have yields from it. The SMER leader suggests that in reality it is the 49-percent owner who handles the property not the government. This is why Mr. Fico wants to push for the amendment securing for the government as the majority owner the corresponding position in statutory organs. He mentioned the situation in gas utility SPP where the government has just 4 representatives on the 7-member board of directors while four people represent the minority owner. According to the SMER shaped amendment the majority owner should have the majority representation in board of directors or other organs of a company for a certain period of time.