* Opposition to inspect carbon permits sale
* Opposition says price was too low
* Government stands by the deal
By Martin Santa
BRATISLAVA, May 28 (Reuters) - Slovakia's opposition said on
Thursday it would hold an inquiry into the sale of greenhouse
gas emission rights in which it says the state lost tens of
millions of euros.
The check, scheduled to start at the environment ministry on
Friday, is part of increasing pressure on the government of
Prime Minister Robert Fico, which sold millions of carbon
emission allowances to a private U.S. company last year.
Fico has rebuffed the criticism as ungrounded attacks on the
government, and said the media and opposition had not produced
any evidence the conditions were disadvantageous for Slovakia.
The deal, done in November, has been controversial as the
government has given conflicting data about the amount of the
permits Washington-based Interblue Group bought from Slovakia,
and how much it paid for them.
Through the Kyoto's emissions trading schemes, nations
comfortably below their greenhouse gas targets can sell excess
rights to countries that are emitting above their targets.
Fico said Slovakia sold 10 million tonnes of carbon credits,
for 60 million euros ($83.25 million) in total. He later said
the deal was worth around 76 million euros.
Meanwhile, data from the Slovak National Emission Registry,
showed Slovakia sold 15.5 millions of permits last year. The
register declined to comment on the data.
"We had serious doubts about this sale from the beginning,"
said Pavol Freso, an MP for the strongest opposition party,
SDKU, who will lead the inquiry.
Fico brushed aside the criticisms.
"It all ended with a false accusation of the government. You
have not proven anything," Fico said, and freed the proceeds
from the emission rights sale to finance an environment project.
The media and opposition have said Slovakia lost at least 40
million euros in the deal because it sold the rights, called
Assigned Amount Units (AAU), for less than other countries
received.
The most cited comparison has been Hungary's sale of 8
million rights at around the same time as Slovakia. Hungary has
not dislosed the price in its deals with Spain and Belgium,
while Slovak media reported it was at least 12 euros a tonne.
The deal has dominated media in ex-communist EU member
Slovakia for weeks, with the opposition requesting that the
contract, which also gives Interblue Group the right to sell
Slovakia's excess carbon permits by 2012, be scrapped.
Interblue did not immediately reply to an emailed request
for comment.
Earlier in May, Fico fired Environment Minister Jan Chrbet
for mishandling the pressure around the deal. After a series of
newspaper articles questioning the sale, Chrbet initially wanted
to cancel the contract and return the money.
He later withdrew the proposal, and asked the government to
decide on the fate of the deal.
(Writing by Peter Laca, editing by Anthony Barker)
