Raz: If Public Ports Fail to Repay Loan, Winter Port Will Be Put Up for Sale

Bratislava, 9 November (TASR) – If state-owned company Public Ports fails to repay the loan taken out to acquire land at Bratislava's Winter Port, it will have to launch a public tender for the sale of the plots next year, Transport Minister Jozef Raz (a Smer-SD nominee) declared on Monday. Raz claimed that together with the government he's doing everything possible to find investors and avoid selling the land, with an eye toward ensuring that the state can remain involved in the project. Raz said this following the announcement of the results of an international urban planning competition to transform the Winter Port into a new urban district on the banks of the Danube. "We'll do everything possible to find an investor if the zoning plan is amended early next year. I would very much like to encourage anyone interested in investing to come forward so that we can start negotiations. As of today, no agreements have been reached with anyone," Raz said. He said this should put an end to the debate led by the opposition over the Winter Port. He noted that an intergovernmental agreement with the United Arab Emirates has been signed, but that the Winter Port area was not yet under discussion pending an amendment to the zoning plan. The minister urged Bratislava Mayor Matus Vallo and city councillors not to delay the zoning plan amendment, warning that otherwise a public tender would have to be launched for the sale of the Winter Port land. "We do not want to sell anything. We want the state to remain the owner of the land and we're looking for an investor," Raz underlined. The mayor expects Parliament to pass legislation on so-called planning agreements, which would make it possible to establish an urban development proposal as a binding agreement, subject to approval by the city council. "We're also prepared to amend the zoning plan on the city's part once an agreement has been reached on this point. I firmly believe that this could be brought before the city council in the first months of next year," Vallo said. According to Raz, the Transport Ministry will urge the management of Public Ports to sign a planning agreement explicitly committing the company to abide by the results of the competition for the development of the Winter Port. mf