– In the event that the government in Serbia decides to take the move that has been announced in recent days, to offer Norwegian consultants the management of domestic energy companies, the consulting company Ristad Energy would play a key role in the energy sector of our country.
The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, announced that such a possibility is being considered very seriously, saying that “the Norwegians have been offered to help us in this”.
– With that, we wanted to show that, unlike others, it is not a place for us to steal money and party coffers. And that is a big difference compared to everything we had until yesterday – said Vučić.
During his stay in Oslo, where he discussed cooperation in the field of energy with the Norwegian hosts, Vučić stated that in the energy sector of Serbia, changes in the management of public companies are possible in four out of a total of five.
As a reminder, at the beginning of September, the Government of Serbia concluded a contract with Ristad Energy on consulting services for the energy sector. If what is announced by President Vučić comes true, that company will also lead the personnel policy of energy companies in Serbia.
While part of the professional public states that leaving a foreign company to determine who will lead the energy sector would be disastrous for the interests of our country, another part of the opinion is that it would be a good move, but that the authorities in Serbia will not decide on that because they would lose the opportunity to appoint party cadres in public enterprises.
– I believe that it would be disastrous for the energy industry of our country if a foreign company determines who will be the director of our companies. That would be a great shame and there is absolutely no need to decide on such a thing. For example, the Norwegian electricity industry is based on the operation of hydroelectric plants. I highly doubt that its experts have enough knowledge about a coal-based power sector such as ours. They would not be able to come up with adequate solutions – Vojislav Vuletić, Secretary General of the Serbian Gas Association, explains for Danas. Also, Vuletić is of the opinion that foreign management could represent their interests, which at the same time do not have to be in favor of our energy companies.
According to him, what is needed is for the energy sector to be managed professionally and not be left to party cadres, as is the case now.
– It is necessary for experts to be in management positions and not those who are appointed to key positions by those in power. There is no need to hire experts from abroad because we have enough of them in our country. Another thing is that they are outside the parties in power, so the possibility of being appointed to positions in public companies is not considered. For the sake of high-quality work in the energy sector, our professional staff should be appointed for management – says Vuletić.
On the other hand, energy expert Goran Radosavljević tells Danas that the inclusion of a foreign consulting company for the selection of management in the Serbian energy sector is a desirable measure that would yield results.
– In the business world, it is common to appoint management personnel in this way. Large companies work by not choosing directors in public competitions, but by specialized companies choosing and proposing management that has predispositions to achieve good results. Accordingly, it would be expedient for the management of energy companies in Serbia to be determined in such a way – says Radosavljević.
He explains that in this particular case, the Norwegian consulting company would find managers and propose to the Government of Serbia, as the owner of energy companies in our country, to appoint them to the positions.
– It would be profitable for Serbia if, on the basis of professional criteria, a foreign consulting company determines adequate management of energy companies in Serbia instead of the current situation in which public companies are managed by incompetent party cadres, creating business losses – says Radosavljević.
Our interlocutor, on the other hand, does not believe that the government in Serbia will decide on such a move because it would renounce the party’s influence in the energy sector.
– I would be very surprised if the government really seriously thinks about that option. I am convinced that he does not want to give up the placement of his personnel in public companies. I think that in this particular case it is a political marketing trick that followed because bad party cadres caused a lot of damage in the country’s power sector in the past period – concludes our interlocutor, Danas writes.
