The agreement signed between the government and the Chilean capital company HIF Global for the construction of a plant green hydrogen in Paysandu, in what would be the largest investment in the history of Uruguay, It is still not close to being finalized, but for months it has generated distrust due to the secrecy surrounding the negotiations. Now him Animalist Green Party went to court so that the Executive power make public the hitherto “confidential” details of the contract in question.
“It did not go to the press, it was not posted on the presidency’s website, everything was kept secret except that it is the initial part for a future investment contract,” said the president of the Animalist Green Party. Raúl Viñas, in dialogue with Radio Monte Carlo. “We hear ‘investment contract’ and it immediately comes to mind UPM 2, Montes del Platabecause with these contracts our country always loses,” he added.
Given this situation, Viñas carried out a report request which, after 20 business days—approximately a month—was rejected: “They answered us that five days before giving us the answer, Presidency had signed a resolution declaring everything that had been done as confidential”, said the candidate also for the Animalist Green Party.
“There we had no choice, as we have already done several dozen times, to go to court again. We had a hearing and the representatives of the Executive Branch expressed that they could give us the memorandum, but not an annex. They also expressed that, before giving that to us, they had to talk to the company,” he said.
Finally, the complainants rejected the offer of partial information and arranged with the judge for the State to prepare a report on the main points of the memorandum, “clearly indicating whether there is anything of an environmental nature that is of interest such as, for example, the delivery of free zones.”
Other criticisms for the “seecretism” around the memorandum
A few months ago, the deputy for Colorado Party (PC), Ope Pasquet, He questioned the fact that it was not known what the understanding agreement between the Executive Branch and HIF Global consisted of. “I don’t know the memorandum, no one knows it, except the members of the government,” the legislator then told Radio Monte Carlo.
In that sense, Pasquet recalled other agreements between private parties and the government. “It’s good for him Uruguay These possibilities exist, but we must prevent this from giving rise to another contract negotiated in secret as has happened so many times in recent years such as the Silver Mountains either UPM 2″, the politician questioned.
“I think it is not good that these important issues are kept secret. Many times these contracts impose obligations on the country that last for many years and it is not good that all this is ignored by public opinion and Parliament,” he added.
After the Colorado Party presented a request for reports, the undersecretary of the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mining (MIEM), Walter Verri, responded to the questions: “I think that unfortunately my friend and colleague Ope Pasquet forgets that the government changed and that we are not the same as what happened before. And I think we have shown it.”
“I understand it from a political point of view, it’s nice to say those things. Many times they echo the proclamations of environmental movements,” he indicated. Verri, who clarified: “There is still no business.”
The leader pointed out that the memorandum “not binding” and that is why “there is nothing hidden in this situation”, while he anticipated that progress in the negotiations would lead to a contract being signed only in 2025 or 2026.
Source: Ambito
