Friday

29th Sep 2023

Questions on commissioner Suica's wealth still linger

  • 'Suica is not the best person for the commissioner for demography and democracy - since transparency is among the key values for democracy,' Croatian NGO Gong told EUobserver (Photo: European Parliament)

Questions about both family wealth and EU values still hang over the new EU commissioner for democracy and demography, Croatia's Dubravka Suica.

Ahead of her appointment as a member of the new commission, doubts over the value of her property, lack of transparency and possible conflict of interests belatedly surfaced in Brussels.

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Become an expert on Europe

Get instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

However, in her native Croatia, public scrutiny over how the 62-year old former school teacher became so rich around 20 years ago started years ago - she has three houses and two apartments in Croatia, a cottage in Bosnia, a yacht, and three cars.

Various Croatian media have reported her properties as worth a total of €5m - something which Suica has dismissed as "fake news". However, she declined to publish documents that would corroborate her account.

However, the Croatian NGO Gong, with the support of the country's information commissioner, appealed to the Croatian conflict of interest commission to request access to the "private" declaration file of Suica from 2000 to 2012 - now seen by EUobserver.

Suica was a member of the Croatian parliament from 2000 to 2011. But, in parallel, she also was the mayor of Dubrovnik from 2001 until 2009. This was a period with a long list of controversies, reported by the Croatian media, including disputes with local journalists.

"I feel confident about the so-called "disclosure" as I have always declared my assets according to the rules of institutions where I was serving. No conflict of interest ever existed and therefore I see no reason for raising this subject again," Suica told EUobserver.

According to Gong, "Suica's objection to publishing information about her property reflects a persistent culture of secrecy from the political class in Croatia".

Gaps and questions marks

In 2000, Suica only declared a house in the coastal village of Cavtat, while her husband listed one family home in Dubrovnik, a Renault 9 and an Opel Vectra, as well as more than €59,000 savings - although his assets sharply varied over time.

"My husband was a naval captain for 44 years and earned something through his working life. We inherited something. Everything is clear and transparent. There is no fear over our property and no fear that Croatia will be ashamed of it," she said earlier this year.

Suica's assets also varied often. She had about €3,000 savings in 2003, €16,000 a year after and €72,000 in 2008.

In September 2004, the format of the financial declaration changed, making obligatory not only to mention the name and location of the property - but also its value. However, Suica entered a question mark ("?") in this section.

One might think that she did not know how much the value of her property was at that time. But this information was then also missing in her declaration of 2008, of 2011 and of 2012.

A separate "declaration on the method of acquiring assets and sources of funds" from 2009 states that Suica's house in Cavtat was inherited.

The same year, 2009, Suica signed an additional statement stating that the house in Cavtat was given to her daughter.

But, as previously reported by the local media, her daughter Mirta in 2011, without a loan, acquired an apartment at a good location in Zagreb.

Suica also filed a financial declaration when she became an MEP back in 2013 and when she was elected commissioner-designate in 2019.

In her declaration submitted to the EU parliament in 2019, Suica listed the house under construction in Cavtat that she previously claimed to have donated to her daughter ten years before.

Additionally, the family yacht is not mentioned in any of the files, including the financial declaration submitted to the European Parliament.

According to EU rules, Suica was not obliged to declare properties reserved for the exclusive use of their family.

Right portfolio?

However, other commissioner-designates in the same position have included this information in their declaration to be as transparent as possible, an EU official told the EUobserver.

Declarations submitted to the EU parliament only deal with a potential conflict of interest with people's portfolios and do not give an exhaustive inventory of what they own.

And EP financial vetting, which is done by the legal affairs committee, has also been criticised for political games behind closed doors.

Little can be concluded from the historic property declarations of Suica, although many questions remain unanswered.

When asked how there is missing information in her declaration as MP during years, a member of the Croatian conflict of interest commission, from 2005 to 2013, Zorislav Antun Petrovic, said that "the commission did not have the resources to check hundred of files," Croatian daily Faktograf reported.

"Croatia is the most corrupt country in Europe and its institutions are not to be trusted," said independent Croatian MEP Ivan Vilibor Sinčić, who believes that "until a competent institution analyses [this case], Suica should not be trusted either".

According to Slovenian MEP, Milan Brglez, from the opposition socialist party, the question of the integrity of commissioner Suica is in the hands of the president of the commission, Ursula von der Leyen, as she bears the responsibility for the work and reputation of the commission.

But "Šuica's is not the best person for the commissioner for demography and democracy - since transparency is among the key values for democracy," Gong told EUobserver.

"The mere fact that one is not found in a conflict of interest does not guarantee that he or she will not abuse his or her position to place particular interests above the interests of EU citizens," Gong concluded.

Opinion

Tough questions for Dalli and Suica on gender rights

Helena Dall's biggest challenge as equality commissioner will be securing EU accession to the Istanbul Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, while Dubravka Suica as demography commissioner must reassure on abortion and contraceptives.

German MEP challenges Suica on conflict of interest

Croatia's European commissioner nominee, Dubravka Šuica - who has been highly-critised at home for not being fully transparent - promised during her European Parliament grilling that she will work "towards the rule of law and transparency".

Opinion

How do you make embarrassing EU documents 'disappear'?

The EU Commission's new magic formula for avoiding scrutiny is simple. You declare the documents in question to be "short-lived correspondence for a preliminary exchange of views" and thus exempt them from being logged in the official inventory.

Column

Will Poles vote for the end of democracy?

International media must make clear that these are not fair, democratic elections. The flawed race should be the story at least as much as the race itself.

Latest News

  1. Poland's culture of fear after three years of abortion 'ban'
  2. Time for a reset: EU regional funding needs overhauling
  3. Germany tightens police checks on Czech and Polish border
  4. EU Ombudsman warns of 'new normal' of crisis decision-making
  5. How do you make embarrassing EU documents 'disappear'?
  6. Resurgent Fico hopes for Slovak comeback at Saturday's election
  7. EU and US urge Azerbijan to allow aid access to Armenians
  8. EU warns of Russian 'mass manipulation' as elections loom

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. International Medical Devices Regulators Forum (IMDRF)Join regulators, industry & healthcare experts at the 24th IMDRF session, September 25-26, Berlin. Register by 20 Sept to join in person or online.
  2. UNOPSUNOPS begins works under EU-funded project to repair schools in Ukraine
  3. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsGeorgia effectively prevents sanctions evasion against Russia – confirm EU, UK, USA
  4. International Medical Devices Regulators Forum (IMDRF)Join regulators & industry experts at the 24th IMDRF session- Berlin September 25-26. Register early for discounted hotel rates
  5. Nordic Council of MinistersGlobal interest in the new Nordic Nutrition Recommendations – here are the speakers for the launch
  6. Nordic Council of Ministers20 June: Launch of the new Nordic Nutrition Recommendations

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. International Sustainable Finance CentreJoin CEE Sustainable Finance Summit, 15 – 19 May 2023, high-level event for finance & business
  2. ICLEISeven actionable measures to make food procurement in Europe more sustainable
  3. World BankWorld Bank Report Highlights Role of Human Development for a Successful Green Transition in Europe
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersNordic summit to step up the fight against food loss and waste
  5. Nordic Council of MinistersThink-tank: Strengthen co-operation around tech giants’ influence in the Nordics
  6. EFBWWEFBWW calls for the EC to stop exploitation in subcontracting chains

Join EUobserver

Support quality EU news

Join us