Many letters of interest sent for Serbian companies

BELGRADE - There is great investor interest in the privatisation of Serbia's state-owned companies, Serbian Minister of Finance Dusan Vujovic said on Thursday.

"The Privatisation Agency has received many letters of interest, and as many as 60 percent of them are credible," Vujovic told a regional conference on free zones, held at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia.

The Privatisation Agency published an invitation to investors on August 15, and the list of companies slated for privatisation is comprised of 502 firms, 161 of which are in the process of restructuring.

The deadline for submitting letters of interest expired on September 15.

The details of the offers received are expected to be announced by Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic, who will also unveil a set of measures that will be part of a budget revision.

Speaking about the budget measures, Vujovic said that there are plans to introduce a set of measures that will boost the revenue side and reduce budget spending.

"It may be that people will not like us after those measures, but in a few years' time, they will be congratulating us on solving this big problem," Vujovic said.

Photo Tanjug, Z. Zestic (archive)