100 companies to go into bankruptcy, 50 to be privatized

100 companies to go into bankruptcy, 50 to be privatized

BELGRADE -- The government will next week publish a list of over 100 companies under restructuring that will go into bankruptcy, Economy Minister Željko Sertić has said.

At the same time, a list of 50 others that will enter the process of privatization will be revealed, he added.

"Companies that can no longer operate can no longer be a burden to the budget, but it needs to be clear to everyone that bankruptcy is not the end for a company, because someone can buy it even after it goes into bankruptcy, and there are various ways in which a company can continue to operate after it goes into bankruptcy," Sertić said at a conference organized by AmCham.

In early spring, the government will initiate the procedure of amending the bankruptcy law to specify in more detail the ways in which companies can continue to operate after going into bankruptcy, the minister said.

In addition to 100 companies that will go into bankruptcy, the government will also announce the names of 50 companies that will enter the privatization process according to some of the models, Sertić said.

The minister could not specify the total number of employees in the 100 companies, but said that it is in the several-thousand range and that suitable redundancy programs will be ensured for them.

Many of the companies that will go into bankruptcy are heavily indebted, and bankruptcy is a way to settle creditor claims, he said.