Rosco

The European Commission is putting Greece on the spot over the return of state subsidies granted to Hellenic Railways Organization (OSE).

The EC's Directorate General for Competition (DG Comp) last week sent Greek authorities a document referring to the loans received by the organization with Greek state guarantees.

State sell-off fund TAIPED on Tuesday extended the deadline for the submission of binding bids for carriage maintenance company Rosco until the end of June.

Submission was supposed to have been completed by January 31, but the delay in the privatization of the main railway service company, Trainose, forced the extension of the deadline to June 30.

Privatization projects concerning rail service operator Trainose and carriage maintenance company Rosco have remained frozen over the last four months as the State Audit Council has yet to rule on the legitimacy of the concession contract of 100 percent of Trainose.

Greece has received two expressions of interest for the purchase of Rosco, its rail maintenance company, the country's privatization agency said on Monday.

It said it had received expressions from Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane SpA (Trenitalia) and Skoda Transportation.

The government is again trying to hamper the privatization process of Rosco, the company responsible for the maintenance of Trainose rail carriages, managing to put it off by at least a couple of weeks.

The government is again trying to hamper the privatization process of Rosco, the company responsible for the maintenance of Trainose rail carriages, managing to put it off by at least a couple of weeks.

Greece has extended by three weeks to October 3 a deadline for the submission of expressions of interest in the sale if its rail maintenance firm Rosco, the country's privatization agency said on Thursday.

The sale was relaunched in July after a previous tender was inconclusive and investors were originally due to submit documentation to take part in the process by September 12.

The Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund (HRADF) announced that the dates for tenders that concern the sale of majority stakes in Piraeus Port (OLP) and the Port of Thessaloniki (OLTH) are to be announced over the next two days.

By Vangelis Mandravelis

The issue of state subsidies to Greek railway operator Trainose is a long way from being resolved, according to Vladimir Yakunin, the president of Russian Railways, which has expressed an interest in acquiring the firm.