Economy Ministry: State will own only the most important companies, while the rest will be transferred to businessmen

The Government has revised the list of public property that will be privatized, excluding from it the enterprises under liquidation and the facilities transferred to the local administrations such as unfinished buildings or constructions completed by these by their own forces, Info-Prim Neo reports. The modified list includes 282 companies located in Chisinau and in the country’s districts. Some of them are patrimonial complexes, but the largest part are joint stock companies in which the state has holdings of 0.7% to 100%, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Trade Igor Dodon said. The list also includes the most attractive Moldovan companies, as specialists and the general public considers: Banca de Economii and Moldtelecom, in which the state holds 56.13% and, respectively, 100% of the shares. Among other companies that will be privatized are: Viorica –Cosmetic (state holding of 95.51%), Glass Container Company (31.42%), Zorile (60.26%), Combustibil Solid (78.03%), Unic Store (85.45%), Tutun CTC (90.81%) as well as many food processing and tobacco fermenting companies, companies that provide services in the agricultural sector, maintenance and road building companies, drugstores, hotels, cultural and recreational enterprises, etc. The list also contains two companies located in Ukraine that are Moldova’s property: the gravel and sand query in Cernauti and the granite query in Konetpoli village in Pervopmaisk region. Thirty-seven of the constructions included in the list are unfinished. These are kindergartens, clubs, sports complexes, administrative buildings. The construction works on them started in 1987 – 1999. “Before privatized, the facilities included in the list will be protected. We have analyzed what had happened to the assets of the state in the past few years: the companies were leased out and the budget got nothing or they were brought to insolvency methodically and purchased for a derisory price. It is not known what happened to some of the very important assets. It is impossible to follow them. Any transaction with these facilities is banned until they are privatized. We consider they will find their owner because the private sector in Moldova is developing and the demand for assets is high,” Igor Dodon said. The minister said that the state will own only the companies that have a vital importance for the country. The rest of them will be transferred to entrepreneurs, who, according to the First Deputy Prime Minister, will be better owners than the state. The list was approved last August. Under the law on the administration and denationalization of public property of May 4, 2007, the Parliament’s vote is not required for modifying the given list.