PSD against auctioning of state property

The Social-Democratic Party (PSD) demands that the Alliance for European Integration stop the second round of auctions to privatize state property and use other mechanisms like public-private partnerships or investment contests, Info-Prim Neo reports. In a news conference on September 20, Ruslan Barladeanu, a member of the PSD’s National Council, said the authorities must not privatize the public property in order to increase the budget, but focus on the creation on new work places and show ability to govern efficiently. The PSD says the companies are auctioned in a hurry and without preparing them for privatization. Besides, the authorities do not impose investment obligations on those who purchase state property and do not oblige them to keep the workplaces and companies’ activities. According to the Social-Democrats, the governing alliance’s mandate is coming to an end and it thus tries to sell everything it can. It is not excluded that the leaders of the alliance will purchase themselves the state-owned holdings. “The Ministry of Economy plans to earn 1.142 billion lei. This is impossible. The head of the Public Property Agency Tudor Copaci admitted the state will receive only 200-300 million lei from privatization,” Ruslan Barladeanu said. “As the investors need political stability, we are convinced that no investor will come to the crisis-hit Moldova,” he added. During the second privatization round, the Public Property Agency of the Ministry of Economy will auction state property to the value of 1.2 billion lei. The auctions will take place at the Moldova Stock Exchange between September 21 and 24. There will be auctioned state holdings in 51 joint stock companies. In 26 of them, the state owns more than 50% of the stock.