Greece has pushed back plans to sell stakes in its natural gas monopoly
and its biggest airport this year, officials said yesterday, citing
complications and adverse market conditions. This makes it more
difficult for the Greek government to achieve a target of 1 billion
euros ($1.41 billion) in state asset sales this year to reduce its
public debt, the EU’s second-largest in terms of GDP after Italy’s.
Officials said the government has given up hope of completing the sale
of a stake in its gas monopoly DEPA to strategic investors this year,
in part because of the complicated structure of the company’s assets.
“It seems that the [DEPA] stake sale will not be completed in 2009 and
moves to 2010,” a senior government official who declined to be named
told Reuters. Weak financial markets and a tourism slump will also
delay the envisaged initial public share offer for Athens International
Airport, the country’s biggest and co-managed by Germany’s Hochtief AG.
(from "KATHIMERINI" english edition, 17/07/2009)