"Out of 78 SOEs, we have about 20 for which I can certainly say that we will publicly invite privatisation bids by the end of this year or in the course of 2021," Dragan Stevanovic, state secretary at the economy ministry, said as seen in a video file posted on the website of Tanjug news agency on Thursday.
The list of companies that will be privatised includes bus transport company Lasta [BEL:LSTA], intercity bus company Severtrans, river transport firm Jugoslovensko Recno Brodarstvo (JRB), mining company Rudnik Kovin and engineering and construction firm PIM Ivan Milutinovic, Stevanovic said.
By the end of this year, the government will launch the privatisation of plastic products maker Krusik-Plastika and fishing company Ribarsko Gazdinstvo, he noted.
The government has already invited non-binding bids for the privatisation of four water utility companies - Sredni Banat, Juzni Banat, Podunavlje and Tamis-Dunav, Stevanovic added.
The sale process of other companies slated for privatisation, such as furniture manufacturer Simpo [BEL:SMPO] and textile maker Jumko, will not be launched by the end of 2021, Stevanovic said.
Earlier this week, Serbia's economy minister Andjelka Atanaskovic said the government intends to accelerate the process of privatisation of SOEs, in order to support the rise of foreign direct investment into the country.
(SeeNews, November 27, 2020)