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FACTBOX-Emerging Europe $20 bln asset sale plans fray

Published 10/26/2009, 08:26 AM
Updated 10/26/2009, 08:30 AM
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Oct 26 (Reuters) - Emerging Europe's plans to raise over $20 billion in privatisations next year are beginning to fray with weak investor interest amid political uncertainty and still tight credit conditions. Here are updates of state asset sale plans in the region:

BOSNIA

Political bickering has resulted in the planned September IPO to sell the government's 67-percent stake in Bosnian engineering group Energoinvest being put on hold. Plans to sell the state's stake in drugmaker Bosnalijek have also been delated indefinitely.

Bosnia's privatisation agency has drafted a new plan that is awaiting government approval.

BULGARIA

According to its draft 2010 budget, Bulgaria expects to get 100 million euros from privatisation, including the sale of cigarette maker Bulgartabak. The government, which is still weighing up on the method and timing of the planned disposal, is also mulling the sale of Sofia heating plant Toplofikatsia.

CROATIA

Croatia is still struggling to sell its six loss-making shipyards as part of the conditions it must meet to secure European Union membership.

CZECH REPUBLIC

The interim government has put on hold the sale of state-owned Prague Airport, which was among the list of possible privatisations drawn up by the former centre-right government that collapsed in March. Czech lawmakers in the lower house have passed a law that would effectively forbid the sale which could have netted some $3 billion. The planned sale of loss-making Czech Airlines is in doubt after the state carrier attracted a sole bid of 1 billion Czech crowns ($58 million).

POLAND

Poland's treasury minister has said the country has no chance of hitting its 2010 privatisation goal of $4.3 billion, raising the risk to the country's $13 billion privatisation target for the next two years.

Warsaw has so far stumbled with its sell-offs, landing just one bidder for a controlling 67 percent stake of its sole listed utility Enea. It also has delayed the bid deadline for the sale of its bourse.

State-owned energy group PKO and utility PGE are expected to raise a combined $4 billion in their share offerings.

ROMANIA

The collapse of Romania's coalition government this month has cast doubt over its plans to float 3.5-billion euro Fondul Proprietatea next year, an investment fund set up to compensate its citizens whose properties were seized under communism.

Romania has also said it will list stakes worth 15-20 percent of its energy holdings and has vowed to sell underperforming state companies.

RUSSIA

Russia's economic development minister expects $2.4 billion to be raised through the country's privatisation programme next year. The minister says the government wants to reduce its role in the economy by 10 percent from roughly 50 percent now.

SERBIA

Serbia's attempts to sell state assets, including flag carrier JAT Airways and copper miner RTB Bor, have failed due to a lack of investor interest.

TURKEY

Turkey's state planning agency aims to transfer $7 billion in privatisation receipts to the Treasury accounts in 2010.

UKRAINE

The sale of the Odessa Port fertiliser plant -- one of Ukraine's biggest state companies -- collapsed last month amid squabbling between Ukraine's political elites after the winning bid was subsequently rejected for being too low.

Further divestments of state assets are unlikely until after January presidential elections. (Compiled from Reuters bureaux, writing by Sebastian Tong; editing by Stephen Nisbet )

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