Russia to finalise 2020-2022 privatisation goals on 19 December: source

Russia will take a step forward with its long-awaited privatisation programme next week when it finalises a list of companies it hopes to sell in 2020-2022, a source familiar with the matter said on Sunday.

Russia has been trying to sell some of these companies for years but has delayed the process, blaming either unfavourable market conditions or a lack of readiness by the companies themselves.

The list, to be finalised on 19 December, includes oil pipeline monopoly Transnef, railway operator Russian Railways, Aeroflot airline, grid company Rosseti, power firm RusHydro, United Grain Company and shipping group Sovcomflot, the source said.

Russia’s finance ministry declined to comment on the specifics.

“Privatisation is seen as a structural measure to reduce the share of government involvement in the economy, aimed at improving the efficiency of company management,” the ministry said in a statement.

In recent years, the government has managed to reduce its stake in VTB bank, Alrosa diamond miner and some other smaller companies but has fallen short of its initial plan.

Source: SABC News (sabcnews.com)