Troika calls for sell-off restart
This week or next the government will appoint a new head to the state privatization fund (TAIPED), as the inspectors of the country?s creditors — known as the troika — are putting pressure on Athens to find a replacement for Ioannis Koukiadis, who resigned last month, so that the sell-offs can restart.
No decision for any major privatization can be made until a president is appointed so that he can convene the fund?s board. Eager to see projects sealed, the troika visited the fund?s offices yesterday, warmly receiving news of Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras signing off the sale of four Airbus aircraft that used to belong to Olympic Airways.
In a couple of weeks? time in-depth negotiations will begin between the troika and TAIPED for the revision of the sell-off program, which includes 28 projects. Until then a number of pending issues, such as the application of joint-ministerial decisions and the changes to regulatory authorities, will have to be completed, while the troika?s technical experts are now visiting the fund on a daily basis.
