Greece's privatizations are in full swing. According to the Athens newspapers, Deutsche Telekom emissaries should arrive today in the Greek capital to open negotiations with the Greek government for the acquisition of a stake in Ote. The telephone company, leader in the Balkans, is already 30% controlled by the Germans. On the plate the 16% of Ote still under the control of the Greek government, with two possible solutions: the sale of the entire package or a smaller share equal to 10%.
In the previous days, under the pressure of the negative judgments received from international interlocutors, the Athens government had set a 30-day limit for Deutsche Telekom to present an offer. The sale should bring a figure close to 400 million euros into Greek coffers. In the meantime, the dialogue with the "troika" (EU, ECB, IMF) seems to be at an advanced stage. Agreement on the aid plan is near, which will be presented by June. There is talk of financing for 65 billion euros which will be disbursed with loans from the EU and the IMF, supported by extraordinary measures. Barring a full debt restructuring by Europe, troika officials are assessing the Greek government's ability to present concrete solutions to the crisis and service debts accrued under last year's bailout plan.
This explains the acceleration on the sale of Ote. Throughout Europe, privatizations are offering enormous opportunities to companies and credit institutions, which take advantage of favorable prices to increase their portfolio with strategic assets. Meanwhile, social tensions caused by the Austerity measures are increasing. In addition to the central government, unpopularity affects also the international institutions considered co-responsible. The trade unions, which are animating the opposition, are enjoying increasing consensus and have announced new initiatives in the next few days.
