Privatizations. Yet another "must have" launched by the Troika has been carried out. And so today the Greek Council of Ministers has decided to abolish the minimum quota that the Greek state must hold for each listed company. It is one of the necessary conditions for obtaining aid from the three international sisters. In this way it will be possible to start the procedures for the privatization of nine large companies with state participation. The Hradf agency, in charge of managing the transactions, must be able to raise 19 billion euros by the end of 2015.
Among the companies that will soon end up in private hands is la oil company Hellenic Petroleumthe manufacturing company electricity Ah, the Opap football betting company and the Odie horse betting company, the companies for the waters of Athens and Thessaloniki (Eydap and Eyath), the Post Office Elta, and the companies that control the ports of Piraeus and Thessaloniki (Olp and Olth) and 10 other ports of minor importance.
Also driven by the renewed optimism that followed the new bond purchase plan of the ECB, announced yesterday by Mario Draghi, Athens Stock Exchange gains 1,90% and spread came down below the threshold of 2 thousand points to 1.998,95 for the first time since May.
