English
• "From certain points of view, I support the launch of an IPO for the stake of the government in Telekom România"
Prime-minister Victor Ponta is right to favor the sale of the 46% stake in the former Romtelecom, currently Telekom România through an IPO on the BSE, Information society minister Sorin Grindeanu told us yesterday, and he went on to say that he supports this idea from certain points of view, because it is the most transparent procedure.
"It is, however, important, and we are waiting to see what the consortium that we have selected to provide us with the strategy for the sale of our stake has to say", Mr. Grindeanu further said.
The Romanian authorities are expecting to receive from consultants Swiss Capital and BT Securities, at the end of this month or in the beginning of October, the state's strategy for privatization, and respectively the work, financial and technical reports. The Ministry for Information Society will go into the government meeting with that analysis and that is where the decision will be made. The decision to sell the stake of the state in the former Romtelecom will be made following the evaluation and the receipt of the reports sent by the consultants.
Mr. Sorin Grindeanu told us: "It is the Romanian state that holds 46% of Telekom România. Therefore, the Romanian state is the one to decide the method for selling the 46% stake and not anybody else. The Romanian state, through a government decision, will approve the strategy for the sale of this percentage as well as the method. That hasn't happened yet".
Speaking about the sale of assets of the former Romtelecom by the current management, including the sale of the "Palatul Telefoanelor" ("The Telephones' Palace") building, Mr. Grindeanu told us: "This is part of what we are waiting for at the end September. We, as a state, are interested whether what we can obtain, through any method, is more valuable with these assets included - even if they are in the red and there is an economic justification from certain points of view - or whether it would be better, keeping the future sale in mind, regardless of the method - and I want to emphasize that - for them to be sold now, but we are waiting for this analysis".
Minister Sorin Grindeanu also told us that Deutsche Telekom is fully cooperating in order to make this sale happen and he said: "I actually want to thank them for that and also to Mrs. Nemat (ed. note: member on the Board of Deutsche Telekom) and to Mr. Bekkers (ed. note: the current CEO of Telekom România), but the one that holds 46% is the Romanian state and that is a clear and undisputable fact".
Prime-minister officially told investors and the press, several times, that the state intends to take public the 45.99% stake it holds in the former Romtelecom (currently Telekom România).
The CEO of Telekom România, Nikolai Beckers, said, last week, that acquiring the entire stake held by the Romanian state in the telephony operator is progressing quite well, but that the entire process will be a lengthy one. "The talks between the two shareholders (ed. note: the Romanian state and Greek group OTE, in which the majority shareholder is German group Deutsche Telekom) are continuing and I think that they are progressing quite well", he said, quoted by Mediafax.
He mentioned: "There have been other talks between the prime-minister (Victor Ponta - ed. note) and Claudia Nemat (member on the board of Deutsche Telekom - ed. note) about two weeks ago. Everything is going in the right direction, but it takes time to resolve everything. From the government's side, the report will be completed by the end of the year. We are optimistic that we will complete the acquisitions in a not too distant future".
In March, Claudia Nemat, member on the Board of Deutsche Telekom, was quoted in the press saying that DT is interested in acquiring the stake of the Romanian government in Romtelecom, "if there is a proposal on the table that is decent for both parties".
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