TIRANA, Jan.9- In the weekly meeting of the Council of Ministers, Prime Minister Berisha confirmed hat 2008 will be the year when the privatization of strategic large companies, most of which are state monopolies will occur. ARMO (the public oil extraction company), INSIG (insurance company), the distribution unit of KESH (Electro-energy Corporation) are all slated for privatization this year to strategic foreign investors.
Opposition: decisions serving electoral purposes
Opposition member and former Finance Minister Arben Malaj reacted against this decision, describing it as a maneuver serving electoral purposes since 2008 precedes the electoral year 2009. Malaj summarized the progress of privatizations so far denouncing its negative aspects such as delays and postponements that according to him’ have weighed on Albanian consumers and have decreased the real value of the assets to be privatized.” The privatization of the distribution unit of KESH in particular is part of the administration strategy to solve the energy crisis in the long run.
