TRANSPORT Minister Ján Počiatek stated that he will consider the possibility of allowing strategic investors to own some part of Cargo, the state-run rail freight carrier, as well as state-owned M. R. Štefánik Airport in Bratislava, the TASR newswire reported. The first government of Prime Minister Robert Fico, in which Počiatek served as finance minister, ditched a plan to privatise the airport in 2006.
“We will not prevent a strong strategic partner from entering this sector since it is obviously needed,” Počiatek told TASR.
The current process of finding strategic investors for both companies was started by Ján Figeľ, the transport minister in the previous centre-right coalition government. A strategic investor in Cargo was thought to be possible by this summer and the previous government was preparing to lease the airport to a private firm for a term of 30 years.
Počiatek said that he would continue both tenders that are already prepared but refused to specify exactly what percentage of either operation would be placed in the hands of private investors.
“Let’s wait to see what the experts have to say; [complete] privatisation, as such, is ruled out,” Počiatek said, as quoted by TASR.
