Venizelos did as he promised

Privatizations have just entered their finale stage toward implementation, as finance minister Evangelos Venizelos ordered the immediate transfer of the first public assets to the Public Property Development Fund. The signing of the "dowry" from the interministerial privatization committee came one day after his announcement, in a development that initiates the procedures for the economic utilization of state assets.

Apart from the fund part - the privatization program provides for 5 billion in revenue in 2011 and 28 billion by 2014 - the Government aims at new investments and jobs.

The first wave of privatizations includes:

    * Extending the license of OPAP
    * New OPAP licenses
    * Time extension of the concession of the Athens International Airport
    * The new allocation of frequencies for mobile telephony
    * DEPA
    * Participation of the Greek State in Hellenic Petroleum
    * The first group of buildings that house public services and can be sold or re-rented with significant financial benefit

It should be noted that Venizelos had a phone conversation on Wednesday with Olli Rehn, Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs.

The minister informed Rehn on the decision taken yesterday by the cabinet on the rapid promotion of structural change. According to reports, the European Commissioner expressed his satisfaction with these decisions, which touched upon almost all public and private sectors of the economy.