"NIS contract by end of November"

Energy and Mining Minister Petar Skundric says the agreement for the privatization of 51% of the Serbian Oil Industry will be complete by the end of November. Skundric told daily Vecernje Novosti that this had been agreed at a meeting with Russian Emergency Situations Minister Sergei Shoigu and that the draft agreement had reached the Energy Ministry. "NIS contract by end of November" According to the minister, the draft agreement had been distributed among the other ministries, while the final version of the contract would follow once the expert groups had given their opinion to the government working group. He said that there had been no mention of NIS’s sale price at the meeting. Asked whether the sale of Petrohemije from Pancevo was part of the NIS deal, Skundric replied that it was not, but that “doesn’t mean that it won’t figure in subsequent agreements“. The minister said that part of the NIS contract would pertain to employees’ shares and the pension plan. Asked when the details of the contract would be made public, he said that “no-one in the world puts draft agreements up on their website“. Skundric said that nothing could derail the agreement and that the NIS contract would be concluded by the end of the year. Commenting on the recent hike in domestic gas prices, the minister said that this would hit the consumer hard, but that oil prices were falling, so that it was possible that gas prices could fall in the first quarter of next year. He said that there would be no increase in electricity prices before the end of the year. Petar Skundric (Tanjug, archive)

"NIS contract by end of November"

According to the minister, the draft agreement had been distributed among the other ministries, while the final version of the contract would follow once the expert groups had given their opinion to the government working group.

He said that there had been no mention of NIS’s sale price at the meeting.

Asked whether the sale of Petrohemije from Pančevo was part of the NIS deal, Škundrić replied that it was not, but that “doesn’t mean that it won’t figure in subsequent agreements“.

The minister said that part of the NIS contract would pertain to employees’ shares and the pension plan.

Asked when the details of the contract would be made public, he said that “no-one in the world puts draft agreements up on their website“.

Škundrić said that nothing could derail the agreement and that the NIS contract would be concluded by the end of the year.

Commenting on the recent hike in domestic gas prices, the minister said that this would hit the consumer hard, but that oil prices were falling, so that it was possible that gas prices could fall in the first quarter of next year.

He said that there would be no increase in electricity prices before the end of the year.