"Trade-in program for new Punto"

Economy Minister Mladjan Dinkic says that a program for trading in outdated environmentally unfriendly cars for the new Punto will be adopted next week. Speaking to Belgrade daily Vecernje Novosti, Dinkic announced that the program would take effect in late March, and that customers would be able to trade in any used car for a new standard Punto, made at the Zastava plant, for EUR 5,999. "Trade-in program for new Punto" The minister said Fiat had been saved by Zastava at the last minute, the daily said on Friday. "Were it not for Fiat, Zasatav would be bankrupt today. Unfortunately, like all other automobile manufacturers, Fiat has also been hit hard by the crisis. That is why it was to be expected that they would slightly slow down the planned investment, which is why the new model will be launched in late 2010, instead of at the beginning of next year," he explained. Dinkic said that in the event of a decision being taken to sell off Telekom, “we have to set a minimum price under which we would not be prepared to go.“ “But that still needs to be discussed. I don’t believe we should just sell it slapdash, because after EPS, Telekom is the biggest Serbian company,” the minister added. He said that the plan for electricity giant EPS was to float a minority package on the stock exchange, though this would not happen any time soon. “At least 70 percent of EPS has to stay in the hands of the tax payer,“ he stressed. Mladjan Dinkic (Beta, archive)

"Trade-in program for new Punto"

The minister said Fiat had been saved by Zastava at the last minute, the daily said on Friday.

"Were it not for Fiat, Zasatav would be bankrupt today. Unfortunately, like all other automobile manufacturers, Fiat has also been hit hard by the crisis. That is why it was to be expected that they would slightly slow down the planned investment, which is why the new model will be launched in late 2010, instead of at the beginning of next year," he explained.

Dinkić said that in the event of a decision being taken to sell off Telekom, “we have to set a minimum price under which we would not be prepared to go.“

“But that still needs to be discussed. I don’t believe we should just sell it slapdash, because after EPS, Telekom is the biggest Serbian company,” the minister added.

He said that the plan for electricity giant EPS was to float a minority package on the stock exchange, though this would not happen any time soon. “At least 70 percent of EPS has to stay in the hands of the tax payer,“ he stressed.