Poland will next year privatise its oil sector, major steelmakers, telephone operator Telekomunikacja Polksa SA (TPSA), two banks, nine electric power centres and a sugar holding company, the treasury ministry said yesterday .
Before January 10th the ministry, will seek a new call for bids for 25-35 per cent of TPSA, after the government's rejection last week of a bid from France Telecom.
The sales of Huta Katowice and Huta Sendzimira, two of Poland's largest steelmakers, were expected to be completed by July.
Oil group PKN, which includes the Plock refinery and distribution network CPN, will be privatised in the second half of 2000.
The Treasury wants to sell the sugar holding company and the nine thermoelectric plants in the next six months.
The ministry also plans to sell the country's second-largest bank, Pekao SA, partially bought in 1999 by Unicredito Italiano, and insurer PZU, of which 30 per cent has recently been sold to multinational group Eureko.
Another bank, PBK, the fifth-largest in terms of assets, was to be entirely privatised by July, while the sale of Poland's top bank, PKO BP, could begin before year-end 2000 with the sale of 9.1 per cent of its parts, the ministry said. The Treasury estimated that the privatisations planned in 1999 would bring in an estimated 20 billion zlotys (around 4.65 billion euros)
This year's privatisations have generated nearly 13 billion zlotys.
