Stocks of top European bank from Giurgiulesti Port might be purchased by Romania. Romanian government starts negotiations

Chisinau, 29 August /MOLDPRES/ - The Romanian government on 28 August approved the starting of negotiations for the purchasing by Romania of the stocks of the Danube Logistics Ltd company, held by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in the Giurgiulesti Free International Port.   

After a cabinet meeting on 28 August, the spokesman for the Romanian government, Mihai Constantin, said that a commission of negotiation was to be set, made up of representatives of the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Transport Ministry and Finance Ministry, in order to open the negotiations with EBRD for purchasing these stocks, which will lead to the holding by the Romanian state of the controlling stake over the Giurgiulesti Port, through the National Company, Administration of Sea Ports Constanta Stock Company.    

„It is about the compatibilizing which already exists and the easing of an input, of a consolidated traffic of goods, in order to transform in this ecosystem, the Constanta Port, into one of the most important points of convergence of traffic of goods from this part of Europe, at least,’’ Mihai Constantin said.   

The commission will be made up of representatives of the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Finance Ministry, Transport and Infrastructure Ministry (MTI), as well as other relevant institutions. The procurement of the stocks will be made through the National Company, Administration of Sea Ports, Constanta Stock Company, a commercial company subordinated to MTI.

A Memorandum approved by the Romanian government reads that the Romanian state expressed interest for EBRD to buy the concerned stocks, taking into account the competition between the Constanta Port and the other ports of the Black Sea basin and the ones of the EU member states, as well as in the context of the extension of the Constanta Port and its transformation into a port market leader for the area of the Central and South-Eastern Europe.   

In the context of the discussions on the Giurgiulesti Port, the spokesman for Moldova’s government, Daniel Voda, on 28 August said that two port infrastructure entities worked at Giurgiulesti: the Giurgiulesti International Free Port (PILG), which belongs to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the State Port, owned by the state.  

Daniel Voda noted that the Moldovan government would not sell the Giurgiulesti State Port and there was no discussion on the sale of the state port. Voda also said that EBRD, the owner of the company concessionaire of PILG, held discussions with more potential investors, including from Romania, Turkey, the Netherlands and Denmark.