The relevant finance minister on Monday, speaking before a Parliament committee, denied that the government was interested in selling off the Athens and Thessaloniki water and sewerage utilities, EYDAP and EYATh, respectively.
“As long as I am minister and SYRIZA is in government, they will not be privatized,” Euclid Tsakalotos said.
His statement came as the leftist government submitted a draft bill in Parliament that transfers the state-owned shares of roughly half a dozen public utilities and state-operated enterprises to a new “super privatization fund”. The new fund is but one of 15 “prior actions” that institutional creditors demand from the Greek government under the third memorandum, in order to free up 2.8 billion euros in bailout loans.
Nevertheless, Tsakalotos, who first insinuated that main opposition New Democracy party may actually want to privatize the water utilities, said the draft law for the new super fund does not preclude a future privatization.
EYDAP is listed on the Athens Stock Exchange (ASE).
