The sale of a majority stake of Greece's natural gas grid operator (DESFA) is and will remain a key element of the country’s privatization program, European Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs Pierre Moscovici said this week, in response to a tabled question by a Greek MEP.
He added that the purchase of 66-percent of DESFA to Azerbaijan's Socar for 400 million euros was not completed because "necessary regulatory conditions" were not met, while adding that the collapse of the deal has not been officially conveyed by either side -- Socar and the Greek state, the owner of the utility.
Moscovici noted that the privatization's next steps and time frame are included in the current negotiations between Athens and its creditors to finally conclude the second review of the Greek program (third bailout). He noted that the goal is for the immediate resumption of the privatization process.
