PM Ponta: Private investors to hold up to 35 percent stake in Constanta Port
Prime Minister Victor Ponta said on Thursday in Tulcea (eastern Romania) that he is in favour of 15 percent of the shares of the Constanta Port being listed on the stock exchange, with the stake taken by the private investors not to exceed a third and the other two thirds held by the local authority and the Government.
'According to the viewpoint of the Government that I lead, the private investors should hold a higher stake in the Constanta Port. We will list 15 percent of shares on the stock market and up to 35 percent for private investors. A third will be held by the Government and another one by the local authority. In many European states, the stake of local authorities in ports exceeds 51 percent, but we considered that we still do not have a sufficient management at the local authority. Moreover, we shall keep the money received from assets in the company, and thus, we shall have transparency, money for investments and an involvement similar to successful examples in other countries,' Ponta said in Tulcea on Thursday.
As for the port of Tulcea, he stated that the Transport Ministry has launched the procedures for its transfer from the management of the Administration of Maritime Danube Ports in Galati into that of the Tulcea local authorities, arguing this formula provides more possibilities for the port to attract EU funds.
During the press conference held in Tulcea, the head of Executive announced more investments that will be carried out in the upcoming period in Tulcea, such as the modernization of the Danube Delta International Airport, of the Tulcea-Constanta national road, supporting the investment in the arrangement works on the wastewater system in the Sfantu Gheorghe commune, and the procurement of an angiography equipment for the County Emergency Hospital.
In addition, Ponta announced that two months from now, the European Commission will give Romania an answer regarding the funding for the investment in the bridge over Danube, between the towns of Macin and Tulcea. He also pointed out the fact that thanks to the financial instrument Integrated Territorial Investments, the county of Tulcea will benefit from several hundreds of millions of euros to improve the living conditions of the people residing in the Danube Delta and for environment preservation.