There are plans to privatise 18 municipal companies in the Vitebsk oblast by the end of 2010, BelTA learnt from Pavel Kotikov, Deputy Director of the Vitebsk Territorial Fund Vitebskoblimushchestvo, commenting on the draft oblast privatisation plan, which runs till 2010. The draft plan mainly lists juridical persons of the housing and utilities industry as well as design, trade and local industry enterprises, which employ from 30 to 300 people. The list has been agreed with state administration agencies and will have to be approved by the oblast administration. Main privatisation efforts are scheduled for 2010, with 14 economic entities earmarked for privatisation. The privatisation method will be defined in agreement with personnel of the companies. Proposals of potential investors will also be taken into account. Meanwhile, construction companies, which constitute the bulk of municipal enterprises, are not on the list. Many of them enjoy state support in line with several decrees of the head of state. This is why their privatisation will be decided later. The state support is meant to improve performance indicators of the companies to make them more attractive to investors, added the source. Apart from that, a draft plan for selling shares of the joint-stock companies created by privatising oblast municipal enterprises till 2010 has been prepared. The draft document list packages of 25% to 100% shares of three joint-stock companies. The draft plan for privatising municipal enterprises of the Vitebsk oblast has been worked out in line with decree No 7 of April 14, 2008.

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