Parliamentary Committee Proposes to Restrict Privatization

On September 24 the Parliamentary Committee of Sector Economy discussed a draft law which envisages restrictions on privatization of state-owned enterprises.

Particularly, the document, which was approved at a committee hearing, bans the selling of more than 25% of the total shares of any state-run facility to the foreign state-owned companies.

?I think that the draft law will mainly concern the energy facilities which are currently owned by the state,? MP Gia Natsvlishvili of the ruling National Movement party and co-author of the draft law, told reporters. He is also the Deputy Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee of Sector Economics. 

The proposal comes in direct contradiction to the Georgian Economy Minister Kakha Bendukidze?s wide-scale privatization policy. Deputy Economy Minister Natia Turnava said that the draft law ?is inadmissible for the Economy Ministry.?