Commencement of privatization of certain companies on Brezovica

(Brezovica)

The Kosovo Privatization Agency (KAP) has started the process of privatization of certain facilities of "Inex Ski Center" on Brezovica mountain, and the representatives of the municipality of Štrpce claim that that procedure may endanger survival of Serbs, and they demand an intervention from official Belgrade.

By the method of "spin off", KAP has started liquidation and privatization of certain companies on Brezovica, such as "Restoran brvnara Brezovica", company "Mala brvnara" and company "Kafana Štrpce", all of which are situated in the city center. People from KAP have invited investors to buy "new companies", which were formed from the property of public companies, through an open procedure.

The Mayor of Štrpce, Zvonko Mihajlović, said that the beginning of privatization of part of the property, owned by "Inex Ski Center", was the intro to the privatization of hotels "Inex", "Narcis", "Molika" and "Breza".

- The owner of these facilities is the Republic of Serbia. The owner of 51% of capital is public company "Skijališta Srbije", which is a member of the Ministry of Economy and Regional Development, while 49% of capital belong to Belgrade-based holding "Inex Interexport" - said Mihajlović.

- If the Kosovo Trust Agency succeeds in this procedure, that will seriously endanger the interests of remaining Serbs in Štrpce - Mihajlović warned.

He reminded that "Inex" had represented the backbone of the economy of Sirinićka Župa and that it had employed about 350 Serbs, as well as that over thousand people had depended on that tourism branch.

- If this happens, it will be very dangerous for us because those who buy the facilities also buy the territory - the Mayor of Štrpce pointed out.