Should Trepca's partial privatisation take place?

Trepca is registered as a stock society, where 80 percent of the shares are in the Government of Kosovo, and 20 percent are shares of employees in the company.

Happily Sadiku, a member of the Trepca Watch Board, which represents and advocates the rights of workers of this company, tells Radio Free Europe that the partial privatisation of Trepca is unacceptable to workers.

“Trepca is an action society and shareholder is 80 percent Government and 20 percent workers, and privatisation is not the best solution. We had to waste all our internal options. Trepca needs investments, and the government is tasked with making capital investments. I believe with these people we have, we don't need to call on foreign investors to enter Trepca right now. We can get out of this situation with government. The government should ensure that domestic credit is taken from international financial mechanisms and develop Trepca”, Sadiku says.

Partial privatisation of the metallural plant “Trepca” has been taken as an idea by the minister in the resignation of economic development in the Government of Kosovo, Valdrin Luka. He had told Radio Free Europe that this would be the best way for Trepca's recovery.

“Ide is that natural resources remain state property, but the share of management should be privatised so that it can be more efficient, attract foreign investment, engage in ʹTrepch] and increase production and internal processing, and that not only would it help workers in APUTrechy, but it would also help exports and the entire state of Kosovo by placing it on the global map of the mining and processing of <18x> said Luca.

The metallural plant “

The chairman of the company's monitoring board “Trepca”, Ardian Syla, told Radio Free Europe that they are followers of what investments in Trepca can be made by the Government of Kosovo, but if these opportunities do not exist, then according to him, public-private partnership or direct investment would be a solution to the current situation created in Trepca.

The Law on Trepca envisions other forms of private capital involvement in Trepca. It's the form of public-private partnership, it's foreign direct investment, emissions and stock sale, but there's no full privatisation of the word. There are other forms that are presented with the Law on Trepca and, of course, in the Strategic Investment Law, but this is an issue belonging to the main shareholder who is the Government of Kosovo”, Syla said.

Economic university professor Muhamet Sadiku, in a proposal for Radio Free Europe, says it is positive that the Trepca Law has opened up opportunities for foreign investment.

He adds that there are no mechanisms in the market economy that the government should keep company alive, so according to him, private but critical capital can be introduced in some segments, as Sadiku says, remains attracting these foreign investments.

All companies in one state should undergo transformation, privatisation respectively. To get privatisation officers to Trepca, it's a tough job. Kosovo must become a friendly state for investment, the rule of law should be empowered, one should be known who can currently govern these international processes. Salvation cannot come from the State. The state must provide legislation, the state must ensure the rule of law, ensure the equality of all acts on the market, transparency should increase, and within this platform investors can come to Trepca”, Sadiku says.

Trepca was calculated as one of the largest companies not only in Kosovo, but also in the former Yugoslavia.

Trepca today, within Kosovo, consists of 41 different entities, which are grouped mainly into three large complexes: in the mines with flotillas, in the industrial park in Mitrovica, and in the smelter complex.

In contrast, 17 business objects are found in the republics of the former Yugoslavia, 11 assets are located in Serbia, 3 in Bosnia and Herzegovina and 3 in Croatia.