VUCIC: Christmas time to see tender for Zelezara

Aleksandar Vucic (Photo: Mc.rs)

The Prime Minister of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, said on Sunday that by the Orthodox Christmas tender procedure for finding a strategic partner for Zelezara Smederevo will end an d that he expect that by the end of January a strategic partner will “step into” the Serbian steel plant.

- Tender procedure should end at the time of our Christmas and I would say everything could end by late January, the entire process with the entrance to the company – Vucic said to journalists in Jerusalem where he is starting his two-day visit to Israel.

He said he talked with the shareholders of the American Esmark who, as he explained, very committed to finding the market for “Serbian ”steel.

The head of Esmark steel Group, James Bouchard, has recently said for Tanjug that the American company, in case it wins at the privatization tender for Zelezara Smederevo, will pour USD 400 m in the Serbian steel plant in the next few years and that there will be no layoffs.

Bouchard said that only in 2015, the company would invest USD 28 m in Smederevo-based steel plant to start the second high furnace which has not been functioning for a while and they would also invest, as he says, in the central plant.

- Those 28 million is the plan only for the first year while we are planning to pour USD 130 m in the next 3-4 years so that total investment would be between USD 130 and 150 m – Bouchard said November 8 before the meeting with the Prime Minister in Belgrade.

Later, Vucic expressed hope that Esmark will become a new owner of Smederevo-based Zelezara.

"I hope this American company will become a new owner of Zelezara. I live for that and I work for that”, Vucic said.