Ukraine cabinet may approve large-privatization list on April 27

The Ukrainian government is planning to consider
approving a list of large assets for privatization at its meeting on April 27,
the head of Ukraine’s State Property Fund said in an interview on April 11.
Approval by the Cabinet is a necessary condition to start the privatization of
large companies that the Fund listed in its plan released last week. The plan
includes the sale of four large companies in May-June 2018, including a 99.6%
stake in fertilizer producer Odesa Portside Plant, a 100% stake in Sumykhimprom
chemical plant, a 68% stake in Zaporizhia Aluminum Plant (ZALK UZ) and a 78.3%
stake in power GenCo Centrenergo (CEEN UK).

Alexander Paraschiy: Scheduling
the approval of the privatization of large companies is a positive event in
itself, as it indicates the government has a serious intention to start a
process which has been postponed since 2014. We admit that the likelihood of
unlocking privatization is higher now, but still consider that the chances for
large-scale privatization in 2018 are below 50%. April 27 will be a critical
point – if the government doesn’t approve the list prepared by the Fund on that
date, there will be no big privatizations this year at all.