14 June, Minsk /BELTA correspondent/. The State Property Committee has prepared draft Presidential decrees on the sale of enterprise shares through auctions and tenders. This was announced to a BELTA correspondent by the Chairman of the State Property Committee, Georgy Kuznetsov, during a direct telephone line held at the committee today. "Perhaps as early as August, we will be able to hold the first auctions of the current year," noted Georgy Kuznetsov. He stressed that this process will differ from what happened in 2011. For each enterprise to be sold at auction or by tender, a Presidential decree will be issued. "We have already submitted coordinated draft Presidential decrees for two enterprises to the Council of Ministers. Work is underway for approximately 15 more enterprises. We are preparing decrees, sending them for approval, and considering issues related to tender conditions," said the head of the committee. Thus, Georgy Kuznetsov emphasized, there is no longer a privatisation plan adopted for 2011-2013, nor lists of enterprises for sale. In Belarus, any enterprise can be privatised if an investor is found and the price of the asset is determined. Therefore, a different procedure for preparing and making decisions on sales is in effect. The Chairman of the State Property Committee also reported on the progress of involving unused and inefficiently used property in economic circulation. Currently, Belarus has 147.2 million square meters of space. Of this amount, unused facilities account for just over 1%. This is a small volume, believes Georgy Kuznetsov. Some of this unused property needs to be demolished, some areas require reconstruction, and the rest should be sold. "We sell such property with a price reduction and for one base value," stated Georgy Kuznetsov. However, there are not many buyers for such assets. The decree No. 6 "On Stimulating Entrepreneurial Activity in Medium and Small Towns, and Rural Areas" can give impetus to this process. Today, many entrepreneurs are already interested in such properties in small towns and rural areas. "This will help us to involve unused property in circulation," noted the head of the committee. He stressed that the work on involving property in circulation is ongoing, systematic, and planned. -0-

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