LITHUANIA: Alcohol privatisation moves nearer

The privatisation of Lithuania's alcohol industry appears to have moved a stage nearer with the strategic planning committee of Lithuanian government ruling yesterday in favour of selling all shares in state-run alcohol companies, partly through deals on the National Stock Exchange. The approaching privatisation of alcohol producers has already attracted significant interest from many local entrepreneurs. However, the director of the State Property Fund, Povilas Milasauskas warned that there was still a lot of work to be done. "These are major guidelines to be specified further," he said. "The government still has to approve the framework, choose the privatisation advisor and privatise alcohol companies by 1 July 2003."