Only 300 enterprises should remain in state management - Shmyhal}

Only 300 out of more than 3,000 state-owned enterprises are to remain in state management, while others will be subject to privatization, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has said.

"There are more than 3,000 state-owned enterprises in Ukraine, and no Ukrainian government has been able to effectively manage such a large number of enterprises. [...] Therefore, we are now in the final stages of drafting a bill that will determine the list of facilities to remain under state control. The issue concerns important state-owned companies such as Naftogaz or Energoatom. Our strategy is to leave about 300 companies out of more than 3,000 under state control," Shmyhal said at a government meeting on Wednesday, August 12.

He noted that in other developed countries there are not as many state-owned enterprises as in Ukraine.

"These are either dozens or hundreds of state-owned enterprises managed by and subordinated to government agencies. Therefore, we continue to move towards privatization through open and fair tenders. At the same time, the government understands that the state-owned enterprises that should remain under state control are, first of all, enterprises that concern our national security, energy, natural monopolies and enterprises connected with socially important processes," Shmyhal said.

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