The draft stipulates the deadline will be moved to December 2013, from December 2012 previously.

This is the second delay in less than five months. In August, the government announced it would postpone launching initial public offerings in a batch of companies, including energy producers Hidroelectrica, Nuclearelectrica, Oltenia and Hunedoara, gas company Romgaz and freight rail company CFR.

The privatizations are included in a EUR3.6 billion loan agreement signed with the International Monetary Fund.