“We will be very focused on the CFR Marfa takeover. We will send a request for additional information to complete the clearance process as soon as possible. We would like to move things along quickly and make the deadline set in the privatization contract. Under the law, we have five months to make a decision. We have informed the European Commission of this privatization and we’ll discuss next week to see if the operation is to be cleared locally,” Chiritoiu said at the MEDIAFAX Talks about Competition conference, adding he is confident the competition clearance will remain in the hands of Romanian authorities.
GFR, owned by businessman Gruia Stoica, notified the Competition Council last week on its acquisition of CFR Marfa.
The group bid EUR202 million for the majority stake in the freight carrier and won the auction in June. The privatization contract was signed early September and Stoica said at the time the money would be paid once the antitrust body clears the deal.
The government decision allowing CFR Marfa’s privatization establishes the sale must be completed by mid-October. However, Chiritoiu said at the time antitrust clearance could take five to six months and the deal could be taken over for analysis by the European Commission.