Officials of the Democratic Party (DS), the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) and the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) agreed on Thursday evening that the privatization of companies in Serbia was not done in a proper manner, and that it is necessary to hold responsible everyone involved.

DS Deputy President and President of the Vojvodina Government Bojan Pajtic stated for Radio and Television of Serbia that due to the problematic privatization, the provincial government has launched a procedure of nullification and alleviation of the consequences of privatization carried out between 2004 and 2007 in 29 companies.

SPS Vice President Dusan Bajatovic agreed that privatization has not yielded good results, stressing that the bankruptcy period should be shortened, rather than be allowed to last for years.

He said that the SPS argues for reindustrialization of Serbia, agricultural investments and infrastructure projects such as Corridor 10 and Corridor 7.

He said that the projects such as the South Stream gas pipeline prove that Serbia can participate in major projects, particularly in the field of energy.

SNS deputy leader Aleksandar Vucic noted that the European Parliament has called for reconsideration of 24 disputable privatizations.

DSS Vice President Nenad Popovic said that many companies in Serbia have been closed down, adding that an adequate way should be found to help the Serbian economy.

Speaking about the privatizations, Popovic said that it is possible that they took place during the term of office of former prime minister and DSS leader Vojislav Kostunica, adding that nevertheless that period was the most successful one for Serbia.

According to him, the period of the DSS rule was marked by a 30 percent increase in salaries, numerous foreign investments, and the GDP growth which amounted to four to five percent per year.