The Romanian Senate rejected a simple motion tabled by two opposition parties on the privatization of the Romanian Savings House - CEC, one of the last major banking companies yet to be sold by the Romanian state.
The Social Democrats-PSD and the far-right Greater Romania Party-PRM submitted the motion to ask for the suspension of the sale of CEC to either OTP Bank (Hungary) or to the National Bank of Greece.
The document only had the power of recommendation for the government. Yet, it was rejected with 50 votes against 34 as PRM and PSD senators could not find enough support to pass it.
The submission deadline for final offers from the two foreign competitors is December 22 this year. The price will be the only criterion considered by the Romanian government in selecting the winning bidder.
The signing of a privatization contract would then take place within 30 days since the government approves the transaction price.
