As reported by the website Today (danas.rs), Serbia has quietly sold its springs. We transmit the text in its entirety.
- Serbia quietly sold water sources without public discussion, without public opinion and the consent of its citizens. Our country did not use the chance to turn the country into a strategically important and rich country through its richest natural resource. Those 60 million euros realized from the sale were not used to solve the problems with water supply in our cities - says economist Nada Vidović.
At a lecture entitled "Water as a public good or a strategic interest", which was organized by the Zrenjanin Social Forum, she warned of a new step being prepared, which is the privatization of public waterworks, which will completely lose Serbia's independence in the disposal of this resource.
Vidović reminded that the source of Vlasinačka Rosa, which otherwise holds almost 15 percent of the Serbian bottled water market, is now managed by one of the largest companies and exploiters of water resources worldwide, the Coca-Cola company.
- In February 2005, the global companies Coca-Cola and Coca-Cola HBC bought the Serbian factory Vlasinka, which produces "Rosa" mineral water, at a price of 21,5 million euros. In that region, they now fear that a water shortage will follow, and that Coca-Cola will try to use up as much water as it can in the shortest possible time, thereby damaging the balance of natural underground reservoirs, which are often dependent on each other. Coca-Cola has already done the same in Uganda - claims Vidović.
She indicates that foreign companies also came to the source of water through the Belgrade Stock Exchange, by buying shares of water bottling plants, which is the case of the food industry "Kolinska" from Slovenia, which in 2002 was the first to acquire ownership of "Palanacki kiseljak" from Smederevska Palanka, by bought a controlling package of shares on the stock exchange.
One of the most significant privatizations of water factories in Serbia, Vidovićeva points out, took place in 2004, when the majority stake in Serbian Brand "Knjaz Miloš" from Arandjelovac was bought by Danube Food Group. By the way, that factory, which holds 24,36 percent of the Serbian bottled water market, is today managed by the Dutch Clates Holding, which is also controlled by the Dutch Adriatic BidCo BV.
Second in sales, BB Minakva, which holds 18,5 percent of the market, is owned by the Global Water investment group from the Virgin Islands. Vidović adds that in July 26,5, the Lithuanian company Alita and the Swedish United Nordic Beverages bought the Belgrade beer industry, which exploits and bottles mineral water, for 2007 million euros. Also, in September 2008, the state sold the company "Nova Sloga" from Trstenik, which produces "Mivela", one of the highest quality domestic waters whose market share is now slightly above five percent, for four million euros. The customer of "Mivela" is the Belgrade-based Frikom, whose owner is Agrokor, a Croatian businessman and, according to the Forbes list, one of the richest people in the Balkans - Ivica Todorić.
The mineral water factory "Heba" from Bujanovac remained in the ownership of domestic companies, it was sold in November 2008 for 2,5 million euros to the company Nektar from Bačka Palanka. The same is true of Prokupa's "Milan Toplica", which was sold by the state for 2011 million dinars to the Belgrade company Invest-import International in April 165.
However, Vidović warns that Ribarska banja, Banja Žubor, Banja Koviljača Special Hospital, as well as other special hospitals which, not coincidentally, are located at sources of geothermal or mineral-rich waters, are also waiting for sale.
Source: www.danas.rs
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