Djuro Macut (BETAPHOTO/MILOS MISKOV)
In a Dec. 8 statement for the RTS public broadcaster, Serbian Prime Minister Djuro Macut announced that representatives of Hungary’s MOL Group arrived in Serbia a few days ago to conduct an operations analysis of Naftna Industrija Srbije (NIS), which, he explained, is part of due diligence regarding MOL’s possible purchase of Russia’s majority stake in the company.
Due to NIS’s current ownership, the U.S. levied sanctions against the multinational oil and gas company demanding the complete removal of Russia from its shareholder structure. Macut, however, expressed his hope that good news is imminent.
The PM recalled that the U.S. granted NIS a special operating license for the month of January. At present, NIS is expecting new deliveries of crude oil via Croatia’s JANAF pipeline and is hoping to re-open its refinery in Pancevo in the second half of the month.
According to Macut, further changes to NIS’s ownership will be considered in the near future, with the possibility of the Serbian state increasing its stake and thereby gaining greater control of Serbia’s oil industry. Currently, 56.15 percent of NIS shares belong to Russia, while Serbia owns 29.87 percent of the company.
Macut stressed that Serbia’s fuel reserves are full and that there is no reason for public concern. Despite months of challenges, the country’s energy sector is functioning and traffic is operating as usual, he said.
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