In an unprecedented move, a group of civil servants of the State-owned Hellenic Horse Racing Organization (ODIE) have demanded that the Greek government together with the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund (TAIPED), move forward as fast as possible with the corporation’s privatization.
ODIE workers along with other racing-related groups gave a press conference in Athens on Thursday, where they called for more progress. They underlined that ODIE is the only State-owned sell-off that has won almost unanimous support, not only from the Greek coalition government but also from the majority of opposition parties, as well as TAIPED. The world’s leading corporation in the sector, Paris Mutual Urbain (PMU) has expressed an interest in ODIE. However, the privatization has been stalled by bureaucratic problems for more than 12 months now.
The support for ODIE’s privatization by civil servants is due to the understanding that unless progress is made, it could be shut down. ODIE’s concession to run the race course expires on January 25. If the privatization fails to go ahead then the government will need to prolong the existence of the corporation. This appears to have been agreed in principle, but as January 25 approaches, there is real concern for the future or horse racing in Greece.
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