The vice-president of the Austrian oil giant OMV AG, Gerhard Roiss, told a media summit in Vienna that the company had been interested in the Serbian oil monopoly, NIS, last year, but that as a result of possible changes to the terms and conditions, would reassess that decision. The NIS privatization tender should have been announced last year, but because of parliamentary elections was postponed until a new government had been formed.

According to statements from officials, the tender was due to be re-scheduled for the fall, but the privatization model has yet to be determined. Russian oil and natural gas giant Gazprom has already expressed interest in NIS. Speaking of his plans for the Serbian market, Roiss said that OMV was planning to double its number of petrol stations, and increase its market share from five to 10%. He added that in three years on the Serbian market, the company had opened 43 petrol stations. (petrolplaza)