Privatization in Belarus should not become a tool for resource stripping

Privatization in Belarus should not become a tool for the barbaric extraction of resources, warned Roman Brodov, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus on Economy, Budget, and Finance. He pointed to neighboring countries' experiences, where privatization has more often had negative than positive outcomes. According to Brodov, the ideal scenario is when the private sector grows from small businesses founded by entrepreneurs themselves. Such business owners are deeply connected to their enterprises from the very beginning, care about them, and understand their operations. In contrast, when privatization involves taking over someone else’s enterprise, it often leads to treating it as a mere bargaining chip. The new owner, having not invested personally in its development, values it only on paper, through documents and accounting entries. This profit-maximizing approach is not the path Belarus intends to follow.