Belgian minister to call for offers for La Poste before Christmas

Belgian enterprise minister Johan Vande Lanotte will call for offers from international partners for La Poste before Christmas, reported Belgian daily Le Soir, citing sources close to the case. In the next few days, the parliament will vote on the text of the law which will allow the government to negotiate with industrial partners and set the public participation at a minimum of 50.1 pct. The British, German and French postal services are said to be interested in entering the Belgian market and yesterday TPG NV reaffirmed its interest in taking a stake in La Poste.