STOCKHOLM, July 17. /TASS/. The Danish company Carlsberg Group has not received any official notification from the Russian authorities about transfer of the share of foreign owners in the Baltika Breweries to the temporary administration of the Russian state. The Danish company considers this development unexpected, according to a press release.
"The Russian government has today published a presidential decree, transferring Baltika Breweries to the temporary management of the Russian Federal Agency for State Property Management. The Carlsberg Group has not received any official information from the Russian Authorities regarding the presidential decree or the consequences for Baltika Breweries," the Danish company said.
"The Carlsberg Group has been operating in accordance with local rules and regulations in Russia and finds this development unexpected. The Group will assess the legal and operational consequences of this development and take all necessary actions in response," the company added.
Carlsberg Group announced its decision to seek a full disposal of its business in Russia in late March 2022. An agreement to sell the Russian business had already been signed on 23 June 2023, subject to regulatory approvals and fulfillment of certain conditions in a number of jurisdictions.
"Following the presidential decree, the prospects for this sales process are now highly uncertain. The Group is in the process of obtaining more detailed information and will publish any relevant and verified information, including potential financial implications, as soon as possible," the press release says.
Shares of foreigners in Baltika Breweries and Danone Russia dairy producer have been placed under temporary management of the Federal State Property Management Agency, according to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decree that was published on the official portal of legal documents on Sunday.
In particular, the document extends the list of stakes in charter capitals of Russian legal entities to be transferred under temporary management. The list includes 98.56% in Baltika Breweries’ capital owned by Sweden’s Carlsberg Sverige Aktiebolag, 1.35% owned by Hoppy Union (part of the Carlsberg Group), and 0.09% owned by Carlsberg Deutschland GmbH (Carlsberg’s German subsidiary).