Habsburgs consider selling Zywiec rights to international brewery group

The Habsburg family, the pre-war owners of Zywiec brewery, is considering selling its rights to the company to an international brewery group. The family says that ownership disputes with the Polish State Treasury and Zywiec group have lingered on and thus it has already initiated talks with a potential buyer. According to unofficial sources, the interested buyer is South African Breweries, one of the world's biggest brewery groups. The Habsburgs are mainly concerned with the brewery's entry in the real estate register, where the State Treasury is mentioned as the owner, and are demanding that the entry be removed. In case the jury reaches a favorable verdict, the family would officially apply to have the brewery returned back. Furthermore, the family demands the return of all the brewery's real estate. According to Jozef Forystek, representing the Habsburgs in court, "Together with the brewery, the land should be returned as the two are integral parts." The Habsburgs also want the use of its family name stopped and the removal of the family's coat of arms from the label and the date of establishing the company. (Parkiet, page 1; Prawo i Gospodarka, page 12) J.K.