Commission approves €80 million film support scheme in Romania

The European Commission has approved under EU state aid rules a €80.68 million (RON 347 million) Romanian scheme to support the development of the film industry, culture and cinematographic education. The Commission found the measure to be in line with its Cinema Communication (IP/09/138), because if furthers a cultural objective without unduly distorting competition.

The Commission has approved a Romanian scheme providing for interest-free loans or non-reimbursable grants for the production of Romanian films or films made with Romanian participation. The scheme is in line with previous cases approved under EU rules that allow state subsidies for cultural objectives, and in particular with the state aid assessment criteria laid down in Commission's Cinema Communication.

In particular, the Commission found that the cultural criteria defined by the Romanian authorities will direct the aid towards cultural products. Moreover, the measure allows producers to spend up to 20% of the film budget within the European Economic Area (EEA), not just in Romania.

The Romanian authorities plan to run the scheme until 31 December 2014.

The non-confidential version of the decision will be made available under the case number N303/2010 in the State Aid Register on the DG Competition website once any confidentiality issues have been resolved. New publications of state aid decisions on the internet and in the Official Journal are listed in the State Aid Weekly e-News.

News source: EU Press Room link: article

Prioritise investments to safeguard growth and jobs, ministers say

The EU must prioritise investment in education, training, research (fundamental and applied), development and innovation as well as key technologies if it is to safeguard its sources of future growth and jobs, according to EU research and industry ministers. The recommendation is one of many contained in the conclusions on the 'Innovation Union' initiative issued by participants at the latest Competitiveness Council, which took place in Brussels, Belgium on 25 and 26 November. The Innovation Union is one of a number of flagship initiatives launched under the banner of the Europe 2020 strategy. In their conclusions, the ministers stress : 'Scientific excellence and basic and applied research, supported by world-class infrastructures, life-long learning, training and higher education, in particular in science and engineering, as well as incentives for commercialisation of results, are preconditions for an efficient innovation system.'

In another 'key message', the ministers call on both the EU and Member States to take a 'strategic and integrated approach to innovation', by aligning policies designed to contribute to innovation. In a similar vein, the ministers underline the importance of strengthening the 'knowledge triangle' and facilitating commercialisation and knowledge transfer. At the EU level, the Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (RTD), the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) and the Structural Funds should all 'focus more on the priorities of the Europe 2020 strategy'. Access to these funds should also be 'radically simplified' ministers underline. According to the ministers, ensuring access to finance for innovation activities, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) should be a 'top priority for action'.

Ministers welcome the idea of the European Innovation Partnerships (EIPs), emphasising that these structures should 'provide genuine European added value, address societal challenges, avoid duplications, and be based on flexible, simple and transparent governance associating Member States and relevant stakeholders'. The ministers go on to invite the European Commission to carry on developing the practical aspects of the EIPs, notably with regard to funding, selection criteria, governance, and legal issues. The Commission, Member States and other stakeholders are invited by the ministers to launch a pilot EIP on active and healthy ageing in early 2011. In fact, the European Commission launched a consultation on this very subject on 26 November.

The ministers' conclusions on the Innovation Union end with a roadmap for actions. Among other things, the European Commission will present a communication on standardisation, an eco-innovation plan, a consultation on measures needed to achieve the European Research Area (ERA), and proposals on what is needed to achieve a genuine European Venture Capital Market. Finally, ministers invite the European Commission to start work on the development of an innovation indicator. The indicator, which should be ready by 2012, would help monitor overall progress on innovation performance in all dimensions.

Furthermore, Commission, Member States and others are invited to launch an annual 'innovation convention' in the second half of 2011 and run awareness raising campaigns at the European, national, regional and local levels in order to 'stimulate and innovation mindset'. For their part, Member States are invited to develop strategies to meet their national research and development (R&D) targets and improve the use of the Structural Funds for research and innovation. Elsewhere at the meeting, ministers discussed the issue of a European patent. In a statement, European Commissioner for Internal Market and Services Michel Barnier said: 'As everyone knows, there is no unanimity in Council on the language regime for the European patent. Several Member States have today indicated their support to move towards enhanced cooperation. As soon as the Commission receives a formal request, we will be ready to take action quickly and seriously.
'We need a European patent. The current system for the patent is too expensive; it costs 10 times more than in the United States. It impedes growth. And it is small and medium sized businesses - genuine sources of dynamism for the future - which are suffering most from it. We thus need to move forward quickly on this issue. The December Competitiveness Council will be the opportunity for this.' 

News source: CORDIS link: article

Review of the development of airport traffic and air transport, Slovenia, 1992-2009

In Slovenia, on the territory of 20,273 km², three public international airports are located: Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport (until 2007 it was named Airport Ljubljana) in the central part, Maribor Edvard Rusjan Airport (until 2008 it was named Airport Maribor) in the eastern part and Airport Portoroz in the western part of the country. Mostly international passenger and goods traffic is running on the airports in Slovenia. Airport Ljubljana started international traffic on the current location in 1964, Airport Maribor in 1976, Airport Portoroz was opened for international traffic in 1981.

It should be noted that in Slovenia besides the three international airports there are also 12 public airports: Ajdovščina, Bovec, Celje, Cerklje ob Krki, Divača, Lesce-Bled, Murska Sobota, Novo mesto, Postojna, Ptuj, Slovenj Gradec and Šoštanj. At the end of 2009 the biggest Slovenian air carrier Adria Airways owned or rented 15 aircrafts to carry passengers with a total of almost 1,300 passenger seats. In 1992 it had two aircraft less, but as many as 1,780 passenger seats. In the 1992-2000 period the number of passenger seats declined, but in the 2000-2009 period the number of passenger seats was growing again. The net load carrying capacity of the 15 airplanes was 141 tonnes. As an EU Member State, Slovenia is obliged to report to the EU statistical office (Eurostat) among other data also the data on airport passenger and goods traffic. Detailed data are reported monthly only by the biggest airports. Among the Slovenian airports only one, Airport Jože Pučnik Ljubljana, meets the requirements of the Directive.

Trends in the number of arriving aircraft

In 2009, 25,524 airplanes arrived at the three Slovenian international airports, which is about as many as in 2008. The number of arriving aircraft in the 1992-2009 period indicates that the number of arriving aircrafts in that period was constantly growing. The only exception when the number of arriving aircraft declined over the previous year was 2001, most likely also due to the terrorist attack in New York, USA, in September 2001. Compared to 1992, the number of arriving aircrafts in 2009 increased from 4,748 to 25,524, i.e.. by more than five times. A similar trend applied also to the number of airport passengers. The quantity of goods traffic, however, reached a lower growth in the stated period – it doubled.

A comparison of the numbers of arriving aircrafts on scheduled and non-scheduled flights shows that in 1992 the numbers were almost the same. Yet, in the following years, namely until the end of the 1990s, there was a much stronger increase in the number of arriving aircrafts on scheduled flights. In 2002 the number of arriving aircrafts on non-scheduled flights more than doubled and in 2002 and 2003 the number of arriving aircrafts on non-scheduled flights was even bigger than the number of arriving aircraft on scheduled flights. In the 2002-2010 period the number of arriving aircrafts on non-scheduled flights was between 8,000 and 10,000 per year. In 2009, however, the number of arriving aircraft on nonscheduled flights for the first time exceeded 10,000. The number of arriving aircrafts on scheduled flights in the 2001-2008 period was rising sharply and in 2008 it reached its peak with over 16,000 arriving aircrafts on scheduled flights. A decline followed in 2009.

In view of the share of arriving aircrafts in 2009, the biggest international airport Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport was in the lead with a share of more than 86% of all arriving aircrafts. Portorož Airport followed with a share of over 12% and Maribor Edvard Rusjan Airport with a share of more than 1% of all arriving aircraft.

News source: Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia publication: article

Bulgaria: Hope, Frustration Over Danube Bridge Project

Hopes and frustration are both rising in the poor Bulgarian region of Vidin, where a bridge across the Danube to Romania is currently under construction. Rumen Vidov, the mayor of Vidin, on the Bulgarian side of the river, told Balkan Insight: “Both local and foreign companies have shown serious interest in investing here.” He added that some firms had already bought some property or land and plan to open their businesses shortly before or after the bridge is ready.

Vidov expects hundreds of millions of euros to poured into the local economy when the bridge starts to operate, but expressed frustration with delays in construction because any real change to the area's economic situation isn't expected until the bridge is completed. The bridge, which is being built by the Spanish firm FCC, was scheduled to be completed this year. It recently announced new delays, prompting threats from Romanian officials that the country would consider seeking damages in court. Construction is now expected to be finished by mid 2012.

Vidin, a small border town, is located in one of the poorest regions in the country. At the moment the unemployment rate is above 14 per cent, which is 5 per cent higher than the average in Bulgaria. “The bridge will significantly increase the traffic in the region and Vidin has a real chance to turn into a logistic transport centre, which would stimulate the local economy,” he said. The mayor hopes that many firms will move their production units to Vidin, as the transport over the Danube is comparatively cheap and the bridge will make travel to western Europe easier.

Although the Danube forms much of the border between Bulgaria and Romania, at the moment there is only one bridge along the entire 470-kilometer river stretch that provides a road connection. This bridge is almost 60 years old and faces heavy traffic congestion - the two road and rail lanes are considered wholly inadequate for the increased volumes of traffic the bridge has seen in the years since it was built. The new bridge will have two motorway lanes and a rail track running in each direction. It will form part of a major EU transport corridor, Corridor IV, connecting Dresden in Germany with Thessaloniki in Greece and Istanbul in Turkey.

News source: Balkan Insight link: article

One Billion leke hospital building inaugurated in Albania

Albania's Prime Minister Sali Berisha attended Tuesday, the inauguration ceremony of the new hospital building in Kavaja, an investment of 1 billion lekë. Invited by the medical staff of the hospital, PM Berisha expressed his pleasure at inaugurating the new building of contemporary standards, but even because of the fact that it’s provided with modern equipment- a one billion lekë investment.

 

 The Prime Minister highlighted in his speech some important development. "The citizens of Kavaja and all Albania will enjoy this autumn visa-free travel over European space.  This work and others are evidence of vitality and dynamism of Albanian economy. It is able to finance, asphalt and build on the second mandate 7 thousand km road countrywide, to rebuild more than 1 thousand schools and hundreds of medical centers and hospitals.  Other shorter roads, which will transform Kavaja into a cradle of Tirana metropolis, will begin building next year. Kavaja is the district with zero maternal mortality and this gives credit to Kavaja health system. expressed the Albanian Prime Minister" 

News source: Balkans.com link: article

Bulgaria Mushrooming Malls Top EU List

Bulgaria ranked first in the European Union in the number of new shopping malls in the first half of the 2010, a report by Cushman and Wakefield consultancy showed.
While in most EU member-states the number of malls is on the slide due to the global economic crisis, their construction has accelerated in Bulgaria, marking a nearly 90% increase over one year.
A similar trend is also witnessed in other Balkan states - Bosnia&Herzegovina, Romania, Slovenia, Serbia and Croatia - but the growth rate there is 5-10%.
The stock of contemporary shopping mall space in Bulgaria doubled in the first six months of 2010 with the opening of five new shopping malls, reaching 452,000 sqm in total, according to a recent realtor report.
Another five shopping mall projects are expected to open until the end of 2010, which will add 126,000 sqm of contemporary stock to the market, according to Colliers International's retail market overview for the first half of 2010 in Bulgaria.

News source: Novinite.com link: article

Danilovgrad Municipal Infrastructure Project

The EBRD is considering providing a sovereign loan of up to €5.35 million to finance the construction of a wastewater collection system and treatment plant and modernisation of the water supply system in Danilovgrad.

The objective of the Project is to improve the water supply and wastewater situation in the area of Danilovgrad Municipality by the construction of new or rehabilitation of existing assets and improved management of the existing systems to comply with municipal and national environmental requirements. The over-riding drivers of the project are to fulfil the requirement of the municipality to comply with relevant national legislation which is aligned with EU directive requirements and treat wastewater before it is discharged to the Zeta River, improve the water supply system and reduce water losses.

news feed: EBRD link: article