Linked2Balkan news, the 31st of January 2011 edition

This update will be the last update at this blog services. Please visit us at our new link for the latest Balkan business news:

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Croatia won’t join EU before 2013 – MEP

Croatia will probably have to wait until 2013 or 2014 to become the next member of the EU, according to Hannes Swoboda, the European Parliament’s rapporteur on the country’s accession. Croatia should finish EU membership talks by June but the ratification process by member states would last until the end of 2012.

Waste to Energy (w2e) – the hot topic

Sofia, Bulgaria will host the South East European Waste Management & Recycling Conference & Exhibition Save the Planet on 13-15 April 2011. The Netherlands will again be the partner country. Waste to Energy (w2e) will be the hot topic, focusing on Austria. Caroline Jackson, President of Environmental Protection UK, will open the event.

Green Energy and Waste Management Sectors in SE Europe enjoy a great interest!

The South-East European Congress on Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and the Eco Forum for Waste Management & Recycling “Save the Planet” are great opportunities for the leading players in the sectors to bring modern technologies, products and services to the Region, to find new partners and clients. The events organized by Via Expo will be held in Sofia, Bulgaria, in the period 13-15 April 2011.

No debt extension to 30 yrs on table -Greek finmin

Stretching out Greece’s bailout loan repayment will help debt servicing but there is no official proposal on the table to extend it to 30 years, the country’s finance minister said in a newspaper interview on Monday.

Project eases people’s paths in urban areas

EU-funded scientists are piloting a service that will allow people to determine the best way of making journeys in cities. As well as helping individuals find the most efficient route, the systems should cut congestion and lower the environmental impacts of road transport.

Foreign Investment in Kosovo Stalls

Direct foreign investment in Kosovo failed to pick up in 2010, remaining at well below the level achieved in 2007, new figures reveal. Kosovo is struggling to attract foreign businesses to the country, according to figures released by the Central Bank of Kosovo, CBK.

Serbs Head to Brussels With Complete Questionnaire

After responding to the EU queries within a record 45 days, the Serbian delegation has left for Brussels to present the document to the European Commission on Monday. Milica Delevic, head of Serbia’s office for EU integration, said Serbia had completed the task faster than most other EU applicants, which needed three or four months to fill in the queries.

Business investment rate nearly stable at 20.5% in the euro area and 20.0% in the EU27

In the third quarter of 2010, in both the euro area (EA16) and the EU27, the seasonally adjusted business investment rate remained stable at low levels, while the profit share grew. In the euro area, the business profit share continued to recover, as value added increased faster than wage costs. Stocks increased for the second quarter in a row, after five quarters of continuous destocking.

Linked2Balkan news, the 28th of January 2011 edition

Serbia Approves Gorenje Investment Amid Dispute

The Serbian government has approved a controversial deal signed between Minister of Economy Mladan Dinkic and the Slovenian home applicance firm Gorenje. Under the deal, the company will invest in the eastern Serbian town of Zajecar, and receive €10,000 for each person they employ.

Porto Montenegro in top 10 of new superyacht playgrounds

Superyacht cruising is opening up beyond the usual hubs with marina facilities being developed and upgraded around the world. Check out 10 of the newest sailing playgrounds.

Europe must use Lisbon Treaty powers to release untapped tourism potential, urges CoR Vice-President Valcárcel

Europe’s full potential as the world’s leading tourist destination remains underdeveloped and local and regional authorities need to do more to help the tourism industry adapt to the current difficult economic climate through diversification and the development of more sustainable business models.

DAVOS-Greek finmin: discussing buying back bonds below par

Greek Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou said on Friday that allowing the country to buy back government bonds at a discount on the market was worth considering but would require funding.

EIB supports Johnson Controls R&D operations in Central Europe with EUR 100 million

The European Investment Bank (EIB) is lending EUR 100 million to finance a 2011 to 2015 investment program of Johnson Controls Inc. (JCI) to support research and development (R&D) and innovation activities of the company’s Automotive Experience business in Central Europe.

The EBRD is considering providing up to €27.5 million loan to Compania APA Brasov S.A.

The EBRD is considering providing up to €27.5 million loan to Compania APA Brasov S.A. The project includes two components. The first entails co-financing to Cohesion Fund of up to €19 million for key investments in the County of Brasov to meet EU water and wastewater directives.

EBRD and Raiffeisen Bank Romania promote energy efficiency in Romania’s industry

The EBRD is continuing to support private industrial companies in Romania in their drive to improve energy efficiency with a new €10 million loan to Raiffeisen Bank S.A. to finance sustainable energy projects undertaken by local businesses. Extended under the EU/EBRD Energy Efficiency Financing Facility framework*, the credit line will be used to finance energy efficiency investments.

Time for focus on the future – Commentary of Kseniya Lvovsky, World Bank Country Manager

When Ms. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the second top official at the World Bank and one of the most extraordinary women of our time, delivered a lecture at the Tirana University as part of her visit to Albania earlier this month, she concluded with a powerful, coming from the heart message which was not in the original script.

Linked2Balkan news, the 27th of January 2011 edition

Montenegro among top four destinations

British Telegraph included Montenegro among the four destinations that tourists should visit in 2011. It created the selection of the best travel destinations and, apart from Montenegro, it includes Tasmania, Zanzibar in Tanzania, and Las Picdras Fasano in Uruguay.

Summer charters to North America, soon in Belgrade

Ryan International Airlines will commence summer charters from Chicago Rockford International Airport and Toronto’s Pearson Airport to Belgrade. Each service will operate once per week with a Boeing B767-300, Serbian media report. Both flights will be served via a technical stop in Shannon, Ireland.

Small Business Act review tweaked for ‘ambition’

A long-awaited report card on the Small Business Act has been delayed after the European Commission’s Secretary General Catherine Day sent a December draft back, demanding that the final version contain concrete proposals, EurActiv has learned. The 16-page December draft, obtained by EurActiv, was supposed to be published last month, then this month, but now the target is late February, according to a person briefed on the plans.

Mergers: Commission blocks proposed merger between Aegean Airlines and Olympic Air

The European Commission has prohibited, on the basis of the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed merger between Aegean Airlines and Olympic Air, as it would have resulted in a quasi-monopoly on the Greek air transport market. This would have led to higher fares for four out of six million Greek and European consumers travelling on routes to and from Athens each year.

Resource-efficient Europe

A. More resource efficiency helps European businesses
Increased resource efficiency can offer competitive benefits to industry. While it does of course require additional investment, it also offers new opportunities which EU companies will want to harness. A number of European key sectors have already embarked on a resource-efficient strategy.

Business leaders cautiously optimistic on euro zone

European executives attending the Davos forum voiced cautious optimism that the euro zone debt crisis will be resolved without contagion spreading to Spain or investors being forced to take unbearable losses. Policymakers from the United States, the European Union and the financial sector were due to focus on Europe’s debt woes at a series of private meetings and discussion panels at the annual World Economic Forum on Thursday.

Macedonia to Name and Shame Dodgy Businesses

In a new move to improve the business climate, officials are drawing up a “blacklist” of businessmen who have broken the law that companies will be able to access on subscription. Macedonia’s Economy Ministry said a list of dodgy businessmen will be ready and available to subscribers by mid-February.

Croatia’s EU Bid Gets Boost

EU membership negotiations with Croatia can be completed in the first half of 2011 provided its reforms stay on the right track, MEPs said in a resolution adopted on Wednesday. The resolution, which was adopted by the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, said the biggest challenge may be “selling” the benefits of EU membership to a sceptical Croatian population.

Linked2Balkan news, the 26th of January 2011 edition

Listing of Fondul Proprietatea: ecstasy for the Stock Exchange, prolonged agony for former owners

The listing of Fondul Proprietatea (Property Fund) injected adrenaline into the weak heart of the Bucharest Stock Exchange, encouraging investors to daydream. Yet former owners have to wait before they can see their dreams come true. Yesterday, January 25th, Fondul Proprietatea made history at the Bucharest Stock Exchange, this being the most awaited listing of the last decade.

Consumer price indices, Slovenia, 2010

In 2010, the annual inflation rate was 1.9% and the 12-month average price growth was 1.8%. In the first half of 2010 prices increased on average by 2.4%, while in the second half of the year they decreased on average by 0.5%.

Bosnia’s Hefty Trade Gap Narrows Slightly

Exports in 2010 rose faster than imports, the country’s statistics agency reports, though overall gap between imports and exports remains wide. Compared to 2009, exports in 2010 rose by 28.3 per cent to some 3.5 billion euros, while the value of imports grew more slowly by 10.2 per cent to some 6.8 billion euros.

BBC to Cut Macedonian, Albanian, Serbian Services

The BBC World Service is expected to announce today that it will close its Macedonian, Albanian and Serbian language services, part of a series of cutbacks to its programming. The British broadcaster will also cut its English for the Caribbean and Portuguese for Africa, in a bid to save £46 million a year.

Greek CEOs look past 2011

The majority of top Greek company officials are downbeat about their firm’s prospects for the year but express optimism over the medium term, according to global survey results revealed on Tuesday. The survey, put together by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).

Alternative fuels for transport

Transport has been the sector most resilient to efforts to reduce CO2 emissions due to its strong dependence on fossil energy sources and its steady growth despite the considerable efficiency gains that have already been made. Emissions can be reduced by improving energy efficiency, transport efficiency, and effective transport demand management.

Swiss Alpiq to expand its wind farm in Bulgaria

Swiss energy firm Alpiq will invest about 36 million euros ($49.02 million) to expand its wind farm in Bulgaria and boost its installed capacity to 72.5 megawatts, the company said on Tuesday. Alpiq put in operation 20 wind turbines with a total output of 50 megawatts near the city of Kazanlak, some 200 km east of Sofia in November last year.

Software releases researchers from microscope

EU-funded scientists have developed a system that releases researchers from the chore of spending hours hunched over a microscope looking for cells of interest in large samples. The system is described in the journal Nature Methods by a team led by the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Germany.

Linked2Balkan news, the 25th of January 2011 edition

Macedonian business tendency in the manufacturing industry

According to the data of the State Statistical Office, the business situation in December 2010 according to the managers is more satisfactory compared to the previous month, as well as compared to December 2009. The situation with the present volume of production orders is more satisfactory compared to the previous month.

Albanian foreign trade in december 2010

During December 2010 were exported 13,743 mln leke commodities, decreasing 3.5 percent compared with November 2010 and increasing 39.4 percent compared with December 2009. There were imported 48,843 mln leke commodities increasing 16.9 percent compared with November 2010 and increasing 13.1 percent compared with December 2009.

Airport helps Adria, Ljubljana writes off debt

The fight for Adria’s survival continues this week. The indebted Slovenian carrier received some good news yesterday evening when Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport said it would write off 2.4 million Euros, which Adria owes to its hub, the Slovenian News Agency reports.

Secret committee paving way for euro reform

A little known EU committee is busy rewriting the EU’s rules on bailouts and national debt without the glare of the media. On the menu of talks are tax co-ordination, national debt brakes and the ins and outs of euro bailouts.

European Commission proposals to ease cross-border trade advance as EU countries agree on Consumer Rights Directive

The European Commission’s proposal to give consumers more confidence when they shop online advanced today when EU Member States formally adopted the Consumer Rights Directive. The agreement follows a discussion at the Competitiveness Council on 10 December.

MediGene Adds Romania and Bulgaria to Existing Partnership Agreement with Meditrina for the Commercialization of Veregen

The biotech company MediGene AG (Frankfurt, Prime Standard) announced today that its existing partnership with Meditrina Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Greece, for the commercialization of Veregen Ointment has been expanded to include Romania and Bulgaria. The previous agreement had been concluded for the commercialization of Veregen in Greece and Cyprus.

EBRD supports development of rural leasing in Romania

The EBRD is diversifying the availability of financing for small and medium-sized companies in Romania with a €7 million loan to IMPULS-Leasing Romania IFN SA (ILRO) to support the extension of leasing services in rural areas. IMPULS-Leasing Romania IFN SA, one of the fastest growing leasing companies in Romania.

Good growth prospects in emerging Europe, overshadowed by downside risks

The economic recovery that began in most parts of emerging Europe last year is continuing in 2011 but facing increased downside risks. In its latest quarterly economic report on the region, the EBRD said growth in 2011 is likely to remain reasonably strong.

Linked2Balkan news, the 24th of January 2011 edition

Jat introducing new flights, but is also conscious of low cost threat

This summer Jat is preparing to significantly increase frequencies to many of its destinations on top of introducing new services. This summer, the Serbian carrier will serve Athens daily. The service was recently increased from 3 to 4 per week as it tries to fill the void left by Aegean Airlines’ suspension of the route.

Hungary, Croatia and Bulgaria remain the worst performing Central & Eastern European luxury markets

The current recession as well as the continued political unrest have been fueling the negative economic performance of Hungary, Bulgaria and Croatia, with a direct impact on the luxury markets. Hungary’s unpopular government has been taking controversial measures.

Buzek: Freezing the EU budget is ‘very dangerous’

Freezing the budget as demanded by some countries would be “very dangerous” as the EU needs greater investments to overcome the economic crisis, said European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek in an exclusive interview with EurActiv.

Analysis: Don’t expect Greek debt restructuring soon

Conventional wisdom in the financial markets says that Greece will never be able to repay its growing mountain of debt and would do better to conduct an orderly restructuring sooner rather than later. But don’t expect Athens to seek relief from its creditors any time soon. All three major credit ratings agencies have downgraded its sovereign bonds to junk.

SARTRE: Smart convoy gives drivers a break

EU-funded scientists have successfully demonstrated a road train technology that could boost road safety and driver comfort while cutting congestion and carbon emissions. In the system, the driver of the lead vehicle of a convoy controls the other vehicles.

Industrial new orders up by 2.1% in euro area Up by 1.6% in EU27

In November 2010 compared with October 2010, the euro area (EA16) industrial new orders index rose by 2.1%. In October3 the index grew by 1.4%. In the EU271, new orders increased by 1.6% in November 2010, after a rise of 0.4% in October.

Port of Sibenik: Assistance in Preparation and Implementation of a Management Information System

Sibenik is located on the Croatian coast some 80 km north of Split. Positioned in a deep bay it has one of the most naturally-protected harbours on the Adriatic coast. It is a very popular coastal tourist destination offering access to two national parks (Krka and Kornati), ferry access to the neighbouring islands.

Second Development Loan (DPL2) to Romania Worth €300 Million Approved by World Bank Board

The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors approved an IBRD loan worth of €300 million for Romania, during its meeting on January 20. The loan is a single tranche development policy loan (DPL), named the Public Financial Management, Social Protection, and Financial Sector Strengthening Program.

Linked2Balkan news, the 21st of January 2011 edition

European Investment Bank to Finance Key Bulgarian Projects

Bulgaria’s key infrastructure projects will be financed by the European Investment Bank, the Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov has annunced. On Friday, Borisov met with President of the European Investment Bank Group Philippe Maystadt.

Turnover and new orders in Industry, Slovenia, November 2010

Compared to the previous month, turnover in November 2010 higher only in one industrial grouping. In November 2010 compared to a month earlier turnover grew only in capital goods industries (by more than 1%), while it fell in intermediate goods industries as well as in consumer goods industries (in each by almost 1%).

Output price indices, Slovenia, December 2010

In December 2010, industrial producer prices grew by 0.2% at the monthly level and by 4.2% at the annual level. In December 2010 output prices grew by 0.2% at the monthly level. In December 2010 the output prices were 0.2% higher than in November 2010.

Opening of Honorary Consulate of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Republic of Lebanon

Non-resident Ambassador of BiH to the Republic of Lebanon, Mr. Zlatko Dizdarević and Assistant Minister for International Legal and Consular Affairs in BiH Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Zoran Perković, attended on January 16, 2011 in Beirut the opening ceremony of Honorary Consulate in Lebanon and the appointment of the Honorary Consul of Bosnia and Herzegovina to Lebanon, Mr. Ziad Isaa.

New terminal for Priština airport

The Turkish-French consortium Limak Holding and Aeroport de Lyon, which will be running Priština’s airport for the next 20 years, have announced plans for a brand new terminal. Construction of the new terminal is expected to begin by the end of the month, Nihat Ozdemir from Limak told local press.

Parliament backs EU-Serbia pact, with strings attached

The European Parliament gave its green light on Wednesday (19 January) to an EU-Serbia Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA), but tied its support to a series of conditionalities. MEPs voted overwhelmingly in favour of the legal agreement, which regulates Serbia’s relations with the EU and leaves the door open for future accession.

EU broadband state aid hits record high

State aid for broadband in 2010 was more than four times the amount in 2009 and comprised a record total of €1.8 billion in public funds. But scepticism remains as to whether EU funds will inject competition into the high-speed Internet market. Though the flow of state aid into rolling out ultra-fast fibre networks is unprecedentedly high.

Romania – Public Financial Management, Social Protection, and Financial Sector Strengthening Program

The Second Development Loan (DPL2) to Romania for that country’s Public Financial Management, Social Protection, and Financial Sector Strengthening Program aims to support the Government of Romania’s structural reforms in three key areas.