Holiday and out of office message

Linked2balkan wishes all the readers of the Linked2Balkan newsblog happy holidays and a prosperous and healthy 2011.

Linked2Balkan will be closed till the 6th of January 2011 and then we will be back with a new design of the website and newsblog.

Yours sincerely,

Arjen Scheurer

Linked2Balkan

Montenegro likely to cancel talks on motorway deal with Greek/Israeli tie-in

Montenegro will most likely cancel the talks with Greek-Israeli tie-in Aktor/HCH on a major motorway construction deal after the consortium repeatedly failed to prove it has secured the necessary funding, local media reported. The government has already started intensive communications with Chinese companies on their participation in the project, radio and TV broadcaster RTCG reported, quoting Transport Minister Andrija Lompar as saying on Wednesday. He stressed it is his personal opinion that the protracted negotiations with Aktor/HCH should be abandoned, adding that this would be decided by the government’s Motorway Construction Council over the next few days. „My proposal as a minister will be to cancel the procedure with the Greek-Israeli consortium,“ Lompar said. Earlier this month, Aktor/HCH asked Montenegro to extend the deadline for the submission of bank guarantees until March of next year after already getting one extension to December 10 from October 29 when the original deadline was due to expire.

Lompar said the closest alternative solution for the project is to include Chinese companies, which are ready to shortly file a bid once the deal with Aktor/HCH is called off. He said Chinese companies CRB and Poly Group have shown interest in the job and that the Chinese Transport Ministry and Eximbank are also parties to the negotiations. Montenegro has been trying to pick a builder for the planned 169-kilometre Bar-Boljare motorway for more than two years now. The government in Podgorica accepted in May the offer of Aktor/HCH to build three sections of the planned motorway after cancelling in March a 2.77 billion euro ($3.63 billion) concession deal with a group of Croatian firms led by Konstruktor. The Greek-Israeli consortium had offered to build the entire length of the motorway for 3.92 billion euro. Aktor/HCH has proposed to build a total of 63.5 kilometres of the motorway, which would include the Smokovac-Matesevo section and parts of the Djurmani-Virpazar and Smokovac-Virpasar sections, for 1.57 billion euro, local media reported earlier. The Bar-Boljare section will become part of the longer Bar-Belgrade motorway, a project linking Montenegro's Adriatic coast with EU-defined transport Corridor X via the Serbian capital.

News source: SeeNews link: article

Bulgarian Minister Confirms Supermarket Fancies Science Academy Property

Bulgaria's Educational Minister Sergey Ignatov has confirmed that the German retailer Kaufland has an interest in purchasing a part of the Academy of Sciences' property. "I can not comment Kaufland's investment interests, since I do not work there," Ignatov said. "But we have received a letter from the company, expressing their ambition to acquire the property of one of the Academy's Institutes, which we firmly opposed."

He clarified that the letter has been received on January 18 2010, adding that copies have been sent to the Finance Minister Simeon Djankov and the Academy itself. The property in question belongs to the Institute of Metallurgy and Metal Sciences The Educational Minister was positive that a deal like that would be completely impossible. "I do not now how they have come up with something like that," he told the Bulgarian media on Thursday.

Recently, members of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences have alarmed that the government plans to shut it down and sell its property. A wave of protests erupted in the institution in November as a result of the government's drastic budget cuts for science and research.

News source: Novinite.com link: article

Croatia moves closer to concluding EU accession talks

Croatia took a significant step towards concluding its EU accession process by closing three more negotiating chapters during a recent enlargement conference in Brussels. Finalised negotiations on the environment, justice and security, and foreign, security and defence policy mean that 28 chapters have now been closed in total. Croatia has closed three more chapters, moving it closer to becoming an EU member.

Both the EU and Croatia aim to conclude the talks in the first half of next year and to sign the accession treaty in autumn, although the EU has refused to set a date for Croatia to join.Enlargement commissioner Stefan Fuele said he recognised there was "a goal to conclude accession talks during the Hungarian EU presidency". But he warned there was still work to be done in Croatia to meet the remaining benchmarks, as well as in the EU where the accession treaty must be prepared for signing and ratification. According to Mr Fuele, 2010 has been a successful year for negotiations with Zagreb as 11 chapters have been closed.

The EU has taken an increasingly cautious approach to further enlargement. Some new mechanisms in the negotiation process with candidate countries have been installed, with Croatia and Turkey the first to be subjected to the new rules. The rules were intended to enhance "credibility" said Mr Fuele, who specifically mentioned the introduction of opening benchmarks (candidate countries have to meet certain criteria even before they can open a chapter) and the requirement of a positive "track record" as a condition for a chapter to be closed. Croatia has reached the final stage of accession talks after more than five years of negotiations, but some difficult decisions still lie ahead. The country still needs to restructure its shipyard industry and continue to fight against corruption at all levels; these will be the two key issues over the next few months.

Mr Fuele rejected suggestions that corruption at the highest political levels threatened to destabilise the country. "That dilemma does not exist since Croatia is a developed democracy where the relevant authorities can do their job independently," he said. Croatia's foreign minister Gordan Jandrokovic said legal action against former Prime Minister Ivo Sanader and other senior politicians showed Croatia's determination to fight corruption at all levels. "This will not undermine Croatia's democracy but strengthen it," he said. Seven chapters of the Croatian talks remain to be closed; one relating to 'other issues' is a formal procedure without actual negotiations. Hungary, which will chair the EU Council of Ministers during the first half of next year, has made the conclusion of accession talks with Croatia one of its priorities.

News source: waz.euobserver.com link: article

Slovenia celebrate the 20th anniversary of the independence referendum

Slovenia celebrate the 20th anniversary of the independence referendum, marking the event in which Slovenians voted almost unanimously in favour of splitting away from Yugoslavia, triggering a cascade of events that led to the declaration of independence in 1991. The main national ceremony will be held at Cankarjev dom in Ljubljana with Prime Minister Borut Pahor as the keynote speaker, but more celebrations will be held throughout the year to mark key events that led to the declaration of independence on 25 June 1991. Independence was confirmed in the 23 December referendum with 95% of the vote in what was the culmination of democratic simmering that started in the 1980s with the rise of the civil society and calls for greater democracy, a process accelerated by increasing tensions in Yugoslavia after the death of Yugoslav leader Josip Broz Tito in 1980.

The vote was held less than a year after the first democratic multi-party elections in April 1990 produced a clear winner in the Democratic Opposition of Slovenia (DEMOS), which won the majority on a pro-independence platform and formed a government led by Prime Minister Lojze Peterle.

However, Milan Kucan, the last head of the Slovenian Communist Party, was elected the chair of the presidency of the Republic of Slovenia, beating anti-communist dissident Joze Pucnik in what highlights the long-standing ideological left-right split in Slovenia. The split continues to this day, with disputes coalescing around the role of the Communist Party in the WWII national liberation struggle and the ensuing civil war which left thousands dead, mostly members of right-wing militias that collaborated with the Nazis.

Several senior members of the centre-right opposition who played a major part in the fight for independence are refusing to take part in the honorary committee overseeing the celebrations although they plan to attend the celebrations. The dispute centres on the decision by the Education Ministry to combine the 20th anniversary of independence with the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the Liberation Front, the WWII resistance movement which was later absorbed by the Communist Party. As a result, high profile independence actors including Peterle and opposition leader Janez Jansa plan on holding a separate ceremony prior to the national celebration.

News source: Slovenia Times link: article

From Ohrid to Amsterdam and Helsinki flights will start in 2011

Flights from Ohrid St. Paul the Apostle Airport to Amsterdam and the Finnish capital Helsinki will commence in 2011. The Turkish based Corendon Airlines will operate scheduled charter flights from Ohrid to Amsterdam from May until the end of October. The airline will use one of its Boeing B737-800s on the route and will carry out 46 flights between the two cities. Corendon operated flights from Antalya to Skopje during the 2010 summer season.

In 2011, Macedonia will see its first direct flights to Finland, the head of Macedonia's Agency for Tourism Support and Promotion announced last week. While the airline that will operate the flights is yet to be named, they are scheduled to run from May until the end September. Both of the abovementioned services are expected to carry Dutch and Finnish tourists to the Macedonian resort town.

Both Skopje and Ohrid airports will end 2010 on a high. The Turkish operator TAV has taken control of both airports and construction on a new terminal in Skopje and the expansion of the existing terminal in Ohrid are underway. Furthermore, both airports have recorded a significant increase in passenger numbers. A month ago, the Skopje based Mat Airways began scheduled charter flights. The airline operates one weekly flight from Skopje to Berlin, Ancona, Verona and Copenhagen, two weekly flights to Rome and Dusseldorf and four weekly flights to Zurich. From Ohrid, the airline serves Zurich once per week.

News source: EX-YU Aviation link: article

Verbund says it will quit Greek power market

Austria's biggest utility Verbund (VERB.VI) said on Thursday it will abandon its operations in the Greek retail market for electricity because it does not count the country among its key foreign markets.

"(Verbund) seeks to gradually decrease its activities in secondary markets and has decided... to withdraw from the joint venture Verbund APT Energa Hellas," the company said in a statement distributed in Athens.

APT-Energa Hellas, a joint venture in which Verbund had a 55 percent majority stake is the biggest upstart challenger of Greece's dominant, state-controlled utility PPC.

News source: Reuters link: article

IMF Completes Sixth Review Under Stand-By Arrangement with Serbia and Approves €373 Million Disbursement

The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) today completed the sixth review of Serbia’s economic performance under the program supported by a Stand-By Arrangement (SBA). The completion of the review enables the immediate disbursement of SDR 319.595 million (about €373 million, or US$489 million). Drawing the full amount would bring total disbursements under the SBA to SDR 1.59 billion (about €1.9 billion, or US$2.4 billion). Serbia’s initial 15-month SBA was approved on January 16, 2009, in the amount of SDR 350.8 million (about €409.5 million, or US$536.9 million). On May 15, 2009, the arrangement was extended by one year and augmented to SDR 2.6 billion (about €3 billion, or US$4 billion) to support the government's economic program amid a sharper than expected impact from the global financial crisis. Following the Executive Board’s discussion on Serbia, Mr. John Lipsky, First Deputy Managing Director and Acting Chair, said:

“The Serbian authorities’ implementation of the IMF-supported program has been broadly satisfactory, and an export-led recovery has gained momentum. Continued vigilance will be critical as macroeconomic stability risks have increased, including from a surge in inflation, continued high trade deficits, and potential adverse spillovers from regional developments. “The authorities have appropriately tightened monetary policy in line with the inflation-targeting framework. With inflation risks remaining tilted on the upside, the authorities should continue to use all tools available to contain inflation expectations and bring inflation back within the National Bank of Serbia’s tolerance band.

“Fiscal policy has remained in line with the program, and the 2011 budget targets a deficit consistent with the new fiscal responsibility framework. Determined efforts will be needed to achieve the 2011 fiscal targets, in view of growing pressures for higher spending. It will be important to pursue structural fiscal reforms. The current pension reform is a step in the right direction. Further reforms will be needed in future to ensure the sustainability of the pension system. “Banking sector reforms have been commendable, and Serbia’s banking system is well buffered to absorb the deterioration in corporate balance sheets. Continued vigilance is needed given elevated external risks. Swift adoption of the legal framework for the out-of-court debt restructuring mechanism will be important. “Accelerating structural reform will be critical to rebalancing the Serbian economy toward the tradable sector. In particular, efforts in deregulation and the restructuring of public utilities should be stepped up”.

News source: IMF link: article

No tidal wave of Albanians into Schengen Zone

Only about 3,000 Albanians have traveled to the EU following the scrapping of visa requirements on December 15, dispelling fears of a mass influx of migrants. Data published by Albania's general directorate of police showed the majority of visits have been to neighbouring Greece, which hosts a large Albanian emigrant community, estimated at 600,000 residents and temporary guest workers.
EU officials had feared a repeat of the situation in Serbia and Macedonia after they joined the Schengen list, where thousands of poor ethnic Albanians and Roma headed by bus into the European Union to seek asylum.

Visiting Tirana on November 13, the EU Home Affairs Commissioner, Cecilia Malmstrom, warned Albanians that the EU might reconsider the visa regime if there was a sharp increase of asylum seekers in member states. “We hope you will take your luggage and travel into Europe, then return home and put pressure on your political class to fulfill the missing criteria for [Albania’s] EU integration,” Malmstrom told students at the European University of Tirana. “While you have the right to visit Stockholm or Brussels, you don’t have the right to settle or work there,” she warned.

Visa-free travel to the EU took effect on December 15, allowing Albanian citizens to travel to a total of 28 nations that are inside Europe’s borderless Schengen zone or aspire to join it. Travel agents said a significant share of reservations were from elderly couples visiting sons and daughters working in neighbouring Greece or Italy. To make the trip, Albanians must hold a biometric passport, have proof of health insurance and show they have enough money to cover the cost of travel and the visit. According to Albania’s Ministry of Interior, more than 1.2 million citizens had applied for the new biometric passports as of November 5.

News source: Balkan Insight link: article

Danilovgrad municipal infrastructure, financial and operational performance improvement programme

The Municipality of Danilovgrad (the "Municipality") is located in the valley of the Zeta River in central Montenegro, 16 kilometres northwest from the capital of Podgorica and 40 kilometres from Niksic, the second largest town in Montenegro. Danilovgrad town is the centre of Danilovgrad Municipality (population of 16,523).

The Municipality has been recognised by foreign and domestic companies as a good place for investments due to pro-business attitude of the local government management, cheap land, low municipal fees and proximity of Podgorica, which is the business and administrative centre of Montenegro. The Government of Montenegro will sign a loan with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (the "EBRD" or the "Bank") in an amount up to EUR 5.35 million. This loan will enable Public Utility Company Danilovgrad, ("PUC" or the "Company"), which is fully owned by the Municipality, to finance improvements in their water supply infrastructure and the development of wastewater collection and treatment in Danilovgrad.
While the Company is managed adequately, a number of operational problems persist: (i) high levels of technical losses due to prolonged under investment in the water supply infrastructure. (ii) high energy and maintenance costs of the water supply due to the poor physical condition of the water supply pipes. (iii) urgent need for rehabilitation of the water supply and construction of wastewater collection and treatment facilities.     
          
Technical Assistance for the development and implementation of a Financial and Operational Performance Improvement Programme ("FOPIP") will achieve the transition objectives of the Project and enhance commercial viability and administrative and managerial capacities of the Company.
Since the existing company will be split into two new companies : 1) water and wastewater company and 2) solid waste and other utility services by mid 2011, the Consultancy support will be provided to Water and wastewater company. The overall objective of the Assignment is to improve the Company’s operational efficiency and financial management in order to improve and strengthen its capacity to provide high quality water and sewerage services.

News source: EBRD link: article

CNBC: "Macedonia among ten hottest destinations for 2011"

FYRMacedonia is ranked among the ten hottest destinations to visit in 2011 according to U.S. Business Magazine, part of the CNBC network.

"Macedonia has long been an under-the-radar sort of tourist destination. Though the capital, Skopje, has a certain ramshackle Ottoman charm, its Lake Ohrid, on the border with Albania, which most visitors reserve the superlatives for. Think of Lake Como with hubble-bubble pipes and exquisite waterside Orthodox churches and you come close to the unique spirit of this geologically ancient body of water. Ohrid, the delightful main town, is developing a cool summer eating, drinking and partying scene. Now run by expanding Turkish operator TAV, both Skopje and Ohrid airports are due to be modernised in the near future", says the Business Magazine.

Other destinations recommended are Florianopolis (Brazil), Belgian city Antwerp, Colombia, Algeria, Syrian capital Damascus, Kalpitya Peninsula (Sri Lanka), Basilicata (Italy), Chicago and Taiwan.

News source: EMG.rs link: article

Serbia 2020 Draft Strategy announced

Serbia will reach victory in the coming years if it decides to tackle the financial crisis and the everchanging globalized world, the strategy states.The requirements needed to achieve the goals set by the strategy comprise infrastructure construction, a spatial development plan and an institutional reform, which includes reforming the constitution, legal system, judiciary, public administration and security.

Serbia's development in the next decade should include all aspects of society and economy, raise the level of inclusion for all layers of society, define a clear social policy and allow the country to become a factor of stability and security in the region, according to a draft strategy, entitled Serbia 2020, that was posted on the Serbian president's website. "In order to achieve that, the political, legal and business environment needs to change, so it would facilitate economic growth, better standard of living, rule of law and citizen rights." the document states.

The requirements needed to achieve the goals set by the strategy comprise infrastructure construction, a spatial development plan and an institutional reform, which includes reforming the constitution, legal system, judiciary, public administration and security. "Our people have to think, learn and work for the 21st century. To change Serbia, we must change ourselves. Our long-term vision is clear, but to achieve the goals set for 2020, we have to begin implementing this strategy in 2011 and check its progress regularly,". Serbia will reach victory in the coming years if it decides to tackle the financial crisis and the everchanging globalized world, the strategy states.

News source: EMG.rs link: article

Starting a business is faster, cheaper, but challenges remain

The European Union adopted the Small Business Act in 2008, with the intention of making it easier to start and run a business. Two years on, the EurActiv network takes a look at the achievements and challenges ahead. Starting her own online art gallery in London this year took Gina Cross about a week and cost £70 (€82), about the average for entrepreneurs in the United Kingdom. Likewise, in Bulgaria, France and Ireland, registering a new business costs less than €100 and takes less than a week.

"It’s quite easy," said Cross, founder of A Little Bit of Art, a small company which sells printed artworks. But in Poland and Spain, entrepreneurs still wait about a month for their initial paperwork to be approved. In Italy, Luxembourg, Greece and the Netherlands, the process is faster but expensive – more than €1,000. That discrepancy highlights the challenges facing efforts in the European Union to jumpstart the economy. When it comes to economic initiatives the EU has no powers to enact rules with teeth. They host meetings, promote programmes and share best practices, but at the end of the day their recommendations are only as strong as the political will to enact changes at the national and regional level.

"Certain member states moved on certain elements, but not all […] There’s definitely space to push further. We’re very much aware of that," said Marko Curavić, head of unit for entrepreneurship in the European Commission. Four years ago, leaders from all 27 member states set a 2007 deadline for their own countries to create one-stop-shops for setting up a company quickly – ideally within a week. Start up fees, the European Council concluded, should be as low as possible, and hiring the first employee shouldn’t involve more than one public administration point. Clearly many countries are years behind schedule.

Small and medium-size businesses create 80% of new jobs in Europe. That means entrepreneurs and small and medium businesses will play a critical role as Europe recovers from the economic and financial crisis. So anything that hinders new businesses hinders growth. This is especially important now because while the unemployment rate in the EU averages around 10%, and it’s double that for job seekers under the age of 25, according to research published last week by the Organisation for Economic Coordination and Development. The highest youth unemployment rate was in Spain, followed by Ireland, Slovakia and Greece. Only Germany posted a slight decrease.

News source: EurActiv link: article

Romania fumes at Franco-German Schengen blockade

Romanian President Traian Basescu lashed out at a decision by France and Germany yesterday (21 December) to postpone his country’s accession to the EU's border-free Schengen area, describing it as an act of "discrimination". The EurActiv network reports from Bucharest and Sofia. Speaking in the presidential palace in Bucharest, Basescu said his country would not accept discrimination from anyone, "be it from the most powerful countries of the EU". Hours before, the interior ministers of France and Germany, Brice Hortefeux and Thomas de Maizière, had issued a joint letter saying they would block Romania and Bulgaria's Schengen bid. According to the two ministers, not all conditions are met for the two countries to join the Schengen border-free area.

The two countries had initially planned to join the passport-free zone in March 2011.

"It would not be realistic nor responsible to neglect the deficiencies identified," says the letter, seen by EurActiv Romania. Among the deficiencies, the ministers specify "the absence of a satisfactory juridical and administrative environment in the fields of security and justice, persisting corruption at different levels and worrying levels of organised crime". Consequently, the ministers plead for a postponement of Romania and Bulgaria’s Schengen accession for a later date. "We consider that the decision should be taken when the main causes of worries would be removed and when the two countries would begin irreversible progress in their fight against corruption, of organised crime, as well as of reforming their judicial systems," the letter reads.

When Romania and Bulgaria joined the EU in 2007, they were placed under a special monitoring mechanism to assist them in reforming their juridical systems and combat corruption. In the case of Bulgaria, the fight against organised crime was highlighted as a particular problem. Since then regular reports have revealed only limited progress. However, the European Commission admits that there is no legal link between the Bulgaria and Romania's progress under the mechanism and their accession to the Schengen area. In his statement, Basescu said that Romania had met all technical requirements for joining Schengen and would not accept the introduction of "additional conditionalities". A Polish diplomat told EurActiv recently that his country was worried by attempts from older EU members to "change the rules" of the game and adopt "moving targets" that are difficult to be achieve for newcomers, citing Romania and Bulgaria's Schengen bid as a case in point. The diplomat also expressed worried that the permanent safety net for the euro zone could to raise the bar higher for countries that wish to adopt the common currency.

News source: EurActiv link: article

Eleventh meeting of the Accession Conference at Ministerial level with Croatia

The eleventh meeting of the Intergovernmental Conference with Croatia at Ministerial level was held today in Brussels, following the start of the negotiations on 3 October 2005. The European Union delegation was headed by Steven Vanackere, Belgium's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Institutional Reforms. The Croatian delegation was led by Gordan Jandroković, Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration.

The Conference, which is the fruit of extensive work over several months, dealt in total with eight chapters and represented a significant milestone in Croatia's accession process with the provisional closure of three significant chapters:

Chapter 24 - Justice, Freedom and Security;

Chapter 27 - Environment and

Chapter 31 - Foreign, Security and Defence Policy.

In addition, the Conference confirmed at Ministerial level the provisional closure of

Chapter 4 - Free Movement of Capital;

Chapter 12 - Food Safety, Veterinary and Phytosanitary Policy;

Chapter 14 - Transport Policy; Chapter 32 - Financial Control and

Chapter 34 – Institutions.

On all these chapters the EU underlined that it would devote particular attention to monitoring all specific issues mentioned in its common positions with a view to ensuring Croatia's administrative capacity and its capacity to ensure proper implementation and enforcement of the relevant acquis. The EU will, if necessary, return to these chapters at an appropriate moment.

News source: EU Press Room link: article

Pöyry awarded EUR 6,9 million railway engineering assignment in Romania

Pöyry's Urban & Mobility business group has been awarded an extension to its existing engineering contract by the national railway company CNCF CFR SA Romania, comprising design for the rehabilitation of the railway line Hungarian border - Curtici - Simeria. The value of the contract extension is EUR 6,9 million.

Pöyry's services include the design of rehabilitation works, procurement services and technical assistance during construction phase. The work starts in the beginning of 2011 and is expected to continue for five years.

This 184 km railway line is part of the IV Pan-European Corridor, an important transport route between East and Middle Europe. Upgrading allows trains to travel at the speed of 160 km/h. Pöyry has been working on the Hungarian Border-Curtici-Simeria line from 2007. This assignment reinforces Pöyry's position in the Eastern European market.

Pöyry is currently working in various rail projects worldwide. The assignments include for instance supervision of several high speed rail construction projects in China and Spain, rail design projects in Poland, Germany and Finland as well as metro projects in Brazil, Peru and Finland.

News source: Reuters link: article

EU project targets better food risk information for Europeans

Information about food, and especially its risks, flash before our eyes on a daily basis. But how effective and balanced is the information we get? EU-funded researchers believe that enhancing the delivery of information and advice on emerging food risks could help fuel consumer confidence in foods, curb economic losses related to food scares and reduce the number of illnesses linked to foods. The FOODRISC ('Food Risk Communication. Perceptions and communication of food risks/benefits across Europe: development of effective communication strategies') project is working to offer consumers the right information they need about food/risk benefit relationships. Funded under the 'Food, agriculture and fisheries, and biotechnology' (KBBE) Theme of the EU's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) to the tune of EUR 2.97 million, FOODRISC is filling the gaps along the food information chain.

FOODRISC, which is coordinated by Professor Patrick Wall of University College Dublin's School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Population Science in Ireland, has pooled the resources of experts in key fields relevant to food risk and benefit communication, namely industry, academia, research institutes. 'Some of the recent "food scares", such as BSE [Bovine spongiform encephalopathy], Dioxin contamination in Belgium and Ireland and the case where milk was contaminated with melamine in China, have undermined consumer confidence in food,' explains Dr Áine McConnon of University College Dublin, FoodRisC project manager. 'With the food industry now being a global manufacturing and distribution business all possible forms of public communication need to be understood and used.'

The FOODRISC consortium is comparing how traditional and social media for news and information is disseminated in the EU, which in turn will lead to the creation of the effective tools the project seeks to give communication on food risks a huge boost. The new FOODRISC website is a step in this direction. More specifically, social media use has ballooned in just a year, with numbers up by 50% in many countries. Facebook, which has taken the world by storm, has more than 570 million registered users, and the number of users of all types of social media currently tops the 1.25 billion mark. Europe has surpassed the US in the personal use of social media.

One of the objectives of the project is to establish a communication toolkit and best practice recommendations that will support organisations across the EU to offer better communication, information and education services to the public. The project partners say the toolkit will help policymakers, food authorities and other end users who seek to develop common approaches to disseminating information to European consumers. Also on the FOODRISC agenda, say the partners, is the description of key configurations of food risk and benefit relationships and the implications for communicators. The consortium will assess how new social media, like Facebook, Twitter and blogs, can be used to provide guidance on how risk communicators can use these media to their advantage. And the partners will illustrate how consumers can attain, interpret and use information to support the target populations. Kicked off earlier this year and scheduled to end in 2013, FOODRISC brings together experts from Belgium, Germany, Spain, Italy, Latvia, the Netherlands, Portugal and the UK.

News source: CORDIS link: article

Recovery of global shipping industry will take more time, finds UN report

While the hard-pressed shipping industry is recovering from recent declines, it is still being hindered by fragile global economic conditions as well as depressed freight rates and an oversupply of vessels, says a new United Nations report. The Review of Maritime Transport 2010, produced by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), shows that international seaborne trade contracted by 4.5 per cent in 2009 to 7.94 billion tons, which is below 2007 levels. It had climbed to an all-time high in 2008.Although a global recovery is currently under way, it is uneven, slower than the recoveries that have followed previous recessions, and subject to numerous uncertainties and to the fragile global economic conditions, according to the report, an annual publication that provides important information on this vital sector.

“Signs show that the shipping industry and seaborne trade are recovering, but it will likely take some time for the industry to return to its 2009 levels,” UNCTAD said in a news release. Maritime transport is the single most important transport mode, with around 80 per cent of the market share in the global movement of goods. In some developing countries this percentage is much higher, due to cumbersome cross-border procedures and an underdeveloped land transport infrastructure. The report notes that seaborne trade in dry bulk commodities – such as iron ore, grain, coal, bauxite/alumina and phosphate, which represent around one quarter of seaborne trade – actually grew by an estimated 1.4 per cent in 2009. However, this figure masks fluctuations by commodity type, it adds.

The supply of new vessels, the report points out, showed no signs of abating. At the beginning of 2010, the world merchant fleet reached 1,276 million deadweight tons (dwt) – an increase of 84 million dwt over 2009. Despite this increase, the combined effect of a downturn in demand and an oversupply of vessels meant that freight rates for many vessel types remained depressed. The report also details recent developments in maritime legislation, such as steps by the UN International Maritime Organization (IMO) regarding the scope and content of an international regime to control emissions of greenhouse gases from international shipping.

Every year the report has a regional focus and this year it is on Asia since 2007, when UNCTAD last reported on the region. The report notes that recovery in the region – where gross domestic product (GDP) growth decelerated to 4 per cent in 2009, its lowest level in eight years – remains fragile and is subject to downside risks.

News source: UN News Centre link: article

'Let's Buy Croatian' campaign sees success

A promotional campaign launched by the Croatian Chamber of Commerce under the slogan "Let's Buy Croatian", has received strong support from citizens, a survey presented this week shows. The results showed that 73 per cent of the people polled were prepared to pay more for a Croatian product of the same quality as a foreign one, while 92 per cent said it was necessary to buy Croatian products to help the national economy, organisers said at a press conference on Monday. This year, the campaign began in May and ended in September. It was held in 23 towns and involved 676 companies. The purpose of the campaign was to promote high-quality domestic products that can be competitive both on the domestic and foreign markets.

"Once Croatia has several thousand such products, it will be a highly developed and promising country," Chamber of Commerce president Nadan Vidosevic said. The survey was conducted on a sample of 1,000 people above the age of 15 in Rijeka, Split, Ivanic Grad, Varazdin, Koprivnica and Zagreb from November 23 to 30. The "Let's Buy Croatian" campaign was launched in 1997 with the aim of promoting Croatian products of quality. So far, the "Croatian Quality" stamp has been awarded to 228 products and the "Original Croatian" stamp to 112.

News source: Balkan Insight link: article

Ottoman past dogs Sofia-Ankara relations

Bulgarian society remains hugely hostile to Turkish influence over domestic and regional affairs. But as nationalists continue to court anti-Turk sentiment, economists warn Sofia ignores “the China of Europe” at its peril. Three nights a week, at precisely 19.55, Margarita Petrova settles into her armchair in front of the TV, cup of tea to hand, in her Sofia apartment. The 70-year-old retired scientist, along with on average 58 per cent of all Bulgarians watching TV at this time, is preparing to savour the latest installment of the Turkish soap opera Leaf Fall.

Leaf Fall is a drama about a large family which moves from a small Turkish town to Istanbul. It is the most popular show on Bulgarian TV this year. Millions are tuning in to watch the father, the key protagonist, struggle to maintain traditional moral values following their move to the city. Petrova seems oblivious to the irony of her dedication to this Turkish soap, as she sips tea sitting beneath a picture of Vasil Levski, a Bulgarian national hero who fought the Turks, and next to books detailing atrocities committed in Bulgaria under Ottoman rule.

In fact, if you ask her, Petrova will tell you she does not want Turkish friends and that she recently signed a petition – along with more than 300,000 others – against Turkey’s entry to the European Union (EU). Petrova’s love of Leaf Fall aptly illustrates the nature of Bulgarian relations with its southern neighbour – a love-hate relationship that has been regularly soured by rising nationalism, inter-ethnic grievances and a preoccupation with the past at the expense of the future.

Bulgaria was part of the Ottoman Empire for almost 500 years, until the Russian-Ottoman War 1877-78. It is a period of history that Bulgarians still find painful. Bulgaria’s national holiday, held on March 3, marks the nation’s liberation from “the Turkish yoke” – the preferred term for Ottoman rule. When asked to describe life under the Ottomans, most Bulgarians will tell you about women being raped, the abduction of children, mass killings, the destruction of churches and monasteries and the razing of villages. The veracity of these events is confirmed in historical accounts found in Sofia’s libraries, school books, literature and art. Yet around 10 per cent of the Bulgarian population – roughly 7m people in total – is of Turkish ethnic origin. They are the largest minority group in the country, living mostly in rural areas in southeastern and northeastern Bulgaria.

News source: Balkan Insight link: article

BiH: Bankruptcy for 34 over BAM 102m tax debt

The Tax Administration of Republika Srpska has launched an initiative for launching bankruptcy procedures at 34 enterprises whose combined tax debt amounts to BAM 102.1 million, it was announced yesterday.

The Administration has decided to take this step with the aim of protecting Republika Srpska’ tax claims, saying it will implement this measure in the future, as well, with those taxpayers for which this is the last resort because all other methods of collection had been exhausted.

The biggest five tax debtors in RS include Novoteks Darko Produkt, Dobojputevi, Ekstra trgovina and Kekerovic Company.

News source: Limun.hr link: article

Bulgaria Moves into Top 30 Offshore Locations - Gartner

Bulgaria is one of eight new countries that have made their way into the top 30 destinations for globally sourced activities for the period 2010-2011, all of which are in emerging markets, according to a Gartner report.

Five of the new entrants made their debut in the top thirty list (Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Colombia, Mauritius and Peru), along with three re-entrants (Panama, Sri Lanka and Turkey), shows the report entitled "The top 30 countries for globally sourced activities for the period 2010-2011".

The top 30 locations for offshore services in 2010 by region are:

• The Americas - Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Panama and Peru

• Asia-Pacific - Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam

• Europe, the Middle East and Africa - Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Egypt, Hungary, Mauritius, Morocco, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, South Africa, Turkey and Ukraine

Seven developed countries - Australia, Canada, Ireland, Israel, New Zealand, Singapore and Spain – have dropped from the list.

"This year the Top 30 countries are exclusively emerging nations," said Ian Marriott, research vice president at Gartner." As the pace of change is slower in developed countries we have chosen to focus on those locations that are still maturing and developing, domestically and internationally." The list was based on criteria including language, government support, labour pool, infrastructure, educational system, cost, political and economic environment, cultural compatibility, global and legal maturity, and data and intellectual property security and privacy.

News source: Novinite.com link: article

Eurostat reports shows that purchasing power in Albania remains below the EU figures

Eurostat has recently published a report which compares the way that continued the growth of GDP per habitant for EU countries, Western Balkan countries including Albania. The report highlights that in 2009 Albania has an increase of GDP per habitant is in 27 level, while a year ago, this level was 26, and for 2007 was 23 percent from 100 per cent which is the European average. Eurostat estimates that Albania, together with the region remain well below the European average, but has  progressed positively. Purchasing power in Albania, according to the report, remains far below the EU figures. The Eurostat has evaluated positively the Albanian's GDP per habitant reference to the growing tendency. While in terms of prices, Eurostat says in the report that in Albania, the level of prices is less than half the European average as reported by Panorama newspaper. 

News source: Balkans.com link: article

FYROM: Entrepreneurs of the year 2010 announced at ceremony

Macedonia's Association of Chambers of Commerce announced Monday the best entrepreneurs for 2010 in the categories of micro and small enterprises. In the category micro enterprises, entrepreneur of the year is Filip Arsov - owner of Synapse Digital Agency, while Ivica Lukanoski, who owns a private dental office, came second. In the category small enterprises, the top prize was awarded to Zoran Mirsinov, manager in Veles-based Mirana food enterprise, and Bojan Panovski - a manager in Forca sports center in Skopje - was second.

The selection was made out of 142 micro and small enterprises that have made growth in terms of personnel, revenues, profit and investments between 2007 and 2009. Minister of Economy Fatmir Besimi at Monday's awards ceremony said that micro, small and medium enterprises were an important sector in Macedonia's economy. "Figures from 2009 compared to 2008 show that small and medium enterprises are making headway, which is an encouragement for our economy. In the future, this sector will be of great importance for Macedonia's economy," Besimi said.

"Entrepreneur of the Year" manifestation is organised four years in a row by the Association of Chambers of Commerce, Center for Entrepreneurship and Executive Development - CEED Macedonia, Macedonian Development Foundation for Support of Entrepreneurship, Chambers of Commerce of Northeastern Macedonia with support provided by the Economy Ministry. Last year in Macedonia, 44,567 micro, 16,179 small and 516 medium enterprises were registered, according to data of the Central Register. 

News source: EMG.rs link: article

Output price indices, Slovenia, November 2010

In November 2010, the industrial producer prices increased by 0.2% at the monthly level and by 3.8% at the annual level. In November 2010 in comparison with October 2010 the output prices grew by 0.2%: the prices of export products were higher by 0.4% while the prices of manufactured goods sold on the domestic market remained unchanged. Among groups of activities showing the dynamics of prices by end-use of products, prices went up in the following groups: energy (by 0.5%), intermediate goods (by 0.3%) and consumer goods (by 0.2%). The prices of capital goods went down by 0.1%. In November 2010 the output prices increased the most in manufacture of coke and petroleum products (by 5.2%), in manufacture of textiles (by 3.7%), in manufacture of paper and paper products (by 0.9%), in manufacture of fabricated metal products and in manufacture of chemicals and chemical products (in each by 0.6%). Lower prices were recorded in manufacture of wearing apparel (by 3.1%), in printing and reproduction of recorded media (by 0.7%), in manufacture of motor vehicles and trailers, in electricity and in manufacture of beverages (in each by 0.3%).

In November 2010 in comparison with October 2010 the prices of exported products went up by 0.4%; the prices of products sold on the markets of the non-euro area countries increased by 0.5% and the prices of products sold on the markets of the euro area countries by 0.3%. Higher prices of exported products were recorded in manufacture of textiles (by 5.9%), in manufacture of basic metals (by 1.0%), in manufacture of fabricated metal products (by 0.7%), in manufacture of paper and paper products (by 0.6%) and in manufacture of chemicals and chemical products (by 0.4%). Lower prices were recorded in the following three activities: in manufacture of other non-metallic mineral products (by 0.8%), in manufacture of motor vehicles and trailers (by 0.3%) and in manufacture of computer and optical products (by 0.1%).

In November 2010 the prices of manufactured goods sold on the domestic market on average remained the same as in October 2010. Higher prices were recorded in manufacture of paper and paper products (by 1.2%), in manufacture of chemicals and chemical products and in manufacture of computer and optical products (in each by 0.9%) and in manufacture of fabricated metal products (by 0.5%). In November 2010 price decreases were recorded in manufacture of wearing apparel (by 4.3%), in manufacture of basic metals (by 0.9%) and in printing and reproduction of recorded media (by 0.7%). By less than half a percent prices went down in manufacture of motor vehicles and trailers, in manufacture of rubber and plastic products, in electricity and in manufacture of beverages.

Output prices grew by 3.8% in the last twelve months. In the same period the output prices on the non-domestic market went up by 4.5% and on the domestic market by 3.2%. The annual price rise of industrial products sold on the markets of the euro area countries amounted to 4.8% and on the markets of the non-euro area countries to 3.6%. Higher prices than a year before were recorded in manufacture of basic metals (by 19.4%), in manufacture of textiles (by 11.2%), in manufacture of coke and petroleum products (by 10.3%) and in manufacture of fabricated metal products (by 6.2%). In one year prices went down the most in printing and reproduction of recorded media (by 2.7%), in manufacture of electrical equipment (by 2.3%), in electricity (by 1.4%) and in water collection, treatment and supply (by 1.3%).

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

Belgrade NikolaTesla Airport expects 2.7 million passengers

Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport has announced that with just over a week to go until 2010 becomes history, it expects to handle 2.7 million passengers, the record number of passengers since 1990. Thus, the airport expects to end 2010 with a 14% passenger increase. December has been particularly strong for the airport, with a recorded increase of 30% compared to the same month last year. “In 2010 we handled more passengers, more aircraft and have recorded a better financial performance”, the airport’s director Velimir Radosavljević told the Serbian media over the weekend. He revealed that from January 1 the airport will be decreasing handling fees by 7% for all carriers.

Several new routes have already been announced from Belgrade in 2011. Wizz Air will commence flights to Gothenburg, Stockholm, Charleroi, Eindhoven and Memmingen. airBaltic will resume flights from Riga on March 27 while Albanian Airlines has announced it will commence services from Tirana to Belgrade in 2011. Although planed for January 13, Jat Airways is unlikely to commence flights from Belgrade to Portorož due to low interest.

News source: EX-YU Aviation link: article

Top luxury hotels in Central and Eastern Europe

According to TripAdvisor, the world's leading hotel reviewing portal, the number one luxury hotels in the major Central and Eastern European capital cities are: 

 

Budapest -Corinthia (part of the Maltese chain of Corinthia hotels) a beautifully restored historical building  

 

Bucharest - Radisson Blu (part of the Radisson chain) - very modern, large hotel with a very central location  

 

Belgrade - Townhouse 27 (independent boutique hotel) - situated in Old Belgrade, it has large rooms, state of the art facilities  

 

Sofia -Radisson Blu (part of the Radisson chain) - centrally located, modern and top quality service  

 

Kiev - Hyatt Regency (part of the Hyatt chain) - very modern building, large comfortable rooms 

 

Prague - Golden Well (independent boutique hotel) - in the center of old town, surpassing major chain hotels such as Mandarin Oriental or Kempinski  

 

Warsaw - InterContinental (part of the InterContinental chain) - very central location, high rise building

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

News source: CCP-luxury.com link: article

 

European Commission has set up Task Force to help maximise the potential of the European Research Council

The European Commission has set up a Task Force to explore options for the future of the European Research Council (ERC). The Task Force is chaired by the Director General of DG Research, Robert-Jan Smits. This follows nearly four years of successful work by the ERC since it was established by the Commission in 2007.

Research, Innovation and Science Commissioner Máire Geoghegan-Quinn said: "The ERC has been a great success already and we need to learn from experience and build on the excellent work already done. The Task Force will help us take some final decisions on how best to equip the ERC to play the key role it will have in the Innovation Union and in the Eighth Framework Programme."The Task Force was set up at the request of the ERC Scientific Council, as announced in its statement in November (see link below), and is the follow-up of last year's thorough Review of the ERC's Structures and Mechanisms, carried out by an expert panel (see link below). The Task Force includes participants from the relevant Commission departments and representatives from the ERC Scientific Council, including its President Prof. Helga Nowotny. There will also be two external members, Prof. Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga, former President of the Latvian Republic and former chair of the Review panel of the ERC, and Prof. Ernst-Ludwig Winnacker, former ERC Secretary General.

Building on last year's review recommendations, the Task Force will examine the remaining unresolved issues and explore possible governance options to guarantee the long term stability of the ERC structure within the European Research Area and in the context of the new Lisbon Treaty.

Presently, the ERC has a dual structure with a Scientific Council, composed of 22 top scientists, setting the scientific strategy, and an Executive Agency, in charge of implementing the operations. The ERC has a budget of € 7.5 billion from the "IDEAS" programme, part of the Seventh Framework Programme for Research, for the period 2007-2013.

The Task Force has already held an initial meeting and aims to conclude its work within six months, hence well before the decision on the next Framework Programme (FP8) is taken, to allow ample time for the Council and the European Parliament to hold a thorough debate about FP8. The Commission will in the first quarter of 2011 launch an open consultation on all issues connected to FP8, with a formal proposal to the Council and Parliament to follow towards the end of the year. FP8 will begin in January 2014.

News source: EU Press Room link: article

EU and China to debate economic and trade issues at high level dialogue

The EU and China will hold their third High Level Economic and Trade Dialogue (HED) on 20 and 21 December in Beijing. It is the first such meeting since the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty and will cover macro-economic challenges facing the international economy, competition questions as well as trade, investment, innovation, and customs cooperation.

Commission Vice-President in charge of competition policy Joaquín Almunia said: "The European Union and China are both global partners that have much to gain from each other. It is our interest to develop economic relations that are mutually beneficial and provide the best opportunities for our respective citizens. The EU and China must both be actors in the solution of global challenges such as current macro-economic imbalances, development of trade flows, access to raw materials and the need for a more efficient energy use worldwide."

"European businesses have vastly contributed to China’s economy over the last decade," said EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht. "We want to stay in the game and be part of China’s future economic development. A constructive dialogue that looks at both the challenges and the opportunities is the way to make this happen."

The HED offers an opportunity to discuss EU-China relevant topics across the board. It is co-chaired by European Commission Vice-President in charge of competition policy Joaquin Almunia, Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht, Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs Olli Rehn as well as Chinese Vice-Premier Wang Qishan. The EU will further be represented by Commissioner for Taxation and Customs Union Algirdas Šemeta, Director General for Enterprise Heinz Zourek and Deputy Director-General for Information Society Antti Peltomaki.The meeting takes place as the global economy is gaining a more solid foothold and at a juncture where both the EU and China are moving forward with bold plans for the future of their economies. It is important for the EU and China, two of the largest economies in the world, to discuss the economic challenges they face. Both EU and China can contribute, through their policies and enhanced bilateral cooperation and within the G20, to more solid, sustainable and balanced global growth.

News source: EU Press Room link: article

 

Greece's Piraeus gets green light for rights issue

Greece's fourth-largest lender Piraeus Bank (BOPr.AT) on Monday won shareholder approval to issue new shares and convertible bonds and give its balance sheet a 1.05 billion euro ($1.4 billion) boost. The green light for the cash call, clinched at a second repeat shareholders meeting requiring quorum of 20 percent, will help the bank ease counterparty worries and regain access to wholesale funding, reducing its dependence on the ECB. "We are shielding our balance sheet from any possible risks," the bank's Chairman Michael Sallas told shareholders, noting that 2011 would be a difficult year. He said the terms of the rights issue would be announced by the board on Jan. 3.

Quorum at Monday's shareholder meeting reached 36.5 percent, after the bank failed to gather enough shareholders for a vote at two previous meetings over the past four weeks. "The recession has led to a significant rise in non-performing loans but the banking system has shown resilience as it had a relatively low leverage. Banks endured the crisis and are now strengthening their capital to help the economy even more," Sallas said. With the macroeconomic backdrop seen tough in 2011 as the economy enters its third straight year of recession and liquidity still challenging, Greek lenders have opted for cash calls to be in a better position to cope with the downturn. A similar exercise by Greece's largest bank NBG (NBGr.AT) in October, when it raised 1.8 billion euros, helped it to pry open the interbank funding market and establish credit lines with foreign lenders.

ECB funding to Greek banks has almost doubled this year to 95 billion euros at the end of November. At the same time, the banking system has also suffered 27 billion euros in deposit outflows, an 11 percent contraction. The economic downturn at home, brought about by belt-tightening to dig out of a debt crisis that shook the euro, has led to a rise in impaired credit to about 10 percent of system loans at the end of the third quarter.

News source: Reuters link: article

EasyJet announces new flights to Zagreb

The low cost airline EasyJet has announced yet another new service to the Croatian capital Zagreb in addition to the recently launched Paris service and the soon to be initiated flights from London Gatwick Airport. easyJet will commence flights from Dortmund in Germany from February 17. The flights will operate twice per week with all the flight details available on the right hand side in the new route launches section. The national carrier, Croatia Airlines, will be less than pleased with yet another new low cost service. Croatia Airlines has been feuding with Zagreb Airport over special fee waivers given to low cost airlines serving the airport.

Meanwhile, Wizz Air will end its operations to Zagreb on February 4. The airline will suspend its 3 weekly service from London Luton Airport.

Last week, Zagreb Pleso welcomed its 2 millionth passenger for 2010. The lucky customer, travelling on a Croatia Airlines flight to Sarajevo, was issued 2 free return tickets to a European destination. Zagreb managed to handle its 2 millionth passenger 7 days in advance to 2009. The airport has so far managed to see an increase in passengers by half of a percent. 

News source: EX-YU Aviation link: article