Albania Central Bank governor Ardian Fullani tried to calm Albanians cough by panic on Thursday, by the fast depreciation of Lek in the domestic market. “Markets should stay calm. What is happening has not economic bases. Lek will continue to be our currency for many-many years,” Fullani said in an unscheduled press conference.
Albanian currency Lek lost more then 3 per cent in two days causing panic in Tirana. Euro changed hands for as much as 138.6 lek in early morning on Thursday, 1.7 per cent higher then Wednesday.
Prime Minister Sali Berisha says that Albania will reluctantly set its sights on inclusion in the eurozone, due to the pressure exerted by the European currency on the local economy.
The decision of Skopje’s Appellate Court to overturn a ruling ordering Austria’s EVN to pay Macedonia’s state-owned power generator, ELEM, 200 million euros, is the most positive corruption-related event in August, local media say.
Serbia’s Swisslion is the second company this year to take Macedonia to the International Chamber of Commerce’s International Court of Arbitration in Washington DC.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, EBRD, is considering providing a €150 million loan to Serbia’s state gas company, Srbijagas.
The government of Albania intends to apply a dual-level value added tax, VAT, on goods and services to increase the number of companies that pay such taxes.
The EU has welcomed a monitoring group’s assessment that the June Albanian elections met most OSCE commitments, while noting the conduct of the polls fell short of optimum standards.
In a Wednesday statement, the US embassy in Tirana welcomed reported improvements in electoral processes during the June 28 parliamentary polls.
The EU considers that Albania is now in a more favourable position to move ahead with its European integration processes.
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