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• 28 July 2009 -- Kosovo Garners Highway Funds (0)
• 2 June 2009 -- Albania-Kosovo Highway Marks Milestone (0)
• 17 April 2009 -- Rating Agency Downgrades Albania on Pre-Election Spending Fear (0)
• 4 February 2009 -- Serbia Sees Key Highway Done In 2011 (0)
• 6 January 2009 -- Albania Officials Bicker Over GDP Data (0)

After completion, envisaged for 2012, the complex stretching over 20,000 square metres should have some 200 modern apartments and studio flats.

“The location is exclusive, offers a beautiful view and is close to the down town area,” the project manager Peter Roth told local media.

He explains that his company hopes to attract exclusive buyers such as politicians and stars who are in need of high standards of living and the additional commodities like a security guard service that will watch over the complex.

The settlement will also include a hotel, restaurants, wellness and spa centre and various other leisure facilities, the investors say.

With its business endeavors in Austria, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Romania, Serbia and Slovakia, Soravia is one of the top real estate developers in the region.

The company already owns and operates a business centre in the Macedonian capital.
Source: Balkaninsight

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EU foreign ministes meeting in Brussels Monday evening agreed to unblock Serbia’s interim trade agreement, paving the way for the country to apply for EU candidacy status.

The decision came after the Netherlands lifted its opposition to closer EU ties, ending an 18-month blockade.

The Dutch government had been blocking an interim trade deal, demanding that Serbia first arrests two fugitive Balkans war crimes suspects.

But in his latest report to the UN Security Council, the International War Crime Tribunal’s Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz said that Serbia has made “constant progress” in efforts to finalise cooperation with Court, noting however that the arrest of war crimes fugitives Ratko Mladic and Goran Hadzic remains the key issue.

He also recognised the professionalism and commitment of operational services tasked with the tracking of fugitives. It was the most positive report Serbia has received to date.

Serbia’s President Boris Tadic welcomed the move: ”Both the visa liberalisation and now the unblocking of the interim agremeent show that we are a country with high credibility in Europe and the World, a country that foreign investors see as safe destination for their capital and for opening new jobs,” the President told journalists during a visit to Prague.

He said that Serbia will now consider when the most appropriate moment will be to submit its application to join the bloc. He said Serbia’s application will be submitted when the government is certain that “it will get the best reaction possible”.

EU foreign ministers signed a Stabilisation and Association Agreement with Serbia in April 2008, just before parliamentary elections in the country. The move was seen as crucial in swinging the vote behind pro-EU forces in the country.

Foreign Ministers are meeting in Brussels for a two-day meeting, which for the first time is called the ‘General Affairs Council’ and ‘Foreign Affairs Council’, replacing the previous ‘General Affairs and External Relations’ Council. The changes have been prompted by the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty and the advent of an EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security.

The meetings, which were chaired by the Swedish EU Presidency, were designed to prepare for the 10-11 December EU summit, where decisions on enlargement issues are expected to be taken.

Ministers are also expected to discuss the European Commission’s recommendation that Macedonia be given a start date for EU accession talks. Source: Balkaninsight

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According to the study, about 59 per cent of those interviewed say their personal wealth has been affected by the crisis and 45 per cent report having earned less this year but only 5 per cent have lost their jobs because of the crisis.

“Albanians feel their country has been somehow affected by the international crisis and that employment and remittances have been the main factors affected,” said Ornela Liperi, editor of the business weekly Monitor and one of the authors of the study, “but we also found that the personal situation of the interviewed individuals has not changed that much and the majority believe their lives will improve in the next 12 months.

“The results make it clear that Albania was one of the few countries in Europe to have had economic growth this year but such growth was not very helpful for the general wellbeing because it was the result of public investment in infrastructure and not that many people benefited from that,” Liperi added.

According to Albania’s Ministry of Finance, GDP grew by 5.8 per cent this year though the IMF estimated this figure at 2 per cent. Official statistics remain widely disputed in Albania and several institutions conduct surveys in order to create a range of pictures of the country’s economy. Source: Balkaninsight

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These proposal was made in advance of the 25 November meeting of the Eurocontrol Enlarged Committee for Route Charges attended by representatives of the Albanian National Agency for Air Traffic.

According to IATA the proposal will result in an increase of 2.7 per cent unit rates for 2010, amounting to some 239 million euro in further costs for airlines. An overflight service unit is worked out according to the aircraft’s weight and the distance flown within the state’s airspace.

Out of 34 member states of Eurocontrol, the European Organization for Safety Navigation, 19 proposed overflight fee hikes, eight sought a freeze of fees, while seven others a reduction of the current charges applied to airlines.

“I applaud the 15 states who plan to reduce or freeze their en route air navigation charges,” said in a statement Giovanni Bisignani, IATA’s Director General and CEO.  “But the savings they delivered were wiped out by the out-of-control monopolists completely divorced from reality, proposing increases in the middle of an unprecedented industry crisis and that is not acceptable,” he added.

Over the last decade, air traffic has grown by more than 50 per cent. Europe now has close to 8.5 million flights per year and up to 28,000 flights on busiest days. Eurocontrol expects air traffic to double by 2020. Although pretty safe air traffic control in Europe remains fairly costly. It is also hampered by heterogeneous working practices and constrained by air route networks which, in the main, are based on national borders and not air traffic flows

According to IATA the highest increase of overflight charges was proposed by Armenia at 32 per cent. Adjusting for the amount of traffic handled, the greatest impact of the increases will be felt by proposals for increases in Poland, Romania, Austria , France, the United Kingdom and Italy.

“To survive we need to cut costs and the burden must be shared across the value chain,” said Bisagni.

“The unacceptable and out of touch proposals by 19 Eurocontrol states demonstrate beyond doubt that we must urgently implement a robust performance framework under the Single European Sky regulations,” said Bisignani. Source: Balkaninsight

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Metal firm Ferronikeli, one of Kosovo’s biggest companies, is importing lignite from the other side of the world because it cannot access the country’s rich reserves of brown coal.

Balkan Insight has discovered that the ferronickel exporter has been forced to sign deals with Malaysia and Indonesia to import lignite to its plant in Drenas.

Kosovo has about 14,700 million tonnes of unexploited lignite, worth some 120 billion euro, which is estimated to be the fifth largest reserve of brown coal on the planet.

But Kosovo’s current mines are soon to run out of coal and Ferronikeli, which was bought in 2007 by IMR/Alferon as part of Kosovo’s privatisation programme, complains that the lignite which is available cannot be used.

Arten Bajrushi, spokesman for Ferronikeli, told Balkan Insight: “Even early on, and still today, we have imported lignite from other countries of the world. We have agreements with Indonesia and Malaysia to import lignite.”

He added that only a very small amount of lignite is taken from KEK, Kosovo’s national energy provider, because the publicly owned firm cannot provide enough lignite, and that the coal it can provide is ‘too wet’ for Ferronikeli to use.

Bajrushi said: “Lignite that KEK uses for electricity is 38 per cent wet, while for our technological processes lignite needs to be only 18 per cent wet.

“This issue was supposed to be solved by a drying facility that KEK does have, but it does not work most of the time,” said Bajrushi.

He added that KEK’s organisational problems mean that it is cheaper for his firm to import coal from thousands of kilometres away rather than buy it in Kosovo.

Transporting from South East Asia remains cheaper, even though coal is shipped to Greece, as Albania and Montenegro do not have the capacity to take large cargo.

“The ports of Albania can only take 10,000 tonnes of coal, while the Greek ports can take 50,000 tonnes of coal, of which 10,000 goes to Ferronikeli and the rest is taken by other companies,” said Bajrushi.

He hopes that with the privatisation of KEK, the situation will improve, as currently only KEK has the right to sources of energy.

But officials at KEK told Balkan Insight that it does not have the right to sell lignite. According to Viktor Buzhala, KEK Spokesman, only Kosovacoal KC, a subsidiary of KEK, has the right to sell lignite.

He refused to comment on why the drying facility doesn’t work, pointing Balkan Insight towards KosovaCoal. No officials at the firm responded to questions.

Kosovo is currently using just 2 per cent of its coal stocks at the Mirash and Bardhi mines, which are soon to be exhausted.

Economic experts believe that Kosovo must quickly open new lignite mines, which would be able to supply Ferronikeli and other firms.

Azem Rexhaj, who is executive director of the Independent Commission of Mines and Minerals, ICMM, said: “There are two options for Ferronikeli to receive its lignite from Kosovo – one is for it to be supplied by KEK, and the other is for Kosovo to open a new lignite mine.

“Kosovo’s lignite is good enough quality to suit Ferronikeli. This can be seen by the fact that between 1985 and the beginning of the war, Ferronikeli used this type of lignite,” said Rexhaj.

He urged the government to take the necessary measures to open a new lignite mine.

“With the opening of a new mine, we will have the opportunity to extract sufficient lignite, will also create new jobs and will stop the import of lignite that wastes several million euros a year,” said Rexhaj.

Lignite reserves are plentiful in the Dugagjini and Drenica area of Kosovo, near the Ferronikeli plant, and can easily be exploited, he added.

Kosovo’s government has decided to deal with the situation by opening the Sibovc mine, which can supply coal for 40 years.

“Workers are moving fast to make the opening of the mine happen. We think that our first coal from this mine will arrive in the middle of next year,” said Arben Gjukaj, Managing Director of KEK.

The new mine is being opened to supply Kosovo’s new power station, Kosova e Re, which has been dogged by delays.

It is not known whether coal from this mine will be supplied to Ferronikeli or when the drying facility will begin to work again.Source: Balkaninsight

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With the exception of Montengro, there appears to have been little impact on the fight against corruption despite actions taken to tackle the problem and promises by heads of government to cut corruption in the run-up to EU membership, the survey shows.

The index showed that Croatia is considered as the least corrupt country in the region, ranked in 66th place, followed by Montenegro at 69th, Romania, Bulgaria and Macedonia tied at 71th, Serbia at 83th, Albania at 95th and Bosnia ranked 99th.

Last year’s index showed these countries at a comparable position, with some countries actually slipping. Only Montenegro increased its ranking by a margin of more than ten, rising from 85th place in the 2008 survey. Albania fell from 85th place, and Croatia slipped from 62nd place in 2008.

“Stemming corruption requires strong oversight by parliaments, a well performing judiciary, independent and properly resourced audit and anti-corruption agencies, vigorous law enforcement, transparency in public budgets, revenue and aid flows, as well as space for independent media and a vibrant civil society,” said Huguette Labelle, Chair of Transparency International in a statement released with the report on Tuesday.

The vast majority of the 180 countries included in the 2009 index score below five on a scale starting at zero, where zero is perceived to be highly corrupt, to 10 – where a country is perceived to have low levels of corruption. The CPI measures the perceived levels of public sector corruption in a given country and is a composite index, drawing on some of 13 different expert and business surveys.

Commenting on the report, Transparency International’s Bosnia representative Emir Djikic told journalists; “Bosnia enters the period of dangerous uncertainty, and corruption becomes a dominant problem that endangers implementation of overall reforms.”

“It is essential to implement necessary anti-corruption laws as soon as possible, and to begin with their implementation in order for Bosnia to be able to compete with other countries in the region,” Djikic said describing the current processing of corruption in Bosnia as “absolutely unsatisfactory”.

Another report released last week by the European Association of Chambers of Commerce and Industry on the Western Balkans also points out the lack of progress in the region, noting that failure to tackle corruption is hindering foreign direct investments.

“Two factors above all hinder the establishment of a healthy environment for FDI (foreign direct investment) in the region. The first one relates to existing corruption practices and the second to the uncertainty or unpredictability of the legal and regulatory framework,” notes the report, which is co-financed by the European Commission.

According to a survey presented in the report, 52 per cent of entrepreneurs in the region remain dissatisfied with the existing legal framework in their country, claiming that it does not prove a reliable tool for resolving disputes between their businesses and public authorities.

“In spite of an increasingly positive appraisal of the overall climate for FDI in the region, significant gaps remain between the current situation and the potential for investments,” the document stresses.  Source: Balkaninsight

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A businessman with close ties to Prime Minister Sali Berisha, Taci viciously assaulted publisher and journalist Mero Baze on Monday evening in Tirana, following a series of reports accusing the businessman of tax evasion.

He is known as one of the Tirana businessman in Prime Minister Berisha’s inner circle. His other company, Taci Oil International has spent millions of euros organising charity football matches, with the proceeds donated to a children’s charity ran by Berisha’s wife.

Baze had ran a series of critical reports on his TV Show, Faktor Plus, on Vizion Plus TV accusing Rezart Taci and his company, the ARMO oil refinery of massive tax evasion.

Apart from the TV show, Baze also publishes the Tirana daily TEMA, a publication very critical of the government.

In a statement to the Commite to Protect Journalists on Thursday Taci denied any wrongdoing.

“I totally deny the allegations that I participated in the brutalities that have caused severe injuries to Mr. Baze. I not only deny my involvement, but I also condemn violence that so often mars our modern society,” he wrote.

The attack, which happened in the presence of two other journalists and other witnesses in Tirana bar, has been condemned by local politicians, diplomats and national and international media organisations.

“The assault of journalist Mero Baze on Monday, in one of the bars of the capital, is a grave and ugly act; unacceptable for a free society,” said Berisha in a statement on Tuesday.

Berisha called on law enforcement authorities to bring the culprits before justice. “Ill-treatment and pressure against journalists its grave and unacceptable for the Albanian government,” the statement added.

The assault was also condemned by the US Embassy in Tirana. “The United States Embassy was appalled by the assault of journalist Mero Baze on November 2,” the embassy said in a statement.

“Physical attacks on journalists and other forms of media intimidation cast a shadow over freedom of the press [and] all forms of pressure and intimidation of the media are unacceptable,” the statement added.

“Such use of violence is intolerable,” Reporters Without Borders said on Thursday. “It shows that certain businessmen who are allied with the government think they are all-powerful and do not have to account for their activities. We hail the universal condemnation this attack has received from the political class and the rapid police response, which suggests there is a will to put an end to impunity.”
“The fact that those involved in this incident are well known should help make people aware of the problem and encourage a debate about the press freedom situation in Albania,” the press freedom organisation added. Source: Balkaninsight

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“There has been some progress in the area of customs. Albania continued to take measures to ensure timely implementation of the SAA tariff reductions,” the report notes. “[But] the use of reference prices is not in line with EU standards,” the report added.

The EC, which supervises Albania’s effort to implement EU rules, says that Tirana has respected the time-line agenda to reduce trade tariffs as agreed in the Stabilization and Association Agreement, SAA, signed in 2006.
“The Combined Nomenclature 2009 for the classification of goods in trade with the EU was applied as from January 2009, computerization continued to progress and the migration to ASYCUDA World was completed in June 2009,” the report reads.
“Risk assessment criteria and profiles are being revised continuously and new profiles were prepared specifically for scanners and the physical inspections rate was reduced to approximately 20 per cent, but it is still high by EU standards; however, further developments are required to make the risk analysis system more effective and manageable and to enhance the use of the transaction value,” the report adds.
Albania introduced the reference price system for imported goods in 1998 to deal with false custom declaration and the inability of its officials to verify the bills of lading.

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The head of the EBRD office in Montenegro, Marek Lorinc, said that the bank is pleased to support a leading player in the sector.

“This project will raise the competitiveness of Voli Trade, bringing modern retail experience to other towns in Montenegro. We believe that this is only the first step in the cooperation between the EBRD and Voli, which will grow in the future,” Lorinc explained.

With a market share of more than 10 per cent, Voli Trade, owned by grocery retailer Voli, is Montenegro’s market leader, operating 12 stores in the capital Podgorica and in four other towns.

Voli CEO Dragan Bokan said that, after the loan agreement, Voli Trade would further strengthen its market position with competitive pricing. He announced the opening of two more stores outside Podgorica, which are to open in 2010.

The “opening of new stores is of great importance for our society and in providing a number of new jobs”, he added.

Additionally, Bokan pointed out the importance of cooperation between the company and EBRD, particularly in light of the economic crisis. Source: Balkaninight

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