Seenews: news report of 17.12.2008

Countries:

* Bosnia *

Bosnia’s Federation Nov Industrial Output Rises 10.5% Y/Y, Falls 7.6% M/M - Table Dec 17, 2008, 18:35 CET | Story | SeeNews SARAJEVO (Bosnia and Herzegovina), December 17 (SeeNews) - The industrial output of Bosnia’s Muslim-Croat Federation rose by 10.5% year-on-year in November and was down 7.6% from the previous month, official statistics indicated on Wednesday. link

Bosnia’s Federation Endorses Sale of 49% of BH Airlines to Turkish Airlines Dec 17, 2008, 17:39 CET | Story | SeeNews SARAJEVO (Bosnia and Herzegovina), December 17 (SeeNews) - The government of Bosnia’s Muslim-Croat Federation said on Wednesday it has approved the sale of 49% if the region’s air carrier BH Airlines to Turkish Airlines. link

Bosnia’s Aluminium Smelter To Cut 2009 Output by 25% Dec 17, 2008, 10:51 CET | Story | SeeNews MOSTAR (Bosnia and Herzegovina), December 17 (SeeNews) - Bosnia’s sole aluminium smelter, Aluminij Mostar, said it will cut its production by a quarter next year due to the global financial crisis and high electricity prices. link

* Bulgaria *

Bulgaria Scraps Parliament Control over Sale of Tobacco Group To Speed up Privatisation - Media Dec 17, 2008, 18:34 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), December 17 (SeeNews) - Bulgaria’s lawmakers scrapped on Wednesday the privatisation plan for Bulgartabac Holding that requires parliament approval of the sale, state-run news agency BTA reported. link

Romania’s Oct Construction Output Annual Growth Highest in EU - Eurostat Dec 17, 2008, 18:26 CET | Story | SeeNews BUCHAREST (Romania), December 17 (SeeNews) - Romania’s construction output rose by an annual 20.6% in October, the highest growth rate among all European Union member states, the bloc’s statistics office reported on Wednesday. link

Bulgaria’s Winslow Developments To Diversify, Enters Energy Business Dec 17, 2008, 18:09 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), December 17 (SeeNews) - Bulgarian real estate developer Winslow Developments said on Wednesday it will diversify its business and enter the energy sector as part of a restructuring plan. link

Bulgarian Stocks End Mixed, Bonds Lift Turnover Dec 17, 2008, 17:50 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), December 17 (SeeNews) - The Bulgarian share indices ended mixed on Wednesday as bonds lifted turnover above the mark set in the previous few sessions, brokers said. link

ANALYSIS – Bulgaria’s Jobless Rate May Rise into Double Digits Amidst Economic Slowdown Dec 17, 2008, 16:57 CET | Analysis | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), December 17 (SeeNews) - Bulgaria’s jobless rate is seen soaring into double digits next year by business managers and an industry group from this year’s record low levels as falling demand amidst a global economic slowdown and plunging prices for commodities on international markets force businesses to cut production and even shut down. link

Copper Smelter Norddeutsche Affinerie To Change Name to Aurubis Dec 17, 2008, 14:52 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), December 17 (SeeNews) - Europe’s largest copper producer, Norddeutsche Affinerie (NA), which earlier this year took over Cumerio, the Belgian copper smelter that has operations in Bulgaria, will change its name to Aurubis in February, the Bulgarian unit of the company said on Wednesday. link

Prime Costs per Construction Project in Bulgaria To Fall by 20% in 2009 - Industry Official Dec 17, 2008, 14:16 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), December 17 (SeeNews) - The prime costs for the construction of one building in Bulgaria next year are seen falling by an average 20% due to a decrease in the prices of land plots, construction materials and fuel, and a fall in salaries in the sector, an industry official said on Wednesday. link

CORRECTED - Bulgarian Cigarette Factory Blagoevgrad BT Sees 2008 Profit Falling 33% (NOT 50%) to 10.2 Mln Euro Dec 17, 2008, 12:36 CET | Story | SeeNews In SOFIA story "Bulgarian Cigarette Factory Blagoevgrad BT Sees 2008 Profit Falling 50% to 10.2 Mln Euro" please read in the headline "Bulgarian Cigarette Factory Blagoevgrad BT Sees 2008 Profit Falling 33% to 10.2 Mln Euro" (corrects percentage change). link

Bulgarian National Statistical Institute - Employment - Preliminary Data - Q3 2008 Dec 17, 2008, 12:23 CET | State Agencies Reports | SeeNews Bulgaria’s National Statistical Institute (NSI) has published its preiminary quarterly data on the employment in the country for the third quarter of 2008. link

Bulgarian Cigarette Factory Blagoevgrad BT Sees 2008 Profit Falling 50% to 10.2 Mln Euro Dec 17, 2008, 12:17 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), December 16 (SeeNews) – Bulgaria’s Blagoevgrad BT, the biggest cigarette factory of majority state-owned tobacco group Bulgartabac Holding, expects to post a profit of 20 million levs ($14.41 million/10.2 million euro) on sales of 180 million levs this year, a senior company official said on Wednesday. link

Bulgaria’s Parliament Adopts 2009 Budget Targeting 4.7% Economic Growth - Media Dec 17, 2008, 12:12 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), December 17 (SeeNews) - Bulgaria’s parliament on Wednesday approved the budget for next year targeting economic growth of real 4.7%, lower than the 6.5% growth rate projected for the current year, state-run news agency BTA reported. link

BULGARIA’S PARLIAMENT PASSES 2009 BUDGET BILL SETTING 4.7% ECONOMIC GROWTH - STATE NEWS AGENCY Dec 17, 2008, 11:25 CET | Alert | SeeNews link

Bulgarian National Bank - Balance of Payments - Jan - Oct 2008 Dec 17, 2008, 10:18 CET | State Agencies Reports | SeeNews In the period January – October 2008, the Current and Capital account deficit was EUR 6,347.2 million (18.7% of GDP*), against a deficit of EUR 4,448.7 million (15.4% of GDP) for the same period in 2007.In October 2008 the Current account was negative and amounted to EUR 1,064.2 million, compared to a negative account of EUR 710 million for the same month in 2007. In the period January – October 2008, the current account deficit was EUR 6,588.8 million (19.4% of GDP), against a deficit of EUR 4,610.3 million (16% of GDP) for the same period in 2007. Main factors for the increase of the current account deficit were the higher (by EUR 1,711.5 million) trade deficit and the higher (by EUR 512.7 million) income deficit. link

FFBH - Bulgaria Morning Update - Dec 17, 2008 Dec 17, 2008, 09:53 CET | Broker’s Report | SeeNews MARKET WRAP-UPFor a fifth consecutive trading day SOFIX posted a decline. The index ended 0.98% down to 355.92 bps, BGTR30 lost 0.84% to 273.07 bps, BG REIT also closed negative at 47.1 bps (-0.86%), while BG40 advanced to 107.41 bps (+0.82%). BSE’s overall turnover came to BGN 2.1m, while the value of the over-the-counter deals amounted to BGN 6.4m. The top loser of the session was M+S Hydraulic (5MH, BGN 4.07, -8.39%), which made this move with a small daily turnover, followed by Stara Planina Hold (5SR, BGN 1.85, -3.65), Doverie (5DOV, BGN 6.17, -3.59%) and First Investment Bank (5F4, BGN 2.62, - 2.93%). The most liquid company for third consecutive day was Central Cooperative Bank (4CF, BGN 1.12, 1.64%) where more than 203k shares changed hands. GKZ and KZ went up to BGN 0.339 (+13.38%) and BGN 0.38 (+18.75%) respectively, while PKB advanced to BGN 0.385 (+20.31%) with 1m pieces traded. link

Bulgaria Schedule of Events - Dec 17 - Jan 26 Dec 17, 2008, 08:42 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), December 17 (SeeNews) - Following is a schedule of corporate, economic and political events taking place in or related to Bulgaria through January 26. New or amended entries are marked (*). link

Bulbrokers - Stock Market Daily Review - Dec 16, 2008 Dec 17, 2008, 07:36 CET | Broker’s Report | SeeNews US indexes started the week on negative territory link

Bulbrokers - Daily FX Analysis - Dec 16, 2008 Dec 17, 2008, 07:34 CET | Broker’s Report | SeeNews The dollar fell amid expectations for another rate cut link

Bulgarian Stock Exchange - Daily Report - Dec 16, 2008 Dec 17, 2008, 07:12 CET | Specialists Reports | SeeNews The Bulgarian Stock Еxchange has published its daily report on turnover and prices for December 16, 2008. link

Bulgarian Stock Exchange - Daily Bulletin, Selected Announcements - Dec 16, 2008 Dec 17, 2008, 07:11 CET | Specialists Reports | SeeNews BSE-Sofia Board of Directors has adopted a decision to amend the tariff of fees, collected by BSE-Sofia for the services offered, as follows:1. As regards the fees for trading on the Exchange, in view of the complicated situation on the capital markets, BSE-Sofia has taken measures to pursue adaptable price policy, in order to stimulate the trade. Therefore, BSE-Sofia introduces temporary discounts of the fees for certain types of deals and/or for certain market participants, which will be valid for a limited timeframe and will depend on the concrete market situation.In that connection, temporary discounts of the fees for transaction of shares will be introduced in the timeframe 01.01. - 31.03.2009, as the fees drop down from 0.083% to 0.08% (exclusive of VAT). The discount is valid for all transactions executed on the markets organised by the Exchange at values below BGN 25,000,000. The fees for transactions at values exceeding BGN 25,000,000 remain unchanged.2. The BSE-Sofi a Board of Directors has further decided to refund five (5) per cent of the sums paid as per chapter IV of the Tariff of Fees to the investment intermediaries, whose transaction fees in 2009 will exceed BGN 150,000 (exclusive of VAT) on an annual basis. The refund will be made till 31.01.2010.3. The fees for registration of issues and for maintenance of the issues on the markets organised by the Exchange will also be amended. The amendment is inflation determined and is the first one for the period of existence of the Unofficial Market. The amended fees are published in the Tariff of Fees of BSE-Sofia, available on the Internet site of the Exchange at link

* Croatia *

Croatian Bourse Indices End Mixed Dec 17, 2008, 18:41 CET | Story | SeeNews ZAGREB (Croatia), December 17 (SeeNews) - The Croatian equity indices ended mixed on Wednesday with the benchmark CROBEX up on gains in some shipping and construction shares, an analyst said. link

Croatia’s Dalekovod, Siemens Austria Win 13.5 Mln Euro Deal in Montenegro Dec 17, 2008, 17:49 CET | Story | SeeNews ZAGREB (Croatia), December 17 (SeeNews) - Croatian power transmission equipment maker Dalekovod said on Wednesday it has won, in consortium with Siemens Austria, a 13.5 million euro ($19.3 million) deal for the construction of two electricity substations in Montenegro. link

Slovenia Warns It Will Block Croatia’s EU Accession Negotiations – Media Dec 17, 2008, 17:32 CET | Story | SeeNews LJUBLJANA (Slovenia), December 17 (SeeNews) - Slovenia will express reservations about the EU accession negotiations of neighbour Croatia at the next round of talks on Friday, local news agency STA reported on Wednesday. link

Croatian C-Bank Accepts All Bids in Reverse Repo Auction at Flat Fixed Rate Dec 17, 2008, 15:34 CET | Story | SeeNews ZAGREB (Croatia), December 17 (SeeNews) - The Croatian central bank on Wednesday said it accepted all bids for Treasury bills worth 3.882 billion kuna ($762.5 million/538.4 million euro) placed in a reverse repo auction at unchanged fixed rate. link

Croatian DIY Chain Pevec Opens 40 Mln Euro Retail Centre in Serbia - Media Dec 17, 2008, 12:54 CET | Story | SeeNews BELGRADE (Serbia), December 17 (SeeNews) - Croatian do-it-yourself retailer Pevec will open its first retail center in Serbia after investing 40 million euro ($56.5 million), Serbian news agency Beta reported on Wednesday. link

Croatian Bureau of Statistics - Artistic Production and Live Performances - 2007/2008 - Dec 17, 2008 Dec 17, 2008, 12:32 CET | State Agencies Reports | AII Data Processing Ltd There were 65 theatres operating in the 2007/2008 season. A part of professional theatres dispose of permanent scenes either in-house or on some other location, so, along with 22 professional theatres, there were 6 permanent scenes operating. In addition, there were 14 children’s theatres, out of which there were 7 puppet and 29 amateurs’ ones. link

Erste Securities - Notice - Zagreb Stock Exchange Trading Days - Dec 17, 2008 Dec 17, 2008, 12:02 CET | Broker’s Report | AII Data Processing Ltd Due to Christmas holidays, the Zagreb Stock Exchange (ZSE) will be closed for trading on Thursday and Friday, December 25th and December 26th. Also, on Wednesday, December 24th the ZSE will only remain open for trading until 1 p.m. Below You can find a link to the ZSE web page.link

Croatia Schedule of Events - Dec 17 - Jan 19 Dec 17, 2008, 10:12 CET | Story | SeeNews ZAGREB (Croatia), December 17 (SeeNews) - Following is a schedule of corporate, economic and political events taking place in or related to Croatia through January 19. New or amended entries are marked (*). link

Erste Securities - Croatian Equity Daily - Dec 17, 2008 Dec 17, 2008, 09:50 CET | Broker’s Report | AII Data Processing Ltd Highlights: link

FIMA Stock Monitor - Daily Report - Dec 16, 2008 Dec 17, 2008, 07:33 CET | Broker’s Report | AII Data Processing Ltd Daily comment: link

* Macedonia *

Macedonian Construction Co Beton Raises 2.78 Mln Euro ($4.0 Mln) in Cap Hike Dec 17, 2008, 18:21 CET | Story | SeeNews SKOPJE (Macedonia), December 17 (SeeNews) – Macedonian construction company Beton AD Skopje said on Wednesday it raised 2.78 million euro ($4.0 million) in a capital hike aimed at backing its expansion plans. link

Macedonia C-Bank Absorbs 2.064 Bln Denars (33.2 Mln Euro) in 28-day Repo Funds Dec 17, 2008, 14:09 CET | Story | SeeNews SKOPJE (Macedonia), December 17 (SeeNews) - Macedonia’s central bank said on Wednesday it has absorbed 2.064 billion denars ($46.8 million/33.2 million euro) in 28-day repo funds from the banking system. link

Macedonia’s Jan-Oct Budget Surplus Falls 8.4% Y/Y to 11 Bln Denars (176.9 Mln Euro) - Table Dec 17, 2008, 13:13 CET | Story | SeeNews SKOPJE (Macedonia), December 17 (SeeNews) - Macedonia’s consolidated budget through October showed a surplus of 11 billion denars ($249.5 million/176.9 million euro), 8.4% down from a year earlier, Finance Ministry data showed on Wednesday. link

MACEDONIA’S JAN-OCT BUDGET SURPLUS FALLS 8.4% Y/Y TO 11 BLN DENARS (176.9 MLN EURO) – FIN MIN Dec 17, 2008, 13:11 CET | Alert | SeeNews link

State Statistical Office of Macedonia - Prices and Quantities of Agricultural Products and Livestock - Nov 2008 Dec 17, 2008, 09:29 CET | State Agencies Reports | AII Data Processing Ltd Prices of agricultural products on retail, wholesale and livestock markets link

State Statistical Office of Macedonia - Price Indices in Agriculture - Nov 2008 Dec 17, 2008, 09:25 CET | State Agencies Reports | AII Data Processing Ltd The price index in agriculture in November 2008, in group Input is increased by 7.0% and in group Output is increased by 4.4% in comparison with November previous year link

State Statistical Office of Macedonia - Usage of Information-Communication Technologies in Enterprises - 2008 Dec 17, 2008, 09:15 CET | State Agencies Reports | AII Data Processing Ltd In 2008, 83.4% of the enterprises in the financial and non-financial sector, with 10 or more employees, had access to the Internet. link

Macedonia Schedule of Events – Dec 17 - March 19 Dec 17, 2008, 08:44 CET | Story | SeeNews SKOPJE (Macedonia), December 17 (SeeNews) - Following is a schedule of corporate, economic and political events taking place in or related to Macedonia through March 19. New or amended entries are marked (*) link

Macedonian Stock Exchange - Daily Report - Dec 16, 2008 Dec 17, 2008, 07:14 CET | Specialists Reports | SeeNews Тhe Macedonian Stock exchange has published its daily report on turnover and prices for December 16, 2008. link

Macedonian Stock Exchange Expands Broader MBID Index Dec 16, 2008, 19:46 CET | Story | SeeNews SKOPJE (Macedonia), December 16 (SeeNews) - The Macedonian Stock Exchange JSC (MSE) said on Tuesday it expanded its broader MBID share index of publicly-held companies to 11 components from 10. link

* Moldova *

Czech J&T Finance Group To Invest 600 Mln Euro in Power Plant in Moldova – Moldovan Govt Dec 17, 2008, 17:30 CET | Story | SeeNews CHISINAU (Moldova), December 17 (SeeNews) – Czech investment company J&T Finance Group will invest 600 million euro ($847 million) in the first stage of the construction of a 350 megawatt (MW) power plant in Moldova, the government in Chisinau said on Wednesday. link

National Bank of Moldova - Official Reserve Assets - Dec 5, 2008 Dec 17, 2008, 15:01 CET | State Agencies Reports | AII Data Processing Ltd The National Bank of Moldova has published its weekly report on official reserve assets as of December 5, 2008. link

National Bank of Moldova - Average Interest Rate on Interest Bearing Demand Deposits - Week 1 - Dec 2008 Dec 17, 2008, 14:42 CET | State Agencies Reports | AII Data Processing Ltd The National Bank of Moldova (NBM) has published its weekly report on average interest rate on interest bearing demand deposits for the first week of December 2008. link

Moldova Sells 45 Mln Lei (3.1 Mln Euro) in T-Bills, Yields Down Dec 17, 2008, 10:24 CET | Story | SeeNews CHISINAU (Moldova), December 17 (SeeNews) - The Moldovan central bank, BNM, said it sold on Tuesday 45 million lei ($4.3 million/3.1 million euro) in three Treasury bill issues, as yields fell. link

Moldova Schedule of Events - Dec 17 - Jan 12 Dec 17, 2008, 08:43 CET | Story | SeeNews CHISINAU (Moldova), December 17 (SeeNews) - Following is a schedule of corporate, economic and political events taking place in or related to Moldova through January 12. New or amended entries are marked (*). link

Moldova Stock Exchange - Daily Report - Dec 16, 2008 Dec 17, 2008, 08:10 CET | Specialists Reports | SeeNews The Moldova Stock exchange has published its daily report on trading volumes and prices for December 16, 2008. link

UPDATE 2 - Moldova’s 9-mo Economic Growth Accelerates to Real 7.6%, Q3 GDP Rises 10.8% Dec 16, 2008, 18:57 CET | Story | SeeNews (adds comments on remittances, privatisation revenue and background) link

* Montenegro *

Croatia’s Dalekovod, Siemens Austria Win 13.5 Mln Euro Deal in Montenegro Dec 17, 2008, 17:49 CET | Story | SeeNews ZAGREB (Croatia), December 17 (SeeNews) - Croatian power transmission equipment maker Dalekovod said on Wednesday it has won, in consortium with Siemens Austria, a 13.5 million euro ($19.3 million) deal for the construction of two electricity substations in Montenegro. link

New Securities Exchange of Montenegro - Daily Report - Dec 16, 2008 Dec 17, 2008, 08:08 CET | Specialists Reports | SeeNews The New Securities exchange of Montenegro (NEX) has published its daily report on trading volumes and prices for December 16, 2008. link

* Romania *

Romania’s Oct Construction Output Annual Growth Highest in EU - Eurostat Dec 17, 2008, 18:26 CET | Story | SeeNews BUCHAREST (Romania), December 17 (SeeNews) - Romania’s construction output rose by an annual 20.6% in October, the highest growth rate among all European Union member states, the bloc’s statistics office reported on Wednesday. link

Romanian Leu Ends Tad Weaker vs Euro in Tune with Other Emerging Market Currencies Dec 17, 2008, 17:59 CET | Story | SeeNews BUCHAREST (Romania), December 17 (SeeNews) - The Romanian leu on Wednesday ended at 3.9580/9600 per euro, a tad weaker than 3.9400/9500 on Tuesday, mirroring a drop in other emerging markets and most notably the Polish zloty, dealers said. link

Romanian Stocks Close Mixed, Regional Investment Funds Extend Drop Dec 17, 2008, 17:57 CET | Story | SeeNews BUCHAREST (Romania), December 17 (SeeNews) - The Romanian bourse indices on Wednesday closed mixed, with the country’s five regional investment funds, the SIFs, losing ground for a second day in a row, brokers said. link

EBRD Lends 100 Mln Euro to Romania’s Banca Transilvania To Back SMEs Dec 17, 2008, 16:53 CET | Story | SeeNews BUCHAREST (Romania), December 17 (SeeNews) - The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) said on Wednesday it has lent 100 million euro ($144 million) to Romania’s Banca Transilvania to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the context of the global economic slowdown. link

Romania Sells 619.2 Mln Lei (156.6 Mln Euro) in 3-Month T-bills, Yields Flat Dec 17, 2008, 15:52 CET | Story | SeeNews BUCHAREST (Romania), December 17 (SeeNews) - Romania on Thursday sold 619.2 million lei ($221.6 million/156.6 million euro) in three-month Treasury bills, more than the target offer of 500 million lei, the country’s central bank, BNR, said. link

OTP Bank Romania To Cut Staff by 5.0%, Plans No Shutdowns - CEO Dec 17, 2008, 15:01 CET | Story | SeeNews BUCHAREST (Romania), December 17 (SeeNews) -The Romanian unit of Hungary’s OTP financial group will cut by 5.0% the number of its employees next year after restructuring its activities but has no plans to close down branches, the bank’s CEO said on Wednesday. link

Romanian Oil/Gas Group Petrom To Buy Back up to 0.02% of Its Shares Dec 17, 2008, 11:24 CET | Story | SeeNews BUCHAREST (Romania), December 17 (SeeNews) - Romanian oil and gas group Petrom, majority-owned by Austria’s OMV, said on Wednesday its shareholders approved plans to buy back up to 0.02% of company’s own shares and distribute them among its employees for free. link

Romania’s Delta Distribution To Close Six Stores, To Lay Off 100 in 2009 – Media Dec 17, 2008, 10:11 CET | Story | SeeNews BUCHAREST (Romania), December 17 (SeeNews) - Romanian ceramic tiles retailer Delta Distribution will close six of its 29 stores and will lay off 100 employees next year following lower demand for its products, Bucharest-based daily Ziarul Financiar reported on Wednesday. link

Ieba Trust - Romanian Market Daily - Dec 16, 2008 Dec 17, 2008, 09:49 CET | Broker’s Report | SeeNews BSE indices closed mixed link

Romania Schedule of Events - Dec 17 – March 9 Dec 17, 2008, 09:19 CET | Story | SeeNews BUCHAREST (Romania), December 17 (SeeNews) - Following is a schedule of corporate, economic and political events taking place in or related to Romania through March 9. New or amended entries are marked(*). link

Raiffeisen Capital & Investment - Investment Daily Romania - Dec 17, 2008 Dec 17, 2008, 09:15 CET | Broker’s Report | SeeNews In the news link

Romanian National Bank - Developments in Romanian Financial Markets - Dec 8 - 12, 2008 Dec 17, 2008, 08:50 CET | State Agencies Reports | SeeNews The National Bank of Romania (BNR) has released its weekly report on the developments on the local financial markets for the week December 8 - 12, 2008. link

Bucharest Stock Exchange - Daily Report - RASDAQ Market - Dec 16, 2008 Dec 17, 2008, 08:17 CET | Specialists Reports | SeeNews The Bucharest Stock exchange has published its daily RASDAQ market report for December 16, 2008. link

Bucharest Stock Exchange - Daily Report - Regulated Market - Dec 16, 2008 Dec 17, 2008, 08:11 CET | Specialists Reports | SeeNews The Bucharest Stock exchange has published its daily report on trading volumes and prices on the regulated market for December 16, 2008. link

Israel’s alal Insurer Romanian Arm Sees 2009 Gross Premium Income Doubling at Least Dec 16, 2008, 18:50 CET | Story | SeeNews BUCHAREST (Romania), December 16 (SeeNews) - The Romanian arm of Israeli insurer Clal on Tuesday said it expects its gross premium income to at least double to more than four million euro ($5.5 million) next year. link

* Serbia *

Alpine-Porr Still Faces End-2008 Deadline To Make or Break Serbian Motorway Concession Deal - Serbian PM Dec 17, 2008, 18:02 CET | Story | SeeNews BELGRADE (Serbia), December 17 (SeeNews) – Serbia will wait until the year’s end to resolve its disputes with Austrian consortium Alpine-Porr over a key motorway concession deal before deciding whether it will launch legal action against the concessionaire, Serbia’s Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic said on Wednesday. link

Serbian Stocks Close Tad Lower in Small Volumes Dec 17, 2008, 17:14 CET | Story | SeeNews BELGRADE (Serbia), December 17 (SeeNews) - The indices of the Belgrade Stock Exchange (BELEX) fell slightly on Wednesday in another slow session as the market continued to be dogged by persistently small volumes, brokers said. link

Fiat Says Deal with Serbia’s Zastava Remains on Track Despite Global Crisis Dec 17, 2008, 14:49 CET | Story | SeeNews BELGRADE (Serbia), December 17 (SeeNews) – Fiat on Wednesday said its strategic partnership deal with Serbian car maker Zastava remains on track despite the global crisis, which is making the Italian automobile giant close temporarily most of its factories at home. link

Serbia Opens 7.6 Mln Euro EU Co-financed Water Treatment Plant Dec 17, 2008, 13:24 CET | Story | SeeNews BELGRADE (Serbia), December 17 (SeeNews) – Serbia has opened a 7.6 million euro ($10.7 million) water treatment plant in its northern town of Indjija in cooperation with the European Union, the government in Belgrade said. link

Croatian DIY Chain Pevec Opens 40 Mln Euro Retail Centre in Serbia - Media Dec 17, 2008, 12:54 CET | Story | SeeNews BELGRADE (Serbia), December 17 (SeeNews) - Croatian do-it-yourself retailer Pevec will open its first retail center in Serbia after investing 40 million euro ($56.5 million), Serbian news agency Beta reported on Wednesday. link

Italy’s Fibest Raises Stake in Serbian Apparel Trader Ateks to 95.98% after Buyout Bid Dec 17, 2008, 12:39 CET | Story | SeeNews BELGRADE (Serbia), December 17 (SeeNews) - Italian textile producer Fibest said on Wednesday it has raised its stake in Serbian apparel retailer and wholesaler Ateks to 95.98%, following a buyout bid. link

Serbia Schedule of Events - Dec 17 - Jan 7 Dec 17, 2008, 10:54 CET | Story | SeeNews BELGRADE (Serbia), December 17 (SeeNews) - Following is a schedule of corporate, economic and political events taking place in or related to Serbia through January 7. New or amended entries are marked (*). link

Vojvodjanska Banka - Daily Vobnews - Dec 17, 2008 Dec 17, 2008, 09:13 CET | Broker’s Report | AII Data Processing Ltd Serbia’s Vojvodjanska banka released its Daily Vobnews report for December 17, 2008. link

Belgrade Stock Exchange - Daily Report - Dec 16, 2008 Dec 17, 2008, 07:09 CET | Specialists Reports | SeeNews The Belgrade Stock exchange has published its daily report on trading volumes and prices for December 16, 2008. link

REFILE - Austrian Consortium Alpine-Porr Cancels Key Motorway Concession Deal with Serbia Dec 16, 2008, 19:54 CET | Story | SeeNews (Refiles to delete duplicated text after the currency conversion at the end of the story) link

* Slovenia *

Romania’s Oct Construction Output Annual Growth Highest in EU - Eurostat Dec 17, 2008, 18:26 CET | Story | SeeNews BUCHAREST (Romania), December 17 (SeeNews) - Romania’s construction output rose by an annual 20.6% in October, the highest growth rate among all European Union member states, the bloc’s statistics office reported on Wednesday. link

Slovenia Warns It Will Block Croatia’s EU Accession Negotiations – Media Dec 17, 2008, 17:32 CET | Story | SeeNews LJUBLJANA (Slovenia), December 17 (SeeNews) - Slovenia will express reservations about the EU accession negotiations of neighbour Croatia at the next round of talks on Friday, local news agency STA reported on Wednesday. link

Slovenian Stock Indices Fall Slightly in Pre-Holiday Mood Dec 17, 2008, 17:30 CET | Story | SeeNews LJUBLJANA (Slovenia), December 17 (SeeNews) - The Slovenian stock indices fell for a fifth day running on Wednesday in light liquidity as investors headed into the holiday season, brokers said. link

Slovenia’s Banks Face Challenges But Benefit from Supportive Environment - Moody’s Dec 17, 2008, 15:46 CET | Analysis | SeeNews LJUBLJANA (Slovenia), December 17 (SeeNews) - The fundamental credit outlook for the Slovenian banking system is negative, reflecting the expected slowdown in the domestic economy over the coming months and the ongoing liquidity squeeze in international funding markets, Moody’s Investors Service said on Wednesday. link

Slovenian Spa Resort Operator Terme Catez Plans 10% Rise in 2009 Parent Net Profit Dec 17, 2008, 13:41 CET | Story | SeeNews LJUBLJANA (Slovenia), December 17 (SeeNews) - Slovenian spa resort operator Terme Catez plans a 10% rise in parent net profit next year to 4.4 million euro ($6.0 million) on the back of projected higher revenue, the company said on Wednesday. link

Slovenia’s Mercator Sees Lower Group Net Profit in 2008, 2009 Dec 17, 2008, 12:50 CET | Story | SeeNews LJUBLJANA (Slovenia), December 17 (SeeNews) - Slovenia’s largest food retailer Mercator sees an 8.0% fall in its group net profit this year and a further slide of 25% in 2009 due to hard economic conditions, the company said on Wednesday. link

Slovenian Statistical Office - External Trade Unit Value Indices - Q3 2008 - Dec 17, 2008 Dec 17, 2008, 10:40 CET | State Agencies Reports | AII Data Processing Ltd Compared to the third quarter of 2007, in the third quarter of 2008 external trade unit values, calculated from data in EUR, increased by 2.3% on the export side and by 6.9% on the import side. link

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