Business: Albanians reel from price hikes
11/02/2011
Everything from vegetables to cigarettes has cost more in recent weeks. Also in business news: Serbian imports to Kosovo amounted to 225m euros in 2010.
 Vegetable prices rose 4%. [Reuters] |
Basic consumer goods in Albania registered a hike in January, the Institute of Statistics announced on Wednesday (February 9th). The index of prices shows that vegetable prices went up by 4%, while the price of cigarettes increased by 10.6%. The hike is believed to be caused by higher fuel costs.
***
Technical talks between an IMF mission and Serbian officials on the seventh review of Serbia's 2.9 billion-euro stand-by agreement started on Thursday (February 10th). The official talks between the government and the IMF representatives will begin on Monday. Serbia's agreement with the Fund expires in April.
***
Bosnia and Herzegovina called a tender on February 7th to build the infrastructure needed to switch from analogue to digital television. The bidding deadline expires in 48 days. The project is expected to cost more than 25m euros.
***
Serbian Energy Minister Petar Skundric and visiting Slovak Economy Minister Juraj Miskov signed an agreement Tuesday (February 8th) on co-operation in the construction of the Aleksandrovac-Novi Pazar-Tutin gas pipeline. The 45m-euro pipeline, with a capacity of 100,000 cubic metres per hour, should be completed by 2013.
***
Only one bid was filed for Croatia's 3.Maj shipyard at its third public tender, which expired on February 2nd. The offer was from Jadranska Ulaganja, a local company owned by businessman Danko Koncar.
***
Serbian imports to Kosovo amounted to 225m euros in 2010, the Kosovo Customs Agency announced on Tuesday (February 8th). Serbian products are officially imported by 1,000 Kosovo-registered companies, but business associations say the amount of gray market imports -- conducted via porous borders in the north -- is much higher.
***
The Romanian cabinet will eliminate the regulation of electricity and natural gas prices between 2013 and 2015, Prime Minister Emil Boc said on Monday (February 7th). The finance and labour ministries will have to analyse and establish protections for vulnerable consumers because the process will lead to price increases, officials said.
(Various sources -- 04/02/11-11/02/11)
Email to a friend
Print Version 
Reportage
Human rights violations continue in the region, according to a recent report by Amnesty International.
We welcome your comments on SETimes's articles.
It is our hope that you will use this forum to interact with other readers across Southeast Europe. In order to keep this experience interesting, we ask you to follow the rules outlined in the comments policy. By submitting comments, you are consenting to these rules. While SETimes.com encourages discussion on all subjects, including sensitive ones, the comments posted are solely the views of those submitting them. SETimes.com does not necessarily endorse or agree with the ideas, views, or opinions voiced in these comments. SETimes.com welcomes constructive discussion but discourages the use of copy-pasted materials, unaccompanied links and one-line slogans. This is a moderated forum. Comments deemed abusive, offensive, or those containing profanity may not be published.
SETimes's Comments Policy