Serbia offers incentives to computer engineers
13/02/2013
In a bid to draw 50,000 engineers, Serbia is offering grants and benefits. Also in business news: Cyprus needs to boost its fight against money laundering, Eurozone finance ministers said.
 Grants and tax incentives are part of the plan to draw computer engineers to Serbia. [AFP] |
Serbia plans to offer incentives to software firms in a bid to attract 50,000 engineers, Finance Minister Mladjan Dinkic said. He added the offer includes grants for start-up projects for as much as 25,000 euros, a cut in health and unemployment contribution and tax incentives for research and development activities.
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Bulgaria has become the largest net beneficiary in the EU since the bloc passed its 2014-2020 budget on February 8th. Under the deal, the country is in line to receive more than 15.2 billion euros in the form of EU financing. The sum is higher than previous payments it has obtained. The increase of more than 50 percent is bigger than that for any other EU country.
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Eurozone finance ministers on Monday (February 11th) insisted that Cyprus should take strong measures against money laundering before it gets a bailout from its international partners. A possible deal on an aid package will not be reached before the presidential elections on the island scheduled for February 17th.
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Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta has firmly rejected accusations of his country having a role in a scandal that broke out in France and the UK last week, involving the sale of horsemeat disguised as beef. The French firm, which supplied the meat, has said it was in its turn supplied by two abattoirs in Romania.
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Albania has declared an 850 million-euro winning offer from US-Albanian company Vetro Energy for state-controlled oil firm Albpetrol as invalid, after the latter failed to provide the initial 170 million-euro payment, Energy Minister Edmond Hazhinasto said February 8th. Chinese consortium Win Business, which offered 298m euros, will be the next firm to negotiate the deal.
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Azerbaijani businessmen are welcome to invest in Serbian infrastructure, energy, transport, construction and tourism, President Tomislav Nikolic told an Azeri-Serbian business forum in Baku on Saturday (February 9th). He mentioned a highly qualified workforce, beneficial geographical location, stimulating fiscal policy and stable legislation as some of the benefits his country offers.
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All imports of milk and dairy products into Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) will be possible only after laboratory confirmation of an analysis for the presence of mycotoxins, the Veterinary Service said on Monday (February 11th). The decision came after higher than permitted concentration of aflatoxin M1 was found in some shipments from Croatian producers Dukat and Vindija last week. The substance can be dangerous to human health due to its carcinogenic characteristics.
(Various sources -- 06/02/13-13/02/13)
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