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The Regions This Week
December 8, 2017 www.intellinews.com I Page 6
Southeast Europe
Romania’s last king, Mihai I al Romaniei, died at
his Swiss residence at Aubonne, the royal family announced. Mihai I was one of the final surviving leaders that held office during the Second World War, and enjoyed strong support from the Roma- nian population despite abdicating in 1947.
Danish investment fund Polaris Capital manage- ment will take over Romania’s second-largest pork producer Premium Porc from DHC Interna- tional. The investor is expected to pay pay DKK1bn (€150mn) for Premium Porc.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reassured inves- tors that Turkey is not considering introducing capital controls. He was clarifying comments he made a day earlier in which he called on the cabi- net to block moves by “traitors” who try to move their assets abroad.
Workers from the Slovene Intelligence and Security Agency (SOVA) reportedly went on strike, demanding higher wages and better work- ing conditions. The move raised concerns, since part of SOVA employees’ role is to protect national security.
Bulgaria’s real GDP increased 3.9% y/y in the third quarter of 2017, accelerating from a revised 3.7% y/y growth in Q2, seasonally adjusted statis- tics office data showed. The Q3 reading matches the flash estimate released in November.
The Serbian government will take over €64mn of debt owed by state-owned gas monopoly Srbi- jagas and petrochemicals producer HIP-Petrohe- mija to oil company Naftna Industrija Srbije (NIS), majority owned by Russian Gazprom Neft. The two companies, as well as many others controlled by the state, have long been the largest burden on Serbia’s public finances.
Turkey's vehicle sales declined by 17.54% y/y
in November after registering a 10.5% y/y rise
in the previous month, the Turkish Automotive Distributors’ Association (ODD) reported. A total of 100,859 vehicles were sold in Turkey last month.
Kosovo's President Hashim Thaci has called for international missions to leave and complained that the EU is keeping the country isolated. How- ever, Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg said that the KFOR mission has no plans to leave Kosovo as it plays an important role in maintain- ing security and stability.
Bosnia moved one step closer towards unlocking funding from the IMF after the parliament’s lower chamber approved a set of legislation changes on December 7, allowing a hike in excise duties. In November, the fund gave Bosnia a tight deadline to meet all requirements to keep its three-year loan deal.
Croatian largest tourism company Valamar Riviera plans to invest €93.66mn. Valamar Rivi- era owns 30 hotels and resorts, and 13 campsites from Istria and the island of Krk to Dubrovnik, with a total capacity of more than 48,000 guests.
One person died and hundreds were evacuated
as floods hit large areas of Albania. Some of the worst hit areas are around the Vjosa river, but in- frastructure has been affected across the country, with ports and airports temporarily suspending services.
Kosovo could face an energy crisis early 2018
as a result of delays in the expropriation of land where a new coal mine is planned to be built, the AmCham Kosovo warned. Thermal power plants in the country are not operating in full capacity due to the lack of coal supplies.