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The Regions This Week
March 2, 2018 www.intellinews.com I Page 7
Southeast Europe
The ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) is expected to win the March 4 local election in Belgrade. The fractured opposition has been una- ble to make headway against the SNS in the tough and dirty fight for control of the capital, which is seen as a bellwether for the political mood in the country as a whole.
Romania’s National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) reported another record year. The number of cases completed by prosecutors from the DNA — whose head Laura Codruta Kovesi is under increasing pressure from the ruling coalition — increased by 16.5% y/y to more than 3,800 in 2017.
The statue of Alexander the Great was removed from Macedonia's Skopje airport. The Macedo- nian government has already renamed the airport as it seeks to improve relations with Greece and thereby unblock its EU accession path.
Serbia’s “sugar king” Miodrag Kostic upped his stake in Slovenia’s Portoroz airport. Kostic, who started out mainly in agrobusiness, has increas- ingly been investing into the tourism sector in Serbia and the Balkan region.
Bosnia submitted answers to its European Com- mission questionnaire, taking it a step closer to achieving EU accession candidate status. Aside from Kosovo, Bosnia is the only state in the region that does not yet have candidate status, but hopes to gain it this year.
The trial over the collapse of Bulgaria’s Corpbank finally started. Proceedings had been repeatedly delayed as the bank’s majority shareholder business- man Tsvetan Vassilev fled to Serbia after its collapse and claimed not to have received his indictment.
Bosnian war veterans blocked roads, demanding additional benefits and a register to defend the rights of genuine veterans. Roads were blocked for several days in Sarajevo and parts of the Bos- nian Federation.
Slovenian Finance Minister Mateja Vranicar Erman called for more focus on public finances as public sector workers plan to hold a new strike for higher salaries. There have been a series
of strikes by teachers and other public sector workers recently, and these are expected to increase as the June general election approaches.
Tourist numbers continued their steady rise in Slovenia in 2017. 13% more tourist arrivals were recorded in the country, which has benefitted from a higher profile thanks to the “Melania Trump effect” – the US first lady is from Slovenia.
Albanian police seized 613 kg of cocaine at the port of Durres. The drugs, which have a market value of €180mn, arrived in a banana shipment from Colombia.
Romania’s state-controlled natural gas trans- port operator Transgaz took over Moldova’s Vestmoldtransgaz. The Moldovan company is the operator of the gas interconnector with Romania and will also build the key connection towards Chisinau, which will end the country's dependence on Russian gas.
The EBRD launched an online regional investment platform for the Western Balkans. The platform, which will serve as one-stop shop for investors, is aimed at facilitating market access and raising the region’s attractiveness to investors, the EBRD said.
Production resumed at Macedonian ferro-nickel producer Feni. GSOL, part of Switzerland-based investment company FOS Asset Management, recently leased bankrupt Feni’s equipment and bought 700 employees back to work.
Kosovo’s parliament delayed ratifying its bor- der demarcation deal with Montenegro. Pristina needs to pass the deal to secure visa free travel to the EU for its citizens.