Page 7 - bne_newspaper_February_01_2019

The Regions This Week
February 1, 2019 www.intellinews.com I Page 7
Central Europe
Latvia’s Public Procurement Monitoring Bureau has blocked Latvian passenger rail company Pasazieru Vilciens’ acquisition of 32 electric trains in a €225.3mn deal announced in November 2018. The move was made following appeals by two companies that participated in the tender, which was won by Spain’s Patentes Talgo.
The state of Hungary has acquired a 20% stake in Ozd Steelworks from Germany's Max Aicher group for a consideration of more than €30mn. Before the change of regime in 1990, Ozd used to be the bastion of the Hungarian steel industry.
The Czech pension system could fall into deficit by 2060; at the retirement age of 65, the deficit could reach 3.4% of Czech GDP in 2060. Spending would exceed income by CZK172bn (€6.67bn), according to an analysis on pension insurance issued by the Ministry of Labour.
The supervisory board of Estonia’s central bank, Eesti Pank, has shortlisted three candidates to become the new central bank governor after Ardo Hansson’s seven-year term expires on June 6. The candidates to replace Hansson are the central bank’s vice president Madis Muller, the head of Swedish Swedbank’s Estonian branch Robert Kitt and finance ministry deputy secretary general Marten Ross.
A former Polish MP and five officials from Poland’s defence ministry have been detained during an investigation into state-owned Polish Armaments Group (PZU). A statement from the Central Anticorruption Bureau said the investigation concerned “bringing Polish Armaments Group
S.A. to an unfavourable property disposition of significant value and bringing direct danger of causing material damage”.
Slovakia’s new water transport system Danubebus will use environmentally friendly ships. The planned inland passenger water transport system on the Danube River will run
between the southern municipalities of Kyselica, Vojka na Dunaji, the town of Samorin and the capital Bratislava.
The Hungarian National Bank (MNB) left the key rate on hold at 0.90% in line with consensus. The central bank said it was prepared for the gradual and cautious normalisation of monetary policy but signalled any tightening would start with adjustments to unconventional policy tools, before any changes to the base rate.
The European Commission approved the allocation of €44mn in co-financing for an underground storage project launched by Latvian Conexus Baltic Grid. The Incukalns Underground Gas Storage Facility is strategically important both
for Latvia and the Baltic region as, according to Conexus, it is the only functional storage in the Baltic countries, and therefore ensures the stability of regional gas supply.
Czech and Slovak energy companies received a €91.2mn grant for the ACON Smart Grid Intelligent Energy System from the European Commission. The grant will cover half the costs of the project initiated by Czech company E.ON Distribuce and the Slovak company Zapadoslovenska distribucna.
Poland’s largest railway freight operator
PKP Cargo will buy five multi-system Vectron locomotives in a deal worth almost PLN112mn (€26mn). PKP Cargo, which is the second largest railway freight operator in Europe, will use the locomotives on international routes in the north- south corridor.
Romania’s MedLife bought 51% of Hungary’s Rozsakert Medical Center Group. This is the first international acquisition by Romania’s largest private healthcare provider MedLife, which is consolidating its position and becoming one of the largest private healthcare providers in Central and Eastern Europe.