Economy

Croatia in recession looks to the Middle East

18/01/2012 -  Drago Hedl Osijek

Zoran Milanović's new executive is facing one of Croatia's most economically difficult periods, in its fourth consecutive year of recession. While taxes and contributions increase, Zagreb is thinking of attracting investors from the Middle East

Corruption and oil in Azerbaijan

13/01/2012 -  XXX* Baku

In tune with the ambitious anti-corruption campaign launched by Azeri president Ilham Aliyev last spring, more and more initiatives for transparency in the oil sector have appeared. Despite a lack of big scandals, some journalists have reported concrete corruption cases in which bribes did not come in the form of cash, but in bids and contracts

SEEP and the Three Musketeers

03/01/2012 -  Arzu Geybullayeva

The consortium controlling Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz gas field should decide by April 2012 which pipeline will take its gas to Europe once Shah Deniz II becomes fully operational in 2017. There are three established candidates and a late newcomer supported by BP. Who will win the contract? And what about Cardinal Richelieu?

Istanbul and Slow Food. A soul of waves and salt

29/12/2011 -  Francesco Martino Istanbul

In Istanbul, the lüfer ("bluefish" in English) is not just a species of fish. It symbolises the connection between the city, its sea and its history. Unfortunately, this symbol may now disappear because of unregulated fishing. Therefore, the Slow Food convivium Fikir Sahibi Damaklar responds with a ruler, asking for fishing to be limited to adult bluefish.

Kosovo: the unnecessary highway that could bankrupt Europe’s poorest state

02/12/2011 -  Andrea Lorenzo Capussela

Kosovo is building a four-lane highway to connect the country with Albania: it will cost one billion Euro, 25% of Kosovo's 2010 budget. According to Andrea Capussela, former Head of the ICO economics unit, the project is financially unsustainable, marked by non-transparent procurement procedures and may end up sending the country into bankruptcy

Azerbaijan, where oil is not transparent

07/12/2011 -  XXX* Baku

Thanks to its energy resources, Azerbaijan experienced for years one of the world’s highest GDP growth rates (+35% in 2006). A sovereign fund was established to manage these windfall revenues. International initiatives in favour of transparency keep an eye on the country’s main oil and gas company. Yet, opacity and corruption seem to be in the lead when oil wealth is spent rather than when it is accumulated

Agricultural policies in South East Europe: which ones?

09/08/2011 -  Matteo Vittuari

A step by step analysis of the agricultural development policies in South East Europe: from the process of collectivisation in the 40s, to the much reduced production capacity during the conflicts of the 90s, up to the agricultural models linked to the European Union

Slow food. On grass and transhumance in Western Macedonia

16/09/2011 -  Francesco Martino Mavrovo

Mavrovo, Western Macedonia. On these mountains, the Balkans’ continental and Mediterranean climates meet, giving birth to incredibly rich and unique pastures. This is why, throughout the centuries, this region has specialised in transhumance sheep breeding and cheese production. A slow food presidium that will make its first international appearance today at the Cheese fair in Bra, Cuneo, Italy.

To be an entrepreneur Serbia. Mission impossible?

31/08/2011 -  Risto Karajkov

When institutions are inefficient or corrupt and there is a lack of legal certainty, it's difficult to do business. Even harder for small companies. An interview with Žarko Milisavljević, president of the Association of Small and Medium-Size Enterprises and Entrepreneurs in Serbia

Balkan organic produce hits the trade fairs

14/06/2011 -  Matteo Vittuari

The growth of organic agriculture in the Balkans is inevitably tied to an increase in consumer awareness. Trade fairs in this sector therefore become an indispensable medium. Something has started to move. An interview

Balkan SMEs: lagging behind in EU eco-innovation opportunities

11/08/2011 -  Risto Karajkov Skopje

It's not a question of great inventions. What is required is the capacity to use existing technologies in an innovative and environmentally-friendly way. EU funds are now also available for SMEs in the Balkans, but proposals are not yet flooding in

Big Mac vs. ćevapi

29/07/2011 -  Massimo Moratti

After a long series of attempts, the first McDonald’s of Bosnia and Herzegovina opens in Sarajevo. What follows are the declarations from the American Ambassador, the reactions from Sarajevans and the welcome by the ćevapčići chain “Mrkva

Bosnia Herzegovina: grass-roots organic production

06/05/2011 -  Matteo Vittuari

The organic sector in Bosnia Herzegovina is based on grass-roots initiatives by civil society and private citizens able to overcome institutional impasses. Our seventh report on organic agriculture in South East Europe

Kosovo: PTK or how not to manage a public company

07/07/2011 -  Andrea Lorenzo Capussela

PTK, the Kosovan pubblic telephone company, has seen its proceeds and earnings collapse. Andrea Capussela, ex-director of the economics unit of ICO explains the controversial Dardafon operation to Obc. Eulex is now investigating, but the problem of lack of responsibility remains.

Agriculture and rural areas in the Western Balkans: status update

14/07/2011 -  Matteo Vittuari

It’s a crutial sector of the Western Balkans economy. Just as much as it’s important it’s also been neglected during the transitional years. A broad review of the agriculture and rural areas on this side of Southeastern Europe

Macedonia discovering a green economy

07/04/2011 -  Matteo Vittuari

Not much, but something is moving. In Macedonia organic agriculture is gaining ground. The legislative framework matches European standards and funds are growing. Yet, a lot remains to be done. The sixth part of our investigation into organic agriculture in South East Europe

Mind the Gap: Micro Enterprises and ICT in Macedonia

16/06/2011 -  Risto Karajkov

ICT is fundamental for enterprise productivity. In Macedonia, statistics on its use are weak. For an effective government strategy a much more accurate data collection system is needed

Is Greece going to be saved by China?

20/06/2011 -  Gilda Lyghounis

Greece has not emerged from its economic crisis. If the European Union stops signing " blank cheques” in order to save Greece, many Greeks will start hoping that China soon becomes a lifebuoy to keep them afloat. In the meantime, economic relations between Athens and Bejing keep increasing at a very fast pace, even if relations between the two countries has some friction

Serbia, learning about cheeses

21/04/2011 -  Francesco Martino Pirot

The "pirotski kačkavalj" is much more than a mere cheese, it is the symbol of ancient traditions and an integrated economy that has shaped the Pirot region, in South Serbia, for centuries. A symbol currently at risk, due to emigration from the area and economic difficulties, but one which the students of the local "Mlekarska Škola" are trying to preserve

Slovenia: the partisan's Euro

12/04/2011 -  Stefano Lusa Koper

The five point star has returned to European coins over twenty years after the fall of the Berlin wall. Slovenia has just issued a million coins for two euro dedicated to a legendary partisan commander, Franc Rozman

Romania, emigrants don't go home

25/03/2011 -  Cornel Ban

In the past years, for many Romanians (mainly from rural areas) emigration represented an opportunity for economic and social redemption. Today, the world economic crisis has changed people's perspectives, but going back to Romania does not look like a likely choice and the future is full of uncertainties

Georgia: inflation pushing farmers into debt trap

25/03/2011 -  Molly Corso

Hit by low harvest yields and double-digit inflation, hundreds of Georgia’s 700,000 small-scale farmers are confronting the start of the spring planting season without the money to purchase seeds. From EurasiaNet

Transnational networks and state-building in the Balkans

03/02/2011 -  Denisa Kostovicova, Vesna Bojicic-Dzelilovic

Informality allows people to change their immediate circumstances for the better, but it locks the state and society in a vicious circle of reproduction of a weak state, promising insecurity for the majority and prosperity for the few. From openDemocracy

Korça, Bazaar of the Serenades

31/01/2011 -  Marjola Rukaj Tirana

Korça is an Albanian town on the borders of Albania, Greece and Macedonia. It is known for its bazaar which unfortunately is now in a semi-abandonned state. This article continues our in-depth analysis of markets with Ottoman origins in the Balkans

Kosovo: A Difficult Year Ahead

27/01/2011 -  Francesco Martino

The election in Kosovo was expected to produce a strong government, capable of entering into new negotiations with Serbia and restarting the economy. Instead, election irregularities and the criminal allegations against Hashim Thaci make the job of the new government very difficult

Organic Montenegro: a lost chance?

16/12/2010 -  Matteo Vittuari

Despite strong efforts, educational campaigns, and the commitment of some NGOs, the organic sector is struggling to expand in Montenegro. Low skills and lack of public support hamper its progress. Here is the fifth part of OBC's analysis of organic agriculture in South East Europe

Romania, good news from a lost decade

19/01/2011 -  Cornel Ban

In the last decade, Romania has been a reliable source for seekers of bad news for the international media. Nevertheless, through the thicket of bad news, the country has also seen some brighter developments in the economy, in politics and in human development

Small Bosnian enterprise

02/02/2011 -  Andrea Rossini Zenica, Žepče, Sarajevo

The state of the economy in Bosnia and Herzegovina: the case of small and medium-sized enterprises in the Zenica-Doboj canton, the country's industrial and agricultural sectors, and the hard chase after European funds. Our reportage

Kruja, the Bazaar saved by the regime

23/12/2010 -  Marjola Rukaj Kruja, Albania

Having survived for thousands of years, nearly disappeared at the beginning of the 20th Century and been brought back to life during the regime, the Bazaar of Derexhik in Kruja, Albania, is today a boutique for tourists. Despite the loss of traditions, unregulated urban growth and rampant globalisation, it continues to survive in its true spirit

Bosnia-Herzegovina: the Krivaja life

27/12/2010 -  Andrea Rossini Zavidovići, Sarajevo

From socialism to war, from war to market economy. The transition of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the history of a giant industrial kombinat, Zavidovići's Krivaja. The winners and the losers of privatisations, 15 years later