Competitiveness

The government is set to complete a detailed reform package to increase economic transparency in Turkey, Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan has told a group of economy reporters ahead of his visit to the United States.

BELGRADE - Jadranka Joksimovic, Serbia's minister without portfolio responsible for EU integration and national IPA coordinator, talked on Friday with Jean-Eric Paquet, director at the Directorate General for Enlargement of the European Commission, who voiced readiness to support the development of small and medium sized enterprises even more strongly.

By Yiannis Papadoyiannis

The chairman of National Bank of Greece warned on Thursday that political, economic and geopolitical risks pose a threat to the country’s recovery.

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaueble has to support or oppose Greek plans to exit the country's bailout at the end of the year, focusing instead on the country's need to continue reforming.

Premier Victor Ponta said on Wednesday that Romania has made efforts to meet a set of high standards, regarding primarily competitiveness and transparency, and that the Government plans to seek for Romania full membership of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Prime Minister Victor Ponta said at Margineni, the eastern Bacau county on Monday that the project on the public lighting by using sun energy to be implemented in the rural town is a first for Romania that 'can stimulate the development of an area of using the non-conventionally made electric power, still not tackled in Romania'.

Europe is finding it hard to discover a new economic structure to overcome the current crisis and to maintain the fundamental 'EU acquis' on freedom and democracy while keeping itself globally competitive and innovative

ARANDJELOVAC - The problem with the Serbian economy is mostly structural in nature as the manufacturing sector's share in the gross domestic product has been reduced, which resulted in a drop in the number of workers, Acting Director of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce Milivoje Miletic said on Friday, noting that the economy is also being plagued by poor productivity and competitiveness.

The increase of industrial production, the workforce with high productivity, but also the fact that the industry contributes by a third to GDP are just some of the minimal arguments for reaching the tactical objective "Romania - industrial center of Eastern Europe", prime minister's counsellor Cristian Socol said in a release sent to AGERPRES on Tuesday.

Greece has returned from the brink of collapse, said Prime Minister Antonis Samaras Monday, while lauding the country’s ability to keep going through the damaging effects of the crisis.

“There will be no Weimar scenario for Greece... Greece is back,” Samaras said in a speech at the Democracy Under Pressure forum organized by Kathimerini and the International New York Times.