Public sphere

Cyprus aims to launch the privatization process for state telecoms company Cyta by May in inviting potential bidders to submit nonbinding expressions of interest, the island?s privatization commissioner said on Friday.

Constantinos Herodotou told a business conference the target date for the completion of the process, which will be in three phases, was the end of 2015.

The Turkish privatization board has announced a new development plan for the Kalam?? Yacht Marina on the Asian side of Istanbul on March 20, just after the winner of the original tender, Koç Holding?s Tek-Art, had said it would not sign the deal as the promised development plan had not be published.

"Most media not contributing to informing citizens"

BELGRADE -- Most media content does not serve to "raise the level of general informedness of the Serbian citizens," Miroslav Milicevic said on Wednesday.

The Anti-Corruption Council vice president was addressing a session of the Parliamentary Committee on Culture and Information,

BELGRADE - Most media content does not serve the function of raising the level of general informedness of the Serbian citizens, Anti-Corruption Council Vice President Miroslav Milicevic said on Wednesday.

By Sotiris Nikas

Six companies bid to manage steel plant

SMEDEREVO -- A total of seven companies applied to manage public enterprise Zelezara Smederevo, but only six of them sent their official bids for a contract.

This was announced on Saturday by Bojan Bojkovic, executive director of the only Serbian steelmaker.

BELGRADE- A total of seven companies applied to manage public enterprise Zelezara Smederevo, but only six of them sent their official bids for a contract, Bojan Bojkovic, executive director of the only Serbian steelworks, said Saturday.

KOPAONIK - Businessmen in Serbia are very interested in public-private partnership (PPP), according to participants in the 22th edition of the Kopaonik Business Forum.

BELGRADE - Serbia's Minister of Finance Dusan Vujovic has said that the budget surplus recorded in January and February was based on higher revenue and lower expenditure.

Revenue went up thanks to VAT collection and excise taxes, but also because of non-tax revenue that includes dividends paid by government companies, he told Radio and Television of Serbia on Wednesday.

Several thousand demonstrators in Cyprus called on Wednesday for an end to government austerity policies which they say have driven many in the bailed-out country to poverty.

Wednesday?s protest ? a day ahead of a European Central Bank meeting on the island on Thursday ? urged for more spending on job creation policies as opposed to cuts to reduce debt.