Bosnia and Herzegovina - Media Review – December 14

NEZAVISNE NOVINE

- The Belgrade-Sarajevo train resumed traffic for the first time after 18 years on Sunday. The wars in ex-Yugoslavia had stopped the train and its return symbolizes the restoration of relations between Bosnian and Serbian people who fought each other in the war.

DNEVNI AVAZ

- Insurer Jahorina Osiguranje sees a 20% growth in premiums to more than 20 million marka this year and expects to grow by a further 40% in 2010, its director Miroslav Miskic said. The company plans to introduce life insurance services next year and expand its network to Bosnia’s Muslim-Croat Federation. It has hired 44 new employees this year. Vienna Insurance Group is the majority owner of the company, which is based in the Serb Republic.

CAPITAL.BA

- Bosnia will cut further import duties on European Union goods as of January 1, 2010 as part of a trade agreement between the two sides. Following the agreement going into force on July 1, 2008 the duty rates on a significant number of agricultural productions have decreased to 75% of starting rates, while as January 1, 2010 they will fall to 50% of starting rates.

- The Serb Republic parliament will debate the Republic’s 1.6 billion marka draft 2010 budget on Tuesday.

(1 euro=1.95583 marka)