Serbia – Media Review – December 16

b92

- Serbia’s economic recovery requires moderate weakening of the dinar currency in order to boost exports, Belgrade-based Foundation for the Advancement of Economics (FREN) said. The dinar fell 2.0% against the euro between January and November, which could be expected in the current economic conditions, FREN economist Pavle Petrovic said. He added that the dinar will not weaken to the extent it did as an upshot of the global financial crisis. The Serbian currency has lost about 20% of its value since the end of the summer of 2008.

- Serbia’s gross domestic product (GDP) per capita totals 36% of the GDP average in the European Union when expressed through the purchasing power of the population, the bloc’s statistics office Eurostat said. Serbia’s 2006 GDP per capita was 33% of EU GDP average.

- Serbia can expect to receive between two and three billion euro per year in European Union funds once it joins the bloc, the country's EU Integration Minister Bozidar Djelic said. The funds will be used to support regional development programmes, human resources and agriculture.

POLITIKA

- Russia is interested in buying a majority stake in Croatian oil pipeline operator Janaf, unnamed sources close to the Russian government said. Russia’s Gazprom owns 51% of Serbia’s oil monopoly NIS.

($=0.6867 euro)