Economy

Just recently the Ministry of Finance issued 5-year external debt in euro, with annual coupon of 4,25% and annual yield of 4,436%. The total value of the issue was EUR 950 million, while the submitted bids stood at over EUR 6 billion. The issue was oversubscribed in just 30 minutes from hitting the screens and […]

In Bulgaria, during the years 2000-2009, there has been an increase from 21% to 46% in the employment rate of people aged 55-64 years old.

Bouncer Ottmar Issing. ECB once again kept Greece in the game. Will the next five-year plan be merrier? Briefly today. Pandas are on holidays and without Angela Merkel who is having a rest and German Minister of Finance, Wolfgang Schauble, not much is going on in Europe. Mario Monti, Italian Prime Minister, informed Germans that […]

Central banks still don’t provide monetary opium, how long will the current illusions last without it? New taxes and economic growth. Milton Friedman would be 100 years old. Crisis is 5 years old. Last week we challenged the governor of the ECB Mario Draghi, who promised the moon to the markets, to stop talking and to […]

The Ministry of Economy finally published the eagerly-awaited plan for amendments to the Law on Protection of Competition (LPC). The newly proposed texts in the LPC are, for all points and purposes, a reaction to the ‘drama’ between the suppliers and the supermarket chains. It is no secret to anyone that the government feels compelled […]

During the past decade Slovakia used to be called a tiger in the middle of Europe. We have earned this nickname because we implemented transparent tax system with lower rates which in combination with relatively cheap labor attracted many large investors. But big corporations were not the only companies who came here to set up […]

When is going to happen the next Slovak cabinet billion-worth meeting? Is Draghi tough because Angela is on hliday? Will be two Greek bankrupts within six months a new European or Olympic record? What a week! When it come to euro crisis, there is no silly time for sure. For example, how many Slovak cabinet meetings, during […]

Since regaining independence some twenty years ago Latvia, a small, open economy has been tormented by three economic crises: first one resulting from the economic transition (institutional change from centrally planned to free market economy), second, in 1998, being transmitted from Russia, and the last one being part of the recent global recession. Despite these […]

In our today’s trips around the Mediterranean we can watch how Greeks try to sell, Spaniards try to borrow and Italians try to stay inconspicuous. We will also have

During the recent years the EU has been trying, via regulations of the EU Commission, to prevent people from consuming harmful food. The EU Commission thus produces legislation regulating food market and many of them, such as extensive law regulating gummy bears or the legislation stating “proper” shape of cucumber are nowadays taken by citizens […]