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ATCI: Albanian Times, 97-09-15
Albanian Times
Vol. 3, No. 2 September 1997
CONTENTS
[01] Parliament Approves Tax Hike
[02] EU Pledges Albania 110m ECU
[03] ICRC to End Aid to Albania
[04] Albanian Migrants' Legalisation by September 98
[05] Albania PM Nano Invited by Washington
[06] Albanian Minister Agrees to Dialogue on Emigrants
[07] European Investment Bank to Give Albania 50m ECU
[08] Greece Gives Albania $70 Million in Aid
[09] Albania Oil-extraction Capacities to Triple in Five Years
[01] Parliament Approves Tax Hike
TIRANA, Sept 16 - Albania's parliament raised value added tax (VAT) on
Tuesday and introduced a new way of levying excise taxes after a punch-up
between rival deputies. Finance Minister Arben Malaj, who introduced the
bill to raise VAT to 20 percent from 12.5 percent, was heckled by
opposition Democratic Party MPs, including former president Sali Berisha,
who banged their hands on their tables as he spoke. Malaj told the
parliament that excise taxes would not be raised but importers would have
to pay excise stamps immediately and not when the goods were imported. The
budget deficit might reach 50 billion leks by end-1997, and inflation,
currently running at an annual 32.71 percent, could shoot to around 54
percent, he said. "We have undertaken this fiscal package which seems to
have inflationary effects at first sight but in reality it will lower
inflation to the level of 20 percent in 1998," Malaj added. The new tax
package, to come into force on October 1, is one of the conditions in the
letter of intent Albania will sign with the International Monetary Fund,
Malaj said.
[02] EU Pledges Albania 110m ECU
BRUSSELS, Sept 11 - The European Union has pledged ECU110 m (more than
$130m) to Albania for the next two years, the president of the European
Commission Jacques Santer said after meeting with the Albanian Prime
Minister, Fatos Nano in Brussels on Thursday. Santer praised the willingness
of the international financial institutions to help in the reconstruction
of Albania and the initiative to hold a donors' conference for Albania
scheduled in October in Brussels.
[03] ICRC to End Aid to Albania
TIRANA, Sept 10 - The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said
on Wednesday the last phase of its emergency assistance to Albania,
Europe's poorest nation, was reaching an end. ``For the ICRC the last phase
of the emergency assistance is reaching an end,'' a ICRC statement released
in Tirana said. ``The medical (assistance) will conclude its activities by
the end of September whereas the relief plan is to finish distribution to
the most needy people by the end of October,'' it said. Since May, ICRC and
ARC distributed 67 metric tonnes of food, pasta, vegetable cans, jam, sugar,
flour and potatoes, to a total 37 elderly, handicapped and psychiatric
institutions. A total of 48,993 kg of basic medical supplies have been
distributed to all districts of Albania.
[04] Albanian Migrants' Legalisation by September 98
ATHENS - Illegal immmigrants, including Albanians, will be able to apply
for temporary residence permits but the conditional legalisation process
will be implemented in one rather than two phases. "We decided that for
practical and political reasons (the legalisation process) should be
uniform," Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas said. The announcement
was made after the Greek cabinet met to approve draft legislation aimed at
regulating the status of the estimated 500,000 illegal migrants in Greece.
Briefing reporters on the cabinet decision, Reppas raised an even more
troublesome point as he indicated the government may be considering
limiting the number of migrants to be legalised. "The total number has not
been decided," he said.
[05] Albania PM Nano Invited by Washington
TIRANA, Sept 12 - Albanian Prime Minister Fatos Nano will travel to
Washington in two weeks for talks with U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine
Albright on bilateral relations, his office said on Friday. A spokesman
said Nano would meet Albright on September 26 at her invitation "to discuss
the strengthening of bilateral relations". Efforts to restor e normality in
Albania and imperative need for foreign aid to the country will be the main
topics of discussion in the agenda of the meeting with Albright. In the
course of the visit Nano will also meet other American senior officials.
The prime minister recently completed a tour to Austria, Brussels and
Luxembourg as part of a diplomatic offensive to anchor Albania firmly
within European democratic institutions.
[06] Albanian Minister Agrees to Dialogue on Emigrants
TIRANA, Sept 11 - Albanian Minister for Employment and Emigration, Elmaz
Sherifi, praised the statement of Italian Premier, Romano Prodi, who has
invited the Albanian government to dialogue with Italy to find a final
solution to the migration issue. "Prodi's request to come to an agreement
with the Albanian government about this issue expressed the good will of
the Italian government to solve the problem and I totally agree with it,"
Sherifi said. Prodi has warned the Albanian government that no Italian
investment will be made in Albania until illegal emigrant traffic is put an
end.
[07] European Investment Bank to Give Albania 50m ECU
LUXEMBOURG, Sept 11 - The European Investment Bank (EIB) is preparing to
grant Albania 50m ECU ($60m), once the reconstruction program of the
Albanian government is put to implementation. "Our bank possesses ECU 50m,
ready to be delivered and the projects have been completed," EIB's
president told Albanian Prime Minister Fatos Nano in Luxembourg. A team
from the European investment Bank will discuss the projects next week in
Tirana.
[08] Greece Gives Albania $70 Million in Aid
ATHENS, Sept 11 - Greece will give Albania $70 million in aid to help
rebuild its shattered economy and looks forward to closer cooperation with
its Balkan neighbour, Greek Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos said on
Friday. Pangalos held talks with visiting new Albanian Foreign Minister
Paskal Milo and later told reporters $7 million would be given as free aid
and $63 million in the form of a low interest loan for public works in
Albania. He said Greece would also help Albania restructure its armed
forces. "We expect that by the end of September most weapons will be
collected by state authorities," Milo said. "We call on investors who left
Albania to return. Order has been restored and we guarantee their safety,"
Milo said. Milo thanked Greece for plans to legalise almost a half million
immigrant workers (mostly Albanians) by this time next year. Greek Prime
Minister Costas Simitis will pay an official visit to Albania on October 15,
to be followed by a visit to Athens of the new Albanian President Rexhep
Meidani.
[09] Albania Oil-extraction Capacities to Triple in Five Years
TIRANA, Sept 11 - British "Premier Oil" will increase its investments in
Albania and predicts Albania's oil-extraction capacities to triple within
the next 5 years. "Premier Oil" has invested about $20 million in Albania
and company officials say the investments would reach a level of about $240
million within 5 years.
This material was reprinted with permission of AlbAmerica Trade and
Consulting International (ATCI). For more information on ATCI and the
Albanian Times, please write to AlbaTimes@aol.com.
Copyright © ATCI, 1998
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