(MIA) - Czech journalists are paying September 3-8 visit to Macedonia aimed at acquainting with its tourism potentials, MIA reports from Prague.

Journalists will visit Ohrid, Struga, Galicica, Mavrovo and Skopje. The visit is organised by the economic promoter of the Macedonian Agency for Foreign Investments for Czech Republic and Slovakia, Danco Vidov and of the Agency for Promotion and Support to Tourism in the country.

 

- The goal is to prepare a terrain and to arouse interest of the Czech tourists for Macedonia and finally the country to be included in the tourist map of the Czech tour operators, Danco Vidov told MIA.

 (MIA) - Macedonia to invest in education and in new technology if it wants to have strong and successful economy and to direct its efforts not towards attracting investments but also towards opening new markets aimed at larger export, members of the Board of Directors of Macedonia 2025 Mike Zafirovski, Emil Hristov, Robert Arsov, Aleks Kormusov and Mitre Kutanovski recommended Wednesday.

They assessed that Macedonia moves in right direction however still much has to be done.

- A real action is needed for economic development. The country notes progress in several sphere in the past four years, but efforts for improvement of the conditions must continue, Zafirovski said, adding that one of the key problems is still the high unemployment rate.

Macedonia has to show the potential investors that it has personnel and infrastructure, he added.

 

According to Board of Directors foreign companies due to global crisis limited the investments and are still facing with challenges as a result of the crisis.

Hristov, Arsov, Kormusov, Kutanovski and Zafirovski who are successful businessmen in the US Wednesday had working meeting with officials of the home companies. Board of Directors with suggestions, advises and proposals will help the companies from the country in the sphere of conquering new markets, attracting investments, development of IT and globalisation of business.

Board of Directors is scheduled to meet Thursday with PM Nikola Gruevski and other government’s officials.

(MIA) - From 21 June to 20 June the Food Directorate inspectors conducted over 1,000 controls at food production and trade facilities, which resulted in destruction of 53,128 kg of various products.

In order to protect consumers and prevent massive food poisoning the Directorate will continue to inspect food production, trading and catering facilities throughout the country, the institution said Tuesday in a press release.

Macedonia introduced the Hazard Analysis of Critical Control Points (HACCP) food protection system last January. Under HACCP, all food merchants, producers and restaurants must comply with safety regulations governing the sale, service and preparation of food.

(MIA) - The Consumer Price Index, by Coicop classification, in July 2010 in comparison with June 2010, decreased by 0.4%.

According to the State Statistical Office data, the Consumer Price Index, measured by prices of goods and services for personal consumption, in July 2010, in comparison with June 2010, was 99.6, while in comparison with July 2009, it was 101.5.

Analyzed by main groups of intended use, in July 2010, compared with June 2010, a decrease has been registered in the groups: Food and non alcoholic beverages by 1.3%, Clothing and footwear by 0.6% and Transport by 0.4%.

An increase of the Consumer Price Index was registered in the following groups: Recreation and culture by 1.7%, Health by 1.4%, Miscellaneous goods and services by 0.4%, Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels, Furnishings, household equipment and routine maintenance of the house and Restaurants and hotels by 0.1%.

The indices of the groups: Alcoholic beverages, tobacco, Communication and Education remained at the same level as in the previous month.

 (MIA) - The Government has extended the deadline for import of vehicles meeting the Euro 1 standard up to September 30. The timeframe of six years for import of Euro 2 eco-standard vehicles is still in force, said Economy Minister Fatmir Besimi on Thursday.

"The provision has yielded enormous effects and a number of citizens have renewed their car pool", stressed Minister Besimi.

Referring to the measure's effect on the importers of new vehicles, Besimi said it did not pose competition to them.

"Euro 1 standard vehicles are registered in EU countries, which demonstrates that we are not doing anything different from the European trend", underlined Besimi.

(MIA) - Subsidizing the wine export, distillation is among measures the Government has been planning in order to grant assistance to the viniculture sector.

The situation in this sector has been additionally complicated by the large reserves of wine, namely the produced quantity was remained unsold due to the global economic downturn.

The Government intervened once by providing favorable loans for wine producers, but it only partially solved the problem, Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski told reporters on Thursday.

- The Government is now making new analyses how it may help further. They are not completed, but subsidies for wine export and distillation are being considered, Gruevski said.

He expressed satisfaction with overall results of the agricultural sector. This year has been rather good, especially for the tobacco and wheat, the PM said.

(MIA) - The deadline for import of vehicles meeting the Euro 1 standard expires on Thursday. All citizens that have already imported such vehicles should speed up the procedure for their legalization, otherwise they will not be able to register them with Macedonian plates.

In the next six years, only vehicles meeting the Euro 2 eco-standard can be imported in the country.

According to information from the Customs Administration, over 31,000 vehicles with foreign register plates have completed the customs procedure thus far.

(MIA) - Funds for construction of railway section from Kumanovo to Bulgaria are to be provided by the end of 2011 and start of 2012, MIA reports from Sofia.

"I hope we can provide these funds in 2011, followed by construction and reconstruction of Corridor 8 railway network", said Minister of Transport and Communications Mile Janakieski after Friday's meeting with Bulgarian counterpart Aleksandar Tsvetkov.

A feasibility and environment effect studies are to be developed by mid-September, for which the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has provided Euro 500,000.

"This is the first step towards securing funds for construction of Corridor 8, primarily to Bulgaria and afterwards Albania", added Janakieski.

The meeting with Tsvetkov also tackled liberalization of railway traffic in Bulgaria, where ten companies are currently operating at the market, as well as gasification and air traffic.

Minister Janakieski briefed his Bulgarian colleague on the country's progress in the sector of road concessions. Interlocutors also agreed on reactivating mixed working groups for experience exchange.

Corridor 8 also acts as a link of Bari port in Italy and Bulgarian ports Bourgas and Varna. The total railway length in Macedonia amounts to 313km, of which 154km are existent (Kicevo-Kumanovo), whereas 2,5km are to be built in Bulgaria.

Macedonia, Bulgaria and Albania have signed a memorandum on joint lobbying before international financial institutions, in order to provide the required funds for completion of the railway section of this trans-European corridor.