World Bank

BELGRADE- Serbia's economic growth will certainly be higher than forecast by certain international financial institutions since in 2015 all electric energy potentials will be used at full capacity, and it is expected that a surplus in the domain of agriculture, new foreign investments and cuts in subsidies to public companies will be recorded, said Vladimir Krulj, economic advisor to the minist

"Serbia expects WB support in reform projects"

VIENNA -- Serbia is conducting a three-year fiscal consolidation program and expects support from the World Bank (WB) in a number of reform projects.

This was announced by Serbian Finance Minister Dusan Vujovic on Tuesday, at the Central and Eastern European Forum 2015, a Euromoney conference taking place in Vienna.

VIENNA- Serbia is conducting a three-year fiscal consolidation program and expects support from the World Bank (WB) in a number of reform projects, Serbian Finance Minister Dusan Vujovic said Tuesday at the Central and Eastern European Forum 2015, a Euromoney conference taking place in Vienna.

BELGRADE - Positive economic growth is expected this year throughout the region, with the exception of Serbia, whose gross domestic product is projected to drop by 0.5%, according to the World Bank's latest South East Europe Regular Economic Report.

Representatives of the Bulgarian government and business gather at their ninth annual meeting on Tuesday to discuss the restoration of the country on the path of economic growth.

This year more than 250 executive directors of the largest firms in Bulgaria as well as foreign investors have confirmed their participation at the conference, electronic daily Dnevnik reports.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) stood by its estimates of Romania's economic growth in 2014 (2.6 percent) and 2015 (2.8) in a report released on Monday, in which it drastically adjusted down the estimates for its target region.

Photo credit: (c) CRISTIAN NISTOR / AGERPRES FLOW

Good governance in Romania includes civil society

NGOs have expertise to assist authorities in the battle against corruption, analysts say.

Romania joined the EU in 2007, and is still facing scrutiny from the Union on corruption. [AFP]

Bulgaria's Deputy Prime Minister Meglena Kuneva announced that the country should follow Romania's example if it wants to tackle corruption successfully.

Kuneva said this after meeting Romania's Chief Prosecutor of the National Anticorruption Directorate Laura Kovesi and the President of the National Integrity Agency Horia Georgescu, private bTV station reports.

Questions BIRN sent World Bank's Headquarters in Washington on January 12:

1.    How did the World Bank establish that this tender was transparent? Whose expertise provided the basis for the statement of Vesna Kostic, the World Bank's spokesperson?

The World Bank has stonewalled Balkan Investigative Reporting Network's attempts to secure the bank's review of the bidding process carried out by Serbia's state-owned electricity provider, EPS.

Key points from BIRN's investigation