DOCSLIB.ORG

Real People &Real Change

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Real People &Real Change EBRD Donor Report 2008 Real people & real change What’s inside Donor-funded activities and official co-financing 06 Regional activities 16 Key programmes and sectors 32 EBRD Donor Report 2008 What’s inside 03 Looking forward, the Bank will seek additional ways to increase its contribution towards meeting the needs of the region. 11 EBRD Donor Report 2008 What’s inside | 01 A wood carving from eastern Europe. Message from the President 03 2007 highlights and our countries of operations 04 30 Part 01 Donor-funded activities and official co-financing 06 Donor funding 08 Official co-financing 10 Activities in 2007 11 Sustainability 13 Investment impact 14 Donor visibility 15 Part 02 Regional activities 16 Early transition countries 18 Western Balkans 21 Russia 24 Ukraine 26 Belarus, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan 28 EU member states and candidate countries 30 Part 03 Key programmes and sectors 32 Micro, small and medium-sized enterprise lending 34 Trade Facilitation Programme 36 TAM and BAS Programme 37 Sustainable Energy Initiative 38 Legal Transition Programme 40 Municipal and environmental infrastructure 41 Transport 43 Annex 1 44 Annex 2 46 Abbreviations and glossary 47 Contributors’ credits 48 20 EBRD Donor Report 2008 02 A decorated plate from south-eastern Europe. EBRD Donor Report 2008 Message from the President | 03 Message from the President Making progress together Over the past year we have shifted our The year 2007 was marked by a significant Looking forward, the Bank will seek additional attention increasingly to the needs of increase in the volume of technical ways to increase its contribution towards the poorer countries in the EBRD region. cooperation (TC) support from donors meeting the needs of the region. The Annual Our partnership arrangements with donors for projects in poorer countries, covering Meeting in Kiev in May 2008 is an excellent are focusing on the challenges these such sectors as municipal infrastructure, opportunity to forge new partnerships with countries face, across a wide range of TurnAround Management (TAM) and donors and other IFIs to address even more sectors and initiatives. But our collaboration Business Advisory Services (BAS) assistance forcefully the barriers and constraints that with donors also continues in central Europe to small businesses, micro-lending and affect countries’ enterprises and people’s and Russia, particularly in more targeted energy efficiency. Importantly, the TC lives. This underlines the importance of interventions, such as the environment programme provides expertise and knowledge good coordination, and we remain mindful and sustainable energy. transfer that acts as a catalyst for enabling of our signed commitments to the Paris Inadequate infrastructure, slow business investments to go forward and creating a Declaration on Aid Effectiveness for and employment growth and, in many better environment for business growth. assistance to poor countries. communities, extreme poverty are among At the Bank we are grateful for the After an important year for the EBRD the acute challenges facing countries willingness of donors to coordinate and donors in 2007, the management, Board eligible for Official Development Assistance, their work with us. Notable multi-donor and donors of the Bank look forward to such as Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine, initiatives such as the Northern Dimension working together and making further progress as well as others in the Caucasus, Central Environmental Partnership, the Early in the coming year. Asia and the Western Balkans. The EBRD Transition Countries Fund and the Western and its donors can do much to improve Balkans Fund have helped us bring greater people’s lives in these countries, and strategic focus to the Bank’s work, and we need to continue working closely complement the assistance provided together to bring about sustainable growth through bilateral donor programmes. and development. Sustainable development will be a priority area in coming years – can our countries of operations adjust to its challenges? The outlook is positive. Two years ago, the EBRD launched the Sustainable Energy Initiative to harness donor support for Jean Lemierre improved energy efficiency and increased President, European Bank for access to renewable energy. This initiative Reconstruction and Development has already achieved considerable success. But energy is just one of the issues that challenge sustainable growth. Reliable access to clean water to meet residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural needs is a growing concern. So, too, are questions facing governments and businesses about how best to adapt to climate change, and how to overcome the constraints to agriculture and food production. During the past year the EBRD has been able to contribute more from its own resources to complement the funds provided by donors. We now contribute to certain costs that were previously funded by donors, including overheads of the Project Preparation Committee, TAM and BAS headquarters costs, and parts of the work undertaken through the Legal Transition Programme and the EBRD’s Office of the Chief Economist. 04 | 2007 highlights and our countries of operations EBRD Donor Report 2008 EBRD Donor Report 2008 2007 highlights and our countries of operations Early transition Western Balkans Russia, Belarus, EU member states countries 09 Albania Kazakhstan, and Croatia 01 Armenia 10 Bosnia and Turkmenistan 19 Bulgaria 02 Azerbaijan Herzegovina and Ukraine 20 Croatia Making a real difference 03 Georgia 11 FYR Macedonia 14 Russia 21 Czech Republic 04 Kyrgyz Republic 12 Montenegro 15 Belarus 22 Estonia in 29 countries 05 Moldova 13 Serbia 16 Kazakhstan 23 Hungary 06 Mongolia 17 Turkmenistan 24 Latvia 07 Tajikistan 18 Ukraine 25 Lithuania 08 Uzbekistan 26 Poland 27 Romania 28 Slovak Republic 29 Slovenia 43% 43 per cent of TC funds in 2007 were for sustainable development projects see page 13 60% 60 per cent of TC funds in 2007 were committed in ODA countries see page 11 14 3.1m 22 3.1 million loans have been made to micro and small enterprises since 1994 see page 34 24 25 15 899 In 2007, 899 businesses were helped by the TAM and BAS Programme 26 see page 37 21 16 28 18 05 23 29 27 06 20 10 13 19 03 08 12 11 04 09 01 02 50% 17 On average, 50 per cent of loans to individual entrepreneurs in the ETCs go to women 07 see page 18 EBRD Donor Report 2008 01 Donor-funded activities and official co-financing | 07 Part 01 Donor-funded activities and official co-financing Donor funds are crucial to advancing transition in the EBRD’s countries of operations. Deployed in combination with the Bank’s human expertise and investment capital resources, these funds have a major impact on the development of the private sector and provision of basic infrastructure services. They also play a critical role in the transfer of skills and the strengthening of regulatory, financial and other institutions. The EBRD’s assistance programmes provide individual entrepreneurs and firms with access to otherwise scarce finance. 08 | Donor-funded activities and official co-financing EBRD Donor Report 2008 €1.27bn Since 1991, donor funding for the EBRD’s TC grants has grown steadily, reaching a cumulative total of €1.27 billion by the end of 2007. Chart 1 Flow of donor funds to Donor allocated EBRD projects and EBRD sign agreement Funds are transferred from donor to EBRD Projects for donor support are Donor funding identified Funding arrangements range from agreements with single donors for specific projects to programme-wide arrangements EBRD EBRD involving multiple contributors. Hungary allocates allocates TC joined the EBRD donor community in 2007, non-TC funding funding to an bringing the number of active donor (grants) to individual individual project countries to 29. projects such as the (such as an energy The EBRD uses donor funds to provide financing of works audit of a factory) or to assistance through: and equipment a framework facility • technical cooperation (TC) (such as an SME • investment grants credit line) • performance fees • risk-sharing facilities. These instruments help the Bank to address the range of challenges facing transition countries. They harness finance for a variety of programmes promoting, for example, small business growth, improved employment opportunities, better access to services such as clean water and drainage, lower industrial energy use, trade expansion or more efficient transport systems. They may also be targeted at priority EBRD objectives, such as sustainable energy. Chart 1 shows the basic flow of donor funds to allocated EBRD projects. EBRD Donor Report 2008 Donor-funded activities and official co-financing | 09 A traditional hat from the Kyrgyz Republic. Technical cooperation Rapid growth in TC activity and expenditure TC assistance (delivered through during the 1990s was targeted mainly Transition challenges programmes detailed in Part 3 of this at projects in central Europe and Russia. Donor support for EBRD projects aims Report) includes: Since 2000, TC assistance has been focused to address the key barriers to transition. consultancy services for feasibility on Ukraine and the less advanced countries • While the nature of the challenges studies as part of project preparation of the Western Balkans and the early varies from country to country, there procurement assistance during transition countries (ETCs), where • are several areas that are expected project implementation transition challenges remain significant. to be prominent in the coming year.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Amcham Body 69V4.Qxd
    issue 69 may 2006 Bulgaria, United States Sign on Joint Training Facilities ■ IMF Performance Review Completed With Three Waivers ■ AmCham and Symix Host an Award Ceremony ■ Maritsa Forum Mulls Infrastructure, Industrial Zones and Support of SMEs ■ Member News ■ New Members NATO IN SOFIA: An April Walk Through a Global Agenda American Chamber of Commerce in Bulgaria Business Park Sofia, Mladost 4 Area, Building 2, Floor 6, 1715 Sofia Tel.: (359 2) 9769 565 Fax: (359 2) 9769 569 homepage: www.amcham.bg e-mail: [email protected] editorial Dear Readers: Each of us has a personal interpretation of the beneficial corollaries for Bulgaria from the just-concluded NATO meeting in Sofia (please read in-depth analyses by Boyko Vassilev and Panayot Angarev on pp. 4-14). Most of you, too, have a position on whether Bulgaria and Romania's EU entry will be delayed by a year. Neither I, nor any other journalist can answer this question definitively at this time (for details, see Yuliana Boncheva's article on p. 22.) NATO and the European Union have been subjects of numerous articles in our publica- tion, among others. So I would rather switch your attention toward another topic now. Namely, it is the story by Chris Warde-Jones in the New York Times on Sofia as a tourist destination, which was published in the newspaper of record in early May. (We present it for you on p. 44.) This travel feature offers a refreshing view of the Bulgarian capital, written by someone who was impressed by images of the city that are, generally speaking, flattering.
    [Show full text]
  • Financial Sectors in EU Accession Countries
    Financial Sectors in EU Accession Countries EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK EUROPEAN Financial Sectors in EU Accession Countries Financial Sectors in EU Financial Sectors in EU Accession Countries Editor: Christian Thimann Published by: © European Central Bank, July 2002 Address Kaiserstrasse 29 60311 Frankfurt am Main Germany Postal address Postfach 16 03 19 60066 Frankfurt am Main Germany Telephone +49 69 1344 0 Internet http://www.ecb.int Fax +49 69 1344 6000 Telex 411 144 ecb d Copies of the individual articles can also be downloaded from the ECB’s website. The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the ECB. No responsibility for them should be attributed to the ECB or to any of the other institutions with which the authors are affiliated. All rights reserved by the authors. Editor: Christian Thimann Typeset and printed by: Kern & Birner GmbH + Co. ISBN 92-9181-292-7 Table of Contents Foreword “The importance of financial sector developments in EU accession countries” T. Padoa-Schioppa (European Central Bank) .....................................................................005 Summary “Financial sectors in EU accession countries: Issues for the workshop and summary of the discussion” C. Thimann (European Central Bank) ................................................................................007 “Key features of the financial sectors in EU accession countries” G. Caviglia, G. Krause and C. Thimann (European Central Bank) ...................................015 “The financial sector in Bulgaria: structure, functioning and trends” V. Yotzov (Bulgarian National Bank) .................................................................................031 “The financial sector in Cyprus: structure, performance and main developments” L. Georgiadou (Central Bank of Cyprus) ...........................................................................051 “The financial sector in the Czech Republic: an assessment of its current state of development and functioning” P.
    [Show full text]
  • To the Challenges of a New Era
    Open to the challenges of a new era ANNUAL REPORT2006 WorldReginfo - 9eefdb0a-d062-4b3b-b28d-bb9fee2e478a LONDON • One branch LUXEMBOURG • Presence through subsidiaries BULGARIA • 281 Branches • 287 Total points of presence • Loans of €1.5 bn. ROMANIA • 189 Branches • 201 Total points of presence • Loans of €1.7 bn. SERBIA • 103 Branches • 108 Total points of presence • Loans of €0.4 bn. WorldReginfo - 9eefdb0a-d062-4b3b-b28d-bb9fee2e478a POLAND POLAND • 70 Branches • 130 Total points of presence UKRAINE • Loans of €0.2 bn. ROMANIA UKRAINE • Universal Bank UKRAINE • 33 Branches SERBIA BULGARIA TURKEY GREECE TURKEY 31 Branches GREECE • 367 Branches • 520 Total points of presence • Loans of €31.1 bn. WorldReginfo - 9eefdb0a-d062-4b3b-b28d-bb9fee2e478a WorldReginfo - 9eefdb0a-d062-4b3b-b28d-bb9fee2e478a CONTENTS THE YEAR IN REVIEW 4 Members of the Strategic Planning Committee and the Executive Committee Financial Highlights Review Letter to Shareholders Financial Review The Eurobank EFG Share RETAIL BANKING 21 Retail Banking Service Networks Consumer Lending Mortgage Lending Small Business Banking CORPORATE BANKING 27 Lending to Large Corporates Lending to Medium-Sized Enterprises Shipping Leasing Factoring INVESTMENT BANKING & CAPITAL MARKETS 33 Investment Banking Equity Brokerage Treasury WEALTH MANAGEMENT 36 Mutual Funds Insurance Asset Management Private Banking INTERNATIONAL PRESENCE 40 Bulgaria Romania Serbia Poland Turkey Ukraine OTHER ACTIVITIES OF THE GROUP 46 Securities Services Payment Services Payroll Services Real Estate E-Commerce e-Banking and Internet Services RISK MANAGEMENT 48 CORPORATE GOVERNANCE 52 APPENDICES 55 Consolidated Financial Statements 2006 Eurobank EFG Group and EFG Group ANNUAL REPORT 2006 3 WorldReginfo - 9eefdb0a-d062-4b3b-b28d-bb9fee2e478a Members of the Strategic Planning Committee and the Executive Committee Xenophon C.
    [Show full text]
  • BP in Azerbaijan Sustainability Report 2007
    BP in Azerbaijan Sustainability Report 2007 About this report The 2007 BP in Azerbaijan Sustainability Report covers our business 1 Foreword by the president of BP performance, environmental record and wider role in Azerbaijan during 2007. Azerbaijan Strategic Performance This is our fifth Sustainability Report and it reflects feedback we received about Unit (SPU) previous reports. Our earlier publications are available at www.bp.com/caspian. 2 Country context By 'sustainability' we mean the capacity to endure as a commercial organisation by 3 Achievements and challenges 4 Report concept, scope and renewing assets and by creating and delivering better products and services so that process we meet the evolving needs of society, attract successive generations of employees, 5 BP Azerbaijan SPU interests contribute to a sustainable environment and retain the trust and support of our 6 Chapter 1 – BP in Azerbaijan: customers, shareholders and the communities in which we operate. our operations 7 BP in Azerbaijan at a glance References in this report to 'us', 'we' and 'our' relate to BP in Azerbaijan unless otherwise stated. Specific ref- 10 BP in Azerbaijan in perspective erences to 'BP' and the 'BP group' mean BP p.l.c., its subsidiaries and affiliates. Unless otherwise specified, 11 Dialogue and engagement the text does not distinguish between the operations and activities of BP p.l.c. and those of its subsidiaries 14 Our projects and operations and affiliates. 20 Operating responsibly: - HSE management system - Safety A message from Ernst & Young - Environment This report has been substantiated by Ernst & Young, the BP group auditors. The - Health primary purpose of the report substantiation process is to test that the asser- 32 Security and human rights tions, claims and data set out in the text regarding BP’s sustainability perform- 34 People, compliance and ethics ance can be supported by evidence.
    [Show full text]
  • Efg Eurobank Ergasias S.A
    EFG EUROBANK ERGASIAS S.A. CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2006 8, Othonos Street, Athens 105 57, Greece www.eurobank.gr, Tel.: (+30) 210 333 7000 Company Registration No: 6068/06/B/86/07 ANNUAL REPORT 2006 55 EFG EUROBANK ERGASIAS S.A. Directors' Report Business Outlook In 2006, the Greek economy grew much faster than the European average growth rate, as real GDP growth in Greece exceeded 4%. Macroeconomic prospects and banking sector developments were positive, as evidenced by the fundamentals and results. In the new era of transformation and development of the Greek economy, domestic banks assumed a leading role in providing valuable assistance to private enterprise, both in Greece, and in the greater region. 2006 was a year of new major achievements, international acclaim and wide recognition for Eurobank. In the domestic market, Eurobank has established itself as the leading banking group, steadily strengthening and differentiating itself from its competitors. Abroad, the Bank implements a visionary and disciplined development strategy, turning into a powerful regional player with a major role in the markets of Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe (New Europe). Eurobank now addresses a market of more than 200 million residents, providing comprehensive coverage for all their needs for banking services and products. Acquisitions in Greece In March 2006, the Group increased its shareholding in Global Fund Management S.A. to 72% from 44.44%; as a result the company has been transferred from investments in associated undertakings to subsidiary undertakings. Disposals in Greece Eurobank and Intracom Holdings concluded the share transfer of the 100% of the share capital of Hellas on Line from Eurobank EFG to Intracom Holdings in January 2006.
    [Show full text]
  • 2008 on Activities and R Esults R Eport
    2008 on Activities and Results Report 2008 REPORT ON ACTIVITIES AND RESULTS Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights 2008 Report Activities and Results Contents Foreword by the High Commissioner ....................................................................................................................5 I. Executive Summary..............................................................................................................................................7 II. OHCHR 2008 Report .........................................................................................................................................15 About OHCHR .......................................................................................................................................................16 Supporting the Human Rights Council and Treaty Bodies.................................................................................24 Supporting the Special Procedures ......................................................................................................................32 Thematic Human Rights Challenges.....................................................................................................................39 Outreach.................................................................................................................................................................56 Programme Planning, Management and Support................................................................................................64
    [Show full text]
  • Amcham Body84v4.Qxd
    issue 84 november 2007 Economy: State Budget 2008; Foreign Investments; Energy Sector Amcham news: The start of meet-the- new-members Event Series Analysis: Turkey and the Kurds; Foreign Investment: New Capitals Flow American Chamber of Commerce in Bulgaria Business Park Sofia, Mladost 4 Area, Building 2, Floor 6, 1766 Sofia Tel.: (359 2) 9742 743 Fax: (359 2) 9742 741 homepage: www.amcham.bg e-mail: [email protected] editorial Dear Reader, You will probably notice that in this issue of AmCham Bulgaria Magazine we are not offering you an article on the 2007 mayoral elections, as we had promised last month when we introduced the main candidates. I am almost certain that you would not have noticed this absence, had I not mentioned it, and the reason is that the elections went by in a completely predictable fashion. Boyko Borisov, the leader of the newly formed GERB party, won in Sofia, and his associates took Plovdiv, Bourgas, Vidin, Dobrich, Stara Zagora, Yambol and Sliven. The ruling BSP got only Blagoevgrad, Varna, Lovech, Pernik and Smolian. The "democratic forces" - or what remains of them - got a mayor in Pleven only. In other words, a little over one-third of Bulgarian voters went to the polls and gave almost the entire local power to the former secretary of the Ministry of the Interior. Boyko Borisov himself - or "the General" as he is known for some reason - immediately declared that this is a harbinger of early parliamentary elections. We at AmCham Bulgaria Magazine think that the former policeman should be left to rule in Sofia, the former soccer star Yordan Lechkov, and all their GERB colleagues - where voters put them.
    [Show full text]
  • Bank-Fees-Bulgaria
    Bank Tariffs and Interest Rates in Bulgaria We, from Aidos Accountancy Company do our best to support our foreign clients for their local business in Bulgaria. On the one hand, we provide them with professional accountancy services in conformity with Bulgarian laws and regulations. On the other hand, it is important to keep you, our clients informed about the local banking rates, terms and conditions. We truly hope that the information below will help you choose the most suitable bank for your business in Bulgaria. In addition, you may also visit the links below to learn more about the bank products, promotions and terms and conditions. Internatinal Asset Bank Opening of payment accounts BGN 5,00 Account maintenance and operative servicing BGN 7,00 per month Accepting cash deposits for amounts up to BGN 10 000,00 daily Free of charge Accepting cash deposits for amounts exceeding BGN 10 000 daily 0.15%, max BGN 200,00 Cash withdrawals up to BGN 3 000 daily Free of charge Cash withdrawals from BGN 3 000 to BGN 20 000 daily 0.2% on the amount drawn Payments in foreign currency for companies amounting up to EUR 1 000 EUR 5,00 Payments in foreign currency for companies amounting from EUR 1 000 to EUR 12 500 0.10%, min EUR 10,00 Customer Credit Transfers in favor of companies 0.1%, min EUR 10,00 max EUR 100,00 Highest interest rate on deposit account. 7,20% Find more information and other rates here (link to page with rates) http://www.iabank.bg/en/page/28 Emporiki Bank for BGN BGN 10.00 EUR 5.00 or equivalent in other Opening of payment accounts foreign currency Account maintenance and operative servicing BGN 8.00 4 currency units Accepting cash deposits for amounts up to BGN 6 000,00 incl.
    [Show full text]
  • ANNUAL REPORT 2007 Eurobank EFG Group: More Than 1,500 Servicing Units and 22,000 Personnel, in a Market of 200 Million People
    ANNUAL REPORT 2007 Eurobank EFG Group: More than 1,500 servicing units and 22,000 personnel, in a market of 200 million people. GREECE 400 Branches 558 Total servicing units €37.4 bn. Loans BULGARIA 224 Branches 233 Total servicing units €2.4 bn. Loans ROMANIA 237 Branches 255 Total servicing units €3.1 bn. Loans SERBIA 101 Branches 106 Total servicing units €848 m. Loans POLAND 248 Branches 254 Total servicing units €1.7 bn. Loans UKRAINE 75 Branches 78 Total servicing units €334 m. Loans TURKEY 36 Branches €715 m. Loans CYPRUS 1 Branch €106 m. Loans LONDON Branch LUXEMBOURG Subsidiaries Data as at 31.12 2007 Contents 2 THE YEAR IN REVIEW 4 Members of the Strategic Planning Committee and the Executive Committee Financial Highlights Review of the Year Letter to Shareholders Financial Review The Eurobank EFG Share RETAIL BANKING 19 Retail Banking Service Networks Consumer Lending Mortgage Lending Small Business Banking CORPORATE BANKING 25 Lending to Large Corporates Lending to Medium-Sized enterprises Shipping Leasing Factoring INVESTMENT BANKING AND CAPITAL MARKETS 32 Investment Banking Equity Brokerage Treasury WEALTH MANAGEMENT 36 Mutual Funds Insurance Asset management Private Banking INTERNATIONAL PRESENCE 41 Bulgaria Romania Serbia Turkey Poland Ukraine Cyprus OTHER ACTIVITIES OF THE GROUP 48 Securities Services Payment Services Payroll Services e-Banking, e-Commerce and internet services Real Estate RISK MANAGEMENT 50 CORPORATE GOVERNANCE 54 APPENDICES 57 Consolidated Financial Statements 2007 Eurobank EFG Group and EFG Group ANNUAL REPORT 2007 3 Members of the Strategic Planning Committee and the Executive Committee 10 11 8 9 7 5 6 4 3 2 1 4 13 Members of the Strategic Planning Committee 12 and the Executive Committee George C.
    [Show full text]
  • Progress for Children
    PROGRESS FOR CHILDREN A REPORT CARD ON NUTRITION NUMBER 4, MAY 2006 335714Uni.indd5714Uni.indd aa11 33/15/06/15/06 55:23:15:23:15 PPMM Foreword 1 NUTRITION AND THE MDGs Nutrition 2 THE FOUNDATION OF SURVIVAL AND DEVELOPMENT South Asia 12 HALF THE WORLD’S UNDERWEIGHT CHILDREN Eastern/Southern Africa 14 AT AN IMPASSE West/Central Africa 16 SLOW PROGRESS Middle East/North Africa 18 LARGE COUNTRIES SLIPPING BACK East Asia/Pacifi c 20 CHINA LEADS THE WAY CONTENTS Latin America/Caribbean 22 ON TRACK, BUT SEVERE DISPARITIES REMAIN CEE/CIS 24 ‘HIDDEN HUNGER’ A CONCERN Industrialized Countries 26 DISPARITIES AMID ACHIEVEMENT Endnote 28 THE TIME TO ACT IS NOW Table 30 CHILD NUTRITION 335714Uni.indd5714Uni.indd aa22 33/15/06/15/06 55:23:46:23:46 PPMM Eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, reducing child mortality and achieving all the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) related to health and education are largely dependent on progress in nutrition. If undernutrition is not successfully addressed, it will be diffi cult to reach the other MDGs. Every year, it is estimated that undernutrition contributes to the deaths of about 5.6 million children under the age of fi ve. One out of every four children under fi ve – or 146 million children in the developing world – is underweight for his or her age, and at increased risk of an early death. When nutrition falls short, damage is done to individuals and to society. When pregnant women are not adequately nourished, their babies are born at low weights, putting their survival at risk.
    [Show full text]
  • The Bulgarian Banking System and the EU Single Financial Market: Measuring the Level of Integration Using DEA
    The Bulgarian Banking System and the EU Single Financial Market: Measuring the level of integration using DEA Lyubomir Mirchev Abstract: This paper analyses the development of the Bulgarian Banking Market and its integration towards the Single European Financial Market. This analysis is made through different than the standard perspective, using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) for estimating and comparing the efficiency of the Bulgarian and foreign banks. For investigating the presence of integration processes, the changes in the technical efficiency levels for a sample of Bulgarian and European banks are compared. In this framework the attention is brought also over the development of the Bulgarian banking market in the period 1999 – 2008 and the effect of privatization as a form of financial integration, which is examined by distinguishing between groups of locally and foreign owned banks. The results suggest that a positive trend of efficiency development of the Bulgarian banks is in place, in which significant role play the increasing competition and the penetration of foreign players on the local market. The difference in the technical efficiency levels between the Bulgarian and European markets remains material, which supposes that the locally presented banks are utilizing their resources less optimally than the European ones. However there is strong evidence for integration in terms of convergence between the efficiency levels, provided by the presence of beta and sigma convergence. JEL Classification: F36; G15 ; G21; D24 Key words: banking efficiency, Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), banking integration, Bulgarian banking system, European financial market Lyubomir Mirchev – GREDEG/CNRS - Université de Nice - Sophia Antipolis, University of National and World Economy – Sofia, Bulgaria; [email protected] 1 Table of Contents: I.
    [Show full text]
  • Proposal for Inclusion of the Little Bustard in Appendix I and II of The
    CONVENTION ON UNEP/CMS/COP13/Doc. 27.1.6 MIGRATORY 25 September 2019 Original: English SPECIES 13th MEETING OF THE CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES Gandhinagar, India, 17 - 22 February 2020 Agenda Item 27.1 PROPOSAL FOR THE INCLUSION OF THE LITTLE BUSTARD (Tetrax tetrax) IN APPENDIX I AND II OF THE CONVENTION Summary: The European Union and its Member States have submitted the attached proposal for the inclusion of the Little Bustard (Tetrax tetrax) in Appendix I and II of CMS. The geographical designations employed in this document do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the CMS Secretariat (or the United Nations Environment Programme) concerning the legal status of any country, territory, or area, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The responsibility for the contents of the document rests exclusively with its author Proposal for Inclusion of Species on the Appendices of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals A. Proposal: Inclusion of the Little Bustard Tetrax tetrax on Appendix I and Appendix II of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals. B. Proponent: The European Union and its Member States C. Supporting Statement: 1. Taxon 1.1 Class Aves 1.2 Order Otidiformes 1.3 Family Otididae 1.4 Genus/species Tetrax tetrax (Linnaeus, 1758) 1.5 Scientific synonyms: Otis tetrax (Linnaeus 1758, France) 1.6 Common names: English: Little Bustard French: Outarde Canepetière Spanish: Sisón Común Male Little Bustard. Copyright Juan Varela. 1 2. Overview The Little Bustard is a species with Palearctic distribution and two geographically separated breeding populations, the western population (found in France, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Morocco) and the eastern population (from Turkey, Ukraine, Georgia and the SW Russian Federation through Kazakhstan to Kyrgyzstan and extreme NW China and extreme N Iran).
    [Show full text]