The IDAL, the Investment Development Authority of Lebanon, offers again, after three years of suspension, the incentives for projects of Information Technology sector. These incentives provide exemptions for income tax and the taxation of dividends for a period of ten years.

The termination of the grant of incentives was due to an error in the list of eligible activities for the purposes of the benefit, attached to Ministerial Decree which provided them. In April 2016, the Council of Ministers, by the Decree of 3158, approved a new list of IT assets that can benefit from tax incentives gives from IDAL.

The activities for which incentives may be required are: the publication of software and computer programming, provision of infrastructure for the processing of data such as web hosting, streaming services and hosting applications. Also Internet service providers are targeted.

The IDAL grants tax incentives for various sectors: agro-industrial, manufacturing, tourism, agriculture, communications and media. In the last 15 years they have benefited from the incentives of IDAL. projects with a total value of over 1.7 billion dollars.

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

The second edition of the Valletta Film Festival (VFF), organized by the Film Grain Foundation, will take place between the 3 and 11 June 2016. Over forty international films will have their Maltese premieres, in various open-air venues around Valletta.

VFF will include more films of various sections, more events and a new sidebar section entitled ‘Teens Only’, showcasing films for teenagers from the ages of 13-18,” Oliver Mallia, one of the directors of the Festival said.

The others section will be Without Borders (focusing on the cinema of Israel, Palestine, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Egypt and Iran) and Islanders (celebrating the cinema from and about islands, taking us around the world via the many waters of the earth).

Seven feature films, seven documentaries and 26 short films will be competing for the Triton Awards in Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Actor and Actress, Best Documentary and Best Short Film. The awards ceremony will take place on Saturday 11th June at Fort St Elmo.

VFF will also include Masterclasses on ‘Directing Actors’ and ‘Writing the Short Film’, as well as the Conference of Small Nations, which are supported by the Malta Film Commission.

(ITALPRESS/MNA).

Source: medNews

In the framework of the Program for the energy efficiency of public buildings, the Ministry of Economy of Montenegro has provided 35.53 million euro for energy efficiency in buildings belonging to the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Labour and social policies. For the first phase of the program, completed in the period January 2012 – December 2015 with the reconstruction of 20 schools and a student home, were destined 13.5 million euro. The second phase of the program at an estimated implementation period is January 2015 – December 2020 provides for the reconstruction of 24 schools, 2 social cooperatives and 4 administrative buildings for an amount that exceeds 22 million euro.

(ITALPRESS/MNA).

Source: medNews

The Slovenian Government approved the 2016-2017 national reform program, which will be sent now to Brussels. In the statement issued by the Executive is highlighted that are retained the crucial objectives of economic policy, that is the consolidation of public finances and fostering economic growth through a gradual reduction of the public debt. The Government aims to improve the business climate through the liberalization of professions and a new package of laws on economic matters; to increase public investment, especially in the field of transport (second Koper-Diva?a rail, second tunnel of the highway section of the Karavanke to the Austrian-Slovenian border and the preparation of plans for a part of the “third development axis” in the north- East of the country); and finally to ensure the sustainability of public finances (with a focus on health and pension reform).

(ITALPRESS/MNA).

Source: medNews

The Israeli government approved the National Programme for achieving the target for the issue of greenhouse effect gases and energy efficiency (National Program to Implement Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Targets for Energy Efficiency On April 4) that the objective of reducing emissions by 26% per capita below 2005 levels.

The program includes two credit lines of 800 million total NISH (about 188 million euros) and the number of governance committees institutions to formulate practical proposals for achieving the targets set.

The measures provided ranging from tax incentives to energy efficiency projects and renewable energy projects, the long-term quotas for the production of renewable energy and the promotion of innovative Israeli technologies in these fields, to reduce the use of coal, every action to facilitate the transition to the use of natural gas, the promotion of increased use of public transport and the construction of green buildings or self-sufficient from an energy point of view.

The Minister for the Environment, the national infrastructure, energy and water resources, Uri Gabbay, said that the program is a combination of measures that reduce damage to the environment and increase economic growth and the savings resulting from lower environmental rehabilitation, while promoting greater efficiency of the authority public with general positive economic benefits for NIS 30 billion, or about 7.5 billion euros.

(ITALPRESS/MNA).

Source: medNews

“Italy ‘hunts’ Albanian tourists”. This is the title of the article published April 14, 2016, in the local business magazine Monitor. Italy traces the identikit of the Albanian potential tourists interested in visiting the country, it is cited of the portal. The article reports the Report 2016 ENIT/broadcasted on RAI in Albania.

In Albania there are no official data on the destinations of outgoing tourism. The favorite destinations are Turkey, Spain, Italy and Greece. From visa liberalization (December 2010), Italy seems to be recovering share on Turkey, which has long had abolished visas for Albanians. From research conducted at some agencies that offer trips to Italy (and after visa liberalization), it is a growing interest in Italy and organized trips. Also a growing interest towards our country by Kosovars and Macedonians living in Albania. Soaring is the demand from young people and couples without children. Italy is a country of great attraction for the Albanian tourist.

To increase this tendency it might aim for deals in periods of seasonal adjustment. Attraction strategic policy could offer all inclusive packages for cultural visits (for example exhibitions of international importance). Create an “Italian Tourism System” that in addition to at least foresee the presence of an antenna ENIT in Albania involves all Italians institutions already present: Embassy, IIC, Chamber of Commerce, ICE. With foresight, it might choose Tirana as a starting point for tourism initiatives towards our country also religious in nature, highlights the Report 2016 ENIT/MAECI.

(ITALPRESS/MNA).

Source: medNews

According to Eurostat 785 Libyan migrants were granted protection status in Malta in 2015, making up a total of 59.3% of the total number of people granted this status last year. 280 Syrians (21.3%) and 60 Eritreans (4.5%) migrants were also granted asylum. Totally  there were  1,320 positive decisions on asylum applications in 2015 in Malta (290 refugee status, 955 subsidiary protection and 75 sheltered for humanitarian reasons). In 2015 the 28 member states of the EU granted asylum to 338,900 asylum seekers, which shows an increase of 75% since 2014 with 51% being from Syria. In second and third place there are Eritrea and Iraq amounting to 8% and 7% respectively.More than 60% of all Syrians, around 104,000 people, who were granted protection were recorded in Germany. Out of 27,600 Eritreans 9,500 were recorded in Germany, 6,600 in Sweden and 4,900 in the Netherlands. Out of 23,800 Iraqis, 15,500 were granted protection status in Germany and 2,800 in France.

(ITALPRESS/MNA).

Source: medNews

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has revised down its growth forecast for Tunisia, for 2016, 2% against a forecast of 3%. In 2017, this rate could reach 3%, provides for the international monetary institution.

In its report on the world economic outlook, published April 12 in Washington, in the United States, the International Monetary Fund, it predicted an improvement in the inflation rate in Tunisia, from 4.9% in 2015 to 4% in 2016 and 3.9% in 2017.

As for the current account deficit, the report predicts a 7.7% rate this year and 3.5% in 2017, a decrease of 0.2 and 0.1 points compared to the estimates of the month of January 2015.

According to the report published twice a year the global economic recovery continues, but with a slow and fragile pace although, despite lower than expected, these are on the rise compared to 2015.

The international monetary institution forecasts were announced two days before the work of the Spring Meeting (spring meeting) of the IMF and World Bank. Tunisia is negotiating with the International Monetary Fund for a new credit line of four years, amounting to about 2.8 billion dollars.

(ITALPRESS/MNA).

Source: medNews

The National Investment Commission of Montenegro has recently adopted the single list of priority investment projects (Single project pipeline) in infrastructure, 64 in total, of which 10 of the energy sector, 9 in the transport sector, 30 environmental projects and 15 the social business sector. The Government pointed out that the list represents the strategic priorities of the country for the next 10 years regardless of the source or method of financing. In line with the new methodological approach of the framework for investment in the Western Balkans (WBIF) and at the request of the European Commission, with the drafting and adoption of the single list of investment projects all the steps prescribed by the methodology have been made for the choice of priority infrastructure projects and the conditions were created for potential co-financing of these projects through the funding of the Framework grant for investments for the Western Balkans. In the coming period, the European Commission will have the task of choosing which projects will be financed through the funds of the WBIF, bound for Montenegro, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia and Serbia in 2014-2020.

(ITALPRESS/MNA).

Source: medNews

There was presented by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness a new tool that provides a single source in the legislation on foreign investment in Spain. This is the Código de Inversiones Extranjeras en España in digital format in addition to those already available on the website of the Spanish Official Gazette (BOE initials in Spanish).

This new code is structured in three sections: the Spain international agreements and tax agreements relating to the promotion and reciprocal protection of investments; Legislation on trade applicable to foreign investment (capital movements and economic transactions, liberalization of foreign investment and exceptions to those arrangements, legislation on the prevention of money laundering and terrorist financing); Tax legislation of interest to foreign investors, and particularly the tax on the income of non-residents and to corporate tax.

It is an innovative tool which will be constantly updated and for which is expected in the future also the English version.

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews