REGIONAL STOCK EXCHANGE CONFERENCE HELD IN VIENNA

VIENNA, Austria (October 17,2008) - Representatives of six southeastern European states attended a two-day international stock exchange conference Wednesday and Thursday in Vienna,Austria.

The conference brought together regional stock exchange delegates from Bosnia,Macedonia, Slovenia, Montenegro,Serbia and Croatia.

The conference aimed to acquaint the biggest securities issuers in the region with their capital markets and to attract international investors.
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BOSNIAN POLICE ARRESTED SIX PEOPLE FOR ARMS SMUGGLING

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (October 17,2008) - Bosnian police arrested six people involved in a weapons smuggling ring that includes unspecified EU countries.The six were arrested on Wednesday and Thursday in Sarajevo and three other central Bosnian cities - Travnik, Vitez and Zenica,the head of the Bosnian State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) Dragan Lukac said.

A large number of weapons, including 30 guns, six machine guns, 100 hand grenades and 1,000 bullets, were seized during the search in eight locations throughout the country, another SIPA official said, adding an unspecified amount of Swiss francs were also seized.

The weapons were "planned to be sold and transferred out of Bosnia, in certain EU countries," Lukac said.

He denied any link between the operation and another carried out here in September and October, in which nine people were arrested on similar charges.
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CENTRAL EUROPEAN FREE TRADE AGREEMENT FAILS TO MEET EXPECTATIONS

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (October 17,2008) - In the first six months of 2008, the Bosnian economy did not experience positive effects on the trade exchange as a result of the CEFTA membership, it was said yesterday at the 4th forum of CEFTA chambers of commerce.The Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA) is a trade agreement between Non-EU countries in Central and South-Eastern Europe.

The forum organized by the Bosnian Chamber of Foreign Trade opened in Sarajevo yesterday.

CEFTA also failed in meeting expectations in the areas of investment, the general standard of living, employment, etc, it was also said, and its impact is generally rated as minor to non-existent. After six months, Bosnia’s trade deficit has exceeded 4.6 billion Bosnian Marks.

According to an analysis unveiled yesterday, Bosnia has the most liberal trade policy in the southeastern Europe, and more than 30 per cent of trade exchange is done with the region.
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