Second 3G license
05/09/2011 16:10
Lawyer gives details about the arrest of four lecturers in Shkodra university: They took bribes from students for exams 26/04 21:08
Today was held the tender for the second 3G technology. Two companies
participated, AMC that offered 15.1 million EUR and Eagle Mobie with
12.9 million EUR. The Electronic Communication Authority is expected to
declare the winner in three days.
The Commission of Bid Assessment will declare the winner within five days, as the law provides.
The chances are that AMC that offered the highest price will become the second company offering 3G after Vodafone that paid to the Albanian government 31.4 million EUR for being the first operator in the market that offers this service.
“The commission now can start assessing the offers and declare the winner”, declared Alfred Kote, Chairman of Offers Assessments.
If the Commission of Bid Assessment will declare that the bid as valid, the license money that go as additional revenues in the budget are a relief for the poor finances of the government, which was obliged to take extreme measures this year for taking the debt under control.
Currency rate endangers debt
The devaluation of the Albanian Lek towards Euro has not deteriorated only the family budgets that have their mortgages in this currency, but has also been burdening the government for a long time.
Official data from the Ministry of Finance show that only during the first six months of this year, ALL devaluation towards foreign currencies upped Albania’s debt with 38 million USD.
And this is the lowest increase, because in the last two years, the currency rate effect increased Albania’s obligations in much higher levels.
In 2009, the historical devaluation of ALL towards Euro increased the public debt with 2.5% of the GDP.
Albania’s debts towards foreign countries on that year increased with 250 million USD, only due to the ALL devaluation.
The effect of the currency rate in the public debt now has become a concern that the government must take in serious consideration, since the tax revenues are collected in ALL, while the debts must be paid in foreign currencies, mainly in Euro.
The current debt level is standing on the edge of maximal limits. Another fluctuation of ALL towards Euro would make our debt cross the legal limit of 60% of the GDP, as set by the Parliament.
The government is strongly exposed to the dangers of currency rates, due to the policies that were followed in the last years by orienting Albania’s loans to foreign markets.
By the end of June, the external debt reached 3.1 billion USD. Compared to 2005 it has increased with 2.2 times.
According to official data from the Ministry of Finances, Albania has today a total debt of 7.5 billion USD and 42% of this comes with foreign currencies, mainly in Euro.
Only a few years ago, the burden of the external debt was under the level of 30%.
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