All Countries and All Sectors

Leaving the most difficult things till last has both pluses and minuses as a strategy for EU accession - as Bulgaria's government is now discovering. With the agriculture chapter due to be closed by June this year, if everything is to fall into place for membership in 2007, time is pressing for an agreement on a range of thorny issues.

Turkey's troubled telecoms privatisation took what appeared to be one step forwards and one step back this week, as a delay in the tendering process was balanced by some more positive news on the size of the stake on offer.

With the spotlight often firmly on Qatar's vast oil and gas resources, the country's current - and potential - industrial output can be easily overlooked. Nevertheless, industrial development remains an integral part of the little Gulf state's ongoing ambition to build a viable private sector, albeit from the top down.

With most analysts predicting that the IMF delegation currently in Ankara going through Turkey's books will likely leave this week pretty satisfied, these are good times for the country's government. News that wholesale inflation had finally dipped below two digits, while exports have continued to rise, has also put market watchers and movers in a strongly positive mood.

These days are busy times for Bulgaria's parliament, with lawmakers promising to work extra shifts to bring the country's rule book up to European Union levels. Meanwhile though, a major political crisis looms, as the government tries to continue without a working majority, following the resignation of a major block of supporters. With the issue over which they broke being the need for faster economic reform, the move could have a major impact on parliament's agenda - and on the pace of change nationwide.

In recent years, Qatar's oil exports have closely followed the rise and fall of world oil prices. This has created a budgetary risk for the state, which still relies on oil for more than 40% of its income, despite the fast-rising importance of gas. Not surprisingly, the economic managers of the tiny Gulf state have therefore learned to like predictability, even in boom times. In a recent exclusive interview, Minister of Energy and Industry, Abdullah Bin Hamad al-Attiyah told the OBG he would prefer to strive for price stability in the oil market, for the good of both consumers and producers, rather than ruthlessly attempting to maximize short-term gains.