A political memorandum for the construction of an oil pipeline from the Bulgarian Black Sea port of Burgas to Alexandroupolis in northern Greece will be signed by April 15 in Sofia, Deputy Minister for Development Giorgos Salagoudis announced yesterday in Moscow, where he led Greek representatives in meetings with the Russian and the Bulgarian governments. The announcement followed the submission of a favorable joint report by the group of companies of the three nations participating in the project. «Having examined all the financial parameters of the project and the satisfactory responses by the three governments to its questionnaire, the initiative group unreservedly recommended that three representations proceed to the signing of the memorandum,» Salagoudis said. If internal processes on the Russian side allow it, the agreement could be signed even earlier.

The European Court ruled yesterday that an employer may hire, according to EU legislation, on a temporary basis only women for certain types of work, but if they are later excluded from the benefits of permanent employment status, this constitutes a violation of the law regarding sex discrimination. The case concerned a female employee of OTE Telecom who worked as a cleaner for 18 years and had been deprived of the benefits of permanent employment for the full period when she retired.

Greek-owned ships increased in 2004 to more than 10 percent of the total registered with RINA, the Italian shipping register, reaching a total capacity of 2 million tons. Ugo Salerno, the register's CEO, said that RINA listings grew 10 percent, while the number of Greek vessels registered rose 38 percent. «In RINA's fleet, Greece breaks a record every fortnight,» Salerno said. The register's total turnover reached 106 million euros last year, also up more than 10 percent.

Belgian oil transporter Euronav said earlier this week it has acquired a fleet of tankers from a Greek owner in a deal worth more than $1 billion, which will boost its capacity by a third and expand its share of a fragmented global market. Euronav said it had agreed to buy the 16 tankers and existing contracts of Tanklog from Greek shipowner Peter Livanos's Ceres Hellenic Shipping Enterprises, paying cash and stock and assuming Tanklog's shipyard payments. (Reuters)

Viorama magazine yesterday held its first conference on «Green Entrepreneurship,» which focused on the development of environmentally friendly business activities and the promotion of ecological products and services. «Our aim is to promote cooperation to make society more sensitive toward respecting the environment and the consumer,» said Viorama publisher Andreas Loukakis. The conference will be repeated each year in the first week of March.

Dimitris Maniatakis yesterday assumed the post of managing director of the Public Power Corporation, in the place of long-serving Stergios Nezis, who resigned recently over disagreements with the company's president, Ioannis Paleokrassas.