Greek export growth slowed down appreciably in the first half year-on-year, the Panhellenic Exporters’ Association (PSE) said, citing provisional data yesterday. The total value was 4.9 percent higher at 8.52 billion euros, against a rise of 22.2 percent in the first half of 2006. PSE said the drop was mainly pronounced in exports to the Middle East and North Africa (less 32.3 percent) and Turkey (down 26.6 percent). Separately, the Bank of Greece said yesterday the country’s current account deficit widened in July, by 1.87 billion euros year-on-year to reach 2.35 billion euros, mainly due to an increase in the trade and income account gaps. “On a positive aspect, we should note the increase in exports, tourist receipts and income from other services. These positive points were offset however by a continued increase in imports, which came mainly from shipping.” Alpha Bank economist Dimitris Maroulis said. (Reuters)

BRUSSELS (Reuters) –The European Union’s executive body yesterday banned bluefin tuna fishing in the Mediterranean and eastern Atlantic for the rest of year as EU fishermen had caught the bloc’s full 2007 quota of the endangered fish. “Clearly there are problems both of overfishing a stock already threatened with collapse and of equity between the member states concerned,” EU Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg said in a statement. The European Commission said the ban affected Greece, Malta, Portugal and Spain as Italy and France had already closed their fisheries. The EU quota this year was 16,779 tons, it said. Demand for bluefin tuna is high because it is especially popular in sushi and sashimi dishes.

Turkey is planning to privatize its electrical grids and electricity production units together, Turkish Energy Minister Hilmi Guler said yesterday. The minister told a news conference that a bill on the government plan to build nuclear power plants would be discussed in parliament as soon as it reopened next month. (Reuters)

Oil transportation services provider Tsakos Energy Navigation Ltd said it sold its Aframax tanker Olympia to an independent Greek-based operator, resulting in a $34 million capital gain that will be recorded in the first quarter of 2008.