Main headlines from this issue

Israel lowers civil offset quota and allocates multipliers – policy “A victory for employment and investment”

Unless it can negotiate a new Government Procurement Agreement (GPA), 2009 will be the last year that Israel may demand industrial cooperation for civil procurements. Israel must also lower its 28 percent quota to just 20 percent with effect from January 1, 2009 for civil acquisitions made from countries that are signatories to the WTO agreement. Civil acquisitions from companies in countries which are not signatories to the GPA will continue at the 35 percent level...

Chinese company to discharge offsets in Israel

The Haifa Port Company, which tried its best to resist the Industrial Cooperation Authority’s imposition of an industrial cooperation commitment in the company’s tender documents for dockside cranes and equipment, has signed the winner - the Chinese company ZMPC - to a 35 percent industrial cooperation agreement...

Poland: Thales offset contract suspended as shipyard faces insolvency

Poland’s Deputy Defence Minister, Zenon Kosiniak-Kamysz, disclosed the shipyard's financial problems have caused the Defence Ministry to delay signing a contract with Thales Nederland for an electronic combat system for a corvette. The contract was understood to be for more than Z600m ($201m). The decision places in jeopardy construction of the first warship in free Poland, estimated to cost Z1.2bn...

Sri Lanka: Tea Association rejects government barter proposal

The Sri Lankan government has spoken of trying to arrange “some kind of barter deal” with major buying countries for its tea, but the Colombo Tea Traders Association (CTTA) warned that such an approach is an outdated concept. \The avenue of barter trade between friendly countries is not available anymore\" the CTTA said in a statement...

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