Danone Industria Project.Russia,Ukraine,Belarus,Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan

The Bank co-invested with Groupe Danone in its Russian dairy subsidiary, Danone Industria in 2001as part of a Multi-Project Facility (MPF) (see PSD: http://www.ebrd.com/english/pages/project/psd/2001/1968.shtml). In 2010 the Bank exchanged its shareholding in Danone Industria for a stake in Danone CIS, a holding company that consolidates the subsidiaries of Danone in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan to support the Danone operations in those countries.

The Bank’s investment is expected to have the following main impact on the transition in the Region: a) Market expansion The Bank is supporting the expansion of Danone’s dairy operations in Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan in addition to Russia where the Bank already co-invested in Danone Industria. The Belarusian and Kazakh dairy markets are still in relatively early stages of their development, with no major local operator able to produce high quality dairy products. Danone’s product portfolio mix remains unique for the region, with a number of strong and affordable brands of children’s yoghurts, yogurt drinks, and desserts. (b) Backward linkages.

Further expansion of Danone’s operations in the region will have a positive impact on the local fresh milk suppliers (with most of them being small independent farms).

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.Country: Regional.Project number:41758.Business sector: Agribusiness.Public/Private:Private.Environmental category:B Board date:8 June 2010.Status: Signed. PSD disclosed:9 Dec 2011

Danone CIS (f. Project Neva)z

Belarus.Doing Business 2012

Doing Business sheds light on how easy or difficult it is for a local entrepreneur to open and run a small to medium-size business when complying with relevant regulations. It measures and tracks changes in regulations affecting 10 areas in the life cycle of a business: starting a business, dealing with construction permits, getting electricity, registering property, getting credit, protecting investors, paying taxes, trading across borders, enforcing contracts and resolving insolvency. In a series of annual reports Doing Business presents quantitative indicators on business regulations and the protection of property rights that can be compared across 183 economies, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, over time.

This economy profile presents the Doing Business indicators for Belarus. To allow useful comparison, it also provides data for other selected economies (comparator economies) for each indicator. The data in this report are current as of June 1, 2011 (except for the paying taxes indicators, which cover the period January- December 2010). The data not only highlight the extent of obstacles to doing business; they also help identify the source of those obstacles, supporting policy makers in designing regulatory reform.

A copublication of The World Bank and the International Finance Corporation

Belarus- comparing regulation for domestic firms in 183 economies

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