Business Briefs

— ATEbank on Thursday announced a board decision to absorb its subsidiaries ATE Securities and ATE Cards and said it would hire an adviser for a tender to sell SEKAP SA, a tobacco wholesaler and cigarette manufacturer.

— Ellaktor SA, a Greek-listed construction group, on Thursday said a regular general shareholders’ meeting approved a board plan to pay a dividend to its shareholders and said that a wide portfolio of activities with “defensive” characteristics owned by the group, offered a safety net against the crisis and growth prospects within a very negative economic environment for businesses.

— Full employment contracts fell 27.67 pct in the first five months of 2011, compared with the same period last year, while part-time job contracts also eased by 0.34 pct and other types of employment rose 11 pct in the January-May period, official figures showed on Thursday.

— The European Commission on Thursday said it has cleared, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed merger of the respective Polish bank subsidiaries of Raiffeisen Bank International AG of Austria (RBI) and EFG Eurobank Ergasias S.A. of Greece.

— Korres Natural Products SA on Thursday announced a general shareholders’ meeting decision to skip a dividend payment for 2010, as well as to reinvest payments with the aim of financing the company’s and the group’s investment schemes.