Federica Mogherini to visit Balkans

High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini is going to visit several Balkan countries in the beginning of next month. In the period March 1 – 4 Mogherini will visit Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia and Macedonia. Mogherini stated that her tour around the Balkan countries aims at providing “irreversibility of these states’ EU integration process”. The EU sees its work with the Western Balkan states as a key priority, Mogherini pointed out. Regional cooperation and good neighborly relations are of great significance in this matter, she added.

Serbia opens two new chapters for EU membership

Serbia is going to open two new chapters of the EU accession negotiations at an inter-governmental conference of the union – Chapter 26 on education and culture and Chapter 20 on industrial policy. Chapter 29 on the customs union is technically ready for opening, but the member-states haven’t fully agreed on it yet. After the Monday-held intergovernmental conference Serbia will have 8 chapters open.

Platinum Eagle military training exercise taking place in Romania

A total of 500 troops from Bulgaria, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Romania, Slovenia, Ukraine and the USA are taking part in the Platinum Eagle exercise, held on the Smârdan polygon, Galaţi District, Eastern Romania in the period 20 February – 1 March. The Romanian army takes part with over 100 troops of its land, air and naval forces. Last week Moldova refused to participate in the training.

Policemen against vandals across public transport in Greece

The Greek police send undercover officers as passengers across the public transport, in order to look for vandals who destroy electronic tickets’ appliances in subway, trolleys, buses and trains. Some 100 policemen are to take part in the action. E-tickets appeared in Greece in early 2017, but vandals have broken the facilities on an everyday basis. The tickets’ price depends on the travel distance. The apparatus warns via sound signal whenever there is a no-ticket-passenger onboard.

Macedonian Albanians demand bilingual notes

The Democratic Union for Integration party of the Macedonian Albanians has been constantly increasing its demands in the negotiations on the forming of a government, the Telegraph online edition reports. The latest demand is currency notes to be bilingual – in both Macedonian and Albanian. At the same time the Macedonian Albanians want bilingual border checkpoint tables, alongside the emblems and commands within the army and police to be in both languages as well.

Each 5^th Croatian kid below poverty line

UNICEF data states that each 5^th child in Croatia lives below the poverty line. Over 20,000 kids in the country are literally starving with their only warm meal being the one brought by their parents from the poor people cuisine. The 2015 research also points out that more than 20,000 children don’t even have the right shoes and their parents cannot afford any extra-class activities or services.

Turkey establishes scientific base on the Antarctic

A group of Turkish scientists will go to the Antarctic over the next days, in order to establish there the initial scientific and research base of Turkey. The group will do the preparation work for the implementation of the technical and economic rationale of the project. The scientific work in the Antarctic is essential for the gathering of information on the global climate changes. Several countries are doing research there in the sphere of physics, geology, biology and Turkey has its potential in the sphere, its scientists claim.

Compiled by: Atanas Tsenov

English version: Zhivko Stanchev