Turkey-Greece crisis in Eastern Mediterranean continues

NATO has not made any headway in halting the escalation of tension between Turkey and Greece in the Eastern Mediterranean. Turkey wants negotiations without preconditions. Greece is insisting on the withdrawal from the region of the Turkish research vessel Oruç Reis.

The European Union will draw up a list of new sanctions on Turkey at the end of September unless Ankara comes to the negotiating table. This is the conclusion reached at the summit of the EU Mediterranean states in Ajaccio, Croscica, Reuters writes.

On his way to Cyprus, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stated that a peaceful solution to the growing tension in the Eastern Mediterranean would be sought. He urged Turkey to withdraw its military assets and said that the dispute "has to be resolved in a way that's diplomatic and peaceful”, AFP reports.

Romania with the biggest number of OLAF cases in 2019

Romania is the country with the highest number of investigations by the European anti-fraud office OLAF in 2019, DiGi24 TV reports, citing an OLAF report. Last year OLAF investigated how European funds were being spent in 42 countries. 100 cases have been finalized, 11 of them are for European funds in Romania. 9 have been concluded with recommendations for auditing expenditures. Romania is followed by Italy with 9, then comes Greece, Poland and Bulgaria with 7 finalized cases each. The different kinds of fraud established by OLAF in Romania include aquaculture farms in zones where there is no water, European funding for preventing  forest fires spent on a casino and hotel project, etc.

Wine dispute between Slovenia and Croatia continues

The General Court of the EU has dismissed Slovenia’s appeal against the European Commission over the Teran brand, a long-running dispute between Slovenian and Croatian winemakers, the BTA reports. Slovenia requested the EU to repeal the use of the word “Teran” on labels of Croatian wine from Istra. Since Slovenia joined the EU the term “Teran” has been used on the labels of some Slovenian wines, mostly as a traditional name for wines from the region of Kras. Ljubljana wanted the European Commission to ban the use of the term “Croatia Istra-Teran”. After breaking away from Yugoslavia the two neighbouring countries still have no regulated border along the Adriatic and are continually having disputes over trade names and brands.

One in five people in Montenegro are unemployed

Unemployment in Montenegro now stands at 18.56%, according to the National Employment Service of Montenegro. According to statistics, the share of economically active Montenegrins seeking work was highest in 2000 – 32.7% and lowest in 2009 – 10.1%. 8,350is the number of people registered at the employment service since the beginning of the year who have found work. At the same time there are 14,840 job vacancies in Montenegro, BGNES reports.

Shopping in Edirne – only if you are wearing a mask

“No entry without masks”, “Masks required”, “Keep your social distance”. Signs such as these have been put up all around Edirne in Turkey, including places frequented by Bulgarian tourists. Bulgarians returned to the local markets after the Bulgarian authorities lifted the quarantine for arrivals from Turkey. The regional authorities of Thrace vilayet have decided to continue handing out masks and disinfectants to all passengers coming from abroad. The interior ministry has issued instructions making face masks mandatory in public places, BTA reports.

USA does not want Kosovo mixed up in Bosnia and Herzegovina disputes

US Special Representative to the Western Balkans Matthew Palmer stated in Sarajevo that the Belgrade-Pristina agreement achieved at the White House supported the normalization of economic relations, the Belgrade Blic writes. Matthew Palmer supported the resumption of the Serbia-Kosovo negotiations in Brussels and added that the problems of Bosnia and Herzegovina cannot be added to the format of negotiations. According to the US, Kosovo and Republika Srpska are incomparable. “Kosovo is a country and we have diplomatic relations with it. As for the Republika Srpska, the framework for its political future was defined by the Dayton peace agreement and that is a future for Bosnia-Herzegovina which is independent and has territorial integrity,” Matthew Palmer said as quoted by the Sarajevo Dnevni avaz.

Compiled by Ivo Ivanov

Photos: EPA/BGNES