Ansa news

(ANSA-AFP) - LJUBLJANA, JUL 17 - Slovenia announced on Thursday that it would ban two far-right Israeli ministers from entering the country in what authorities said was a first in the European Union. Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir, key coalition partners of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, will be declared "persona non grata," the government said in a statement, accusing them of inciting "extreme violence and serious violations of the human rights of Palestinians" with "their genocidal statements".…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JUL 17 - The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has removed Kosovo from the list of fragile and conflict-affected countries, according to a press release issued today in Pristina. The World Bank made a similar decision a few days ago. The Central Bank of Kosovo (BQK) viewed Kosovo's removal from this list as a significant milestone, reflecting the country's ongoing progress in institutional sustainability, macroeconomic stability, financial governance, and the rule of law. (ANSA).

(ANSA) - TRIESTE, JUL 17 - Slovenian police recorded 9,899 illegal border crossings in the first six months of this year, which is less than half of the figure recorded in the same period last year, when it was 21,248, according to Slovenian news agency STA. The largest migrant groups arrived from Afghanistan (1,269), Morocco (1,043), and Bangladesh (1,029). Until the end of June, the police apprehended 79 smugglers, only one of whom was a Slovenian citizen, and 75 of them were held in custody.…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JUL 17 - New German Chancellor Friedrich Merz made his first visit to London since taking office in Berlin, as part of an informal mission that will last a few hours. During the mission, he will sign a bilateral friendship treaty with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, which is a declaration of intent on post-Brexit cooperation similar to those signed by the UK in recent years with several EU countries, including Italy, following the final entry into force of its divorce from…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JUL 17 - Kosovo is still at a stalemate over the election of the new parliament's speaker. Another attempt, the 48th, failed today, with the opposition again rejecting the ruling Vetevendosje (Self-Determination, nationalist left) party's proposal for a secret ballot. This proposal was introduced last May after the government's candidate for the presidency of the Assembly, Albulena Haxhiu, was defeated in six consecutive elections for failing to receive the required 61 votes.…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JUL 17 - Eurostat confirmed that inflation increased to 2% in June, up from 1.9% in May, according to the European Statistical Office's estimate, following the "flash" data released on July 1. In the EU, inflation has fallen to 2.3% from 2.6% in May. The lowest rates were in Cyprus (0.5%), France (0.9%), and Ireland (1.6%), while the highest were in Romania (5.8%), Estonia (5.2%), Hungary, and Slovakia (4.6%). Italy's inflation rate increased to 1.8%, up from 1.7% in May. Services…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JUL 17 - "We are working intensively with Serbia to fulfil the so-called non-paper of last November," in which Serbia committed to meeting certain obligations to open Cluster 3 on competitiveness and inclusive growth, EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos said at a press conference. "The process is underway; if they manage to fulfil it," the EU will be able to "move towards opening Cluster 3," but this will only happen in the autumn, when work will also be done on the so-called…

(ANSA) - BRUSSELS, 16 LUG - The new EU mid‑term budget for the 2028-2034 period will provide three times more funding for migration and border management. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced this when presenting the proposal. (ANSA).

(ANSA) - UDINE, 16 LUG - The Czech Republic will not participate in the purchase of US weapons for Ukraine, prime minister Petr Fiala told the website Publico.cz. However, the Czech Republic will continue to support Ukraine, particularly through its initiative to provide artillery ammunition. "The Czech Republic is focusing its efforts on continuing the ammunition initiative. For this reason, we do not intend to join new projects at this time," Fiala said. The Czech initiative to supply ammunition…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, 16 LUG - Serbian police detained and identified 138 people overnight during fresh anti-government protests and road blockades in several locations. According to the Interior Ministry, three of those detained were taken to the police station for questioning, whereas four individuals are facing criminal charges. Authorities stated that by this morning, all blockades had been removed and traffic flow had returned to normal. The government and political leaders have unanimously condemned…

(ANSA) - ROME, JUL 15 - A pragmatic solution is possible on the vexed question of truck transit at the Brenner Pass, Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker told Premier Giorgia Meloni in Rome Tuesday. "We discussed the Brenner transit route, a challenge we must solve together, and I am very confident that we will succeed if we find a very pragmatic solution, "Stocker said this in remarks to the press after his meeting with Meloni at her office in Palazzo Chigi. "It primarily concerns the issue of…

(ANSA) - BRUSSELS, 15 LUG - "Unfortunately, we see that the Kremlin does not want to end the war. So our involvement is crucial. We must continue to press Russia. The 18th sanctions package is essential, and we should already start working on the next one," said Artjoms Uršulskis, Parliamentary Secretary at Latvia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, upon arriving at the Foreign Affairs Council. "We should make the shadow fleet one of the priorities, along with all the ways we can weaken the Russian…

(ANSA) - ROME, JUL 15 - The process of accession of the Balkans to the European Union, "which I call the reunification of the EU," is "crucial, particularly in the complex time we are living in. And I think Europe must accelerate by giving concrete signals to nations that are doing their best to be part of our family." Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said after meeting with Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker at Palazzo Chigi. (ANSA).

(ANSA) - BRUSSELS, 15 LUG - The EU now "must speed up RepowerEU" because Donald Trump's ultimatum to Putin expires in 50 days, and "some member states still import gas and oil" from Russia, which "would trigger an impact" from U.S. secondary sanctions, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys said. (ANSA).

(ANSA) - PRISTINA, 15 LUG - Kosovo's parliament failed once again today in its 47th attempt to elect a new speaker, following the February 9 elections. The majority party, Vetevendosje (Self-Determination), once more proposed a secret ballot, but lawmakers rejected the motion. Vetevendosje pushed for the change in recent weeks after its government-backed candidate, Albulena Haxhiu, failed six times in a row to secure the minimum 61 votes required for election. The failure to elect a speaker and…

(ANSA) - SOFIA, 15 LUG - A significant wildfire broke out yesterday in the Ostritzite area, approximately twenty kilometers from Burgas, a city on the Black Sea in southern Bulgaria. This morning, Nikolay Kolev, the head of the Burgas Fire Department, announced that the fire has been fully extinguished. The flames scorched 180 hectares of dry grass and shrubs, and 30 structures, including shacks and small houses — some of which were uninhabited — were destroyed. Fifty-two people were evacuated,…

(ANSA-AFP) - KARLSRUHE, 15 LUG - Germany's highest court on Tuesday threw out a case brought by two Yemenis seeking to sue Berlin over the role of the US Ramstein airbase in a 2012 drone attack, ending a years-long legal saga. Plaintiffs Ahmed and Khalid bin Ali Jaber first brought their case to court in 2014 after losing members of their family in the strike on the village of Khashamir. The case has since been through several German courts. But the Constitutional Court on Tuesday ultimately ruled…

(ANSA) - ZAGREB, 14 LUG - On July 14, Croatia's President Zoran Milanović stated, "It is an arrogant insult to countries like Montenegro and North Macedonia to claim that Ukraine is the country closest to joining the EU." This remark followed a meeting in Zagreb with his Bulgarian counterpart, Rumen Radev, who was on an official visit to Croatia. Milanović expressed his concerns about certain European institutions, suggesting that they are overly obsessed with Ukraine as a means of maintaining…

(ANSA) - ROME, JUL 14 - Italian President Sergio Mattarella received the Austrian Federal Chancellor, Christian Stocker, at the Quirinal Palace this morning. The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Antonio Tajani, was also present. This was announced by the Quirinal (ANSA).

(ANSA-AFP) - BRUSSELS, 14 LUG - The European Commission on Monday said it was putting forward a new list of US goods worth 72 billion euros ($84 billion) that could be targeted by EU levies if tariff talks with Washington fail. The bloc's trade chief, Commissioner Maros Sefcovic, announced the proposal, "accounting for some 72 billion euros' worth of US imports", at a meeting with EU ministers in Brussels. The move came after US President Donald Trump threw months of painstaking negotiations with…

(ANSA) - BERLIN, 14 LUG - Maja T., the activist imprisoned in Hungary, has ended their hunger strike, according to the German news agency DPA. Maja T., a non-binary person, faces up to 24 years in prison for injuries inflicted on far-right demonstrators during a protest in Budapest in February 2023. The activist had begun the hunger strike to protest the conditions of their imprisonment. The strike was seriously affecting their health. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul took an interest in…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, 14 LUG - If a referendum were held today, 46% of Serbians would vote in favor of the country joining the EU, while 44% would vote against it. These data result from a survey conducted by the NGO Center for Free Elections and Democracy (CeSID), as reported by public broadcaster RTS. Researchers from the NGO noted that the gap between supporters and opponents has never been this narrow. They recalled that the highest level of support for EU accession — over 70% — was recorded…

(ANSA-AFP) - KYIV, 14 LUG - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday that he was putting forward economy minister Yulia Svyrydenko to become prime minister in what would be a significant political shakeup for the war-scarred country. "I have proposed that Yuliia Svyrydenko lead the government of Ukraine and significantly renew its work. I look forward to the presentation of the new government's action plan in the near future," Zelensky wrote on social media alongside a picture of the two.…

(ANSA-AFP) - BERLIN, JUL 12 - Germany's economy minister on Saturday called for pragmaticism in European Union tariff negotiations with the United States. US President Donald Trump on Saturday warned that Mexico and the EU would be slapped with 30-percent tariffs starting on August 1, raising the stakes in already tense negotiations with two of the largest US trading partners. "The EU now must, in the time that remains, negotiate in a pragmatic manner a solution with the United States," Germany's…

(ANSA) - DUBROVNIK, JUL 12 - There is "great closeness between Croatia and Italy, we have strengthened ties but we are also working together for the Imec Corridor which will be a great opportunity for all: growth in trade but also building infrastructure to connect Italy all the way to India through the Balkan countries as well." Vice-Premier and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said today after his bilateral meeting with Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic on the sidelines of the 'Dubrovnik…

(ANSA-AFP) - BRUSSELS, 12 LUG - European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen hit out Saturday at new tariffs threatened by US President Donald Trump, and said the EU still sought a deal with Washington to avert the measures. "Imposing 30 percent tariffs on EU exports would disrupt essential transatlantic supply chains, to the detriment of businesses, consumers and patients on both sides of the Atlantic," von der Leyen said in a statement. "We remain ready to continue working towards an agreement…

(ANSA-AFP) - WASHINGTON, 12 LUG - President Donald Trump on Saturday said major US trading partners Mexico and the European Union would face a 30 percent tariff starting next month, ramping up pressure for deals in his trade wars. Both sets of duties would take effect August 1, Trump said in separate letters posted to his Truth Social platform, citing Mexico's role in illicit drugs flowing into the United States and a trade imbalance with the EU respectively. The duties are higher than the 25 percent…

(ANSA) - BELGRADO, JUL 12 - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic denounced the "anti-Serb politics" increasingly prevalent, in his view, in the region's neighboring countries. According to Vucic, the Serbs "don't hate anyone" and intend to have good relations with everyone, starting with Bosnia and Herzegovina's Muslim component. "We respect everyone, we don't hate anyone," he said in an interview last night with private TV station Informer. In Serbia, he noted, there are neither anti-Islamic nor…

(ANSA) - BRUXELLES, JUL 12 - Slovakia intends to quickly reach a solution on the guarantees required to approve the European Union's 18th sanctions package against Moscow. "We want to resolve this issue by Tuesday because tensions are rising on all sides," Prime Minister Robert Fico told reporters in Bratislava, according to several media. Bratislava has been blocking new sanctions since June over fears about the consequences of a planned blockade on Russian gas imports from 2028, demanding financial…

(ANSA) - DUBROVNIK, JUL 12 - The Mediterranean as a place of recomposition of major international crises. Not a problem, but "the solution," a sea that "produces wealth." Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on the sidelines of the ongoing 'Dubrovnik Forum' in Croatia, speaking specifically of an "open door" to even the Indian Ocean and an important part therefore along the 'Imec Corridor,' or the 'Cotton Road' that starts from India and arrives in Trieste. "The Mediterranean cannot be a…