Ansa news

(ANSA-AFP) - KYIV, 20 DIC - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that the United States proposed to hold talks between Ukrainian and Russian teams in Miami, as officials gathered there for another round of talks to end the war. "They proposed this format as far as I understand: Ukraine, America, Russia," Zelensky said, adding that the Europeans could be present and it would be "logical to hold such a joint meeting... after we understand the potential results of the meeting that…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, DEC 20 - Since the beginning of the year, Serbia has recorded the arrival of 9,567 irregular migrants, a 49% decrease compared to the same period last year. Commissioner for Refugees and Migration Natasa Stanisavljevic said on Thursday, remebering this is the lowest number of arrivals since the beginning of the migration crisis ten years ago. Currently, 235 migrants are housed in six reception centres in Serbia, out of a total capacity of approximately 3,000 guests. A significant…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, DEC 19 - The Bundesbank has slightly reduced its growth forecast for Germany in 2026, forecasting a 0.6% GDP increase. The forecast in June was +0.7%. The current year is expected to see a 0.2% mini-growth. (ANSA).

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, DEC 19 - Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban claims that his negotiations in Brussels were successful, as they resulted in an agreement on a €90 billion loan to Ukraine without touching immobilised Russian assets, granting Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic an opt-out and an exemption. "We had a long, difficult night. We avoided the immediate threat of war. "We did not allow Europe to declare war on Russia by using Russian assets," Orban stated on social media. (ANSA).

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, DEC 19 - In light of US sanctions on Serbian oil company NIS, Russian giant Gazpromnyeft is negotiating the sale of its ownership stake, Russian President Vladimir Putin, said, calling for a "common solution" in this regard. "We understand what is happening with NIS. We have an intergovernmental agreement, and we believe the friendly Serbian leadership will take it into consideration," Putin said at the year-end press conference. "We have an idea about how we can move forward…

(ANSA-AFP) - BELGRADE, DEC 19 - EU leaders struck a deal Friday to provide Ukraine a loan of 90 billion euros to plug its looming budget shortfalls -- but failed to agree on using frozen Russian assets to come up with the funds. The middle-of-the-night agreement reached at summit talks in Brussels offers Kyiv a desperately needed lifeline as US President Donald Trump pushes for a quick deal to end Russia's nearly four-year war. "Today's decision will provide Ukraine with the necessary means to defend…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, DEC 18 - Rheinmetall, the German arms giant, announced that it has received a new order from the German Army for space satellites. This multi-year contract with the Army's procurement office is worth around €1.7 billion, with an option for an extension. The Bundeswehr will have access to space reconnaissance data collected by Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites. The German Army is expected to receive a large number of images each day, which must be made available quickly.…

(ANSA) - TRIESTE, DEC 18 - In the first eleven months of the year, Slovenian police recorded only 25,580 cases of irregular border crossings, more than 40% fewer than the previous year, according to the Slovenian news agency STA. Since 2023, the annual figure has been steadily declining, according to STA. This year, the majority of irregular migrants identified in Slovenia came from Afghanistan, Egypt, and Bangladesh. (ANSA).

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, DEC 17 - "Italy is fully committed to ensuring that tomorrow's European Council sends a strong political message about enlargement, demonstrating unity and collective credibility. Conversely, if we do not make progress on our partners' EU accession journeys, we risk losing them to our systemic rivals, permanently destabilising our neighbourhood and consigning the EU to irrelevance," said the Italia Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in her remarks to the Chamber of Deputies ahead of…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, DEC 17 - The Federal Statistical Office announced today that 650,000 people in Germany have a history of migration from Italy, commemorating the anniversary of the first agreement for the use of Italian labour in Germany, which occurred on December 20, 1955. The data refers to 2024, and 465,000 (72%) are immigrants, while 185,000 (28%) were born in Germany. Between 1955 and 1973, 24% of those born in Italy moved to Germany, and nearly a third (32%, or 147,000) arrived since 2014.…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, DEC 17 - Viktor Orbán said he wrote to Vladimir Putin, asking how Russia would react if the European Union decided to use frozen Russian assets and whether individual member states' votes on the issue would be considered. Moscow responded that if this happened, it would use force. The pro-government Hungarian media outlet Mandiner reported this, citing the Hungarian prime minister's statement to reporters. "Russia's response," Orbán stated, "was that the Russians' reaction was…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, DEC 17 - "Europe must take responsibility for its own security. This is no longer an option. It is an obligation. We know the threats we face, and we will address them. This means we must be ready. We must develop and deploy new capabilities to fight a modern hybrid war. Here too, we are moving mountains," said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, speaking at the Strasbourg plenary session ahead of the EU Council. (ANSA).

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, DEC 17 - Leonardo has signed a contract with Austria's Directorate of Air Armaments and Airworthiness to supply 12 M-346 multirole aircraft to the Austrian Air Force. The aircraft are required to defend national airspace and territory, as well as for military pilot training. The contract calls for the supply of light fighter-configured aircraft to the new M-346 F Block 20 standard, complete with a cockpit with Large Area Display (LAD), active electronically scanned array radar,…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, DEC 17 - The PowerCo factory in Salzgitter, Lower Saxony, Germany, was officially opened today. For the first time, Volkswagen brands will have their battery cells designed, developed, and produced entirely in Europe. The company announced the inauguration, and Volkswagen CEO Oliver Blume emphasised the factory's European focus: "We were the first European car manufacturer to develop and manufacture battery cells ourselves." 2This improves our standing and independence in global…

(ANSA-AFP) - HELSINKI, DEC 16 - Defending Europe's eastern flank should be an "immediate" priority for the European Union in the face of the threat posed by Russia, eight EU leaders meeting in Helsinki said Tuesday. "Russia remains a threat today, tomorrow and in the foreseeable future for the whole of Europe," Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo told reporters following the first Eastern Flank Summit gathering the leaders of Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Sweden.…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, DEC 16 - Montenegro continues to make progress towards EU membership. At the twenty-fourth meeting of the Accession Conference with Montenegro in Brussels, negotiations were provisionally closed on five negotiating chapters: chapter 3 on the right of establishment and the freedom to provide services; chapter 4 on the free movement of capital; chapter 6 on company law; chapter 11 on agriculture and rural development; and chapter 13 on fisheries. Montenegro has closed twelve of…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, DEC 16 - The ZEW Institute's survey of German economic sentiment in December came in at 45.8 points, up 7.3 points from the previous month. The institute's assessment of the current economic climate, however, remains almost unchanged, with a -81 point reading, up 2.3 points from November. (ANSA).

(ANSA-AFP) - BELGRADE, DEC 16 - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said Tuesday a planned hotel development in Belgrade that has sparked protests would not go ahead, after an investment firm linked to US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner pulled out of the project. "We will now be left with a destroyed building, and it is only a matter of time before bricks and other parts start falling off it, because no one will ever touch it again," Vucic told journalists of the abandoned plan…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, DEC 16 - Hungary opposes the enlargement conclusions that are set to be adopted today at the European Affairs ministers' meeting in Brussels. "We have a draft Council conclusions on the table that only 26 people support right now. The document is not currently supported by Hungary," according to Marie Bjerre, Danish Minister for European Affairs, on behalf of the rotating EU Council Presidency. "The reason Budapest does not support" the conclusions "is because we also want a strong…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, DEC 15 - Enel has acquired a portfolio of two onshore wind farms in Germany with a combined installed capacity of 51 MW. According to a press release, the transaction will add approximately €10 million in ordinary EBITDA to the group's profitability each year, thanks to a regulated feed-in premium tariff that ensures a minimum level of remuneration if market sales prices fall below the established threshold. (ANSA).

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, DEC 15 - The Electoral Complaints and Appeals Commission (ECAP) in Kosovo has upheld the appeal of Srpska Lista (SL), the largest party in the local Serb community, allowing its candidates to run in the December 28 parliamentary elections. The Central Electoral Commission in Pristina had previously barred SL candidates. In its ruling, ECAP argued that this decision, which harmed SL candidates, was deficient, incomplete, and failed to address critical issues and facts concerning…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, DEC 15 - "Italy is working hard to accelerate the European Union's enlargement to the Western Balkans, which has entered a more active phase than in previous years. As ambassador to Serbia, I'm encouraging Serbia to seize this opportunity as well," Luca Gori, the Italian ambassador to Serbia, told ANSA on the sidelines of the annual Conference of Ambassadors, which is currently taking place at the Farnesina. "In particular," Gori continued, "we are in favour of opening Cluster…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, DEC 15 - The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) announced today that 35 countries will compete in the 70th Eurovision Song Contest, which will take place in Vienna from May 12 to 16, 2026. Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Spain are all absent, having decided to boycott the event in protest of Israel's presence. Bulgaria, Romania, and Moldova will return to the ESC after three, two, and one years, respectively. "As we prepare to celebrate the 70th anniversary of…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, DEC 15 - "The international context in which we live has once again brought foreign policy to the forefront of our public debate. Despite so many unknowns, one thing is certain: Italy and its government, led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, are becoming increasingly important global players. Peace, development, and growth are the cornerstones of our actions, which always prioritise people." Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani made this statement at the Farnesina during the opening…

(ANSA-AFP) - PRAGUE, DEC 15 - The new government of Czech billionaire Prime Minister Andrej Babis was sworn in on Monday amid questions about its ties to the EU and aid to war-ravaged Ukraine. Babis's catch-all ANO movement won a general election in the EU and NATO member state of 10.9 million people in October. It has teamed up with two eurosceptic parties, the far-right SPD and right-wing Motorists, to form the cabinet with the backing of 108 lawmakers in the 200-seat parliament. President Petr…

(ANSA) - BELGRADO, DEC 13 - A new demonstration in support of former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) leaders who are on trial in The Hague for war crimes took place in Skopje today. On Skenderbeg Square in the Macedonian capital--regional media report--demonstrators from the Albanian minority in North Macedonia, the majority population of Kosovo, and many from neighboring Albania as well, all gathered to clamor for the release of Hashim Thaci, Kadri Veselj, Jakup Krasniqi, and Rexhep Selimi, who are…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, DEC 13 - According to The Wall Street Journal, US envoy Steve Witkoff will meet with European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Berlin this weekend, in a critical meeting as the White House seeks an agreement to end the war with Russia by the end of the year. The decision to send Witkoff, who has led talks with Ukraine and Russia on a US peace plan, highlights the urgency of efforts to narrow the gap between Kiev and Washington on the terms of the agreement.…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, DEC 12 - Austria has opened a new railway line that includes one of the world's longest railway tunnels, according to the news agency DPA. The Koralm Railway, which is 130 kilometres long, connects the cities of Graz and Klagenfurt and is expected to significantly reduce travel times and improve rail connections between northern and southern Europe. The train journey between the two southern state capitals now takes 41 minutes, down from nearly three hours by train and two hours…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, DEC 12 - "In Heidelberg, I had a very pleasant and positive meeting with Chancellor Friedrich Merz. We share a common vision of Europe's role and the need to strengthen EU action on security, competitiveness, and migration issues," Antonio Tajani wrote in X following the meeting on the sidelines of the EPP meeting. "We will continue to work closely with Berlin to establish a just and lasting peace in Ukraine and the Middle East as soon as possible. The next Intergovernmental Summit,…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, DEC 12 - "The European integration process is not yet complete and faces new challenges, reinforcing its appeal. The ambitions, efforts, and will of our neighbours, from the Western Balkans to Moldova, Ukraine to Georgia, must be matched by the Union's active willingness to welcome them." This was stated by the Italian President Sergio Mattarella during his speech at the New Year's Eve greeting ceremony for diplomats. (ANSA).