Ansa news

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 27 - Hristijan Mickoski, Prime Minister of North Macedonia, said he expects the European Union to resolve the issue affecting Macedonian truckers, who have been blocking border crossings with the Schengen area since yesterday, along with their counterparts from other non-EU Western Balkan countries. The prime minister announced yesterday that he had requested a phone conversation with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to discuss changes to the new rules on…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 27 - "Our historical responsibility remains: anti-Semitism has no place in Germany," wrote Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz on social media X. He added, "We remember the systematic extermination of Jews today, Holocaust Remembrance Day, as we do every day. Something like this must never happen again." (ANSA).

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 27 - Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico has announced that the country will not participate in Donald Trump's proposed Peace Board. Parallel international organisations, in his opinion, should not be established; instead, existing ones, such as the United Nations, should be reformated, according to the Czech website Seznam.cz. "It is necessary to reform existing international institutions, such as the United Nations, rather than abolish them. We are not in favour of establishing…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 27 - The European Commission has allocated €171 million in aid to Western Balkan partner countries to support infrastructure development and private sector growth. According to the Commission, the funding package includes today's approved investment and technical assistance projects, demonstrating the EU's commitment to long-term growth and regional connectivity in the Western Balkans. €91.8 million is specifically designated for infrastructure projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina,…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 27 - The Western European car market is down 16% from pre-crisis levels (2019), while the rest of the world has long reached and surpassed this level. The Promotor Research Centre emphasises this, attributing the delay to the EU's energy transition policy in the automotive sector, "carried out with measures unrivalled anywhere else in the world and which, in terms of environmental protection, have so far produced modest results." Electric vehicles sold in 2025 totalled 2,585,187…

(ANSA-AFP) - HAMBURG, JAN 26 - A group of northern European nations vowed Monday to build up climate-friendly wind power in the North Sea to achieve greater energy independence from Russia and other foreign suppliers. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz was hosting a summit in the port-city of Hamburg as Europe faces a hostile Russia but also worries about the future strength of transatlantic ties and US designs on Greenland. Aiming to make Europe more resilient in an uncertain world, the group of…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 26 - A fire at a biscuit and food products factory near the city of Trikala in central Greece has killed three people and left two others missing, according to Ekathimerini. A fire broke out around 4 a.m. The Violanta factory is located on the Trikala-Karditsa national road. The cause of the fire was not immediately determined. According to state broadcaster ERT, the factory was operating on 24-hour shifts at the time of the incident. Local media reported that a loud explosion…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 26 - Trucking associations from non-EU Western Balkan countries have banded together to wage war on Europe and the new digital border control system (EES), which went into effect last October and is said to penalise their work. They are threatening to blockade the main border crossings with the EU and the Schengen area beginning today at noon. The protest will last one week. Transport associations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia claim that…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 26 - Italy, with the support of Romania and Slovakia, has asked the European Commission to develop a "extraordinary European plan for the dairy sector" to address the sector's "systemic" crises. The discussion, initiated by Agriculture Minister Francesco Lollobrigida and supported by his counterparts in Bratislava and Bucharest, will take place among the "miscellaneous" items at the EU Agrifish Council, which is currently underway in Brussels. In essence, the ministers are…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 26 - In Austria, as in Italy, fatal accidents involving cyclists are rising sharply. Bicycles and e-bikes are becoming increasingly popular for both recreational and daily commuting purposes. This surge also emphasises the need for safety precautions. Last year, 65 cyclists were killed in road accidents, as reported by the Austrian Automobile Club Öamtc based on preliminary data from the Vienna Ministry of the Interior. This is the highest figure in Austria in 23 years, with…

(ANSA) - TRIESTE, 24 GEN - The Trieste Award for Best Feature Film at the 37th edition of the Trieste Film Festival goes to Fantasy by Slovenian director Kukla. The film follows three rebellious women in their early twenties on a journey that explores the complexities of gender, desire, and self-discovery, and was shot in part in Trieste, in the Rozzol Melara neighborhood. The awards ceremony is scheduled for this evening at the Politeama Rossetti, celebrating the achievements of the winners and…

(ANSA-AFP) - KYIVSKE, 24 GEN - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday said that "a lot" was discussed in the "constructive" US-brokered talks with Russia on ending the war, with the next round potentially expected "next week." "A lot was discussed, and it is important that the conversations were constructive," the Ukrainian said on social media after the talks concluded. "Provided there is readiness to move forward -- and Ukraine is ready -- further meetings will take place, potentially…

(ANSA) - TRIESTE, 24 GEN - The Eastern Star Award at the 37th edition of the Trieste Film Festival has been awarded to Hungarian director Ildikó Enyedi. This prize is awarded annually to a cinema figure whose work has helped build a bridge between Eastern and Western Europe, embodying the values and spirit of the festival. Enyedi is expected to attend the screening of her film, Silent Friend, at the Politeama Rossetti this evening, following the festival's awards ceremony. "Ildikó Enyedi is one…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, 24 GEN - "Together for the Students" is the title of a demonstration that is beginning to gather in Belgrade, organized by the IT NGO Blokada, which emerged within the "Intelligence Technology community" to support the student protest movement and manage its financial support platforms, along with some forty other associations backing the students. In central Pasić Square, steps from the Serbian Parliament, booths are being set up to showcase the issues central to the student…

(ANSA-AFP) - BELGRADE, JAN 23 - The United States has extended a temporary operating licence for Serbia's sanctioned oil company, the state broadcaster RTS said on Friday, as negotiations continue for the exit of Russian majority stakeholders. Washington's sanctions on the Petroleum Industry of Serbia (NIS), part of its crackdown on Russia's energy sector, have previously forced a months-long shutdown of the country's only oil refinery. Production restarted earlier this month after a temporary reprieve…

(ANSA-AFP) - BELGRADE, JAN 23 - Prosecutors in Kosovo said Friday that over 100 election staff had been arrested over "falsification" of voting results in a direct attempt to "subvert" last month's national poll. It comes after a full recount and a criminal investigation had been ordered into the Balkan nation's general election earlier this week after inaccuracies in the tallies were discovered. "We are talking about an organisation and a direct intention to subvert the results and the will of…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 23 - "Coordinating a joint response to threats to Euro-Atlantic security" and "Strengthening NATO's European pillar to further strengthen NATO's deterrence and defence posture" are two of the commitments made in the agreement on enhanced cooperation on security, defence, and resilience signed by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the Italy-Germany intergovernmental summit. The agreement, which is "not legally binding and does not constitute an international…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 23 - The new round of Kosovo talks, mediated by EU Special Envoy Christian Sorensen, resulted in an agreement to establish a joint commission on people who went missing during the conflict. However, Serbia's request for the immediate establishment and recognition of a Community of Serb Municipalities in Kosovo was denied. Serbian negotiator Petkovic told reporters when he returned to Belgrade that yesterday's talks were "difficult." (ANSA).

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 23 - "Italy and Germany have a strong, solid, and forward-looking partnership as the two most important industrial players in the EU, and we have a duty to support an industrial policy that fosters growth, competitiveness, and a trade policy that provides an outlet for our productive activities," Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said as he opened the Italy-Germany Business Forum in Rome, attended by over 500 companies. Tajani emphasised that the two countries share…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 23 - "The challenges before us are enormous, and Europe speaks with one voice," as in the case of support for Denmark and Greenland," but at the same time, "the Italian and German governments have also demonstrated the importance of maintaining stable relations with the United States," said German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul at the Italy-Germany Business Forum in Rome. The minister emphasised the strong economic partnership between Rome and Berlin, saying, "Europe must…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 23 - "I believe the Greenland issue is now much more consolidated than before. We always assumed it was not a European issue. This is a NATO issue. When two countries, such as the United States and Denmark, are members of the same security-focused organisation, NATO, the appropriate forum for managing the conflict, negotiating, and channelling differing opinions is essentially NATO," Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said to the press at the end of the EU heads of state…

(ANSA-AFP) - DAVOS WIESEN, JAN 22 - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday he and US leader Donald Trump had found agreement on post-war American security guarantees, a key issue in putting together a plan to end the Russian invasion. After meeting Trump in Davos, Zelensky said the security guarantees were "done", speaking in English to journalists. "The document has to be signed by the sides, by the presidents, and then will go to national parliaments." (ANSA-AFP).

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 22 - Slovenia's national minimum wage will rise by 16% this year to EUR 1,482 gross, Labour Minister Luka Mesec announced on Thursday, according to Slovenian news agency STA. The take-home pay will vary based on individual circumstances such as the number of dependents and tax breaks, but it will be EUR 1,000 netto for a single person without children, according to STA. In previous weeks, unions had welcomed the figure and businesses had criticised it as damaging for the economy.…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 22 - Wind and solar generated 30% more electricity in the EU than fossil fuels (29%), setting a record. This information comes from the European Electricity Review, published by the energy think tank Ember, which states that, despite the rapid acceleration of the transition, Italy, along with Germany, is among the countries hardest hit by imported petrol costs. Solar power increased by more than a fifth (+20.1%) for the fourth consecutive year, reaching a record 13% of EU…

(ANSA-AFP) - DAVOS, JAN 22 - German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned Thursday that the international order is "unravelling at a breathtaking pace" and that "a world where only power counts is a dangerous place". Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Merz pointed to Russia's war in Ukraine, a rising China and a United States that is "radically reshaping its foreign and security policy". "A world where only power counts is a dangerous place," he said. "First for small states and for the middle…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 22 - The Serbian government is waiting for US approval on an oil deal in principle between Hungary's Mol and Russia's Gazprom to acquire Russia's stake in NIS. Serbian Minister of Mines and Energy, Dubravka Djedović Handanović, stated in the pro-government daily Politika that this will allow them to increase their stake in the latter by 5%, bringing it to over 33%. They will also be able to "block decisions that are not in their best interests in the future." According to…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 22 - The severe weather that hit much of Greece with violent storms yesterday, killing two people and forcing authorities to suspend school activities, is now moving eastward towards the Aegean islands, where strong winds and stormy conditions are expected. The northern Aegean islands have been placed under high alert. A 53-year-old coast guard officer died yesterday afternoon after being thrown into the water in the port of Paralio Astros in the eastern Peloponnese. A second…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 21 - On the 20th anniversary of Ibrahim Rugova's death, foreign political leaders and diplomats in Pristina paid tribute to the intellectual and historic first president of Kosovo prior to its declaration of independence. Rugova, a man of conciliation with a diplomatic and nonviolent approach, was once opposed by the KLA's hardline separatists, but he is now regarded as a historical figure, a unifying figure of independence, and a father of the Kosovar nation. (ANSA).

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 21 - The European Parliament voted today to refer a recently signed trade deal with South American bloc Mercosur to the EU's top court, putting the agreement in legal limbo. In the vote that approved the referral of the Mercosur agreement to the EU Court, putting its final ratification on hold, cross-party pressure from MEPs from France, Romania, Poland, and Greece proved decisive. MEPs from Italy, Germany, and Spain led the "no" front, with the majority of national delegations…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 21 - The steel crisis in Germany continues: total production in 2025 fell to 34.1 million tonnes, a 9% decrease from 2024. This was announced today in a statement by the steel industry's representative organisation (Wirtschaftsvereinigung Stahl), which emphasises that such a figure has only been achieved since German reunification (1990), during the 2009 financial crisis. For the fourth consecutive year, production falls below 40 million tonnes, which is considered adequate…