Ansa news

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, APR 29 - Fincantieri and Kayo, a company specialising in the development of strategic industrial infrastructure controlled by the Albanian Ministry of Defence, signed a Joint Venture Agreement (JVA) in Tirana, in the presence of Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, to establish a joint venture (JV) to operate in Albania's naval construction and maintenance sector. The joint venture, which will be 51% owned by Fincantieri and 49% by Kayo, will aim to build and maintain naval vessels…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, APR 29 - "The significant acceleration of negotiations for Montenegro's accession to the European Union, and the resulting prospect of completing the process by 2028, represents a huge opportunity for Friuli Venezia Giulia in terms of expanding and consolidating the scope of territorial cooperation between the two shores of the Adriatic," said Pierpaolo Roberti, Friuli Venezia Giulia's regional councillor for Local Authorities, Public Administration, Security, and Immigration.…

(ANSA-AFP) - PRISTINA, APR 29 - Kosovo's deeply divided MPs failed to elect a president on Tuesday, putting the country on course for a third election in just over a year. "This session marked the end of this legislature. The elections will be called within the constitutional deadline" of 45 days, parliamentary speaker Albulena Haxhiu told the lawmakers. Despite topping both of last year's general elections, Prime Minister Albin Kurti's centre-left Vetevendosje party has struggled with a deadlocked…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, APR 28 - Since mid-April, Croatia has been hit by an unprecedented wave of false reports of explosive devices: schools, nursery schools, shopping malls, newsrooms, hospitals and municipal offices have received hundreds of anonymous emails containing attack threats. All of the alerts were false, but they forced authorities to evacuate dozens of buildings and deploy bomb squads and law enforcement, disrupting normal school operations. According to Croatian media estimates, over…

(ANSA) - TRIESTE, APR 28 - Pantheon Atlas LLC, an investment firm, announced today the development of Pantheon AI, a hyperscale AI data centre and innovation campus in Topusko, Croatia, which will bring over €50 billion in total investment to the central European country and establish it as a leading regional hub for digital infrastructure, according to the company. The project will allow up to 5.2 GW of renewable energy to be integrated into Croatia's grid, making it the largest investment in…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, APR 28 - "The Three Seas Initiative (TSI) promotes transatlantic cooperation while also ensuring the United States' strategic presence on NATO and the European Union's eastern flank" and "the countries of this region must not only steadily increase defence funding but also rapidly develop their defence industries," Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said today at the TSI Summit in Dubrovnik. (ANSA).

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, APR 28 - On the final day to elect a new president of the Republic of Kosovo, before Parliament is inexorably dissolved—as required by a Constitutional Court ruling—crossed vetoes remain in effect. The meeting was supposed to start this morning, but Assembly Speaker Albulena Haxhiu, who also serves as interim president after Vjosa Osmani's term expired earlier this month, postponed it until 2:00 PM, citing a desire to give the opposition time to participate. However, MPs from…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, APR 28 - "Joining the European Union is a survival strategy for Moldova," said Moldovan President Maia Sandu in an interview with the French newspaper Le Monde today. Sandu is pushing for her country's rapid integration into the EU while also resisting pressure from Vladimir Putin's Russia. During the interview, the Chisinau leader pledged that Moldova will be "ready" to join the EU by 2030. "Obviously, important reforms need to be completed, but we will be able to meet our commitments,…

(ANSA) - UDINE, 28 APR - The shareholders' meeting of Finest S.p.A., the financial company driving internationalization in the Triveneto area, has strategically endorsed the 2025 financial statements, marking the company's renewed direction under Luca Di Benedetto's leadership. In line with its strategic objectives, the company secured €20 million in new investments this year, distributed across 10 internationalization projects in partnership with Triveneto businesses. Additionally, another €23.7…

(ANSA-AFP) - ZAGREB, APR 28 - Croatia and Bosnia on Tuesday signed a deal to build a major gas pipeline backed by investors close to US President Donald Trump, aiming to cut Sarajevo's reliance on Russian gas. The pipeline will connect Bosnia to the European gas network, notably the liquefied natural gas terminal on Croatia's northern island of Krk, which receives significant volumes of US gas. Hailing it as a "major step forward", Bosnian Prime Minister Borjana Kristo also thanked US partners.…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, APR 28 - US Energy Secretary Chris Wright spoke today and tomorrow in Dubrovnik, Croatia, on the sidelines of the Three Seas Initiative (3SI) summit, calling for a significant expansion of natural gas market infrastructure, describing it as a "affordable and clean" energy source. As President Donald Trump's envoy to the summit of 13 EU countries, he emphasised that the US is the world's largest natural gas exporter, calling for new infrastructure investments in the US, Europe,…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, APR 28 - A man opened fire on the ground floor of the Athens Court of Appeals, located in the Ampelokipoi neighbourhood. Skai, a private broadcaster, reports that four people were injured but treated for minor leg injuries. According to preliminary information, the attacker is the same 89-year-old man who allegedly opened fire shortly before inside a branch of the National Social Security Institute in the Keramikos neighbourhood, injuring an employee in the foot. The man then…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, APR 27 - "The mayor of Athens must first and foremost be concerned with the residents' daily lives, cleanliness, and quality of life. Interviews with foreign media that convey misleading messages about Athens do not protect it. On the contrary, they harm its image and tourism in the capital." This was the comment made by Greek Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni in an interview with Athens Mayor Haris Doukas, published last Saturday by the Guardian, in which the mayor denounced…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, APR 27 - Kosovo is on the verge of holding new early parliamentary elections, the third in about a year and half. Prime Minister Albin Kurti's ruling party, the Vetëvendosje Movement (LVV), and the two main opposition parties, the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) and the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), continue to have profound differences over the next president to be elected by Parliament. Despite Kurti's latest offer last Saturday for a deal that would spare the country…

(ANSA) - TRIESTE, APR 27 - "Moldova's security is a component of European security. The CEI supports the country's institutional strengthening and path to the Union." Franco Dal Mas, Secretary General of the Central European Initiative (CEI), made this statement during a meeting with Moldova's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mihai Popsoi, today in Chisinau. On the occasion, Dal Mas also reiterated Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani's position, which states that enlargement represents…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, APR 27 - "We must invest more in defense in Europe. The recent crises have demonstrated this," said EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Berlin for the Union conclave (CDU-CSU). "Germany, with its geopolitical position at the heart of Europe and its industry, plays a critical role in this," she added. (ANSA).

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, APR 27 - Since the elections, at least three members of Viktor Orbán's inner circle have begun to transfer their assets abroad. Their wealth is being transferred to Middle Eastern countries such as Saudi Arabia, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates, while others are focusing on Australia and Singapore. The Guardian reports this, citing sources from Fidesz, the defeated Hungarian autocrat's party. According to the Guardian, private jets loaded with assets accumulated during Orbán's…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, 25 APR - "The Chernobyl accident was a watershed moment for nuclear safety. It resulted in legally binding agreements, increased transparency, and international cooperation," the IAEA, the United Nations' International Atomic Energy Agency, stated on its X account. Ukraine commemorates the 40th anniversary of the nuclear power plant explosion, which was the worst civilian nuclear disaster in history. This anniversary comes four years after the Russian invasion, which once again…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, APR 25 - According to Prime Minister-in-waiting Peter Magyar, a delegation from the future Hungarian government is in Brussels today for a new round of informal talks with the European Commission regarding the release of approximately €18 billion in frozen EU funds earmarked for Budapest. The delegation is led by the ministers in charge of foreign affairs, finance, and economy and energy, Anita Orban, Andras Karman, and Istvan Kapitany, respectively, as well as Magyar's right-hand…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, APR 25 - In 2025, the European Union had 2.06 million self-employed workers aged 20 to 29, accounting for 7.9% of the overall category. According to Eurostat, Italy ranks fifteenth, roughly in the middle of the rankings, with a percentage that is comparable to the average. Slovakia (12.2%), Malta (10.5%), and Romania (10.3%) had the highest proportions of young entrepreneurs among self-employed workers aged 20 to 64 in the EU. The lowest shares were found in Ireland (5.1%), Bulgaria…

(ANSA) - TRIESTE, APR 24 - Janez Janša, leader of the Democratic Party (SDS), announced on Friday that his party will take the first steps towards forming a government in Slovenia after their bill to reduce the number of ministries is discussed in parliament. According to Slovenian news agency Sta, if the bill is passed, the SDS will send a blueprint for a coalition agreement to supporting parties. "Only if these are coordinated, signed and approved by the bodies of parties willing to cooperate,…

(ANSA-AFP) - BELGRADE, APR 24 - A Kosovo court handed three men lengthy jail sentences on Friday for taking part in a failed armed secession attempt by Serb separatists in the country's north in 2023. Charged with terrorism, two were sentenced to life in jail while the third was sentenced to 30 years for their part in a deadly clash between dozens of heavily armed men, led by Kosovo Serb Milan Radoicic, and Kosovo police in Banjska, close to the Serbian border. One Kosovo police officer and three…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, APR 24 - After Trieste, Ljubljana, and Belgrade, the "Liberal Dialogues" initiative, promoted by the Southeast Europe Observatory (SEE), will make a stop in Podgorica on May 5. The Montenegrin capital will host a meeting titled "Constitutionalism and Market Openness" at the city's Europe House. Speakers on the topic include Emanuela Pistoia, Professor of European Union Law at the University of Teramo and Director of the Department of Law; Andrea Giuricin, economist, Marketing…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, APR 24 - French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to arrive in Athens this afternoon for a two-day visit aimed at renewing the security and defence agreement signed by Greece and France in 2021, according to Greek media. Long-time NATO allies, the two countries signed a defence agreement five years ago that called for mutual assistance in the event of an attack on their territorial sovereignty and included Athens purchasing three French-built frigates, the first of which was…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, APR 24 - The European Union flag will return to the Hungarian Parliament's façade in Budapest, alongside the national flag and the Szekely flag, which represents the Hungarian minority in Transylvania. Prime Minister-elect Peter Magyar announced the news on X, stating that the reinstatement will take place on May 9th, during the first session of the new National Assembly, which coincides with the swearing-in ceremony and the installation of the new government. (ANSA).

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, APR 24 - Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis has called on Brussels to "immediately review ETS 1 for industries with high energy needs." "Energy is very expensive, so we are not competitive with other countries like Asia or the United States," the prime minister explained as he arrived at the informal EU summit in Cyprus. "It takes a long time, far too long," he told reporters about potential measures leaders could take to address the energy crisis. (ANSA).

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, APR 23 - "Today, we took two significant steps towards achieving a just and lasting peace in Ukraine. First, we strengthened Ukrainian forces' ability to fight and defend themselves. The second step was to increase pressure on Russia, urging it to seriously engage in peace talks. Now is the time to look ahead and prepare for the next step: the first round of talks for Kyiv's EU accession," European Council President Antonio Costa said during a press briefing with Volodymyr Zelensky…

(ANSA) - GORIZIA, APR 23 - The traditional Friendship March, organized by the Nova Gorica Sports Institute and the Gorizia Marciatori Gorizia association, in cooperation with Go! 2025, with start and finish in the symbolic Transalpina/Trg Evrope square. This is the 50th anniversary of the first edition, which was held in 1976. In the cross-border urban area, participants will be able to choose between two routes, of 6 and 12 kilometers. The march will be accompanied by a rich side program and refreshments…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, APR 23 - Romanian Social Democratic Party (PSD) ministers resigned from the government today, formally withdrawing their political support for Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan. "From this point forward, the Prime Minister no longer has the support of a parliamentary majority," the party said in a statement. The PSD characterised the decision as a necessary political act, claiming that a government without a majority no longer has democratic legitimacy. According to official sources,…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, APR 23 - The Assembly of the European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (GECT GO), made up of representatives from Gorizia, Nova Gorica, and Šempeter-Vrtojba, approved the 2025 final budget, revised Standing Committees, and operational and programmatic guidelines for the period after the European Capital of Culture. Highlights include the balanced budget for the GO!, with the year 2025 seeing nearly 8 million euros redistributed throughout the local area. "The data show that,…