Ansa news

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, FEB 13 - The newly-elected Kosovo Assembly passed a resolution drafted by a group of experts and supported by the opposition Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) on Thursday evening, calling for a "fair trial" for the defendants at the Special Court for Kosovo in The Hague, with 90 votes in favour, one against, and no abstentions. The trial of former President Hashim Thaçi and three other former KLA leaders in The Hague has reached the final stage, with closing arguments and statements.…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, FEB 13 - Greenpeace activists unfurled a banner from a 60-meter-high construction crane in front of the Munich Security Conference. Ten climbers climbed the crane and attached a banner that read, "Free yourselves from tyrants." According to a Greenpeace statement reported by Bild, the activists want to highlight Europe's reliance on Russia and the United States for liquefied natural gas. Greenpeace has announced additional protests at the conference, and at least 21 demonstrations…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, FEB 13 - Severe winter storms and rough seas along key migration routes contributed to a sharp 60% year-on-year drop in irregular border crossings into the European Union in January 2026, with approximately 5 500 detections, according to preliminary Frontex data. According to Frontex, only 222 people were detected on the Balkan Route this year, a 72% decrease from the previous year. (ANSA).

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, FEB 13 - "What we are witnessing now" in Serbia, "especially with the recent changes to the judiciary and the prosecutor's office, is a clear step backward. They undermine the independence of the judiciary and prosecutors, which is at the heart of the EU accession process," said EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos regarding the judicial reform that came into force this week. For the Slovenian, these changes "are undermining trust" in Brussels as well. "It is becoming increasingly…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, FEB 12 - The German army is short on volunteers for the two-year service in the brigade stationed in Lithuania, Der Spiegel weekly magazine revealed. While there are enough applicants for officers, there is a shortage of non-commissioned officers, which is causing concern in the Bundeswehr, given that Defence Minister Boris Pistorius promised to send only volunteer soldiers to Lithuania. Spiegel has seen internal Ministry of Defence documents from late January 2026 that show 1,971…

(ANSA-AFP) - BRUSSELS, FEB 12 - Hungary should not have received 10 billion euros in EU funds that were frozen over rule-of-law concerns, a legal advisor to the EU's top court said Thursday, calling for the 2023 decision to be annulled. The European Parliament took the European Commission to court after it unlocked the funds in December 2023 -- accusing it of caving to pressure from Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who was blocking efforts to support Ukraine. Parliament argued Hungary had not met the…

(ANSA) - TRIESTE, 12 FEB - A total of 238 applications from 28 countries have been submitted for Mittelyoung 2026, a Mittelfest project — the Central European cultural festival — specifically dedicated to under-30 artists and ensembles, scheduled in Cividale del Friuli (Udine) from May 14 to 17. The organizers announced this today in a statement. According to Mittelfest, 110 applications came from abroad: in addition to the countries eligible for selection, including many states from Central…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, FEB 12 - Deputy Minister Edoardo Rixi and Hungarian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Levente Magyar met bilaterally at the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport to discuss strengthening European cooperation, beginning with strategic infrastructure. According to a statement from the Ministry of Transport, the meeting confirmed Italy and Hungary's close collaboration, particularly in logistics, connectivity, and infrastructure investments. The meeting centred on Hungary's…

(ANSA) - ROME, FEB 12 - Premier Giorgia Meloni said Thursday that the European Union must take concrete action to boost its competitiveness if it is to "think big" and face up to today's international challenges after she hosted a pre-summit meeting with Germany Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever before an informal meeting of EU leaders. (ANSA).

(ANSA-AFP) - PRISTINA, FEB 12 - Kosovo's parliament elected Albin Kurti as prime minister on Wednesday, securing the leader a third term and ending a year-long political gridlock in the country. Following 12 months in a caretaker position, Kurti was confirmed as the Balkan nation's new prime minister after his Vetevendosje (Self-determination) party topped the results in a snap election in December. He was elected to the leadership with 66 votes in favour in the 120-seat parliament -- drawing applause…

(ANSA) - TRIESTE, FEB 11 - "Encrypted quantum communication is notfundamental only to combat attacks byhackers, but it is a decisive tool in the defense of our democracies. For several months now, the region has already successfully activated an initial quantum link between the two universitiesregional. Now our involvement in Qcimed confirms Fvg's role as a European gateway for advanced technologies and a leading area in communications security." This was said by the Councillor for Information Systems…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, FEB 11 - BMW is recalling vehicles from various model series around the world because product inspections revealed that after a large number of starts, increased wear on the magnetic switch may occur. This may impair the car's ability to start, or in some cases render it impossible to start. Furthermore, a short circuit cannot be ruled out, which could result in local overheating of the starter motor or, in the worst-case scenario, a vehicle fire while in operation. Various German…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, FEB 11 - In a tweet, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban accused the EU and Ukraine of interfering in Hungary's elections. "The official publication of the Brussels elite, Politico, has published the latest war plan from Brussels and Kiev, Zelensky's five-point strategy. They have decided that Ukraine will be admitted into the Union as early as 2027. This new plan constitutes an open declaration of war against Hungary. They ignore the Hungarian people's decision and are determined…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, FEB 11 - Hungarian opposition leader Peter Magyar believes that Prime Minister Viktor Orban's party, Fidesz, intends to release an intimate video, possibly a fake, of him having sex with his partner. The suspicion, as he explains in a lengthy post on X, stems from journalists receiving "a link showing a room filmed by a camera". "I imagine," he writes, "that they intend to release a recording, possibly falsified, made with secret service equipment, of me and my then-girlfriend…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, FEB 11 - The European Parliament has approved a €90 billion loan for Ukraine. The so-called "Ukraine support loan" will help the country meet its financing needs. Of the €90 billion, €60 billion will be used to strengthen Ukraine's defence and €30 billion to provide macrofinancial assistance. The loan will be financed through joint EU debt, and Ukraine will repay it once Russia pays war reparations. In exchange for the loan, Ukraine must commit to continuing democratic…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, FEB 11 - The Kosovo Special Chambers, an international tribunal in The Hague that is prosecuting KLA leaders, including former Kosovo President Hashm Thaci, for war crimes and crimes against humanity, has released three minor defendants on bail. Their names are Haxhi Shala, Bashkim Smakaj, and Fadil Fazliu. According to family members, the first has gone back to Kosovo. In February 2025, the Special Court sentenced Shala to three years in prison for witness intimidation. Shala…

(ANSA-AFP) - SOFIA, FEB 10 - Bulgarian investigators suspect four people found dead in a remote mountain region killed themselves, while two others, including a 15-year-old boy, were murdered. The case -- which one prosecutor has described as something out of the TV series "Twin Peaks" -- has gripped the Balkan country and shone a spotlight on a group that hosts holiday camps for youngsters. The bodies of two men, aged 51 and 22, and of a 15-year-old boy were found on Sunday in a camper van parked…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, FEB 10 - A German government official close to Chancellor Merz told Politico that Germany opposes French President Macron's proposal for a common European debt, arguing that it "distracts from the main topic, namely the European productivity issue," which will be discussed at Thursday's summit. "It's true that we need more investment," the official said. "But, to be honest, this is part of the Multiannual Financial Framework and thus not the Eurobond proposal." (ANSA).

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, FEB 10 - The organization's leaders and member state consuls met today at the Central European Initiative's Executive Secretariat in Trieste. Among the topics discussed was a conference commemorating the CEI Executive Secretariat's 30th anniversary, which will be held in Trieste on March 17, 2026. The event will be attended by Antonio Tajani, Vice President of the Council of Ministers and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and Oana Toiu, Minister of Foreign…

(ANSA) - ROME, FEB 10 - The European Parliament on Tuesday approved a new list of safe countries for irregular migrants to be sent back to, as well as migrant hubs in third countries in a potential boost to Italy's groundbreaking protocol with Albania to process migrants in the Balkan country. (ANSA).

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, FEB 10 - "By moving away from a Europe of sovereign nations, Brussels politicians intend to establish a centralised empire. Unfortunately, a centrally managed system means less support for our farmers, fewer small businesses, no price cuts for public services, and more power transferred to foreign multinational corporations. We reject their United States of Europe and will continue to prioritise Hungarians!" Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban tweeted on the eve of Europe's…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, FEB 10 - The German automotive industry's representative organisation, the Board of Directors, presented a mixed picture of the industry today. Among the shadows are the difficulties of domestic production, which is stuck at slightly more than four million vehicles (4.7 million pre-pandemic), as well as the constant loss of jobs. According to the VDA, which today published the results of a January survey of 124 companies in the sector, one in every two is cutting staff or planning…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, FEB 10 - "Our memories are not meant to be a source of vengeance, recrimination, or revanchism. Strengthened by the awareness that comes from recognising the horrors of the past, we turn to the countries that emerged from the dissolution of the former Yugoslavia—which was one of the last dramatic developments of communist ideology, defeated by its own contradictions—as brotherly countries to whom we extend our hand in friendship, respect, and a sincere desire for cooperation,"…

(ANSA) - MILANO, 10 FEB - 'Putin is not feeling enough pain, I think, he does not feel that the price' for the war in Ukraine 'is so high and thinks that everything is going in his favor, he thinks he will be able to complete the task when the US and Europe are exhausted'. This was stated by the former US Secretary of State during Donald Trump's first term and former CIA director Mike Pompeo at a meeting at ISPI in Milan on the occasion of the publication of his autobiography 'Never Back Down',…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, FEB 10 - The Central Election Commission (CEC) of Kosovo has certified the final results of the early elections held on December 28, following the recent partial recount due to fraud, paving the way for the formation of a new Assembly and a governing majority. Outgoing Prime Minister Albin Kurti's left-wing nationalist movement Vetëvendosje won the election with a record 51.10% of the vote, securing 57 out of 120 seats in the new parliament. The Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK)…

(ANSA-AFP) - THE HAGUE, FEB 9 - The Hague war crimes trial against Kosovo's ex-president and former guerrilla leader Hashim Thaci, along with three other senior rebel figures, began hearing closing statements on Monday -- the final phase before it retires to deliver a verdict. All four face charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity, over their alleged responsibility for killings, torture and other abuses committed by KLA members. Delivering the prosecution's closing statement, specialist…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, FEB 9 - "It's not true, it's not true." This is, in essence, how the 80-year-old former truck driver, who is being investigated as one of the alleged "weekend snipers" in Sarajevo in the 1990s, responded to questions from Milan prosecutors, who questioned him for just over an hour and denied everything. Even when asked if he had ever been to Sarajevo, the pensioner reportedly said no. "He is completely uninvolved in the accusations," lawyer Giovanni Menegon told reporters, as…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, FEB 9 - The German business newspaper Handelsblatt published today a proposal signed by the IG-Metall union and the Confederation of the Aerospace and Space Industries, titled "Two aircraft for a common European FCAS". The proposal is thus to acknowledge that Franco-German cooperation for the development of a single aircraft has now come to an end, and that the French side, specifically Dassault, has not made a "claim for leadership between equal partners, but rather an invitation…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, FEB 9 - Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić expressed his support for nationalist candidate Siniša Karan, who won the presidential election in Bosnia's Republika Srpska (RS) as Milorad Dodik's successor. Karan won with a margin of about 11,000 votes after a partial rerun of the early presidential vote held on November 23rd at 136 polling stations yesterday. The nationalist Party of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD) announced its candidate's victory shortly after the polls…

(ANSA) - SARAJEVO, 09 FEB - Siniša Karan, del partito nazionalista Snsd e considerato fedelissimo di Milorad Dodik, è il nuovo presidente della Republika Srpska (Rs), l'entità a maggioranza serba della Bosnia-Erzegovina. Nella ripetizione parziale, tenutasi oggi, del voto delle presidenziali anticipate del 23 novembre, Karan ha incrementato, seppure di poco, il suo precedente vantaggio di circa 10 mila voti sul candidato dell'opposizione, Branko Blanuša (Sds) ottenuto in novembre, prima che…