Ansa news

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 15 - "The euro zone economy demonstrates resilience despite the challenging international environment," and after a 0.3% GDP increase in the fourth quarter of 2025, "this growth pattern, driven by services, is likely to continue in the short term," the ECB wrote in its economic bulletin. The Bank noted also the expansion of services in particular, while industry and construction activity remained flat, and the boost to GDP from consumption, thanks to the "robust" labour market.…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 14 - Bulgaria is getting closer to yet another snap election. Following the rejection of outgoing Prime Minister Rossen Zhelyazkov, the liberals of "Continue the Change" (PP), parliament's second-largest political force and currently in opposition, immediately returned to President Rumen Radev the mandate he had just given them to try to form a governing majority, as required by the constitution. The outcome was predictable and foretold. After returning her mandate, PP member…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 14 - "The German Federal Army does not tolerate sexual violence, extremism, drug abuse, or discrimination. Soldiers who tolerate such behaviour may be barred from holding command positions in our army," said Bundeswehr Inspector General Carsten Breuer, Germany's highest military authority, at a press conference held during a meeting of the Bundestag's Defence Committee. The meeting focused on the scandal involving the army's paratrooper unit, which included anti-Semitism,…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 14 - With less than three months until the election, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is trailing opposition leader Peter Magyar in polls. According to the most recent poll by polling institute Median, published in the weekly HVG, Tisza's party leads with 51% of voting intentions, compared to 39% for Fidesz. The opposition now leads by two percentage points, up from two months ago. However, the research institute reports that 44% of respondents believe Fidesz will win,…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 14 - "Eastern and Central European banks are demonstrating resilient, high-quality performance, supported by dynamic economies with solid growth fundamentals and a rapidly evolving financial ecosystem," said Paola Papanicolau, Head of the International Banks Division at Intesa Sanpaolo, during the Central and Eastern European Forum 2026, which is currently underway in Vienna. "The higher growth potential in comparison to the Eurozone," she continued, "combined with timely…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 13 - "Sustainability is not just an ethical choice, but a true industrial and financial parameter," and companies that invest in it "improve efficiency, attractiveness, and competitiveness," said Anna Mareschi Danieli, President of Confindustria Slovenia, as she opened a Confindustria Slovenia-sponsored conference in Ljubljana today on sustainability as a strategic and financial lever for business competitiveness. "The challenge today is not whether to make the transition,…

(ANSA) - UDINE, JAN 13 - FemECoPLUS, a European project that will involve 100 women entrepreneurs and freelancers from the mountain areas of Friuli Venezia Giulia and Carinthia to build a stable network of cross-border cooperation for women, has started. The initiative presented today is co-financed by the Interreg Italy-Austria Program 2021-2027 and is led by Cramars, with Verein für Bildung und Lernen and the Interregional Trade Union Council Fvg-Carinthia. The project stems from a starting condition…

(ANSA) - UDINE, 13 GEN - Strengthening and expanding an already well-established partnership in education, research, and relations with the economic and productive sectors. This was the goal of the meeting between the rectors of the Universities of Udine, Angelo Montanari, and Klagenfurt, Ada Pellert, who led their respective delegations in discussions on the future prospects of cross-border cooperation. The news was reported by the University of Udine today. The talks focused on the joint development…

(ANSA-AFP) - BUDAPEST, JAN 13 - Hungary will hold a general election on April 12, its president said Tuesday, with the EU's longest serving current leader, nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, facing an unprecedented challenge. "I have set the date of the 2026 general election... voting will take place on Sunday, 12 April 2026," President Tamas Sulyok said in a statement posted on social media. (ANSA-AFP).

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 13 - Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić dismissed a planned visit by a delegation of MEPs to assess Belgrade's level of European integration, stating that they were not invited. Vučić and Serbian Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabić both stated that they will not meet with the "Serbia haters" who are visiting Serbia. Vucic, speaking during a visit to Abu Dhabi, echoed Ana Brnabić's statement that the Serbian government had not been consulted by the Strasbourg Assembly and…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 13 - For 10,000 kilometres, an Italian driver spends €533 in excise duties and taxes. Italy has the highest diesel prices in the EU, with excise duties and taxes accounting for 59% of the total cost at the pump. Without excise duties and taxes, Italian prices would be the third lowest on the continent. This is according to the web portal Facile.it survey conducted on European Commission data updated to January 5th following the realignment of fuel excise duties, with a 4.05…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 12 - The women and men of the 5th Novara Lancers Regiment were bid farewell today by the community of Codroipo (Udine), where the regiment is stationed, ahead of their departure for Kosovo, where they will be part of the NATO KFOR mission. "Friuli Venezia Giulia is proud of the 5th Novara Lancers Regiment, which was called upon to carry out an important peacekeeping mission and provide assistance to civilians" in Kosovo, said Mario Anzil, Vice President of the Friuli Venezia…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 12 - Serbia will resume receiving crude oil from Croatia via the Adriatic Pipeline (Janaf) starting at midnight, according to Serbian Energy Minister Dubravka Djedović Handanović, as reported by Belgrade's public television. Crude oil deliveries to the Serbian refinery in Pancevo were halted last October due to US sanctions imposed on the Serbian hydrocarbon giant NIS, which is controlled by Russia's Gazprom. The approval for crude oil to enter Serbia through Croatia is…

(ANSA-AFP) - ZAGREB, JAN 12 - NATO chief Mark Rutte said Monday the alliance was working on ways to bolster Arctic security, as Europe scrambles to deflect US President Donald Trump's interest in taking over Greenland. "Currently we are working on the next steps to make sure that indeed we collectively protect what is at stake," Rutte told journalists on a visit to Croatia. (ANSA-AFP).

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 12 - Mercedes-Benz, with just over two million vehicles sold, expects a 10% drop in 2025 compared to 2024. In presenting its figures today, the company preferred to signal optimism: the fourth quarter of last year was its best in terms of results, with sales up 6% from the third quarter. However, compared to the fourth quarter of 2024, there is an 11% decrease. (ANSA).

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 12 - According to Eurostat, as of November 30, 2025, 4.33 million non-EU citizens who fled Ukraine were granted temporary protection in the European Union. Compared to the end of October 2025, the total number of Ukrainians increased by 30,615 (+0.7%). The EU countries with the most refugees were Germany (1,241,000 people; 28.7% of the total), Poland (968,750; 22.4%), and the Czech Republic (392,670; 9.1%). (ANSA).

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 12 - Zbigniew Ziobro, a former Polish Justice Minister and prominent member of the right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party, has been granted political asylum in Hungary. He is accused of committing 26 crimes, including creating and leading a criminal organisation, while administering the Justice Fund, which is intended to assist crime victims. Ziobro personally announced the news on his social media accounts. "I have decided to accept the asylum granted to me by the Hungarian…

(ANSA) - BUDAPEST, 10 GEN - At an extraordinary congress, Hungary's ruling party, Fidesz, confirmed Viktor Orbán as its lead candidate and nominee for prime minister in the upcoming April elections. The congress also introduced the party's 106 candidates for single-member districts. Since 2010, Orbán has won four elections with a two-thirds majority, but this time his victory is threatened by a strong challenger, Péter Magyar, who leads the new party Tisza (Honor and Freedom). Tisza has already…

(ANSA-AFP) - UNITED NATIONS, 10 GEN - The UN Security Council will meet Monday to discuss Ukraine, a revised scheduled showed, after Kyiv's mayor urged residents to leave the capital due to mass heating outages caused by Russian strikes. "The Russian Federation has reached an appalling new level of war crimes and crimes against humanity by its terror against civilians," Ukrainian ambassador Andriy Melnyk said in a letter to the Security Council seen by AFP on Friday. The latest strikes left half…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 9 - In Kosovo, outgoing Prime Minister Albin Kurti is just short of securing an absolute majority following the December 28 vote, which appears to have broken the political impasse that had lasted nearly a year. The Central Election Commission (CIK) announced today that the left-wing nationalist Movement (Vetëvendosje, or Self-Determination, VV) won over 51% of the vote and secured 57 of the 120 seats in the National Assembly. This represents a nine-seat increase over the…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 9 - In the so-called E3, the United Kingdom, Germany, and France condemned as "unacceptable" the launch of the Oreshnik super-missile attributed to Russia by Ukraine in the Lviv region. Downing Street issued a statement reiterating the three European countries' (EU and non-EU) support for Kiev. (ANSA).

(ANSA) - TRIESTE, 09 GEN - Un viaggio nella Nuova Europa attraverso i racconti del passato e le memorie più fresche per svelare volti e voci del nuovo continente in divenire. È la 37/a edizione del Trieste Film Festival, la rassegna dedicata al cinema dell'Europa centro orientale presentata oggi a Trieste. Oltre 120 gli eventi in programma dal 16 al 24 gennaio, tra film, documentari, corti, masterclass e incontri con i protagonisti. Prevista una doppia apertura: si parte il 16 gennaio al Teatro…

(ANSA) - TRIESTE, 09 GEN - A journey through the New Europe, drawing on stories from the past and the freshest memories to reveal the faces and voices of a new continent in the making. This is the 37th edition of the Trieste Film Festival, the showcase dedicated to Central and Eastern European cinema, which was presented today in Trieste. More than 120 events are scheduled from January 16 to 24, including feature films, documentaries, shorts, masterclasses, and meetings with filmmakers. The festival…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 9 - Germany's industrial production unexpectedly increased for the third consecutive month, with the Federal Statistical Office reporting a 0.8% increase in November 2025 over the previous month. Analysts expected a 0.7% contraction. The 0.8% increase compares to the same period last year, when a 1% decline was expected. In October, production increased by 2.0% over September. (ANSA).

(ANSA-AFP) - BERLIN, JAN 9 - Long-distance trains were halted in northern Germany on Friday and services were also affected in other parts of the country as winter storms sweep across Europe, the rail operator said. "Long-distance rail travel in northern Germany is no longer possible," said Deutsche Bahn in a statement, adding that services from Berlin to Hamburg, and to the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia state were also impacted. (ANSA-AFP).

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 9 - In a letter dated December 10, US President Donald Trump wished Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán "good luck on his campaign in Hungary" and expressed gratitude for the invitation to visit the country, adding that his team would "contact him to discuss my schedule." "The relationship between the United States and Hungary is stronger than ever, based on shared patriotism. I'm excited to host him and his team in Budapest!" the Hungarian prime minister wrote on X when…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 8 - Celebrations for the National Day of January 9th began today in Republika Srpska (RS), Bosnia and Herzegovina's Serb-dominated entity. Bosnian Serbs celebrate this holiday with great pride and nationalism, despite the fact that it has been repeatedly declared unconstitutional by the High Court of BiH and harshly condemned by the High Representative of the International Union for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Christian Schmidt. (ANSA).

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 8 - Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico received Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis today in Bratislava. Since the division of Czechoslovakia, new prime ministers have traditionally made their first official foreign visit to their sister country. Andrej Babis, who was appointed Prime Minister in December, was greeted in his hometown of Bratislava by his counterpart Robert Fico, Slovak President Peter Pellegrini, and the Speaker of Parliament. The two Prime Ministers discussed,…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 8 - A cold snap with heavy snowfall is hitting the Balkans, causing significant traffic delays and power outages. In Belgrade and throughout Serbia, where the second day of Orthodox Christmas is celebrated today, hundreds of ploughs are clearing snow from city and suburban roads. Traffic is light, in part due to the timing of the winter school holidays, which began on December 31st and will last until January 19. Serbia also celebrates the Orthodox New Year on the Julian calendar,…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 8 - Germany is experiencing a cold snap: Berliners awoke to a city blanketed in snow for days, with temperatures dropping to -9 degrees Celsius, and snowstorms caused chaos in Hamburg. Public transport in the Hanseatic city is severely disrupted, with buses and subways running irregularly, and all schools will be closed tomorrow due to severe weather forecasts. Bremen's classes are also expected to be suspended on Friday. Local media are reissuing a media alert, warning of…