Ansa news

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, APR 15 - An institutional delegation comprised of representatives of the 2025 European Capitals of Culture, including the Mayor of Gorizia, Rodolfo Ziberna, the Mayor of Nova Gorica, Slovenia, Samo Turel, and the Director of ECoC projects in Chemnitz, Germany, Josephine Hage, participated in a day of institutional meetings and activities in the North Macedonian capital, Skopje. The goal was to share the results achieved as well as provide expertise and experience to help Skopje…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, APR 15 - Bulgaria will hold snap parliamentary elections next Sunday. In the 52nd parliamentary term, 24 political groups (14 parties and 10 coalitions) are vying for 240 seats in Bulgaria's unicameral Parliament. Former two-time president Rumen Radev, a former top gun and air force commander, is currently leading the polls. He is nonpartisan and resigned from his impartial position in January to enter politics, promising to restore stability to the country and rid it of the pervasive…

(ANSA) - ATHENS, APR 15 - A consortium led by ExxonMobil and Greek companies Energean and Helleniq Energy signed an agreement in Athens with Stena Drilling, the owner of the floating drilling platform that will be used for offshore hydrocarbon exploration in Block 2 in the northwestern Ionian Sea, according to Ana-mpa news agency. At the contract signing, Greek Environment and Energy Minister Stavros Papastavrou stated that if the strong indications of natural gas in the area are confirmed, it would…

(ANSA) - TRIESTE, APR 15 - A delegation from the Senate Committee on European Affairs will be in Belgrade on Friday on an official visit to the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia. The delegation, composed of Giuliomaria Terzi di Sant'Agata (chair), Tatjana Rojc, Cinzia Pellegrino and Davide Capuano, will be welcomed by National Assembly Speaker and former prime minister, Ana Brnabic. They are scheduled to meet with Elvira Kovacs, deputy speaker of the National Assembly and chair of the…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, APR 15 - Following Peter Magyar's victory over Viktor Orban, "a fresh wind" is blowing in Hungary, bringing "hope" that the €90 billion EU loan to Ukraine will be released "as soon as possible." EU Defence Commissioner Andrius Kubilius stated this during a hearing before the European Parliament's Defence and Space Committee, expressing his hope that Budapest's veto will be lifted. (ANSA).

(ANSA) - UDINE, 15 APR - The 35th Mittelfest, a major Central European and Balkan festival of theater, music, dance, and circus, will focus on the theme of 'Fear' from July 16 to 26 in Cividale del Friuli (Udine). It will be preceded by Mittelyoung, Europe's only festival for under-30 artists, from May 14 to 17. The festival brings together 32 artistic projects from 16 countries and premieres 20 works, both worldwide and nationally, showcasing its multidisciplinary focus on theater, music, dance,…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, APR 15 - The European Union's Court of Justice will hear Italy's appeal against heavy vehicle driving bans along the Brenner Pass in Austrian Tyrol next Tuesday. The ruling is expected in the autumn and will determine the future of traffic along the corridor. At the same time, according to the Tiroler Tageszeitung, no immediate improvements are expected to the 'Slot' system. The project to digitally and automatically manage truck flows, which was agreed upon three years ago in…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, APR 15 - EU member states will be able to provide state aid for up to 50% of the additional costs associated with rising fuel or fertiliser prices in agriculture, fisheries, road transport, and maritime transport. This is outlined in the draft Temporary Framework on State Aid to Address the Middle East Crisis, which is currently being reviewed by EU capitals and is scheduled to be adopted on April 22. The 50% percentage and reference period (currently March 1 to December 31) are…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, APR 14 - If former Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski is extradited from Hungary and returns to North Macedonia, he will face prison. Macedonian Prime Minister Hristijan Mickovski issued the statement yesterday, after Budapest's prime minister-in-waiting, Péter Magyar, declared that Hungary should no longer be a haven for "convicted criminals." Magyar specifically mentioned former Macedonian Prime Minister Gruevski, who was recently convicted in his country for a variety…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, APR 14 - Following Trieste and Ljubljana, the "Liberal Dialogues" initiative, promoted by the Southeast Europe Observatory (SEE), a project promoting liberal economics established by the Luigi Einaudi Foundation and the MIB Trieste School of Management, arrived in Belgrade today. An event titled "Leadership, Rights, and Media" was held in Serbia's capital. The initiative in Belgrade laid the groundwork for mixed working groups, including Serbian students, faculty, and European…

(ANSA-AFP) - BERLIN, APR 14 - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that a pipeline carrying Russian oil through Ukraine to Hungary and Slovakia and damaged in Moscow's strikes would reopen by the end of April. "As for the oil pipeline, as we promised, it will be repaired by the end of April -- not completely, but enough for it to function," Zelensky told reporters in Berlin, adding he was ready to meet with Hungary's prime minister-elect, Peter Magyar. The status of the pipeline…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, APR 14 - With their vote, Hungarians "did not dismiss a government, but a system." Budapest sent a signal that "there is no dead end to populism. And that's good news," said German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at a press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Berlin. (ANSA).

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, APR 14 - In Hungary, Tisza's future government will conduct a thorough investigation into the "clumsy" alleged attack on the TurkStream pipeline, which occurred just days before the election. Peter Magyar, the Hungarian election winner, said this in a press conference in response to a question from independent Serbian broadcaster N1. He believes the person behind the action is the same "godfather" who established the "great friendship" between defeated Prime Minister Viktor Orbán,…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, APR 14 - Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob called Hungary's Prime Minister-elect Peter Magyar on Monday to congratulate him on his landslide victory, according to the Slovenian news agency STA. Golob and Magyar discussed shared EU values and historical ties between their countries, and Golob accepted Magyar's invitation to visit Budapest this May. (ANSA).

(ANSA) - ZAGREB, 13 APR - Yesterday's election, with Peter Magyar's victory and the clear defeat of Viktor Orban's Fidesz, shows that Hungary is a "functioning electoral democracy." So said Croatian President Zoran Milanović, who comes from a social democratic background but, in recent years, has partly shared Orbán's criticism of Brussels' policy on the conflict in Ukraine. "A man who until yesterday was a satrap and a tyrant lost the election convincingly," Milanović acknowledged. Last night,…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, 13 APR - Serbian and Italian agriculture ministers signed a memorandum at Vinitaly in Verona to strengthen agricultural cooperation across 22 sectors, including the exchange of experience and joint participation in fairs, Tanjug reported. "Italy is Serbia's third-largest foreign trade partner after Germany and China," Glamočić said, adding that it is also Serbia's second most important export market. He noted that in January and February of 2026, "we managed to increase our…

(ANSA) - TRIESTE, 13 APR - The main argument is that despite Peter Magyar's electoral victory, caution is needed before anticipating a major shift in Hungary's political direction. That is the message from Mattia Zulianello, associate professor of Political Science at the Department of Political and Social Sciences of the University of Trieste: the reversal some are expecting from "competitive authoritarianism" or "illiberal democracy" in Hungary may not come right away, even though Peter Magyar…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, APR 13 - "We will continue to suffer the consequences of this war for a long time to come, even after it is over," German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said at a press conference in Berlin, as his government announced support measures for citizens and businesses, including a fuel tax cut. According to Merz, the energy shock caused by the Middle Eastern war will have a long-term impact on the German economy. (ANSA).

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, APR 13 - Peter Magyar's first trip abroad will be to Warsaw, followed by a trip to Brussels to demand "the unlocking of EU funds." The Tisza leader made this statement in Budapest's Batthyany Square as he celebrated his victory over Viktor Orban. "Hungary will remain a strong ally of the EU and NATO," he emphasised. (ANSA).

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, APR 13 - Ursula von der Leyen, Commission President, called Peter Magyar, the winner of the Hungarian elections, to congratulate him. According to EU sources, the two "agreed on close cooperation." (ANSA).

"Prime Minister Viktor Orbán just congratulated us on the phone on our victory." This was written in a Facebook post by Hungarian opposition leader Peter Magyar.

(ANSA-AFP) - BUDAPEST, 12 APR - Polls closed in Hungary's parliamentary election on Sunday, with turnout reaching a record high in the crunch vote that sees nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban's 16-year stint in power face an unprecedented challenge from conservative political newcomer Peter Magyar. Polling closed at 7:00 pm local time (1700 GMT), with turnout reaching 77.8 percent at 6:30 pm, above the previous record of a total of 70.5 percent for the 2002 elections. (ANSA-AFP).

(ANSA) - ROME, APR 12 - What is happening now in Bulgaria is a small fragment of a globally generalized chaos and democracy is a facade. The poet, literary critic and writer of Bulgarian-Cuban origin Vladimir Sabourìn said to ANSA during the 'Portraits of Poetry' event in Rome. "The first 23 years of my life were spent at the time of the previous regime, I already have experience in the area of enormous and terrible changes and I think that what is happening on the global level is catastrophic…

(ANSA-AFP) - BUDAPEST, 12 APR - Turnout in Hungary's closely watched parliamentary polls on Sunday hit a record 54 percent at midday, election authorities said, as voters flocked to participate in a ballot that could end nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban's 16-year rule. The noon turnout was considerably higher than the 40 percent seen in the 2022 election, and AFP journalists saw queues of people waiting to vote at numerous polling stations. (ANSA-AFP).

(ANSA-AFP) - BERLIN, 12 APR - Bundesliga club Union Berlin have named Marie-Louise Eta as manager, making her the first female head coach in Bundesliga history, after Steffen Baumgart was sacked on Sunday. Eta becomes the first female top-flight coach of a men's team in a major European league. The 34-year-old, who was the first female assistant coach in the Bundesliga, will take over for the remainder of the season. "I am delighted the club has entrusted me with this challenging task," Eta said…

(ANSA-AFP) - BUDAPEST, 12 APR - Hungarians began voting on Sunday in closely watched crunch parliamentary elections that could end nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban's 16-year stint in power as a self-described "thorn" in the EU's side. Polling booths opened at 6:00 am local time (0400 GMT), according to AFP journalists. They will close at 7:00 pm. Opinion polls suggest that the party of pro-European conservative Peter Magyar -- who has promised a "system change" -- is running well ahead of…

(ANSA) - TRIESTE, 11 APR - Damage to the 132 kV Tolmezzo-Paluzza power line on March 25 led to a temporary shutdown of the Paluzza facility while repairs were underway. There was no harm to people or property, and no significant disruption to residents. Terna itself disclosed this, explaining that it immediately informed law enforcement authorities and activated procedures to secure the asset and the affected area. The incident involved physical damage to a transmission tower, not a cyberattack.…

(ANSA-AFP) - BUDAPEST, APR 11 - Crowds of flag-waving Hungarians have been cheering on their candidates for an election on Sunday, as Prime Minister Viktor Orban and challenger Peter Magyar hold frantic last-minute rallies. "We came out here because we have faith in Peter Magyar, and we've had enough of the old system," Attila Jozsa told AFP at the opposition leader's rally in the city of Gyor, 120 kilometres (75 miles) west of Budapest, on Thursday. "We believe there will be some kind of change…

(ANSA) - BERLIN, 10 APR - In Germany, the inflation rate rose to 2.7% in March. This news was confirmed by Destatis, which had already announced the figure in recent days. It is the highest level since January 2024. In February, inflation stood at 1.9%. (ANSA).

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, 10 APR - The Serbian government has decided to impose a further cut in fuel excise duties, bringing them 25% below the level set by the excise law, to prevent an increase in petroleum product prices. Under the decision, the excise rate has been further reduced from 20% to 25% below the statutory level. As announced in the Official Gazette, through April 24, 2026, the excise duty on unleaded gasoline will be 54 dinars (EUR 0.45) per liter, while the excise duty on diesel will be…