Ansa news

(ANSA) - ROME, 06 DIC - Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, along with the leaders of Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, Bulgaria, and Hungary, wrote a letter to EU leaders on Friday, urging the bloc to allow hybrid cars and biofuels. "The EU must abandon ideological dogmatism, which has brought entire production sectors to their knees while providing no tangible benefits in terms of global emissions," the letter stated. ANSA obtained a copy of the letter, which stated that it is critical to fully implement…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, DEC 6 - Franco Dal Mas, Secretary General of the Central European Initiative (CEI), delivered a speech in Sarajevo emphasising the importance of developing sustainable mobility in Central and Eastern Europe and the Balkans, with a focus on interregional rail connections. He was in Bosnia's capital to attend the Regional Cooperation Council's (RCC) annual coordination meeting for regional organisations. Among the guests were representatives from the Adriatic-Ionian Initiative (AII),…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, DEC 5 - "Leo XIV welcomed Andrej Plenković, President of the Republic of Croatia, who met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State, and Msgr. Mihăiţă Blaj, Under-Secretary for Relations with States, on December 4. During the cordial discussions in the Secretariat of State, satisfaction was expressed for the good relations between the State and the local Church, as well as the intention to expand collaboration in areas of mutual interest," according to a Vatican press…

(ANSA-AFP) - VILNIUS, DEC 5 - Lithuania's Prime Minister announced on Friday that the country will declare a national "emergency situation" over the influx of smuggler's balloons launched from Belarus. "We are currently preparing the legal basis and documents," Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene told reporters, calling the emergency declaration "the best course of action at this time." The 'emergency situation' enables the government and local authorities to dedicate extra resources to combatting the…

(ANSA) - ROME, 05 DIC - Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, along with the leaders of Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, Bulgaria, and Hungary, wrote a letter to EU leaders on Friday, urging the bloc to allow hybrid cars and biofuels. "The EU must abandon ideological dogmatism, which has brought entire production sectors to their knees while providing no tangible benefits in terms of global emissions," the letter stated. ANSA obtained a copy of the letter, which stated that it is critical to fully implement…

(ANSA) - BRUXELLES, DEC 5 - "L'Ue abbandoni, una volta per tutte, il dogmatismo ideologico che ha messo in ginocchio interi settori produttivi, senza peraltro apportare benefici tangibili in termini di emissioni globali. È fondamentale applicare pienamente il principio della neutralità tecnologica". Lo scrivono Giorgia Meloni e i leader di Polonia, Repubblica Ceca, Slovacchia, Bulgaria e Ungheria in una lettera ai vertici Ue, visionata dall'ANSA. Nel testo, in merito al regolamento sullo stop…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, DEC 5 - France confirmed its participation in Eurovision 2026 and its support for Israel's participation in the song contest, thereby opposing the boycott announced by several countries, including Spain and Ireland. In an interview with Agence France Presse, a France Télévisions spokesperson reiterated the French public broadcaster's support for the Israeli network KAN's participation in the event, which is set to take place in Austria in May 2026. Eurovision is organised by…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, DEC 5 - The German Bundestag has approved the military conscription reform proposed by Friedrich Merz's administration. The bill was approved with 323 votes in favour, 272 against, and one abstention. Military service is still voluntary under the new rules, but all young men must fill out army forms and have a medical exam. (ANSA).

by Francesco De Filippo (ANSA) - TRIESTE, DEC 5 - The dinner at Zanzotto's house consumed on an ironing board in the absence of a table, Zigaina's secret 'closet' or even Montale's 'let's not take ourselves too seriously': Mladen Machiedo, born in 1938, a Croatian from Zagreb, writer, poet, publisher, translator, and lifelong lecturer in Zagreb, tells his story in a film-interview, "The Non-Ordinary Everyday Life of a Croatian Italianist." And he recounts anecdotes about the quirks, peculiarities,…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, DEC 5 - German factory orders increased faster than expected in October, rising 1.5% over the month versus an average of 0.3%. In September, the index had increased by a net 2%. (ANSA).

(ANSA-AFP) - BELGRADE, DEC 4 - Enaon (Italgas Group) is offering 1 billion in investments for Greece's energy transition by 2031, according to a business plan presented today in Athens. The plan calls for the digitalisation of Greece's gas network, including distribution to underserved areas. There are also plans to develop and integrate renewable gases such as biomethane. In total, there will be 2,500 km of new networks, over 2,200 of which will be low-pressure and the remainder medium-pressure,…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, DEC 4 - In Germany, the Ministry of Economy and Energy is allocating an additional €100 million through KfW (Development Bank) to repair Ukraine's energy infrastructure. These funds are in addition to the €60 million announced earlier this year, according to a ministry statement. The allocated funds will go into the Energy Community's Ukraine Energy Support Fund (UESF), to which numerous other international donors have contributed since 2022. (ANSA).

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, DEC 4 - Nearly two months have passed since the legislative elections, and the Czech Republic still lacks a new government. While President Petr Pavel continues to hold informal consultations with the fifteen ministerial candidates from the three parties in the likely future coalition (ANO, SPD, and Automovil), Andrej Babis (ANO) has yet to explain how he intends to resolve his conflict of interest if appointed prime minister. Furthermore, the head of state remains opposed to…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, DEC 4 - Serbia's difficult energy situation, with the NIS oil group still subject to US sanctions and uncertainty about the future of Russian gas supplies, was the topic of today's meeting between President Aleksandar Vucic and Russian Ambassador to Belgrade Aleksandar Bocan-Kharcenko. "We examined joint projects of strategic importance for our country, as well as gas supplies and infrastructure projects aimed at strengthening our energy system," Vucic wrote in an Instagram post.…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, DEC 3 - Cross-border cooperation between the Italian region Friuli Venezia Giulia, Carinthia (Austria), and the Veneto "takes a further leap forward with the adoption of a protocol that promotes sustainable mobility through public transport services by road and rail, with the integration of cycle paths," said today by the FVG Regional Councillor for Finance, Barbara Zilli, who, together with the President of the Region of Carinthia, Peter Kaiser, signed a Strategic Agreement for…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, DEC 3 - In Kosovo, the central electoral commission has refused to approve Srpska Lista (SL), the largest party in the local Serb community, to run in the early parliamentary elections on December 28, sparking protests and controversy both locally and within the Serbian leadership in Belgrade. SL's failure to certify the party for the late December vote became clear yesterday evening, when two members of the electoral commission expressed support for SL in the elections, two opposed…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, DEC 3 - "The European wing in Brussels continues to push for a war with Russia," Hungarian Foreign Minister Szijjártó stated, adding that war supporters will advance this agenda at the NATO Foreign Ministers' meeting in Brussels. He stated that these war fanatics will attempt to overturn NATO's previous decision that the Alliance is not a party to the conflict in Ukraine and should do everything possible to avoid becoming one, Zoltan Kovacs, the Hungarian government's spokesman,…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, DEC 3 - The EU Council and the European Parliament agreed on a regulation to phase out Russian natural gas imports during their trilogue. The regulation establishes a gradual and legally binding ban on liquefied natural gas (LNG) and pipeline gas imports from Russia, with a total ban beginning in late 2026 and autumn 2027, respectively. The agreement must be approved by the 27 EU member states and the plenary session. "Finally and permanently, we are turning off the tap on Russian…

(ANSA) - ROME, DEC 3 - Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Wednesday that plans to use frozen Russian assets to help support Ukraine have been set back significantly by the position of the European Central Bank (ECB). The bank has reportedly refused to backstop a 140-billion-euros payment to Ukraine, thus undermining an EU plan to raise a 'reparations loan' backed by Russian assets frozen at Euroclear, the Belgian securities depository. "The European Central Bank's position was…

(ANSA-AFP) - BERLIN, DEC 2 - Germany launched a new drone defence police unit on Tuesday as the country scrambles to respond to UAV incursions widely blamed on Russia. Major airports will also be outfitted to detect and defend against unmanned aerial vehicles, the interior ministry said. The federal police unit will have "a clear mandate to detect, defend, intercept and, if necessary, shoot down drones," Interior Minister Alexander Drobrindt said at a ceremony near Berlin. "We cannot accept that…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, DEC 2 - "In the baseline scenario, we remain cautiously optimistic that the combination of low interest rates, inflation, and unemployment, as well as increased fiscal stimulus in Germany, will restore EU growth to around 1.4% by 2027." S&P Global Ratings' report on the European economy predicts that "modest earnings growth, overall strong private sector balance sheets, and favourable financing conditions support a resilient outlook for most sectors." "On the risk side, the report…

(ANSA-AFP) - BELGRADE, DEC 2 - Serbia's President warned on Tuesday that the government may have to completely cut ties with its largest oil firm, as US sanctions squeeze the majority-Russian-owned company. Since October 9, Serbia's only oil refinery has been unable to receive crude oil after it was hit by sanctions as part of Washington's broader crackdown on Russian energy following the invasion of Ukraine. Facing a shutdown of the Petroleum Industry of Serbia's (NIS) refinery within days, President…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, DEC 2 - Students in Germany plan to go on strike against the military service reform. Young people have launched this initiative for next Friday, December 5th, in several German cities. The demonstration will take place in cities such as Berlin, Hamburg, Bonn, Duesseldorf, Erfurt, Hannover, Göttingen, Halle, Karlsruhe, Leipzig, Dresden, Munich, and Nuremberg. The online manifesto lists more than sixty cities where people have expressed an interest in the demonstrations. "We don't…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, DEC 2 - During a press conference in Berlin with his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul stated, "Moscow must know that Europe and Germany will clearly stand with Ukraine. We will continue to intensify our efforts to support Ukraine, with the aim of making frozen Russian assets available, because ultimately it must be clear that these funds must be part of the discussion to resolve the entire conflict." (ANSA).

(ANSA) - ROME, DEC 1 - The Giro d'Italia, scheduled for May 8-31, 2026, will start from abroad for the sixteenth time—in Bulgaria, where the first three stages will take place—and will finish in Rome (which will host the "Grande Arrivo" for the eighth time) after 3,459 km with 50,000 meters of elevation gain. The route of the 109th edition was unveiled at the Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome Monday and includes a 40.2 km individual time trial (the Bartali Stage in Tuscany), eight flat stages,…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, DEC 1 - "It is necessary for us—Poland, Europe, and Germany—to become completely independent of Russian energy supplies," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated at a press conference in Berlin with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Tusk went on to say, "A few years ago, I never thought Berlin would say something like this. When we discussed the risks of such investments for Nord Stream and reliance on Russian gas, I often sensed a slowdown in Europe, whereas today I have…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, DEC 1 - "After 2035, in addition to purely battery-electric vehicles, cars with dual propulsion systems consisting of a battery and combustion engine should continue to be registered, provided that residual emissions from the automotive and fuel sectors are offset," wrote the German Federal Chancellor in a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. In addition, the letter emphasises the importance of focussing on highly efficient combustion engines. (ANSA).

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, DEC 1 - The European Commission has approved the second list of 235 projects of common interest, which will benefit from accelerated authorisation procedures and EU funding through the Connecting Europe Facility. Italy is also listed on the EU executive's website, along with the Elmed interconnection between Sicily and Tunisia, the Medlink green cable with Africa, and the SouthH2 hydrogen corridor, which will run from North Africa through Sicily to Germany and Austria. The European…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, DEC 1 - Greek farmers are protesting for a second day, blocking the Thessaloniki-Athens highway with tractors near the city of Larissa, effectively cutting off the country's transportation links. According to Kathimerini, police have ordered traffic diversions on several adjacent roads to reduce disruption. The protests were sparked by ongoing delays in allocating state agricultural subsidies, following a widespread scandal involving Opekepe, the Greek agency in charge of distributing…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, DEC 1 - According to The Kyiv Independent's Telegram channel, Vilnius Airport has once again suspended flights after balloons were spotted. The incident causes additional disruption to flights in Lithuania, which has been grounded several times in recent months due to this issue. Lithuanian authorities have extended the current airspace restrictions until 5:00 a.m. local time on December 1. (ANSA).