Vienna

Bulgaria plans to launch a roadshow for Eurobond sales later this month to raise funds for rolling over maturing debt and financing budget deficit, Reuters has reported.

VIENNA - Chairperson-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Serbia's Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic, welcomed the latest progress made in the implementation of Minsk agreements Friday, observing that the situation in Ukraine had entered a phase of de-escalation of conflicts.

The Vienna-based International Press Institute's (IPI) Turkish National Committee has announced that it will start a campaign against the increasing number of defamation lawsuits targeting journalists in Turkey.

"Great progress in harmonizing energy sector with EU"

BELGRADE -- Serbia has made great progress in harmonizing energy sector regulations with EU standards, Energy Minister Aleksandar Antic and EC officials have concluded.

A project aimed at ensuring a gas connection between Serbia and Bulgaria should be fully formulated by the end of August, they announced on Friday.

BELGRADE - Serbia has made great progress in harmonizing regulations governing the energy sector with EU standards, and the project aimed at ensuring a gas connection between Serbia and Bulgaria should be fully formulated by the end of August, it was said during the Friday meeting between Serbian Minister of Energy and Mining Aleksandar Antic and officials of the European Commission (EC).

BELGRADE - OSCE Chairperson-in-office and Serbian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivica Dacic will confer with the ambassadors of the OSCE Troika, which aside from Serbia includes Switzerland and Germany, in Vienna on Friday.

France sees itself as a link between Greece and its eurozone peers, Finance Minister Michel Sapin told an Austrian paper, reiterating his call for economic policies that can foster growth and boost ultra-low inflation in Europe.

European Parliament President Martin Schultz met with Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann in Vienna, where the former reiterated that, as a matter of respect, the new Greek government should be given a chance.

He also said the German FinMin’s quick reaction to the proposal was “surprising”. Schulz reiterated that Yanis Varoufakis’ proposal to the EU partners does not lack substance.

Dacic plans to visit Ukraine "in next few weeks"

VIENNA -- OSCE chairperson and Serbia's Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic announced that he is planning to travel to Ukraine in the next few weeks.

He also "stressed that the implementation of the Minsk agreement and ceasefire is necessary," Tanjug reported.

VIENNA - Continuous breaches of the ceasefire in Ukraine may lead to uncontrolled violence, says the Chairperson-in-Office of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Serbia's Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic, adding that "this is a critical moment for Ukraine."