Estonia

The Estonian Presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU) warns Turkey against the extension of its state of emergency stressing that it harms the environment for progress in democracy and the rule of law and complicates ties between Ankara and Brussels.

'We will work towards establishing 5G mobile network across Bulgaria', said Minister Ivaylo Moskovski during non-official meeting of ministers and representatives of telecommunication companies, reported Nespaper Sega.

The congress is today in Tallinn, Estonia. All the ministers signed a declaration named "Providing 5G success for Europe''.

The Council of Ministers adopted on 12 July the first draft of a national programme for the Bulgarian EU Presidency, reported BNT.

Bulgaria will send three main messages during its Presidency of the Council of the EU: consensus, competitiveness and cohesion.

The death toll from torrential rains and flooding that swept through Japan's south has reached 25, the government said on July 11, as rescue teams battled through thick mud to rescue more than 100 still stranded.

Hundreds of people marched through the streets of Tallinn on Saturday to celebrate the first Gay Pride in the Estonian capital since violence marred the event a decade ago, AFP reported.
Organisers said around 1,800 people took part in the parade, which passed off peacefully despite a handful of people protesting against the march.

US President Donald Trump urged participant states attending the Three Seas Initiative in Warsaw to use US gas - after Hungary and Russian energy giant Gazprom agreed to extend the Turkish Stream to Hungary via Bulgaria and Serbia.

"The United States will never use energy to coerce anyone, and we will not let others do it," he said in apparent reference to Russia.

US President Donald Trump attended a meeting of the Three Seas Initiative - led by Poland and Croatia - in Warsaw on Thursday, showing American support for a scheme that is mainly designed to limit Russia's economic and political influence in Central and Eastern Europe.

The American president will use the constantly increasing deliveries of American natural gas as negotiation tool at a meeting in Warsaw with dozen of leaders of countries dependent on Russia for energy.

The Italian government is cracking down on NGOs operating on the coasts of Italy and facilitating the entry of migrants and refugees into the country. The Italian authorities have requested the EU impose a stricter framework regarding the activities of NGOs aiding migrants and refugees.

The foreign minister of Estonia, which on July 1 took over the six-month EU presidency, expects Serbia to open new chapters at the end of the year.

This is when the next intergovernmental conference between the EU and Serbia will be organized, at which new chapters in Serbia's EU accession negotiations should be opened - depending on the progress made in chapters.