Slovakia

Eurostat data indicates that Greece (161.9%), Italy (137.3%), France (110.6%), Spain (107.7%), and Belgium reported the highest public debt-to-GDP ratios among EU member states by the conclusion of 2023.

Israel is set to summon ambassadors of countries that voted for full Palestinian U.N. membership "for a protest talk" on Sunday, a foreign ministry spokesman has said.

It came after the Palestinian Authority said it would "reconsider" its relationship with the United States after Washington vetoed the Palestinian membership bid earlier this week.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has announced Slovakia's opposition to Ukraine's bid for NATO membership, emphasizing the need for a neutral Ukraine to safeguard Slovakia's interests.

In a move drawing attention across Europe, Bulgaria's pro-Russian, Eurosceptic, and nationalist "Revival" (Vazrazhdane) party is set to host a conference in Sofia, titled "The New Leaders of Europe." Gathering representatives from nine countries, the event aims to unite nationalist parties under a common banner and shape the future political landscape of the continent.

As NATO commemorates its 75th anniversary, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg reaffirmed the alliance's unwavering commitment to Ukraine during a high-level meeting in Brussels.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's popularity is surprisingly higher in Bulgaria than in his own country or neighboring Slovakia, according to a March survey conducted by the "Ipsos" agency for "Euronews". While only 32% of Hungarians express a positive opinion of Orbán, nearly four out of ten Bulgarians have a favorable view of him.

Bulgaria commemorates a significant milestone today as it celebrates 20 years of NATO membership. On March 29, 2004, Bulgaria, alongside several other nations including Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia, officially became a member of the NATO alliance.

Despite the increase in the minimum wage in 2023, Greece's gross domestic product (GDP) per capita expressed in purchasing power standards is 67% of the European average, according to Eurostat. 

This puts Greece in 26th place among the 27 member-states, with Bulgaria in last, where GDP per capita in purchasing power units was 64% of the European average.

Slovakia will on Saturday hold the first round of a presidential election that is a battle between the Central European country's Russia-leaning ruling camp and a pro-Ukraine opposition-backed candidate.

Parliament speaker Peter Pellegrini and liberal ex-foreign minister Ivan Korcok are the clear frontrunners among nine contenders.

Overnight Russian airstrikes targeted energy facilities across Ukraine, leaving over 1 million energy consumers in the country without electricity, as reported by Reuters.

The airstrikes primarily focused on regions in eastern Kharkiv Oblast, Odesa, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, and Poltava Oblast, resulting in widespread power outages affecting hundreds of thousands of residents.