Slovakia

MADRID - Serbia's highest ranked player on the WTA rankings, Ana Ivanovic, advanced to the second round of Madrid Open, after her first round opponent, Romanian Alexandra Dulgheru, retired from the match on Saturday.

Ivanovic was leading by 2-6, 7-6 (7-1), 4-0.

Bekim Collaku, Kosovo's Minister of European Integration, said the European Commission had adopted a Stabilization and Association Agreement, SAA, proposal with Kosovo  on Thursday and sent it for approval to the Council of European Union.

"We welcome such a decision, which brings Kosovo closer to signing an SAA and closer to EU integration," Collaku told BIRN.

BELGRADE - The President of the Czech Republic Milos Zeman has said that he does not believe that Serbia needs to recognise the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo to become a full member of the European Union.

Czech president refers to Thaci as "war criminal"

BELGRADE -- Czech President Milos Zeman says that he personally does not recognize Kosovo as independent and therefore is not sending an ambassador to Pristina.

Yanis Varoufakis admittedly had a rough Eurogroup session in Riga, Latvia on Friday, with the media fallout painting an utterly negative impression of the Greek finance minister, at least as far as some his European colleagues are concerned.

Bulgaria ranked 22nd among the 28 member states of the EU in terms of fund assimilation from the older program period.

The information was released through the online portal of the General Directorate Regional policy to the European Commission.

Bulgaria has improved its ranking compared to the result in March when the coutry took the 24th place.

The respective Prime Ministers of Bulgaria, Romania and Serbia, Boyko Borisov, Victor Ponta and Aleksandar Vucic, established on Friday a Craiova Group for cooperation.

This emerged after the bilateral and trilateral meetings, which were held between government representatives of the three countries in the Romanian city of Craiova.

Romania, Bulgaria and Serbia could form a Craiova Group based on the model of the Visegrad Group to better promote their positions in Europe and their regional projects, Prime Minister Victor Ponta says.

Photo credit: LIVIU SOVA / AGERPRES STREAM

- Eurogroup Chief Jeroen Dijsselbloem told reporters that there was "great urgency" for a deal to be reached, however pointed out that "April isn't over yet."

- Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis disappointed everyone by sweeping in without making comments.

German investors into the Bulgarian economy are not satisfied with legal security offered by the country, according to a survey of the German-Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The organization has carried out a survey among 107 member companies, the chamber's head Mitko Vasilev is reported by the Bulgarian News Agency BTA as saying.