Sweden

Debates over the asylum claims of Syrian refugees in our country and across Europe have been sparked from the first moment the fall of the Assad regime. The asylum application process is temporarily “frozen” for thousands of Syrians who are in our country, as the main argument for their asylum applications, persecution by the Assad regime, may be unfounded.

The European qualification draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, hosted by the USA, Mexico, and Canada, took place today at FIFA headquarters in Zurich. Bulgaria's national football team was drawn into Group E, alongside either Spain or the Netherlands, Turkey, and Georgia.

Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo will host four European Union leaders from December 21-22 to discuss European security and migration, the Finnish government announced today.

Some European Union countries have doubled down on their decision to rapidly halt asylum procedures for Syrian migrants in Europe, but said that it was too early to consider sending any of the hundreds of thousands of people who have fled since 2011 back home.

Decisions on the examination of asylum applications of Syrian refugees fall within the competence of member states, Stefan de Kersmacher, the Commission spokesman responsible for migration issues, said today.

In Bulgaria, more than 60% of people aged 60 to 64 remain active in the labor market, a figure that surpasses the European Union average. This places Bulgaria 11th out of the 27 EU member states. According to a recent report by Allianz Trade, this high level of workforce participation in the older age group is linked to the country's rising retirement age.

ZURICH - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said Hungary, which holds the EU presidency, would call a new session on opening Cluster 3 in the accession talks with Serbia for next week after ambassadors of EU member states failed to agree on a green light for the move on Wednesday.

The Antetokounmpo family, along with Premia Properties, has acquired the popular Village Shopping & More center in Rendi for €14.1 million, as announced by the company. The announcement also states that the shopping center will be immediately upgraded with the aim of creating a model sports and entertainment center.

Finland has no reason to suspect that the cutting of two land-based fiber optic cables was a criminal act, police said today, as authorities and cable owners work to determine the exact cause of the incident.