Latest News from Macedonia
Bulgaria: Serious Decline in Foreign Trade in April
As expected, the coronavirus pandemic also hit Bulgarian foreign trade.
Here is what the data from the National Statistical Institute show:
COVID-19 Pandemic Ebbs and Flows in Balkans, Eastern Europe
Some Balkan and Central European countries are facing the risk of a second big wave of COVID-19 cases after lifting restrictive measures imposed to curb the pandemic - some say prematurely.
14-Day Quarantine for Persons Arriving in Bulgaria from Northern Macedonia, No Quarantine for Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro
The Minister of Health issued Order which introduced a 14-day mandatory quarantine for persons arriving in Bulgaria from the Republic of Northern Macedonia.
The same order lifted the 14-day quarantine for citizens arriving from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro.
On Happiness and Nationalism
First, what can be concluded:
Media: Empty border crossings from Serbia to Montenegro, many additional dilemmas
The Jabuka border crossing between Serbia and Montenegro has been almost deserted since this morning, according to an RTS reporter.
Montenegro has opened all borders with neighboring countries and Serbia since midnight, but Serbia is still not on the list of countries whose citizens can enter without quarantine or a PC test.
US, Greek jets welcome North Macedonia into NATO
Four F-16s from the 337th Hellenic Airforce Combat Wing accompanied a pair of American B-1B bombers on a mission to welcome North Macedonia into NATO by flying over the capital Skopje on Friday.
North Macedonia became the alliance's 30th member on March 27, following the settlement of its name dispute with Greece in 2018.
Travel Quarantine Rules in Bulgaria, Greece, Germany, Spain, France and other Countries
Countries around the world have used quarantine measures to prevent infected travellers spreading coronavirus within their borders.
With infection rates now falling in countries which have suffered thousands of deaths from Covid-19 many of those travel restrictions are set to be lifted, just as Britain is planning to impose its own 14-day quarantine on overseas visitors.
Bulgaria Lifts 14-Day Quarantine, It Remains for 8 Countries Only
"We are removing the 14-day quarantine from 1st of June for the arriving Bulgarian and foreign citizens from the European Union, including Serbia and Northern Macedonia.
However, for the eight countries in Europe with the highest number of COVID-19 patients, the imposition of a 14-day quarantine will remain, explained Assoc. Prof. Angel Kunchev from the headquarters.
Grevena officials oppose ministry's refugee housing plan
The mayor and the deputy regional governor in the town and regional unit of Grevena, northern Greece, expressed their opposition to a government plan to house refugees and migrants in hotels in the mountainous parts of the region in the coming days, as part of ongoing efforts to relieve pressure on camps on the islands.
Banks eye state-backed credit
There is strong competition among banks for participation in the Guarantee Fund for the provision of state-subsidized liquidity to Greek enterprises, with 14 lenders expressing an interest in response to the invitation published by the Hellenic Development Bank.
Greece’s land borders will open to tourists soon, PM says
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis assured authorities in northern Greece on Tuesday that coronavirus restrictions on the country's land borders would be lifted entirely within the next few weeks, facilitating the arrival of tourists by road.
Storms, gale-force winds expected on parts of mainland, islands
The National Observatory of Athens (NOA) on Tuesday issued an alert warning of powerful storms in many parts of the Greek mainland, as well as in the eastern Peloponnese, Crete and the islands of the northern and eastern Aegean.
"Western Balkans belong to Europe"
He told the Croatian Express that the integration of the Western Balkans into the EU is a process based on merit and that as such, it is in the true interest of the EU.
"It's about 'exporting stability instead of importing instability,'" Hahn, a former commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy and enlargement negotiations, had pointed out.
Balkans Not Ready to Declare Victory Over COVID-19
As Europe starts to ease itself out of the COVID-19-related lockdown, some countries in the Western Balkans also hope they have seen the worst of the pandemic.
Montenegro and Croatia have either not registered any new cases of COVID-19 for days, or have marked only single-digit numbers, prompting a gradual easing of movement restrictions and safety measures.
Weather turning on Thursday, rain and winds expected
The unseasonably high temperatures of the past few days are to drop from Thursday with the General Secretariat for Civil Protection warning of heavy rainfall, storms, strong winds and hailstorms in parts as of Thursday.
The wet front is forecast to begin in western, central and northern Greece from the early afternoon.