Council of the European Union

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's visit to Turkey on Oct. 18, only two weeks before the key parliamentary elections, was one of the most important diplomatic developments in regards to Ankara's accession process to the European Union. 

The Council of the European Union has approved the Agreement on Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) between Kosovo and the European Union.

RTS is reporting this on Thursday, quoting electronic media in Pristina.

Kosovo's Minister of European Integration, Bekim Collaku, on Wednesday said the government would sign a Stabilisation and Association Agreement, SAA, with the EU next week. "The signing will take place next week on October 27th 2015 in Strasbourg," he said.

Bulgaria's Interior Minister has called the prospective accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the Schengen borderless area "a matter of security for the entire European Union".

At the extraordinary meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) Council of the European Union on Tuesday, the interior ministers of the member states adopted with a large majority the proposal of the European Commission for the relocation of 120 000 refugees.

An extraordinary meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) Council of the European Union over the refugee crisis is scheduled to take place in Brussels on Tuesday.

The interior ministers will discuss the proposal of the European Commission for the emergency relocation of 120 000 people from member states exposed to massive migratory flows, namely Italy, Greece and Hungary.

Veteran International Monetary Fund statistician Andreas Georgiou was appointed head of Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) in 2010 in an effort to restore credibility to Greek statistics after the debt crisis erupted. On Sunday, he stepped down, informing Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos of his decision not to accept the extension of his term effective on that day.

Jean Asselborn, Minister of Immigration and Asylum of Luxembourg, has expressed deep skepticism about the possibility of even a partial accession to Schengen of Bulgaria.

Following 12 hours of talks, the Latvian Presidency of the Council of the European Union reached a provisional deal with the European Parliament on net neutrality rules envisaging the abolition of mobile phone roaming fees as of June 2017.

Under the agreement reached in the early hours of June 30, 2015, roaming surcharges in the European Union will be abolished as of June 15, 2017.

Romania's Chamber of Deputies and the Irish Parliament will sign a memorandum of understanding concerning, among other things, an exchange of expertise to prepare Romania for its 2019 presidency of the Council of the European Union, Romanian Speaker Valeriu Zgonea and Chairman of the Irish Parliament Sean Barrett told journalists at a joint news conference on Tuesday at Parliament Palace in Buc