EPP

Newly elected as president of Europe's largest political bloc, the centre-right European People's Party, EPP, Donald Tusk said on Thursday that a group of 'wise men' looking at the currently suspended membership of Hungary's ruling Fidesz party would present its findings by the end of the year.

Croatia's ruling party will host Europe's largest political bloc, the centre-right European People's Party, EPP, on Wednesday and Thursday in Zagreb, a major publicity event for Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic but one that has already caused some controversy.

Politicians from Balkan EU member states failed to obtain any top posts in the new Commission after hopes rose that Sergey Stanishev of Bulgaria, for example, might become the new president of the European Parliament.

European leaders failed to reach an agreement on the allotment of the EU top jobs on Sunday night, with the presidency of the European Commission, the highest prize, as the major bone of contention.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the top candidate of the centrist European People's Party, EPP, for the post of European Commission President, Manfred Weber, will participate in the central election conference of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union, HDZ, on Saturday in Zagreb.

After the Macedonian Interior Ministry said former prime minister Nikola Gruevski had fled to Hungary and was applying for political asylum there, an EU spokesperson told BIRN that Brussels was following events and hoped the case would not be politicised. 

Bulgaria is sending mixed messages about its position on the Hungarian government of Viktor Orban in the event of a future vote in the Council of the EU on Budapest losing its voting rights.

The European Parliament has voted to cut off financial aid to Moldova for breaking democratic standards by cancelling elections in the Moldovan capital.

The centre-right grouping in the parliament, the European Popular Party, EPP, introduced the resolution on Thursday.

Prime Minister Boyko Borissov met with Prime Minister of Cape Verde Ulisses Correia e Silva. After the meeting, both announced that the two countries had an interest in cooperation in the field of tourism and education, FOCUS News Agency reported.

Diplomats and political analysts say that it is becoming increasingly certain that the US and European governments may soon resort to various sanctions against Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov and former Prime Minister and leader of the right-wing VMRO-DPMNE, Nikola Gruevski.

Ivanov and Gruevski are continuing to block the formation of an opposition-led government.