European Commission

BRUSSELS - The situation concerning freedom of the media is not good anywhere in the Western Balkans, and in its annual reports reviewing the progress made by candidate countries, the European Commission (EC) will dedicate much attention to the topic, it has been said at a panel discussion on the region's media, held in Brussels.

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The European Court of Justice (ECJ) convicted Bulgaria of having breached antitrust rules during its transition to digital broadcasting.

According to the court, Bulgaria breached three European directives on competition by limiting the enterprises capable of working as multiplex operators to two, private bTV station reports.

At an emergency summit in Brussels on Thursday European Union leaders agreed on a series of measures aimed at addressing the growing flows of migrants to Europe, which have become an increasing challenge for Mediterranean countries like Greece to deal with.

Energy officials from three Balkan countries on Wednesday signed an agreement on the construction of a gas corridor that will interconnect their natural gas networks and will have a capacity of 3-5 billion cubic meters per year.

European partners' trust in Greece has fallen and made negotiations harder but the country's problems can still be solved if all sides do their part, European Commission Vice President Jyrki Katainen said on a visit to Athens on Thursday.

By Paul Taylor & Reinhard Becker

German Chancellor Angela Merkel was expected to press Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Thursday to move faster to agree detailed economic reforms crucial to unlock international bailout funds before Athens runs out of cash.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov has vowed to draw attention to the fight against human traffickers during Thursday's European Council meeting.

EU leaders are holding an emergency summit to find ways to cope with the Mediterranean migrants crisis.

European Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis said on Thursday that he does not expect an agreement in technical talks with Greece in April, saying debt negotiations could last until next month and thus beyond an April 30 deadline for a deal.

European Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis said on Thursday that he does not expect an agreement in technical talks with Greece in April. He estimates that debt negotiations could run until next month beyond the April 30 deadline for a deal, says Reuters.