European Union

KOSOVSKA MITROVICA - The Serb political representatives in northern Kosovo-Metohija backed on Saturday the Serbian government and president in their demand that a "special security force" be set up in that part of the province.

Fifty-nine undocumented migrants were rescued on Saturday from a boat that was in distress west of Paxoi, a small group of islands in the Ionian Sea, on Saturday.

According to initial reports, the operation was carried out by two coast guard vessels and one of the agency’s helicopters in association with the EU border monitoring agency, Frontex.

Members of Parliament who may be considering voting against the proposed bill outlining the likely deal between the coalition government and the country’s partners and creditors – the European Union, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund – ought to properly consider the effects that their decision could have.

Dimitar Bechev is a senior policy fellow and head of the office of the European Council on Foreign Relations in Sofia. From 2006-2010, he was a research fellow at Oxford's European Studies Centre and held a lectureship in International Relations at Worcester College, Oxford, and a visiting professorship at Hitotsubashi University in Tokyo.

The leader of Bulgaria’s Socialist Party (BSP) and former PM, Sergey Stanishev, will lead his party’s list for the upcoming European Parliament elections.

The decision was made late on Friday by the BSP’s executive committee, Standartnews informs.

BELGRADE - The representatives of non-governmental organizations from the region of the Western Balkans and Turkey signed on Friday the Belgrade Declaration on Development of Social Entrepreneurship, with an aim to draw attention of the decision-makers in the EU and other countries to the steps that need to be taken for further development of social economy.

The prosecutor’s national coordinator for corruption cases, Laura Pula, on Friday said that from November of 2013 to February this year, prosecutors across the country had raised 83 indictments for corruption against 196 people.

Serbian president meets with UAE foreign minister

BELGRADE -- President Tomislav Nikolić met on Friday in Belgrade with Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, foreign minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Foreign Minister Kristian Vigenin has reiterated Bulgaria's support for the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine.

Speaking Friday in Parliament, he noted that Bulgaria backed the efforts to find a peaceful solution of the crisis in compliance with the principles of international law.

BELGRADE - Young Serbian opera singer Tijana Djuricic will take part in the music and stage performance entitled Music Soul of Europa, which will be held at Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa on Friday and include musicians from Italy, Poland and Russia.