Ursula Von Der Leyen

Today, the European Commission has reached a first agreement with the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca to purchase a potential vaccine against COVID-19 as well as to donate to lower and middle income countries or re-direct to other European countries.

The European Commission has concluded exploratory talks with Johnson & Johnson to buy 200 million doses of a potential COVID-19 vaccine, the EU executive and the U.S. pharmaceutical company said on Thursday.

The Prime Minister announced categorically that neither the borders nor the settlements will be closed anymore.

According to PM Boyko Borissov, the strength of the COVID-19 epidemic is no longer so strong and hospitals have been strengthened enough.

Leaders of the four are due to discuss the issue at a meeting on June 11. But experts and officials are sceptical they will bridge their differences.

"We don't expect to see a strong unified front as we did during the migrant crisis," said Vit Havelka, an analyst at the Prague-based Europeum think tank.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has sent letters to top EU officials protesting over Turkey's activities in the Eastern Mediterranean and the publication in the Turkish government's gazette of a map outlining areas of the Greek continental shelf where Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) has applied for exploration permits.

Greece is planning purchases worth millions of euros to equip the Hellenic Police's (ELAS) riot force with shields, helmets, uniforms, bullet-proof vests and other supplies, including large quantities of tear gas, in anticipation of a fresh push on the northeastern border with Turkey by undocumented migrants and refugees trying to force their way into the European Union.

Greece on Wednesday welcomed a plan proposed by the European Commission to disburse 750 billion euros in grants and loans to European Union countries to help them recover from the economic impact of the coronavirus.

Under the proposal, Greece is expected to receive 32 billion euros from the new recovery fund over three years - 22.5 billion in grants and 9.4 billion in loans.

The government is expecting a growth boost to the tune of 1.5-2% of gross domestic product for the next three years through the EU Recovery Fund, if it is approved, based on a proposal the European Commission will submit on Wednesday.

President Klaus Iohannis spoke on the phone today with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, with the discussion focusing mainly on the proposals the EC will put forward by the end of this month for the EU's economic recovery plan and the revised proposal for the 2021 - 2027 EU budget, the Presidential Administration informed.

She stated that Serbia was "part of the Europe team" which collected over 4 billion dollars for the fight against COVID-19.
"Western Balkans belongs to the EU and no one in the EU questions this. I firmly believe that the EU has a special responsibility to help its partners in the region," von der Leyen said.