Bakoyannis

SJENICA - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Friday Council of Europe (CoE) rapporteur Dora Bakoyannis, who recently recommended that the so-called Kosovo be admitted to the organisation, had not even fulfilled the fundamental obligation to speak with Belgrade before a Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) session, and noted that what she had done was a "disgrace."

STRASBOURG - The head of the Serbian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Biljana Pantic Pilja said on Tuesday evening the body had made a "disgraceful decision" by adopting a recommendation to grant CoE membership to the so-called Kosovo, trampling all norms of international law.

Athens Mayor Haris Doukas has come under fire from a government minister for canceling a concert that was to be held later this month under the aegis of the Israeli Embassy over security concerns stemming from the spiraling crisis in the Middle East. 

BELGRADE - The head of Serbia's standing parliamentary delegation to the Council of Europe (CoE) Parliamentary Assembly Biljana Pantic-Pilja said on Friday CoE rapporteur Dora Bakoyannis had recommended that the so-called Kosovo be admitted the organisation, and added that its Committee on Political Affairs would decide on this at an extraordinary session scheduled for March 25.

The condemnation of populism was one of the main conclusions of the recent conference on the 50-year anniversary of the "Metapolistefsi" (the period since the restoration of democracy) co-organized by Kathimerini. The issue came to the fore in the debate on foreign policy.

ROME - The EU special envoy for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue Miroslav Lajcak held a series of meetings with Italian officials in Rome on Thursday to discuss the latest developments in the dialogue, wider regional issues and next steps in the coming months.

Almost five years have passed since a ruling by the Council of State, Greece's top administrative court, cleared municipal plans to demolish an illegal extension of a cafe-restaurant near Kolonaki Square in central Athens. However, the decision has yet to be implemented by the authorities.

Outgoing Athens Mayor Kostas Bakoyannis has defended his track record in local government, underscoring his commitment to serving the best interests of the Greek capital in his new role as the head of the municipal opposition.

Outgoing Athens Mayor Kostas Bakoyannis has raised eyebrows after failing to challenge a court decision granting permanency to 302 short-term contract workers employed by the city in 2020 to cover extraordinary Covid needs.

Athens mayor-elect Haris Doukas visited the municipal authority's Department of Sanitation on Monday, where he vowed a cleaner, greener city.

"Cleanliness will be a top priority" of his five-year term in office, which begins on January 1, Doukas said, adding that he was "very proud" of the department's efforts to that end.