Confederations

I. MIGRATION

The Bulgarian government took steps to ease the access to funding for youth wishing to start new business.

The government approved at its regular meeting on Wednesday changes to the Human Resources Development Operational Programme for the 2014-2020 operational programme, which are aimed at improving access to funding for youth interested in starting their own business.

European Union leaders will not be able to agree on March 7 to an ambitious plan put forward by Turkey to stop migrants flooding into Europe but will welcome the proposals and keep working on them in coming days, an EU official said.

“Greece will not become a new Lebanon for Europe, a warehouse of souls” Alternate Migration Minister Yiannis Mouzalas said upon his arrival to the EU Interior Ministers meeting in Brussels.

A draft law on the protection of personal data fails to outline the establishment of an independent oversight body that would guard such data as required by the EU acquis, an official from the bloc has said.

The European Commission and the Dutch EU presidency said on Tuesday they were "concerned over the confusing situation on the Balkan migrant route."

They also said they were "afraid of a possible humanitarian crisis in some countries, especially Greece," Beta agency reported.

The European Commission spokesperson Natasha Bertaud stated that EU was informed about the meeting to take place in Vienna among the countries of the Western Balkans route, but it was not invited.

Bulgaria will sign a consultancy services agreement in the water and sewerage sector with the World Bank, the government has announced.

The advisory services agreement aims to develop a new strategy for financing, increase the efficiency of services and boost regulatory capacity, the government said in a statement on Monday.

Romanian authorities are investigating two lawmakers for fraud related to the misuse of EU funds designed to support underprivileged Roma communities.

Following Bosnia's decision to apply for EU membership, a group of intellectuals and activists have called on the politicians not to misuse this historic step to advance their own careers.