Europe

BELGRADE - The adoption of the law on work done by employees in autonomous provinces and local self-government units will create room for the financial independence and full responsibility of the units, with the supervision by the higher authority instances, Secretary General of the Permanent Conference of Cities and Municipalities (SKGO) Djordje Stanicic said on Tuesday.

Social Democrat Party (PSD) chairman, Prime Minister Victor Ponta, has stated, on Tuesday, at the PSD National Council in Craiova, that PSD will win the presidential elections in November 2014.

Chair of the Women's Organisation of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), major at rule, Rovana Plumb told a convention of the PSD National Council in Craiova on Tuesday that her party wants a strong country in Europe that is respected.

She said PSD's objective is a strong country that knows how to respect its citizens.

The Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli has told his party’s Istanbul branch that they need to “re-conquer” the Turkish metropolitan.

Speaking in an event to mark Eid al-Fitr on July 29, Bahçeli said his party should reign in Turkey’s most populated city, which is currently held by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

BELGRADE - The 48th Guitar Festival in Zajecar, one of the oldest music events of its kind, takes place from July 30 to August 20.

Dimitar Avramov, MP from nationalist party Ataka, has announced he is joining the Bulgaria without Censorship party of former TV host Nikolay Barekov.

Hundreds of women in Turkey have taken to the social media to protest Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç’s call on them to “not laugh in public.”

“[The woman] will know what is haram and not haram. She will not laugh in public. She will not be inviting in her attitudes and will protect her chasteness,” Arınç said July 28.

The meeting of the National Council of the ruling Social Democratic Party (PSD), bringing together today, in Craiova, about 5,000 Social Democrats, began under the slogan "A strong Romania - change through to the end." PSD leader, Prime Minister Victor Ponta, will seek on this occasion the support of his party fellows for his presidential bid this fall.

Bulgaria's outgoing Parliament passed at first reading the update of the National Health Insurance Fund (NZOK) budget on Tuesday afternoon, reports Dnes.bg.

The grey economy in Romania amounted to 28.4% of the GDP in 2013, down from the rate of 30% of GDP registered in 2011, according to the Council of Europe's anti-money laundering Committee (MONEYVAL).