European integration

An hour before GERB-SDS returned a completed mandate to the president in the National Assembly, candidates for prime minister of GERB-SDS Mariya Gabriel and "We Continuing the Change-Democratic Bulgaria" Nikolay Denkov gave a briefing, at which it became clear that the first mandate will not be fulfilled, as the two political forces have reached an agreement on a cabinet.

BELGRADE - Serbia is seeing steady growth of external goods and services trade, which reached 83 bln euros in 2022, Serbian Minister of Internal and External Trade Tomislav Momirovic said on Monday, adding that Serbian businesses were able to export duty-free to the CEFTA, EFTA, Russian, Eurasian Union and Turkish markets thanks to FTAs.

Tens of thousands of Moldovans rallied on Sunday to demand European Union membership for their country, whose bid to join the bloc has been accelerated by the war in neighbouring Ukraine.

The former Soviet republic of 2.6 million people applied last year to join the EU and in June 2022 became a candidate country, alongside Ukraine.

Today, the European Commission presented a new report on the state of the Schengen area, in which it once again expresses its support for the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to Schengen by the end of the year, BTA reported.

BELGRADE - Serbian Minister of Internal and External Trade Tomislav Momirovic said on Tuesday regional economic integration was one of his government's main goals and added that CEFTA states were Serbia's top external trade partners behind the EU.

DUBLIN - Serbian PM Ana Brnabic met on Friday in Dublin with the chairman of the Republic of Ireland's parliamentary committee on European Union affairs Colm Brophy, noting that Serbia naturally belonged in the European family of nations and that the entire Western Balkans belonged there as well.

BELGRADE - Under economic criteria, a country that wants to become an EU member state must prove that it has a market that is based on competition and economic competence, Serbia's European Integration Minister Tanja Miscevic noted on Wednesday.

Diplomatic relations between Bulgaria and Greece were established in 1880, developed gradually over the years, and today they are at an exceptional stage of maturity.  They develop constructively, showing an upward trend in all areas, especially after the accession of Bulgaria to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in March 2004 and its membership in the EU from January 1, 2007.

BUDAPEST - Serbian First Deputy PM and FM Ivica Dacic said on Thursday the EU enlargement policy must be revitalised with the idea that countries must become members based on set criteria.

Speaking at a ministerial panel of the Budapest Balkans Forum, Dacic noted that there was a crisis of EU accession criteria.

Skroutz is taking another step toward becoming the "Greek Amazon," as its online shopping platform, Skroutz Marketplace, is now able to ship products to all eurozone countries. It will soon have an English version too.