European Union

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has called for the creation of a European army to react credibly to threats to the EU member states or their neighbours.

European Central Bank (ECB) Executive Board member Benoit Coeure told the influential daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung that the ECB rejects the Greek government's recent request to issue more short-term debt (via T-bills) because this would be tantamount to illegally financing Greece.

Speaking from the sidelines of a conference in Venice, Italy, Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis said that the issue in negotiations with Greece's international lenders is not whether to apply reforms or not but the type of program to be followed. He referred to his contact with Eurogroup chairman Jeroen Dijsselbloem, and said: "Eurogroup chairman Dijsselbloem has replied to my letter.

One of the proposals in the letter sent by Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis to Greece's international creditors was the use of students, housekeepers, and even tourists to serve as undercover tax inspectors. He said that they could be paid an hourly rate "on a strictly short-term, casual basis" for no more than two months.

EC President Jean Claude Juncker on Friday confirmed that he will meet, after all, with Greek PM Alexis Tsipras, not immediately, but rather in the coming two weeks.

In an interview with Germany's "Die Welt", he said he is in constant contact with Tsipras in order to set up a meeting in Brussels.

Greece will auction 1 billion euros of three-month treasury bills on March 11 to refinance a maturing issue, debt agency PDMA said on Friday, announcing its second sale this month as the government faces a cash crunch.

VIENNA - Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic will attend in Salzburg on Saturday a meeting of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts (EASA), where he will be inaugurated as EASA protector on behalf of Serbia.

Bulgaria is an attractive place for foreign companies, but corruption and lack of legal security drives investors back, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has said.

In an interview with the website Dnevnik.bg ahead of his March 10 visit, he urges Sofia to update the investment climate and boost judicial reform.

EU foreign policy chief against sending weapons to Ukraine

RIGA -- EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini on Friday spoke against "a bipartisan call in the U.S. to provide lethal defensive weapons to Ukraine."

Berlin does not see any basis for Greece to get the next tranche of its bailout immediately to prevent it from becoming insolvent but if Athens implements its reforms sooner than expected, it could get paid early, a German finance ministry spokesman said.