Federalism

The EU has completed the agreement on a banking union, its strongest instrument so far to tackle the financial crisis.

After marathon talks, the sealed document will ensure that Eurozone governments are not the only ones in charge of big national banks, the Financial Times has reported.

"Caretaker cabinet has no comment on EU sanctions"

BELGRADE -- Serbia did not take a stand on EU's sanctions imposed against officials of the ousted authorities in Ukraine "because the government is in a technical mandate."

The caretaker government "cannot comment on such situations," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Beta on Thursday.

BELGRADE - Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Michael Davenport has complimented Serbia on a well conducted election and added the EU expected the next government to continue the reforms, EU integration and the implementation of the agreement with Pristina.

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said in Sarajevo on March 12 that the focus now should be on economic reforms, welfare and the judiciary - not on constitutional change.

BELGRADE - The Serbian legislation has mostly been harmonized with the EU acquis, as shown by the first screenings concerning Chapters 2 and 19 which deal with the freedom of movement for workers, social policy and employment, with some fine adjustments pending, heads of the groups tasked with leading the negotiations on these chapters told reporters on Monday.

The European Union will grant Bulgaria EUR 127M for the establishment of e-governance in the next EU programming period 2014-2020.

The funds will be provided under the new Good Governance operational program, Standard daily reports.

KOPAONIK - Tanja Miscevic, Serbia's chief negotiator with the EU, stated on Wednesday that the next government should adopt as soon as possible the legislation on labor, bankruptcy and privatization that has been prepared, as well as a great number of bylaws.

Some 11 million homes lie empty across Europe, according to figures collated by the Guardian from across the EU.

In Spain more than 3.4 million homes are vacant, the numbers are 2 million for both France and Italy, 1.8 million in Germany and more than 700,000 in the UK.

BRUSSELS - Serbia is not far behind the EU when it comes to the regulations conncerning education and culture, State Secretary for Education Zoran Masic told Tanjug in Brussels on Thursday, after the end of the screening for chapter 26 of Serbia's accession talks with the EU, which refers to education and culture.