Germany

BRUSSELS - David McAllister of the European People's Party (EPP) is set to become the new European Parliament (EP) rapporteur for Serbia, Tanjug has learned at the MEP's office.

McAllister's appointment has been made at a closed-door EPP meeting, but it is yet to be officially confirmed by the EP's Committee on Foreign Affairs.

SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras will travel to the Vatican for a meeting with Pope Francis on Thursday according to reports.

Social justice, unemployment, immigration and the Mideast crisis are on the agenda, the reports said.

The US National Security Agency and British intelligence services are able to secretly access data from telecoms giant Deutsche Telekom and several other German operators, according to Der Spiegel

 Avramopoulos gets immigration portfolio, Schinas named Commission spokesman

France and Britain secured top positions on Wednesday in incoming European Commission President Jean Claude-Juncker's new team, which must tackle a stagnant economy, rising euroskepticism and the Ukraine crisis on its borders.

It might not be able to hold a candle to Oktoberfest, but when it comes to festivals in Southeast Europe, the Beer Fest is without doubt the biggest beer-soaked party to be found in the region.

Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic will meet on Thursday with Bundestag members Andreas Schockenhoff and Hans-Joachim Falenski, deputy chairman and foreign policy advisor of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, respectively

Allianz SE, Europe’s largest insurer, and Munich Re’s primary insurance unit Ergo Versicherungsgruppe AG are in talks to buy Agrotiki Insurance from Greece’s Piraeus Bank SA, according to three people familiar with the matter.

Construction of three Type 214 submarines, which has been stymied by technical snags, legal disputes and corruption probes, will be completed in the next couple of years, the Hellenic Navy has said.

Germany "shows understanding" for position on Ukraine

BERLIN -- Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić says he found a high level of understanding in Germany for the Serbian position on "the situation in Ukraine and Russia."

"Necessity of reforms must be explained"

BELGRADE -- The new Serbian government must implement the promised reforms as soon as possible, but also communicate on key issues with all political parties and citizens.

This is according to the director of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Serbia, Henri Bohnet.