Government of Germany

AGERPRES special correspondent Florentina Peia reports: Romania's President Klaus Iohannis said on Friday that both the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, were open to Romania's proposals on the multiannual budget of the European Union.

European Commission Vice President Margaritis Schinas on Wednesday weighed in on a row between the Greek government and local authorities over plans to build pre-deportation centers on the five Aegean islands that are on the frontline of the migration/refugee crisis, calling for a greater "sense of responsibility and consensus."

Photo: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama in Brussels on 17 February 2020. Photo: European Commission/Twitter

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said the aid toll was "beyond our wildest imagination."

The Dutch government has decided to donate 3m euros to Albania in order to help the country to recover after the catastrophic earthquake last year, Foreign Minister Stef Blok said in his Twitter account.

"The Netherlands stands stands next to Albania in the aftermath of the earthquake and will donate €3 million for reconstruction efforts. ", he wrote

Athens and 14 other major European cities are asking the European Union for direct access to funds in the bloc's next long-term budget to help the EU reach its goal of becoming neutral in terms of carbon dioxide emissions by 2050, a letter showed on Wednesday.

According to Milivojevic, Merkel showed this by inviting Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic to Berlin, but also by inviting Kosovo's newly elected Prime Minister, Albin Kurti.

Chancellor Angela Merkel's heir apparent shook up German politics on Feb. 10 by declaring she would step down as the governing party's leader and not run for chancellor, fueling uncertainty in the country seen as Europe's anchor of stability amid Brexit and pressure from the far right.

Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, the leader of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative Christian Democrats, announced today that she will not run for chancellor. She will also step down from her position heading the party, German media report.

The European Commission has issued a recommendation to the Council to open negotiations on a new partnership with the United Kingdom.

This recommendation is based on the existing European Council guidelines and conclusions, as well as on the Political Declaration agreed between the EU and the United Kingdom in October 2019.

The European Union grudgingly let go of the United Kingdom with a final vote Wednesday at the EU's parliament that ended the Brexit divorce battle and set the scene for tough trade negotiations in the year ahead.