Government

The scrapping or reduction of the solidarity tax and possibly the lowering of value-added tax (VAT) are at the core of Prime Minister Antonis Samaras’s strategy for the months ahead, which will also determine if Greece will go to early general elections.

The police will by no means give way to Gezi demonstrations at Istanbul’s Taksim square today, as they were clearly ordered to do so, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said only hours before a planned anniversary meeting. 

Bulgaria's Sofia Municipality has sent humanitarian aid to 30 families who were affected by the recent floods in Bosnia's capital Sarajevo.

The initiative is under the patronage of Sofia Mayor Yordanka Fandakova and will help 30 families who lost their homes in the heavy floods in Sarajevo.

The presidential candidate of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) is almost obvious, but it might not be announced until June 15, Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç has said.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has urged young Turks to ignore calls to mark the first anniversary of Istanbul's Taksim Square protests, Saturday.

Thousands of police officers and dozens of water cannon trucks are to be deployed to the square, according to media reports.

President Traian Basescu, at the Cotroceni Palace, on Saturday, will have a meeting with His Royal Highness Charles, Prince of Wales.

According to a Presidential Administration release remitted to Agerpres, Basescu will receive Prince Charles in the Blue Hall at the Cotroceni Palace, starting 13:40, Romania's time.

Legislators of Democratic Left (DIMAR), a former coalition partner which suffered a battering in last week’s European Parliament elections, met on Friday to discuss strategy and rejected an offer by party leader Fotis Kouvelis to resign from his post.

A re-examination of the degree certificates of the directors and doctors at the country’s public hospitals, which was launched at the end of last year, has led to dismissals of staff who were found to have secured their positions with bogus qualifications, Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis said on Friday.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has slammed the Gezi Park protesters on the eve of the anniversary of last year's massive demonstrations, while criticizing Twitter and Facebook on May 30.

Andrus Ansip, Estonia's former and longest-serving Prime Minister (2005-2014), will be the country's nominee for the office of EU Commissioner.

The decision was officially announced on Thursday by incumbent PM Taavi Roivas, as the Baltic Business News reports.