Southeastern European countries

Romania has the lowest tourism taxation in the European Union, 5 percent VAT, and this fact has generated steady increases in the number of tourists in the country, according to the relevant minister, Bogdan Trif. "We have the lowest EU tourism taxation, the lowest taxes in the EU, 5 percent VAT.

Starting from this Saturday until July 16, protests against the damage done to the environment by hydro-power plants will be staged in several Balkan capitals, under the umbrella name Action Weeks for Balkan Rivers, a joint action of several environmental non-government organisations.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov has said he refused the position of High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security of Bulgaria, because in that case the country would lose the position of commissioner in a real sector.

Turkey's Parliament Speaker Mustafa Şentop has said North Macedonia's NATO membership protocol would be approved by the General Assembly of the Parliament by the end of July.

Romania's Prime Minister Viorica Dancila had a meeting in Brussels on Thursday with European Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn to discuss current EU foreign affairs at the end of Romania's six-month rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Roaming charges between Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro, Albania, Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina in July will be reduced by 27% and will have to be dropped completely in 2021, according to the recently signed Regional Roaming Treaty between the Western Balkan countries.

Prime Minister Viorica Dancila conveyed to Prime Minister of the Republic of Molodva Maia Sandu a congratulation message, on behalf of Romania's Government, for taking over the Prime Minister office.

Between May 2017 and May last year, NNK recorded 215 reported cases of push-backs by Croatian police to Serbia, of which 45 per cent involved physical violence.

Between May 2017 and December last year, there were 141 push-backs from Croatia to Bosnia, NNK reported, of which 84 per cent involved violence.

President Klaus Iohannis this Wednesday sent President of the European Council Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker a letter regarding the situation in the Republic of Moldova, the Presidential Administration announced.

The latest Global Peace Index published by the International Institute for Economics and Peace, an independent think tank that aims to measure peace and stability in the world, says the world was a slightly more peaceful place last year.