World

BERLIN - German FM Sigmar Gabriel on Thursday urged the establishment of an additional fund for infrastructure projects in the Western Balkans, noting Brussels needed to engage more and invest more in the region.

ST PETERSBURG - The St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) kicked off on Thursday with a business breakfast on the strategic partnership between the Eurasian Economic Union and India.

SPIEF, held under the patronage of Russian President Vladimir Putin, ends on June 3.

Moldovan President Igor Dodon has compared the EU to a train losing cars, saying his country will not be rushing to forge closer ties with the bloc anytime soon.

BRUSSELS - Malta, which holds the six-month rotating EU presidency, is working on opening a few more negotiation chapters in Serbia's EU accession talks by the end of June, Tanjug has been told in Brussels.

A source in the Council of the EU said the new chapters could be opened at a June 20 intergovernmental conference.in Luxembourg.

Istanbul Modern is presenting a selection from its comprehensive collection of works by Fahrelnissa Zeid, a pioneer of modern art in Turkey and one of the first exponents of abstract art. The exhibition will be on view until July 30. 

RTS reported on Friday that it learned unofficially Germany has given its consent to open two more chapters in Serbia's EU accession negotiations.

These are chapter 29 (customs union) and 7 (intellectual property).

Photo: Flickr/ Oona Räisänen

The EU has to work much more on its visibility in the region, says German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel.

The EU should invest more and engage more, he said, speaking at the 8th Southeast Europe Foreign Ministers' Conference organized by the Aspen Institute.

Huge fire broke out in a workshop for plastic waste on the territory of the waste processing plant near the village of Shishmantsi in Bulgaria's second largest city of Plovdiv on 2nd of June. The fire has not yet been extinguished, reported BNT. 

There are no injured people in the incident.

BELGRADE - Serbian Minister of Economy Goran Knezevic will attend the St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF 2017), to be held on June 1-3.

It will be an excellent opportunity to present to investors the advantages of investing in Serbia, and invite Russian and international business representatives to invest and do business in Serbia, the minister has said.

Poland's central bank chief has warned against deeper integration of the European Union. In an article published in the May 30 issue of The Financial Times, Adam Glapiński said his country and other new members of the EU are sceptical about the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU), New Europe writes.