Southeast Europe / News
Serbia goes on strike
Large parts of Serbian society are out on strike on January 24, as students, cultural institutions and workers across various sectors stop work in solidarity with ongoing protests against the government.
Expected settlement of energy crisis in Transnistria may have a security cost
Pro-Russian separatist region has picked a natural gas trader, Cyprus-based Ozbor Enterprises, to import Russian natural gas through the Turkstream and Trans-Balkan pipelines, and started military drills in the Security Zone.
Bulgaria’s new government gives up on January 2026 eurozone entry
Opposition politicians have accused the new government of deliberately sabotaging Bulgaria's adoption of the European single currency.
Turkish Airlines resumes Damascus flights after 13-year hiatus
The first Turkish Airlines flight in 13 years landed in Damascus on January 23, carrying 345 passengers including the airline's CEO Bilal Eksi.
Wizz Air stops refuelling at Belgrade airport to comply with US sanctions
Recent US sanctions targeted oil and gas company NIS, the sole supplier of aviation fuel in Serbia, which is majority-owned by Russia’s Gazprom Neft.
Bulgaria’s ruling coalition rejects central bank law changes putting eurozone entry at risk
The new coalition has set the country’s accession to the eurozone by January 2026 as its key priority, but achieving this looks increasingly unlikely.
ECOFIN endorses Romania’s 7-year fiscal plan
Fiscal consolidation is needed to reassure investors after Romania's budget deficit hit 8.6% of GDP in 2024.
Serbian workers, lawyers and professors join growing student protests
Protests erupted in Serbia after the November 2024 collapse of a canopy at the Novi Sad train station that killed 15 people.
66 dead as fire engulfs ski resort hotel in Turkey
At least two die after jumping from windows. Some reports say blaze detection system did not function.
Ultranationalist Georgescu most popular candidate ahead of Romania's presidential election
Calin Georgescu tops a new poll, but may struggle to secure a second-round victory against the ruling coalition's candidate Crin Antonescu.
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EBRD aims to ramp up investment in Romania to €1bn a year
Increase was largely down to a hike in investment into projects supporting Romania’s green transition.
Moldovagaz’s head says $709mn debt to Gazprom close to being settled
Gazprom cited a $709mn outstanding debt when it cut gas supplies to Moldova on January 1, but Chisinau says the debt is only $8.7mn.
Sanctions stepped up in the Western Balkans, but with mixed results
The number of individuals and companies in the Western Balkans sanctioned by the US and other Western countries has sharply increased, says a report from the Global Initiative for Transnational Organized Crime.
Mass protests in Serbia test ruling party's grip on power
Students, farmers, opposition groups and other citizens have joined forces in a movement that shows no sign of abating.
Croatian deputy PM resigns after video shows him firing pistol from car
Video footage showed Josip Dabro, from the nationalist Homeland Movement, shooting a pistol from a moving car.
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Syria says staging grounds for attacks on Turkey will be thing of the past
In visit to Ankara, Damascus’ new top diplomat takes on thorny issue of Kurdish-held territory in Syrian northeast.
Poll reveals dominance of far-right presidential candidates in Romania
Calin Georgescu is the most popular candidate ahead of the May presidential election.
Car rams into protest in Belgrade, injuring female student
Tens of thousands of people across Serbia have joined anti-government protests since the collapse of a canopy at the railway station in Novi Sad claimed 15 lives.
Bulgaria’s new cabinet slammed as ‘Frankenstein’s monster’ by opponents
Gerb to lead four-party coalition of populists and pro-Russian socialists.
Turkey's Erdogan threatens to "cut off heads" of terrorist groups in Syria
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has threatened military action against militant groups in Syria, particularly Kurds, unless they lay down their arms and disband.