News archive of March 2014

Associations representing bakers, pharmacies, booksellers and milk producers have expressed angry opposition to a new austerity bill in Greece, a proposed overhaul of trading rules they fear will wipe out independent stores.

Public confidence in Bulgaria's institutions and the political elite has further declined in March, a new nationally representative survey by pollster Alpha Research shows.

By Alastair Marsh

The penalty that banks in Europe’s most indebted nations pay to borrow compared with those from the richest economies fell to the lowest in four years amid growing confidence in the region’s economic recovery.

The number of government demands for personal data in Google accounts has risen by 120% in the last four years. 

In the second half of 2013 governments across the world made 27 000 requests for 42 000 accounts, according to the Google Transparency Report, which the company releases each six months since 2009. 

After boosting consumer protection laws, Bulgaria's government will focus on strengthening regulatory bodies, according to Yordan Tsonev, MP from liberal party DPS.

In a Friday interview for Nova TV, Tsonev explained that the first step would be to increase the capacity of the Commission for Protection of Competition and make it more powerful.

Olexandr Kirichenko, the chargé d'affaires of the Ukraine embassy in Serbia, told TV Nova that Ukraine is disappointed that Serbia had not taken a clear stance on the Russian annexation of the Crimean peninsula.

Bosnia's Foreign Minister, Zlatko Lagumdzija, met his British counterpart, William Hague, on March 28 to discuss the European Union's "new approach" to Bosnia and Herzegovina, which involves focusing on economic and social issues instead of on constitutional changes.

BELGRADE - Serbia's Minister without portfolio for Kosovo-Metohija Aleksandar Vulin has discussed with UN representatives in Belgrade the progress made in research on locations in Serbia where higher levels of depleted uranium have been detected.

Thaci's statement "irresponsible and untrue"

BELGRADE -- The Serbian Government Office for Kosovo and Metohija has strongly condemned a statement by Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci.

Earlier this week, he said that Serbian forces "committed genocide in Kosovo."

In its reaction, the office stressed that this claim was "irresponsible and untrue."

The European Commission has suggested the introduction of a uniform food labeling scheme, based on a three color classification.