Romania

Romanian officials on Tuesday expressed support for the government of neighbouring Moldova and urged Russia not to encourage separatists in Moldova's Transdniester region in their quest to join Russia.

“Romania together with its EU and NATO partners should show their commitment to supporting Moldova’s independence and territorial integrity,” Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta said.

A Bulgarian company developing online products is set for expansion at a European level.

Getlokal has decided to step into the European market with its social media which aims at sharing consumers' feedback on visited location, according to Bulgarian website Money.bg.

BELGRADE - "Rabbitland", a short animated movie by Ana Nedeljkovic and Nikola Majdak Jr., won the Tricky Women Award of the City of Vienna at the 2014 Tricky Women festival held March 12-16.

Since it premiered at 63rd Berlin Film Festival in 2013 and got the Crystal Bear, "Rabbitland" was screened at numerous festivals across the world.

The number of Ukrainian tourists in Bulgaria has doubled in the last four years, according to the Economy Ministry.

Romania will support any sanctions proposed by the European Union against Russia following the controversial referendum in Crimea, President Traian Basescu said on Monday.

Basescu is to join a meeting of EU heads of state and government on March 21 in Brussels, where European leaders are to piece together a response to the unfolding crisis in Ukraine.

Crimea, Kosovo, and double standards

BELGRADE -- The French daily Le Figaro has an article comparing reactions in western countries and their media to declarations of independence made by Crimea and Kosovo.

The conclusion the newspaper made is that "officials are applying double standards," while the media tend to "forget."

Bulgaria is last but one in the European Union by citizens' trust in the independence of the judiciary, according to the 2014 EU Justice Scoreboard.

Members of the Hungarian government on Saturday voiced support for territorial autonomy for ethnic Hungarians in Romania, a day after Bucharest unexpectedly imposed an unprecedented entry ban on several Hungarian nationals accused of being extremists.

Romanian prosecutors on Thursday detained 10 people on suspicion of tax evasion and money laundering, by trafficking meat and animal products not fit for human consumption.

The suspects allegedly sold expired food, or meat mixed with other products in abattoirs, and then sold on the black market.

Ukraine crisis significant for Chinese investment in Europe

Beijing has made clear that it wants to retain good relations with the new, pro-Western coalition government in Kiev.

(From left) BiH Prime Minister Vjekoslav Bevanda, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta pose for a photo at a November summit in Bucharest. [AFP]