Davor Ivo Stier

A meeting of the HDZ's presidency and National Council on Monday decided that the party's political secretary, Davor Ivo Stier and its international relations secretary, Miro Kovac, will be removed from their senior positions after a series of disputes within the centre-right ruling party.

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias issued a stern response to United Nations Special Adviser for Cyprus Espen Barth Eide Wednesday after the Norwegian diplomat told a Greek newspaper in an interview that peace negotiations - which have stalled - between rival leaders on the island should continue in order to avoid a possible crisis.

Bulgaria will continue to actively work for the European perspective for the Western Balkans and the guaranteeing of stability in the region, Prime Minister Boyko Borisov said at a meeting with Croatia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Davor Ivo Stier, quoted by the government's press office.

Deputy Prime Minister of Croatia and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Davor Ivo Stier is having today a marathon of meetings in Sofia on issues of bilateral interest, economic cooperation, interaction within international organizations, the European agenda and the situation in the Balkans, reported BNR.

Delays in implementing a promised national plan for fighting discrimination mean Croatia may lose access to the EU's "Competition and Cohesion" program funds, as it is unlikely the plan can be adopted in time, an expert told BIRN.

A new centre-right coalition government in Croatia under Andrej Plenkovic, president of the leading Croatian Democratic Union, HDZ, was voted in by the country's parliament on Wednesday.

The coalition government of the HDZ, the centre-right Bridge of the Independent Lists, MOST, and all eight national minority MPs gathered the support of 91 of the 151 MPs in parliament.