Pierre Heilbronn

The Minister of Public Finance, Eugen Teodorovici, said it is absolutely necessary the new European Commission to take into account the interests of all member states, and not only of some of them that are believed to be stronger and more influent. "I hope that the new team of the European Commission will truly approach every matter in the spirit of cohesion.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the European Union (EU) are stepping up their support with a new €20 million pilot programme helping innovative small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and mid-cap companies in Bulgaria,Latvia and Romania.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) expects its investment in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Greece to rise significantly after the two countries manage to solve the dispute regarding FYROM's name, an EBRD official said.

Wednesday's summit in the Italian city of Trieste is expected to focus on financial programmes, a customs union and common market, but also the so-called 'Marshall Plan for the Balkans' - a German scheme to use EU funds to finance large-scale infrastructure projects in the region.