Adriatic Sea

Much has been done in that area, Mali told a ministerial meeting held within the framework of the Berlin process.

Speaking at the panel "A common approach to the digitized Western Balkans", Mali said that IT industry generates 10 percent of Serbia's GDP, and is recording high growth rates year in year out.

A major European development bank has approved a loan for construction of the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) on July 4, in a boost for the developers of the 4.5 billion euro gas project.

The board of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has approved a loan of up to 500 million euros for the construction of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), it said in an announcement on Wednesday.

Croatian environmentalists are calling for a more pro-active approach to pollution in the Adriatic resulting from thrown-away plastic items, amid growing fears about their impact on fish, wildlife and human health.

State sell-off fund TAIPED on Thursday opened the way for the consortium of Italy's Snam, Spain's Enagas and Belgium's Fluxys to acquire 66 percent of Greece's gas grid operator DESFA, thereby strengthening the southern Europe energy axis built around the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP).

Croatian Foreign Minister Marija Pejcinovic Buric signed an agreement with a UN representative in Albania Brian Williams to help a project to fight marine pollution, in the presence of Albanian Foreign Minister Ditmir Bushati and Minister of Tourism, Blendi Klosi.

Around 4,000 Bulgarians take cruises every year, Rumen Draganov, Director of the Institute for Analyzes and Assessments in Tourism, said.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development plans to allocate loans worth up to 1.2 billion euros for the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) this year, part of a $40 billion project to bring new gas supplies to Europe, an EBRD official said.

BRUSSELS - European Commissioner for Regional Policy Corina Cretu will be paying a working visit to Serbia on Thursday and Friday.

Serbia is already a very active and valuable partner in cooperation, especially in the Danube and Adriatic-Ionian macroregional strategies, Cretu said before the trip to Belgrade.

The US has again declared its strong support for Croatia's planned project to build a floating terminal to receive liquefied natural gas, LNG, on the island of Krk.

The project will help to diversify the gas supply in the country and in the region - currently largely dependent on Russia.