Brussels

Turkish Defense Minister Nurettin Canikli is set to meet with his U.S. counterpart Jim Mattis at 8:00 p.m. (UTC+03:00) during the NATO Defense Ministers Meeting scheduled to take place in Brussels on Feb. 14, state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

Bulgaria hopes during its six-month presidency of the EU Council that it will be able to convince Brussels that it is ready to become a member of the Schengen area, according to a report by Euronews Television at the Bulgarian-Turkish border.

BRUSSELS - The European integration perspective of Western Balkan countries is there, EC spokesman Margaritis Schinas said in Brussels Monday.

Schinas noted the EC and its President Jean-Claude Juncker were committed to all the countries of the Western Balkans and to all of them "having a European perspective."

Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications Ivaylo Moskovski and Mayor of Sofia Municipality Yordanka Fandakova will open the newly built road link from "Brussels" Blvd to Sofia Airport.

This morning, 400 meters from the metropolitan boulevard "Brussels", which leads to the airport will be closed for repair.

It forbids the entry of road vehicles in two ways.

The traffic will take place on the newly built road link on the east side of "Brussels" Boulevard in the same area.

Restrictions will continue until 24.00 on January 7.

BRUSSELS - Practically no official comment has been available in Brussels following Moscow's announcement it was ready to join the Brussels dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina in case Washington did the same.

Brussels reiterated its principled position that any change of format in the dialogue - including Russian or US engagement - must be supported by Belgrade and Pristina.

The European Commission has launched unprecedented disciplinary proceedings against Poland over its highly controversial judicial reforms which Brussels says threaten the rule of law.

The Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union will be the main topic of today's cabinet meeting.

Minister Liliana Pavlova will present the implementation of the plan for the preparation of the Presidency and what has been done so far.

A calendar of events to be held under the Presidency will also be adopted.

BRUSSELS - Serbia opened two new chapters in its EU accession talks at an intergovernmental conference in Brussels on Monday.

The chapters opened were Chapter 6 (Company Law) and Chapter 30 (External Relations).

BRUSSELS - At Monday's intergovernmental conference in Brussels, Serbia will open two new chapters in its EU accession talks - Chapter 6 (Company Law) and Chapter 30 (External Relations).

The EU member states have decided to give the "green light" for the chapters, which will take the number of chapters opened to date to 12.