Europe

BELGRADE - The head of the Serbian government Office for Kosovo-Metohija Petar Petkovic said on Friday an entry into the Leposavic municipal building by a minister of the Pristina interim authorities was a fresh provocation and that he had informed the EU special envoy for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak, of Pristina's intent to also get ethnic Albanian assembly members into the

BELGRADE - Serbian FM Ivica Dacic said on Friday constant escalation in Kosovo-Metohija suited Pristina's PM Albin Kurti, while Serbia wanted peace and stability as the survival of Serbs in the province was its most important objective.

Greece needs to immediately upgrade its infrastructure, as well as the proper management of individual destinations of Greece, the new president of the Greek Tourism Confederation (SETE), Giannis Paraschis, said during the presentation of Kathimerini's Reimagine Tourism in Greece initiative on Wednesday.

Greek anti-racist organizations, unions and others on Thursday staged rallies in cities including Athens, Thessaloniki, Patras, Karditsa and Kalamata, protesting the tragic shipwreck off the coast of the Peloponnese that cost the lives of at least 78 migrants.

BELGRADE - Under an 80 mln euro loan agreement signed by the Serbian government with the EBRD on Friday, 70 mln euros will go to further construction of science and technology parks in Serbia, with the remaining 10 mln to go to the BIO4 campus in Belgrade.

Petr Bystron, who is also a member of the Bundestag, stated in an interview for Russia Today Balkan that the bombing of the FR Yugoslavia in 1999 was a violation of international law and a sin, as well as that this illegal war led to the violent secession of a part of the sovereign country, the former Yugoslavia.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has called crisis talks with Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic for next week, a spokesperson said on Thursday.

"He invited both leaders for a 'crisis meeting' in Brussels next week," EU foreign affairs spokesperson Peter Stano said. "We will share more details at a later stage."

Last night, the German Bundestag voted on a resolution that unequivocally recognizes the Macedonian language, identity and culture, Thomas Hacker, an MP from the Free Democratic Party, told Deutsche Welle.

The resolution was introduced by the parliamentary groups of the three parties in the governing coalition - the Social Democrats, the Greens and the Liberals.

A strong showing by the right-wing Homeland Movement in next year's elections could alter the parliamentary mathematics and push Croatia further to the right.

The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) is about to set up an information center in Cyprus, called the EIT Community RIS Hub and is already in search of a national secretary to lead and coordinate it.

The announcement was made on Wednesday at an info day event in Cyprus, co-organized by the EIT and the Research and Innovation Foundation (RIF).