European Union

More than 230 migrants reached Greece in small boats over the past two days, including a rare case of a crossing from north Africa to Greece's southern mainland, authorities have said.

The arrivals come as the government braces for a potential increase - that so far hasn't materialized - in migratory flows due to the fighting in the Middle East.

The European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) has charged the former mayor and the former regional governor of Varna, along with two civil servants from the Maritime Administration Executive Agency, as part of an investigation into alleged fraud related to the reconstruction of a fishing port. The charges stem from a report by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF).

The President of North Macedonia, Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, emphasized that the historical dispute with Bulgaria should not serve as a reason for imposing a veto on the country's EU enlargement.

The Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union plans to include the topic of lifting land border checks for Bulgaria and Romania in the Schengen area on the agenda for the European interior ministers' meeting in December.

Migration policy in most European Union member states has become a nagging issue, heard not just as far away as Brussels but also as far away as Luxembourg, where the 27 interior and justice ministers of EU member states are meeting today.

Acting Interior Minister Atanas Ilkov stated today in Luxembourg that Bulgaria has received substantial support for full Schengen membership during a meeting of the EU Council.

Austria remains unwilling to lift its veto on removing border controls for Bulgaria and Romania at land borders, as stated by Acting Interior Minister Gerhard Karner ahead of an EU interior ministers' meeting in Luxembourg. The meeting will review the progress of both countries' bids.

EU countries on Thursday discussed "innovative" ways to increase deportations of irregular migrants and rejected asylum seekers, including controversial plans to set up dedicated return centers outside the bloc.

Annual decline in industrial production accelerated, but the unemployment rate fell for a second month in a row in August, separate data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) showed on Oct. 10.

Output in the key industry sector dropped by 5.3 percent year-on-year, after contracting 5 percent annually in July.

The European Union has launched a humanitarian airlift operation to Lebanon, as confirmed by a European Commission spokesperson today. Initially, three flights have been scheduled.

The aid package includes essentials such as blankets and tents. The spokesperson emphasized that the EU is prepared to deploy additional flights to Lebanon if the situation requires further support.