Günther Oettinger

Prime Ministers, foreign ministers and economy ministers of the Western Balkan countries are to meet Thursday in Berlin at a forum organized by German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The German Chancellor announced plans to organize the Conference of Western Balkan States on June 7.

Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak and EU Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger will meet in Moscow on August 29, Russia's Energy Ministry said.

BELGRADE - Serbia's Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic will go to Berlin on Wednesday, a day before a conference on the Western Balkans, and meet with Germany's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Sigmar Gabriel, the daily Kurir has reported.

Energy Minister Yiannis Maniatis has forwarded a request to the European Commission for the establishment of an emergency mechanism that would offer support to Greece and other EU member states in the event that they were affected by a natural gas supply stoppage from Russia via Ukraine.

EU Energy Commissioner Gunther Oettinger has told Deputy Prime Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva he entirely supports the establishment of an energy board in the country.

Oettinger commented on the latest developments in Bulgaria's energy sector while meeting Zaharieva and interim Economy Minister Vasil Shtonov in Brussels.

Putin to meet with CU, EU officials, Poroshenko

MOSCOW -- Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend a meeting of heads of the Customs Union members with Ukrainian leader Petro Poroshenko in Minsk on August 26.

This was announced on Tuesday by Putin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, ITAR-TASS reported.

Bulgaria's Partnership Agreement with the European Commission is to be signed by the end of the week, most probably on Thursday.

The document was adopted by the outgoing government of Prime Minister Plamen Oresharski in end-June.

It sets the priorities in the absorption of funds from the EU structural and investment funds by 2020.

The European Commission is initiating a meeting between EU Energy Commissioner Gunther Oettinger and Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak in Moscow this week.

The two are to discuss gas supplies to Ukraine and EU countries.

However, the talks may not take place as Russia has not yet responded, according to reports of ITAR-TASS, as cited by econ.bg.

DUBROVNIK - Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic is taking part in an annual meeting of the heads of state of South-East Europe (SEE), which welcomes German Chancellor Angela Merkel as a guest, in Dubrovnik on Tuesday.

DUBROVNIK - Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic will attend a meeting of business leaders of southeastern Europe entitled Summit 100 in Cavtat on Monday and a meeting of regional leaders, participants of the Brdo-Brioni process in Dubrovnik on Tuesday.