Juncker

Bucharest, Jan 11 /Agerpres/ - President Klaus Iohannis stated on Friday that the place of the Western Balkans is within the European Union, expressing his hope that progress will be swift and good in regards to Macedonia's name change.

Romania has taken the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union for the next six months.

The event was celebrated last night in the Bucharest capital with a light show. 

The ruling PSD (Social Democrat Party, ed. n.) leaders have reacted on Saturday night to the statements made by the president of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker regarding to what degree Romania is ready to take over the presidency of the EU Council, asserting that actually the guilty for the stalemates among the state institutions is president Klaus Iohannis.

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis admitted last month his country was not ready to assume the six-month EU presidency. EU officials allege Romania is not taking steps to fight corruption and uphold judicial independence, reported DW. 

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker (r) welcomes Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos on Wednesday at the European Commission in Brussels, the first time a Greek president has been invited to speak at the EC. In a joint press conference, Pavlopoulos referred to Juncker's decisive role in supporting Greece at difficult moments during the crisis.

Prime Minister Boyko Borisov will take part in the "Africa - Europe" High Level Forum, which begins today in Vienna and will continue until tomorrow.

Embattled British Prime Minister Theresa May launched a tour of European capitals on Tuesday in a desperate bid to salvage her Brexit deal, a day after delaying a parliamentary vote on the text to avoid a crushing defeat, reports AFP. 

An address to the French National Assembly on Tuesday by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker was canceled to "give priority" to a hearing on the "Yellow Jacket" protests that have swept across France in recent weeks, writes Politico. 

British Prime Minister Theresa May will travel to Brussels on Wednesday to discuss the deal on trade relations after Brexit with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, reported the Bulgarian National Television.

The meeting will take place on Wednesday evening and is "part of the ongoing negotiations on the future framework".

The EU is "working at all levels" to avoid an escalation of trade tensions with the United States, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said Monday, adding that talks with Donald Trump had been "no fun, no entertainment", Politico writes.