Regionalism

EU leaders ended a heated debate about handling migration at 4.30am Friday by accepting Italy's demand for more help in handling the burden and agreeing in principle to set up "disembarkation platforms" to process asylum seekers outside the EU and closed processing centres within the EU.

EU leaders also agreed to spend more money helping African countries curb migration.

Another goal is to open as many EU accession negotiations chapter as possible as soon as possible, Dacic told a meeting of the Ministerial Council of the Adriatic-Ionian Initiative and the Ministerial Meeting of the EU Strategy for the Adriatic-Ionian Region, held in Catania, Sicily.

Foreign Affairs Minister Teodor Melescanu stated on Monday, at the end of the meeting at foreign affairs ministers level of the Romania-Bulgaria-Greece Trilateral cooperation format, that this meeting represented an opportunity to assume the commitment regarding the strengthening of the European project.

This "confirmed the European future of the region as a geostrategic investment in a stable, strong and united Europe based on common values," the EC said in a press release.

Madrid's concerns regarding the EU integration of the Western Balkans will soon be in front of EU leaders.

The European Council will also consider a new enlargement strategy.

The informal meeting of the ministers responsible for competitiveness in sections "Industry" and "Research" will be held on 1 and 2 February 2018. The meeting for the "Industry" section will be presided over by the Minister of Economy, Emil Karanikolov, and the "Research" section - by the Minister of Education and Science, Krasimir Valchev.   

 „Industry" section - 1 February 2018

Crnadak said that BiH will "continue work on improving regional cooperation" and will sign an agreement on cooperation in the field of European integration with the Republic of Serbia.

Bulgaria has taken over from Estonia the rotating six-month presidency of the European Union.

The European perspective of the Western Balkans is one of the priorities of the presidency of this country, which became an EU member ten years ago, Beta reported on Monday.

They discussed the strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries, cooperation in the process of European integration and further improvement of relations in the field of economy, the government announced.

"Bulgaria has the ambition not only to be a mediator and coordinator during this presidency, but to put the most critical problems facing the EU to light, problems that require a clear vision and a bold approach," said President Rumen Radev after meeting with the French head of state Emmanuel Macron, in Paris, reports mediapool.