Third country relationships with the European Union

Turkey’s long-standing dream of European Union (EU) membership is barely alive today, despite blows from inside the country and from several EU members

EU Energy Commissioner Gunther Oettinger has opposed EU sanctions against Russia's gas sector over the crisis in Ukraine.

Speaking Tuesday at an Energy Community meeting in Kiev, he insisted that sanctions against Russia's gas sector were to be avoided, adding that reliable energy supplies were not supposed to become a political instrument.

The association accord between the EU and Ukraine ratified on Tuesday offers the former Soviet Union nation increased economic and political ties with the bloc.

At the same time, it would deny Ukraine preferential terms in trade with Russia.

The European Parliament has given the green light to an Association Agreement with Ukraine setting up a free trade area after 2016.

While the agreement was being debated in Strasbourg, lawmakers in Ukraine also held discussions on the document, with both institutions having planned to pass it simultaneously.

EU to Serbia: Russian market is ours

BRUSSELS -- The EU expects candidates for membership not take advantage of Russia's counter-sanctions by taking the place of EU food exporters to the Russian market.

This includes Serbia and in particular Turkey - as well as Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Switzerland - the Beta news agency is reporting.

Senate has approved on Thursday the bill on ratifying the Association Agreement between the European Union and the European Community of Atomic Energy and their member states, on one hand, and the Republic of Moldova, on the other hand.

Belgrade riverfront to see large investment project

The Government convenes on Saturday, in an extraordinary meeting to approve the draft law on the ratification of the Association Agreement between the Republic of Moldova and the EU and for the approved of an ordinance concerning Iasi-Ungheni gas pipeline.

Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia have signed association agreements with the European Union, on the sidelines of the European Council summit in Brussels.

The association agreement between Moldova and the European Union was initialled at a November 2013 summit meeting in Vilnius of the Eastern Partnership Programme.

BELGRADE - The first plenary session of the National Convention on the European Union (NC EU), aimed to promote the debate on all aspects of EU integration and achieve the broadest possible social consensus on the EU accession, was held on Friday in the presence of members of the government, the parliament, and the civil sector.