Tonino Picula

BELGRADE - Serbian Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabic said on Friday she expected European Parliament rapporteur for Serbia Tonino Picula to resign from his post and noted that his condemnation of an "attack on Dragan Djilas" was an embarrassment to the EP.

Namely, today the deputies of different groups of the European Parliament (EP) agreed on a joint proposal for a resolution on the situation in Serbia after the elections.

Former Croatian Foreign Minister and current MEP Tonino Picula believes that "Bulgaria can be a significant mediator" in the negotiations for the accession of the countries of the Western Balkans to the European Union (EU).

Elections for a new head of Croatia's main centre-left opposition party, the Social Democratic Party, SDP, are vital no only for reviving the damaged image of the party but to restore some "balance" to Croatia's political scene, political analyst Davor Gjenero told BIRN.

Tonino Picula and Ranko Ostojic said they would stand for the leadership of Croatia's leading centre-left Social Democratic Party, SDP, after the party's current president Zoran Milanovic announced on Monday that he will not run for internal elections that will be scheduled within five months.

Both men hope to reverse the decline in the party's popularity by turning it to the left.

Croatian MEP Tonino Picula on Tuesday asked the European Commission to give Croatia funds and equipment to help it put out fires raging along the Croatian coast.

Besides seeking help from the EU's Solidarity fund, he urged Brussels to send fire-fighting equipment.

BRUSSELS - NATO has excellent cooperation with Serbia, and respects its decision to not seek membership in the Alliance, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said at the European Parliament (EP) on Monday.