🇦🇱 #Albania: Defence minister Pirro Vengu said that some 54 million euro have been designated for building a NATO naval base in the Porto Romano area northwest of Durrës. seenews.com/news/albania-t…

The presidents of #Bulgaria and #NorthMacedonia have a lot to discuss given recent political developments in North Macedonia...

Volgende week verschijnt 'Help, de president is gek geworden', geschreven door voormalig VS correspondent Hans Klis (He/him). Op Villamedia nu een leesfragment. Koopt dat boek! Meulenhoff villamedia.nl/artikel/het-le…

Storm Boris veroorzaakt extreem weer en hevige regenval in het midden van Europa, met zware overstromingen tot gevolg. Inwoners zeggen dat de catastrofe erger is dan de 'Milenniumvloed' van 1997. ‘Dit is geen drama meer, maar een tragedie’. volkskrant.nl/kijkverder/v/2…

In the Western Balkans, government failures are increasing coal pollution emerging-europe.com/analysis/in-th…

🇲🇰 A missing Macedonian flag during meeting between Bulgarian President Rumen Radev and his counterpart Gordana Silyanovska-Davkova has triggered a new scandal and raised tensions between Sofia and Skopje on Monday. 🇧🇬 #bulgaria #northmacedonia euractiv.com/section/politi…

Two days after heavy rain flooded two counties in eastern Romania, many areas remain inundated and people are struggling to take stock of the damage.

Former Lithuanian Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius was appointed as the #EU’s first #Defence Minister. He will coordinate Brussels' military stand on Ukraine, but he won’t have an army and will report to the Technology commissioner. intellinews.com/former-lithuan…

De nieuwe Groene! Met oa: Waarom de levensgevaarlijke, energieslurpende SUV de auto van deze tijd is. Plus: Yuval Noah Harari over AI en dictators & Als Faber bed-bad-brood beëindigt, belanden meer mensen op straat 👉 groene.nl/2024/38

Storm Boris liet ook in #Roemenië een spoor van vernieling achter. ‘We moeten onze capaciteit om extreme weersomstandigheden te anticiperen blijven versterken’, waarschuwde de Roemeense president Klaus Iohannis. Mijn stuk in De Groene Amsterdammer deze week. groene.nl/artikel/160-li…

🦩 A flock of great white pelicans (Pelecanus onocrotalus) has been observed at Lake Burgas (Vaya Lake). During their autumn migration southward, in the period from August to September, thousands of birds come to the lakes around Burgas to rest and forage. BTA Photos

The defence ministers of #Romania, #Poland and #Latvia have written a joint letter to their #NATO allies stressing the need to immediately strengthen air defence efforts on the Alliance’s eastern flank msn.com/en-us/news/wor….

Dozens of environmental organisations declared European Commission-backed Danube Hydroelectric Project dangerous, which involves construction of a dam and power plant on the #Danube between Nikopol and Turnu Magurele. #Bulgaria #Romania euractiv.com/section/politi…

#Romania: One of the first opinion polls, carried out by INSCOP Research, reveals that if the presidential elections were to take place on Sunday, Mircea Geoană and Marcel Ciolacu would have the best chances to face off in the second round. #alegeri2024 aktual24.ro/sondaj-inscop-…

Justice Minister Veronica Mihailov-Moraru says the vetting of judges and prosecutors to root out #graft is “not a very comfortable exercise” - but necessary to restore public trust and keep #Moldova on the path to EU accession. #RuleOfLaw #EUaccession balkaninsight.com/2024/09/19/mol…

NEW: In the Balkans, police are powerless to stop the roaring trade in lions among criminals and influencers, report Ingrid Gercama, Nathalie Bertrams, Vjosa Çerkini and Geri Emiri for New Lines Magazine. newlinesmag.com/reportage/in-a…

Next week I will be in 🇦🇱 #Albania and 🇲🇰 #NorthMacedonia to report on impact of EU's Western Balkans Investment Framework Joint Fund and state of play of EU accession process. Tips welcome! 🙏 #EUaccession

🇧🇬 #Bulgaria: A bill tabled by minority pro-Kremlin party Vazrazhdane that would create a registry of “foreign agents” was rejected at first reading by Parliament’s committee on culture and media on September 19. sofiaglobe.com/2024/09/19/bul…