Southeast Europe / News
Poll reveals dominance of far-right presidential candidates in Romania
Calin Georgescu is the most popular candidate ahead of the May presidential election.
Car rams into protest in Belgrade, injuring female student
Tens of thousands of people across Serbia have joined anti-government protests since the collapse of a canopy at the railway station in Novi Sad claimed 15 lives.
Bulgaria’s new cabinet slammed as ‘Frankenstein’s monster’ by opponents
Gerb to lead four-party coalition of populists and pro-Russian socialists.
Turkey's Erdogan threatens to "cut off heads" of terrorist groups in Syria
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has threatened military action against militant groups in Syria, particularly Kurds, unless they lay down their arms and disband.
Albania, Italy and UAE to build €1bn Adriatic subsea cable
Energy generated in Albania will be transferred to Italy via an underwater cable crossing the Adriatic Sea.
Kosovo shuts down Serbian parallel institutions, escalating tensions with Belgrade ahead of elections
Minister of Interior Xhelal Svecla announced the closure of Serbian municipal offices and parallel institutions, as well as post and tax offices.
Leader of Moldova’s separatist Transnistria flies to Moscow to settle energy crisis
The pro-Russian separatist region is suffering from acute energy shortages since Gazprom cut supplies to Moldova on January 1.
Russian presidential adviser warns Moldova may “cease to exist”
Influential Russian presidential advisor Nikolai Patrushev uses unprecedentedly aggressive rhetoric against Moldova, saying it may "become part of another state or ... cease to exist".
Serbia mulls referendum on its president
Serbia is weighing a confidence referendum on President Aleksandar Vucic, as his administration grapples with escalating protests over alleged corruption and mismanagement.
Dispute with Croatia over Jadran training ship could block Montenegro’s EU entry
Zagreb says Montenegro stole the historic ship, and wants it back before Montenegro enters the EU.
Putin-Trump summit planned — but where will it happen?
Both Serbia and Switzerland have offered to host talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US president-elect Donald Trump.
Nato chief warns of destabilisation risk around Kosovo's February general election
Tensions have been high in Serb-majority northern Kosovo for the past two years, raising fears of potential unrest during the upcoming elections.
Croatia’s incumbent President Milanovic wins landslide re-election
Preliminary results and exit polls show Zoran Milanovic took over 70% of votes cast, easily defeating the ruling HDZ’s candidate Dragan Primorac.
Serbia plans to buy out Russian stake in NIS following US sanctions
Sanctions reignited debates over Serbia’s foreign policy, as the country navigates its historic ties with Russia while facing Western pressure to align with EU and Nato policies.
President Milanovic poised for landslide re-election in Croatia
Croatian President Zoran Milanovic will face the ruling HDZ's candidate Dragan Primorac in the second round of the presidential election.
EBRD delivers 26% expansion in investments in 2024, commits record €16.6bn across economies
Lender notes strong momentum in green and gender financing, in parallel with steadfast support for Ukraine and its real economy.
Cost of repairing Syria’s power infrastructure put at $40bn by electricity minister
Production facilities, transmission points, high voltage lines and distribution networks “ruined”, he says.
Inspired by Trump, Bulgarian far-right leader wants to annex North Macedonia and parts of Ukraine
Vazrazhdane leader Kostadin Kostadinov says North Macedonia and the Ukrainian part of Southern Bessarabia should be added to Bulgaria.
Pro-Kremlin disinformation campaign reportedly targeted Croatian presidential election
London-based Centre for Information Resilience has identified a bot network apparently aimed at boosting incumbent President Zoran Milanovic, an outspoken critic of Western support for Ukraine.
Putin seizes Russia beer market JV of Brussels-listed AB InBev and Istanbul-listed Efes
Kremlin rejects Belgian and Turkish partners’ plan to in face of sanctions swap Russia and Ukraine stakes.