http://www.eubusiness.com Latest news about eastern and central Europe and EU enlargement. daily 1 2006-08-09T23:01:46Z http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/macedonia-greece.f43 Macedonian police seized some 22 kilogrames (48.4 pounds) of EU-bound heroin, worth up to three million euros (four million dollars), and detained four smugglers, a minister said on Saturday. No publisher eub2 Text and Picture Copyright 2012 AFP. All other Copyright 2012 EUbusiness Ltd. All rights reserved. This material is intended solely for personal use. Any other reproduction, publication or redistribution of this material without the written agreement of the copyright owner is strictly forbidden and any breach of copyright will be considered actionable. drugs trafficking Macedonia Greece 2012-02-11T22:32:14Z News Item http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/russia-vote-putin.f3x A group of European vote monitors said Saturday they were denied a meeting with Russian strongman Vladimir Putin ahead of next month's presidential elections because of his busy schedule. No publisher eub2 Text and Picture Copyright 2012 AFP. All other Copyright 2012 EUbusiness Ltd. All rights reserved. This material is intended solely for personal use. Any other reproduction, publication or redistribution of this material without the written agreement of the copyright owner is strictly forbidden and any breach of copyright will be considered actionable. vote Putin Russia 2012-02-11T13:10:58Z News Item http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/lithuania-poland.f3j Poland and Lithuania's gas supply companies said on Friday they intended to build a 471-million-euro pipeline to hook the Baltic states to the rest of the EU's energy market. No publisher eub2 Text and Picture Copyright 2012 AFP. All other Copyright 2012 EUbusiness Ltd. All rights reserved. This material is intended solely for personal use. Any other reproduction, publication or redistribution of this material without the written agreement of the copyright owner is strictly forbidden and any breach of copyright will be considered actionable. gas Poland Lithuania pipeline 2012-02-10T15:16:16Z News Item http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/finance-public-debt.f3d German Chancellor Angela Merkel will hold talks with her Danish, Dutch and Estonian counterparts on Monday to discuss the euro crisis ahead of a European Union summit in March, her spokesman said. No publisher eub2 Text and Picture Copyright 2012 AFP. All other Copyright 2012 EUbusiness Ltd. All rights reserved. This material is intended solely for personal use. Any other reproduction, publication or redistribution of this material without the written agreement of the copyright owner is strictly forbidden and any breach of copyright will be considered actionable. Netherlands Finance Estonia Denmark Germany debt public 2012-02-10T14:16:52Z News Item http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/russia-energy-gas.f37 Russian gas giant Gazprom said on Friday it intended to increase gas exports to Europe in 2012 compared with last year, even though it has declined to pump extra gas this winter amid a cold snap. No publisher eub2 Text and Picture Copyright 2012 AFP. All other Copyright 2012 EUbusiness Ltd. All rights reserved. This material is intended solely for personal use. Any other reproduction, publication or redistribution of this material without the written agreement of the copyright owner is strictly forbidden and any breach of copyright will be considered actionable. energy Headline2 gas Russia 2012-02-10T14:14:56Z News Item http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/syria-politics.f35 Russia must confront "the reality" of the deadly crackdown in Syria, EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton said Thursday, after Moscow vetoed a UN resolution condemning the violence. No publisher eub2 Text and Picture Copyright 2012 AFP. All other Copyright 2012 EUbusiness Ltd. All rights reserved. This material is intended solely for personal use. Any other reproduction, publication or redistribution of this material without the written agreement of the copyright owner is strictly forbidden and any breach of copyright will be considered actionable. Mexico unrest Syria politics Russia 2012-02-10T09:50:49Z News Item http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/hungary-politics.f2o The Commission voiced "grave concerns" over Hungary's controversial media laws Thursday, warning the threat of big fines for breaking the rules can lead to self-censorship. No publisher eub2 Text and Picture Copyright 2012 AFP. All other Copyright 2012 EUbusiness Ltd. All rights reserved. This material is intended solely for personal use. Any other reproduction, publication or redistribution of this material without the written agreement of the copyright owner is strictly forbidden and any breach of copyright will be considered actionable. politics Hungary Headline2 media 2012-02-09T16:05:41Z News Item http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/finance-public-debt.f2c Slovakia opposes further aid to embattled eurozone member Greece, beyond a 130-billion-euro ($173 billion) loan package which Athens is trying to unlock, Finance Minister Ivan Miklos said Thursday. No publisher eub2 Text and Picture Copyright 2012 AFP. All other Copyright 2012 EUbusiness Ltd. All rights reserved. This material is intended solely for personal use. Any other reproduction, publication or redistribution of this material without the written agreement of the copyright owner is strictly forbidden and any breach of copyright will be considered actionable. Finance Slovakia Greece debt public 2012-02-09T12:52:01Z News Item http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/hungary-politics.f1u Hungary's sole nationwide opposition station Klubradio, which recently lost its licence, on Wednesday said it had been granted a 60-day extension pending a court review. No publisher eub2 Text and Picture Copyright 2012 AFP. All other Copyright 2012 EUbusiness Ltd. All rights reserved. This material is intended solely for personal use. Any other reproduction, publication or redistribution of this material without the written agreement of the copyright owner is strictly forbidden and any breach of copyright will be considered actionable. politics Hungary media 2012-02-08T16:29:51Z News Item http://www.eubusiness.com/europe/romania/progress-12 When they joined the EU on 1 January 2007, Romania and Bulgaria still had progress to make in the fields of judicial reform, corruption and organised crime. To smooth the entry of both countries and at the same time safeguard the workings of its policies and institutions, the EU decided to establish a special "cooperation and verification mechanism" to help them address these outstanding shortcomings. In December 2006, the Commission set criteria ("benchmarks") for assessing progress made on these issues (consult the reports). The decision to continue assessing Bulgaria and Romania shows the EU's commitment to see the two countries develop the effective administrative and judicial systems they need to deliver on the obligations of membership as well as enjoying the benefits. Progress on judicial reform, corruption and organized crime will allow Bulgarians and Romanians to enjoy their full rights as EU citizens. No publisher eub2 Romania 2012-02-08T16:30:15Z Guide http://www.eubusiness.com/europe/bulgaria/progress-12 When they joined the EU on 1 January 2007, Romania and Bulgaria still had progress to make in the fields of judicial reform, corruption and organised crime. To smooth the entry of both countries and at the same time safeguard the workings of its policies and institutions, the EU decided to establish a special "cooperation and verification mechanism" to help them address these outstanding shortcomings. In December 2006, the Commission set criteria ("benchmarks") for assessing progress made on these issues (consult the reports). The decision to continue assessing Bulgaria and Romania shows the EU's commitment to see the two countries develop the effective administrative and judicial systems they need to deliver on the obligations of membership as well as enjoying the benefits. Progress on judicial reform, corruption and organized crime will allow Bulgarians and Romanians to enjoy their full rights as EU citizens. No publisher eub2 Bulgaria 2012-02-08T16:25:22Z Guide http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/romania-bulgaria.f1q Romanian and Bulgarian hopes of rapidly joining the Schengen visa-free travel zone were dealt a new blow Wednesday as an EU report urged them to take more action against corruption and organised crime. No publisher eub2 Text and Picture Copyright 2012 AFP. All other Copyright 2012 EUbusiness Ltd. All rights reserved. This material is intended solely for personal use. Any other reproduction, publication or redistribution of this material without the written agreement of the copyright owner is strictly forbidden and any breach of copyright will be considered actionable. Romania Netherlands immigration Schengen Headline1 Bulgaria 2012-02-08T16:29:15Z News Item http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/nuclear-environment.f1i The EU faces a shortfall of some 2.5 billion euros to complete de-commissioning of eight ex-Soviet nuclear plants in Bulgaria, Lithuania and Slovakia, says the European Court of Auditors. No publisher eub2 Text and Picture Copyright 2012 AFP. All other Copyright 2012 EUbusiness Ltd. All rights reserved. This material is intended solely for personal use. Any other reproduction, publication or redistribution of this material without the written agreement of the copyright owner is strictly forbidden and any breach of copyright will be considered actionable. nuclear Lithuania environment Slovakia Headline1 safety Bulgaria 2012-02-08T10:41:33Z News Item http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/greece-immigration.f17 The European Commission rejected on Tuesday a request from Greece to help pay to build a fence along its porous border with Turkey, calling the project "pointless." No publisher eub2 Text and Picture Copyright 2012 AFP. All other Copyright 2012 EUbusiness Ltd. All rights reserved. This material is intended solely for personal use. Any other reproduction, publication or redistribution of this material without the written agreement of the copyright owner is strictly forbidden and any breach of copyright will be considered actionable. Turkey Commission immigration Greece 2012-02-07T18:01:04Z News Item http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/kosovo-trafficking.f0u EU prosecutors in Kosovo trying seven people accused of organ trafficking in a landmark case said Tuesday they had asked Russia, Ukraine, Israel and Turkey to help identify victims of the scam. No publisher eub2 Text and Picture Copyright 2012 AFP. All other Copyright 2012 EUbusiness Ltd. All rights reserved. This material is intended solely for personal use. Any other reproduction, publication or redistribution of this material without the written agreement of the copyright owner is strictly forbidden and any breach of copyright will be considered actionable. Turkey Ukraine Israel Kosovo trial trafficking Russia 2012-02-09T21:58:48Z News Item