Europe Set to Endorse Romania and Bulgaria
Romania and Bulgaria were set to receive qualified endorsement today to join the European Union on Jan. 1, but the bloc was to warn that expansion must then halt until the E.U. overcomes its current institutional impasse.
Speaking on the eve of the decision on Romania and Bulgaria, the European Commission president, José Manuel Barroso, said that the admission of the two Balkan countries marked the last phase of integration in an E.U. that had been stretched beyond capacity.
The upcoming enlargement with Bulgaria and Romania will be the last stage of enlargement allowing the reunification of Europe, he said Monday. We are not in a position to further integrate Europe without further institutional reform. There are limits to our absorption capacity.
More : nytimes.com
Related Travel Information
Villagers flee European floods
Several thousand people have fled their homes in southern Europe as floodwaters move down the Danube River.
Whole towns have been submerged in Serbia and Romania and a state of emergency has been called in areas of Serbia and Bulgaria.
As the dangerous waters move eastwards, emergency teams have been shoring up defences along the river using heavy machinery in a race against time.
Authorities have deliberately flooded farmland in the hope towns will be spared.
The floods have been caused by heavy rainfall and melting snow and the Danube is now flowing at nearly 16,000 cubic metres a
MTNL eyes east Europe, BSNL broadband
As the Mahanagar Telecom Nigam Ltd (MTNL) enlarges its footprint in east European countries on the GSM platform, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) is planning to invest Rs 1,500 crore to expand its broadband service to 1,000 more cities.
BSNL is also carrying out trials for its Wi-MAX services in six cities and four towns.
MTNL officials said the company would bid for GSM licences, when they open up, in some countries in eastern Europe. These countries include Belarus, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Moldova, Romania, Slovakia and Ukraine.
BSNL will expand
Balkans Future Affirmed in United Europe
The furture of the Balkans is in united Europe, former President of Bulgaria Zhelyu Zhelev (1990 - 1997) said during a conference of the Balkan Political Club in Sarajevo.
The Bosnian capital hosted a two-day forum deliberating the transition of this country from the 1995 US-brokered Dayton peace agreement to its EU aspirations.
Zhelyu Zhelev, founder and president of the Balkan Political Club, asserted the readiness of Bulgaria to assist the countries in the Western Balkans willing to complete their European integration.
In his speech Zhelev stressed on the necessity to strengthen the institutions at the
Why the CIA Detainee Issue Dogged Condi in Europe
Condoleezza Rice's visit to Europe this week was overshadowed by criticism of the CIA's alleged use of clandestine flights and bases in Europe to transport and imprison terror suspects. But there was one welcome respite: When the Secretary of State touched down in the small former communist state of Romania to announce that the U.S. would be opening four new military bases there, she was greeted with open arms. "The acceptance by the Romanian people of the American military presence is the most precious thing to have happened in the relations between
Bulgarian Nationalist: Macedonias Way to Europe through Sofia
Macedonia has two alternatives for getting to the EU, either integrating with Bulgaria or doing so with Albania, nationalist leader Krassimir Karakachanov, head of VMRO-BND has said.
The country should thread wisely and find its friends on the Balkans, Karakachanov has said. He added that he didnt expect major changes in Macedonias policy after the general elections.
The moderate nationalist said that he hoped Macedonias Nikola Gruevski, who now has to form the government, would put his economical literacy to a good use and improve the situation in the country.
Source : novinite.com
