Serbia buys Rafale fighter jets from France for EUR 2.7 billion

Serbia will purchase 12 new Rafale fighter jets—9 single-seat and 3 two-seat models—from the French company Dassault Aviation for a total of EUR 2.7 billion. This became clear during the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to the Serbian capital Belgrade. The French aircraft will replace the outdated fleet of Russian MiG fighters in the Serbian Air Force. Serbia becomes the third European country to opt for these multirole twin-engine aircraft, after Greece, which has 24 Rafales, including 12 second-hand units, and Croatia, which has purchased 12 second-hand Rafales. Interestingly, all three European countries are located in the Balkans.

Turkiye participates in an EU summit for the first time in five years

Turkiye’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan

Turkiye hopes to improve its relations with the EU after a Turkish representative participated in an EU Foreign Ministers' meeting in Brussels on August 29 for the first time in five years."Today, almost all of my EU colleagues emphasized that structural and regular dialogue and consultations should be continued with Türkiye in all areas, especially foreign, security and defense policies”, Turkiye’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan told Anadolu Agency after the meeting. He reiterated that Turkey's strategic goal is EU membership, with visa liberalization being a more immediate objective.''Establishing a link between the Cyprus issue and Türkiye-EU relations is not a healthy method and will not yield any results”, Hakan Fidan said. Turkiye has been negotiating EU membership for two decades, but the process has stalled due to Europe's concerns over human rights issues, disputes in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Cyprus issue. 

Romania wants yo buy Moldova’s Danube River Port of Giurgiulesti

The Romanian government has decided to negotiate with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to purchase a major stake in Moldova’s Danube River Port of Giurgiulesti. The EBRD is the majority shareholder in the port. Following Russia's blockade of Ukrainian Black Sea ports in 2022, the Giurgiulești port became crucial for facilitating the transport of goods to and from Ukraine, achieving a record cargo volume of 1.8 million tons this year. There are two distinct inland ports on the Danube in the Moldovan locality of Giurgiulești: the Giurgiulești International Freeport owned by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), and another facility which is owned by the state, clarified the Moldovan Government’s spokesperson Daniel Vodă. He assured that the sale of the state-owned port is not discussed. The negotiations concern the purchase of the Giurgiulești Free International Port, which has also attracted interest from Turkiye, the Netherlands and Denmark.The Giurgiulești port has been operating since 2007. It is located near Moldova's borders with Romania and Ukraine, 134 kilometers from the Black Sea.

Athens is the seventh most important shipping center globally

The greater Athens area, including the port of Piraeus, became the seventh most important shipping center globally in the Xinhua-Baltic International Shipping Center Development Index, reported Ekathimerini. The index does not only evaluate a port’s traffic but also overall business activity and innovations. According to the International Shipping Center Development Index, the ten most important shipping hubs are Singapore, London, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Dubai, Rotterdam, Athens/Piraeus, Ningbo-Zhoushan, Hamburg and New York/New Jersey.

Dubrovnik introduces limited traffic zone in the old town

As of September 1, the city of Dubrovnik will enact a limited traffic zone in the city centre in order to reduce traffic jams in the old town and thus reduce gas emissions, which have a negative impact on the monuments and listed buildings in the area, reported BTA, citing HINA. Mayor Mato Franković said that Dubrovnik was the first Croatian city to adopt such a plan. Hotel staff and property owners will undergo special training on the new traffic system, which will be tested until November 1. Later, the system will be upgraded. The local authorities will start issuing fines for violations of the new rules in March 2025.

Compiled by Miglena Ivanova

Published and translated by Kostadin Atanasov