Romania’s coalition government survives no-confidence motion

The first no-confidence motion against Romania’s coalition government, led by Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan, was rejected by the Romanian parliament, AGERPRES reported.

The vote was initiated by the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), the Party of Young People (POT) and SOS Romania in response to tax increases and budget cuts aimed at reducing the country’s budget deficit, which stands at 9.3% — the highest in the EU for 2024.

In an interview with Antena 3 CNN, Finance Minister Alexandru Nazare stated that this year Romania’s public debt is forecast to reach 60% of GDP, increasing by 20% in five years. ''For three years now, Brussels has been demanding that Bucharest takes measures'', Nazare said, noting that these measures will affect both the standard of living and inflation.

Serbia and China to hold joint military exercise

At the end of July, Serbia will participate for the first time in a joint military exercise with the Chinese army in Hebei Province near Beijing. Serbian special forces will also be part of the mission, BTA reports.

The Chinese state-run Global Times published an interview with Lieutenant Colonel Dalibor Aleksić, commander of an air defense unit that operates two Chinese systems: FK-3 and HQ-17AE. “The acquisition of Chinese air defense systems has contributed to further strengthening the friendship and cooperation between the two countries”, said Aleksić, adding that as a weapons expert, he is fascinated with “many other Chinese weapons systems.”

Serbia is the only EU candidate country planning to conduct a joint military exercise with China, according to Serbian and international media.

Al Jazeera Balkans to cease broadcasting media content on July 31

After 14 years, Al Jazeera Balkans will cease broadcasting media content on July 31, 2025, reported the portal klix.ba and the TV station n1info.rs. The Sarajevo-based media outlet is a branch of the Qatari Al Jazeera and covered the regional market with offices in Belgrade, Zagreb, Podgorica, Skopje, Ljubljana and Pristina.

Al Jazeera Balkans is particularly recognizable for its original content, documentaries, and investigative journalism. It was the first station of the Qatari company to broadcast programming in a language other than Arabic and English.

In 2018, Al Jazeera Balkans established AJB DOC – a documentary film festival held annually in Sarajevo every September. Financial reasons are cited by Bosnian media as the cause for the closure.

Minoan palace centers in Crete inscribed in UNESCO’s World Heritage List

The Minoan palace centers on the island of Crete have been inscribed in UNESCO’s World Heritage List, announced Greek Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni following the 47th session of the World Heritage Committee, reported ekathimerini.com.

The palaces of Knossos, Phaistos, Zakros, Malia, Zominthos and Kydonia were built between 1900–1100 BC and were recognized for their outstanding universal value and authenticity, representing flourishing Minoan society. ''Of all the candidacies discussed this year, the Greek one was the only one voted unanimously'', said Lina Mendoni. 

The 600-page nomination file took years to prepare after a 2003 attempt was abandoned due to environmental concerns around Knossos. Improvements were made to accessibility and surrounding areas, including removal of obstacles and unauthorized constructions, reported ekathimerini.com.

Croatian Prime Minister Plenković calls for reasonable prices in tourism and services

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković called for a sensible pricing policy in tourism, the Croatian news agency HINA reported. At a press conference following a session of the Council for Slavonia, Baranja and Srijem, Andrej Plenković said: "Other countries also have the sea, sun, islands, hotels, campsites, private accommodations and infrastructure. But 50% of travelers in Europe choose their destination based on price. There will be another season next year, so the industry needs to carefully consider what is reasonable", said Premier Plenković.

The government can only appeal and try to reason with those in the service sector, but cannot impose price controls, he noted. "Setting price caps in a market economy is not realistic — it’s outdated", said Andrej Plenković.

Published and translated by Kostadin Atanasov

Photos: AP/BTA; Reuters, n1info.rs, greece-is.com, hina.hr