Romania continues policy of gradual budget deficit reduction

Romania should end the year with a budget deficit amounting to 8.4%, as compared to 9.4% at the end of 2024, as negotiated with the EU, PM Ilije Bolojan has announced. During his visit to Brussels on 22 September, Ilije Bolojan held talks with European Commissioners for Economy Valdis Dombrovskis and for defence Andrius Kubilius, as well as with European Commission Vice President Roxana Mînzatu, AGERPRES reports. A budget deficit has been negotiated of approximately 159 billion leu (EUR 32 billion). If Bucharest meets this target, then next year a deficit of a little over 6% of the GDP would become feasible. That would take the country on a “normal trajectory” Bolojan said. “We shall continue to implement the reforms. They should lead to a drop in spending and a more efficient state, as well as to preserving political stability, the Romanian prime minister said.

Simpler procedure for the legalization of millions of buildings in Serbia

Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic announced that the government would make the legalization of illegal buildings much simpler. The measure affects 4.8 million buildings, n1info.rs reports. The legalization of around 70% of the buildings will only cost EUR 100 each. “People are unable to take out a mortgage on these buildings, use them as collateral, sell them or transfer them legally. Often no taxes are paid for them, and that means losses for the country,” Aleksandar Vucic said.

The new procedure will enable real estate owners to submit an electronic application after which the property can be legalized within 60 days. The highest fees – at around EUR 1,000 – will be for legalizing luxury real estate, Vucic says. According to observers, quoted by the media outlet, because of the anti-government protests, Aleksandar Vucic has been resorting to populist moves, including raising pensions and salaries in the public sector.

Kosovo first in Europe in sense of security: Gallup  

An international Gallup report for September ranks Kosovo among the safest countries in the world. The Balkan county is third in the world and first in Europe in the public’s sense of security and trust in law enforcement institutions.

Kosovo scores 94 points out of 100 in the Law and Order Index, after Tajikistan (97 points) and Singapore (95 points). This makes Kosovo the safest country in Europe, coming ahead of countries like Iceland, Norway, Austria and Switzerland, the Kosovo police says. 89% of the citizens of Kosovo feel safe walking alone at night in the city or area where they live, the report says, BGNES reports. Nevertheless, The European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) has stated it is strengthening its capacity to contribute to the overall security situation in Kosovo ahead of the upcoming municipal elections through the deployment of members of the European Gendarmerie Force.

Deputy minister sacked in Albania for smoking a cigarette in a bar

Albania’s Minister of Internal Affairs Albana Kociu dismissed her deputy Andi Mahila over a photograph – of him smoking in a bar¸shqiptarja.com reports, as quoted by the Bulgarian news agency BTA. On social media Albana Kociu wrote that after receiving the report she verified the information and informed the deputy minister he was dismissed.

“Anyone can make an unintentional mistake and that is understandable, but to smoke cigarettes in a bar is not an unintentional mistake, it is a breach of the law which cannot be justified. All the more so for someone at the head of an institution like the Ministry of Internal affairs,” Minister Kociu said, and added that she had received the photograph from an Albanian living in New York, who, together with his family, expressed concern that the deputy interior minister was breaking the law.

Turkiye wants doner kebab trademark protection in Europe, EU against

The EU is planning to reject Turkiye's doner kebab trademark application, European Commission sources say, as quoted by turkiyetoday.com. The Turkish Doner FederationUDOFED is demanding to be given exclusive rights on the trademark “doner kebab”, and also that Europeans strictly follow the Turkish recipes or rename their product.  

“That would mean the end of 95% of doners now sold in Germany,” says Erdogan Koc, spokesman for the German Association of Doner Producers.

The ingredients in the classical recipe Turkiye wants to protect include halal meat, rice, tomatoes and pickled chillies stuffed inside bread. The European version usually includes lettuce or cabbage, lots of sauces, including garlic sauces wrapped in lavash.

Compiled by Ivo Ivanov
Translated and posted by Milena Daynova
Photos: presshouse.ro, panorama.com.al, euronews, atlantiku.com, dunya.com