Balkan Developments

published on 12/22/23 11:41 AM

Governing party in Serbia wins the snap parliamentary elections

The "Serbia against violence" coalition has announced that it will appeal the ‎announced results of the parliamentary elections held on December 17 in ‎Serbia. They will demand the annulment of the results in all electoral sections ‎and at all levels, BGNES reported. ‎

Opposition leaders Marinika Tepic and Miroslav Aleksic announced a hunger ‎strike against vote falsification. International observers also criticized the ‎organization and fairness of the elections.

President Aleksandar Vucic's Serbian Progressive Party won 46.7%. The ‎opposition coalition "Serbia Against Violence" has 23.7%. ‎

The rapporteur of the European Parliament for Serbia, Vladimir Bilcik, said ‎that the new Serbian government is faced with three key steps - normalization ‎of relations with Pristina, reforms and synchronization of foreign policy with ‎the EU, BTA reports.‎

Turkey and Hungary are expanding their strategic cooperation

In Budapest, Turkish President Recep Erdogan and Hungarian Prime Minister ‎Viktor Orbán signed an agreement on enhanced economic and political ‎partnership. From 2024, Hungarian energy company MVM and Turkey's ‎BOTAS will develop joint ventures for energy storage, hydrogen and ‎renewable energy sources. Hungary will increase imports of Turkish gas. ‎

Railway construction companies V-‎Hid Epito and Gulermak signed a contract ‎for joint projects connecting ‎Europe and Asia. ‎

Erdoğan emphasized that the trade with Hungary for the first 11 months of ‎‎2023 exceeds last year's and is close to 4 billion dollars. The guest presented ‎Orban with an electric car from the Turkish brand Togg. The host returned the ‎gesture by gifting him with a thoroughbred horse, reports the Turkish state TV ‎TRT Haber.‎

Romania has acquired a British minesweeper for an allied operation in ‎the Black Sea

A minesweeper was solemnly welcomed in the port of Constanta, which will ‎be part of the joint efforts with Bulgaria and Turkey to clear the Black Sea of ‎mines. The minesweeper M 270 Sublocotenent Ion Ghiculescu of the ‎Romanian Navy is the first of two minesweepers acquired under a contract ‎between Romania and Great Britain. ‎

Before being transferred to the Romanian Navy, the ship was called HMS ‎Blyth and served in the British Royal Navy, Digi24 TV reported. ‎

On January 11, 2024 in Istanbul, Bulgaria, Turkey and Romania plan to sign ‎an agreement on a joint plan to search for and destroy mines in the waters of ‎the Black Sea. The agreement between NATO allies was triggered by Russia's ‎war in Ukraine and was announced by Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Güler, ‎reports Reuters, quoted by BTA.‎

The rules for buying real estate in Greece are changing

From 2024, Greece changes the regime for purchasing real estate. This will ‎only be done by bank transfer. Cash transactions will be void. Greeks and ‎foreigners owning more than two properties will be treated as entrepreneurs ‎with a higher tax. Individuals renting property for short-term rent will submit a ‎tax return. An electronic file for real estate is also being introduced. The ‎procedure for those wishing to purchase property is simplified. Collecting ‎documents before the transaction will now be the duty of the notary. The ‎owner's costs for energy improvements are accounted for and his annual tax ‎will be reduced. ‎

In Northern Greece, Germans and Bulgarians are among the foreigners with the ‎most properties, according to the statistics of the brokerage agencies, Katia ‎Peeva, the BNR correspondent in Greece, reports.‎

Compiled by Ivo Ivanov

Photos: BGNES, Pixabay, Romania's Ministry of Defence