Ukraine Launches Campaign to Bring Back Refugees from Germany Amid Population Crisis
Ukraine is facing a severe population decline due to the ongoing war, with nearly half of its citizens now living abroad
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is seriously concerned by the Italian Government's decision to approve by law the imposition of fines on ships rescuing migrants in the Mediterranean.
Parliament-approved amendments provide for fines of up to EUR 1 million for private salvage vessels that violate the territorial water entry order. At the same time, the ship is subject to immediate confiscation.
The Commission reiterates that the introduction of financial or other fines for ships can undermine the activity of private craft in sea rescue activities. Most European countries have refused to carry out rescue operations in the Mediterranean. At present, only non-governmental organizations are helping to save the lives of refugees and migrants who are making dangerous attempts to cross the sea and reach Europe.
The High Commissioner for Refugees believes that the manifestation of humanity by non-governmental organizations should not be regarded as a crime or stigmatized.
Non-governmental organizations and private vessels should not be forced to return rescued people to Libya or transfer them to the Libyan Coast Guard, which would endanger the lives of migrants and refugees.
The European Public Prosecutor’s Office has brought charges against the owner and manager of a company in connection with suspected fraud in a public procurement for trolleybuses in Vratsa, Bulgaria
The European Commission has warned that it will take retaliatory measures if the United States moves forward with new tariffs on steel and aluminium
The authorities in Transnistria, a self-declared breakaway region of Moldova, have rejected €60 million in aid offered by the European Union to address the region’s ongoing energy crisis
A consumer boycott targeting large retail chains is gaining traction in Romania, mirroring similar price-related protests in other Balkan countries
The Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have officially disconnected from Russia’s electricity grid and successfully integrated into the European Union’s power network
On February 1, Slovakia resumed importing Russian gas via the TurkStream pipeline
Bulgaria's Perperikon: A European Counterpart to Peru's Machu Picchu
Bulgarians Among EU's Least Frequent Vacationers, Struggling with Affordability