US Transforms Greek Bay into Strategic Military Stronghold
The United States is reinforcing its military footprint in the Eastern Mediterranean by heavily fortifying the naval base at Souda Bay, located on the Greek island of Crete
NATO member Poland, bordering conflict-torn Ukraine, has earmarked a whopping EUR 33.6 B in spending to modernise its armed forces.
The plans will bring Poland in line with NATO's recommended defense spending target of 2% of gross domestic product, AFP said on Monday.
The planned overhaul over a decade calls for the purchase of new military hardware including anti-aircraft systems, an anti-missile system as well as combat drones, armored personnel carriers and submarines.
Poland’s shopping list also includes helicopters and cruise missiles for submarines and drones.
According to Polish officials, “the risk of the conflict in eastern Ukraine heating up remains” even though a ceasefire agreement between the government in Kiev and pro-Russian separatists was signed last week in Belarus’ capital Minsk.
"The possibility of a lasting peace still isn't close," AFP quoted Poland’s President Bronislaw Komorowski as saying last week.
According to Gustav Gressel, a defence analyst at the European Council on Foreign Relations, Poland had planned an upgrade to its armed forces in 2012, but the conflict in Ukraine confirmed the necessity for modernisation and the overhaul now is to be sped up due to the situation in Ukraine, the Newsweek said.
Defence Minister Tomasz Siemoniak said last week that Poland was drawing up a long-term plan to shift some of its military strength towards its eastern border, closer to Ukraine and Russia, in response to Moscow's involvement in Ukraine.
The West has repeatedly accused Moscow of aiding pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine, a charge the Kremlin has persistently denied.
The European Parliament has adopted the report on North Macedonia, authored by Austrian MEP Thomas Waitz, without any mention of the “Macedonian language and identity”
Bulgarian MEP Tsvetelina Penkova, representing the Bulgarian Socialist Party, addressed Bulgaria’s forthcoming entry into the eurozone
Euro banknotes stand as a powerful symbol of European unity, with over 29 billion notes circulating across the continent, collectively worth more than €1.5 trillion
The European Commission has issued tailored recommendations to all EU member states, with its latest report on Bulgaria highlighting ongoing challenges and limited progress in critical areas
Prof. Valeri Dimitrov, economist and former chairman of the Court of Auditors, told Bulgarian National Radio that no country has experienced impoverishment after joining the eurozone
Bulgaria stands to lose nothing by joining the eurozone, according to Laszlo Andor, Secretary General of the Foundation for European Progressive Studies and former European Commissioner for Employment and Social Affairs
Borderless Bulgaria: How Schengen Benefits Are Transforming Trade and Logistics
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