The European Parliament (EP) Foreign Affairs Committee supported Thursday the draft resolution urging approval of Serbia’s EU candidate status in March. MEPs also requested the start of the EU accession negotiations, primarily on the chapters regarding rule of law and judiciary.

European Parliament (EP) Rapporteur Jelko Kacin stated Wednesday Serbia deserved both the candidate status and a date for the beginning of the talks. He added that it was important for the most significant agreements in the dialogue with Priština to be implemented.

The Bulgarian Parliament in a landmark move on Wednesday condemned the forced assimilation policy implemented against Turks in Bulgaria during the 1980s by the former communist regime. Parliament adopted a declaration on Wednesday that condemned the assimilation campaign