he third edition of the EU-Western Balkans Media Days will be held in Podgorica, Montenegro, on 12th and 13th September, ANSA reported. The event was launched in 2017 by the European Commission.

The executive committee of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling party on Monday unanimously agreed to send former premier and party member Ahmet Davutoglu to a disciplinary board for dismissal, news wires reported.

Four European countries and the United States urged Kosovo and Serbia on Tuesday to re-launch their dialogue on normalizing ties if they wish to advance their bid for EU membership, news wires reported. "The status quo prevents progress on Kosovo's and Serbia's path toward the European Union (EU) and is simply not sustainable," the so-called Quint group of the US, Italy, France, Germany and Britain said in a joint statement.

Prime ministers Boyko Borissov of Bulgaria and Zoran Zaev of North Macedonia discussed in Skopje Thursday the benefits for their countries stemming from the implementation of the Friendship, Goodneighbourliness and Cooperation Treaty, the Bulgarian Government's press service reported. Borissov stressed Bulgaria's desire to develop close and friendly relations, corresponding to the two countries' common history and closeness between citizens.

Serbia needs French support in European integration, as well as engagement to relieve tensions with its unilaterally seceded province of Kosovo, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic told his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron in Belgrade on Monday. Macron arrived in the Serbian capital for a two-day official visit. Yesterday, he held "long, open and sincere" talks with Vucic at the Palace of Serbia. The first visit of a French president since 2001 reflects the open-handed approach of the French state and people to Serbia, Vucic said.

Turkey has said punitive EU measures against it will not deter it from continuing to search for oil and gas off the coast of Cyprus. The statement came after on Monday, the foreign ministers of the EU agreed to call off high-level political meetings, suspend negotiations on an aviation deal and reduce EU accession funding earmarked for Turkey.

Europol opened on Thursday in Tirana it’s second liaison bureau outside the EU. The first one is in Washington. “This is an important step in establishing a strong partnership and trust between the Member States and the Western Balkans”, Catherine De Bolle, Executive Director of Europol, said at the opening ceremony (pictured).

The Albanian parliament voted on Monday to set up a special commission to investigate and possibly oust President Ilir Meta for his unsuccessful attempt to cancel the municipal elections held on 30 June, news wires reported. According to the Socialist lawmakers, Meta's effort was unconstitutional.

Transport, energy, digital, economy, security and good neighbourly relations were the five key areas  on which the EU confirmed its commitment to apply concrete measures to strengthen cooperation with the Western Balkans at a summit held on 4 and 5 July in Poznan as part of the Berlin Process initiative.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan suffered the biggest defeat of his political career on Sunday as his candidate for Istanbul mayor conceded defeat in a repeat election, with voters in Turkey's largest city rallying their support behind opposition Nation Alliance candidate Republican People's Party's (CHP) Ekrem Imamoglu instead.