Russia says it has declared an employee of North Macedonia's embassy in Moscow as persona non grata in response to a similar move by Skopje last month.
The United States is "modernizing" its sanctions policy in the Western Balkans by further targeting corruption, human rights abuses, and acts that threaten democracy in the region, the State Department said.
The World Bank says that Europe and Central Asia continue to grapple with containing the coronavirus pandemic, which is clouding the economic outlook for the region.
On North Macedonia's side of Lake Ohrid, new hotels, apartment buildings, and restaurants have been built quickly, and sometimes illegally, with little regard for the region's historical character. The boom has taken an environmental toll and driven UNESCO to threaten to revise Ohrid's status.
European Parliament President David Sassoli has called for allowing Western Balkan states into the European Union, saying expanding the EU would be positive for peace and prosperity.
Authorities in North Macedonia say they have arrested six people on suspicion of running a migrant-smuggling ring that illegally transferred people from Greece to wealthier European countries.
North Macedonia received support in its bid to begin European Union membership talks from Austria, the Czech Republic, and Slovenia, a day after Bulgaria said it planned to continue to exercise its veto to block the small Western Balkan nation.
Bulgaria says it does not plan to lift its veto on long-delayed accession talks between North Macedonia and the European Union over a language and history dispute with its neighbor.
Legislation has been reintroduced in the U.S. Congress to increase funding for 5G telecommunications and digital infrastructure development in Eastern European countries.
In 2020, the share of people who said they sometimes or usually worked from home due to the coronavirus pandemic was lowest in Bulgaria and Romania. The share was largest in Luxembourg, where almost half of the people surveyed said they had worked remotely.
North Macedonia has declared a Russian diplomat persona non grata and communicated the decision to Moscow earlier this week.
As UNESCO mulls placing North Macedonia and Albania’s Lake Ohrid on its list of “world heritage in danger,” some illegal shoreline constructions are being torn down while others wait to be “legalized.”
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