European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced about €60 million in support for Black Sea security, including €10 million for maritime surveillance and search-and-rescue operations and €50 million for a planned Security Hub involving Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey. The initiative aims to improve monitoring and responses to threats against maritime infrastructure and shipping amid drone attacks and other spillover from Russia’s war on Ukraine. Recent attacks reportedly damaged at least seven commercial vessels, killed two sailors and left at least 25 missing. Romania blamed Russia, while Bulgaria did not identify a suspected perpetrator. Von der Leyen also reiterated EU support for a ceasefire covering attacks on energy and food infrastructure.

Greece’s caesarean rate reached 62.7 per cent of births in 2025, among the highest in Europe. Women and experts describe cases in which inductions or C-sections may have been rushed or inadequately explained, though caesareans can be lifesaving when medically necessary. Experts point to time pressures, shortages of midwives and anaesthesiologists, limited natural-birth training, fear of litigation, and inadequate information and oversight. They argue that stronger midwife-led care, clear documentation, consistent protocols, regular review of C-section rates, and better public awareness could reduce unnecessary interventions. A law enabling natural-birth centres has yet to produce a public facility, and midwives say their professional autonomy remains marginalised.

The European Commission’s 2026 enlargement report identifies Montenegro as the closest candidate to EU membership, with 21 negotiating chapters closed and a possible path to an accession treaty by next summer. Albania also receives an accession roadmap. The report criticizes stagnation or regression elsewhere: Bosnia and Herzegovina has made little progress on reforms, North Macedonia remains stalled over constitutional changes and other issues, Kosovo’s political crisis has delayed reforms and could cost it more than 40 million euros in EU funds, and Serbia has regressed on fundamental rights. Turkey’s report cites continued democratic backsliding and pressure on opposition politicians and independent media. The assessments underscore sharply differing prospects for EU integration across the region.

Greek-American Democrat Chris Pappas won New Hampshire’s U.S. Senate race with 56.2 percent of the vote, becoming the first openly gay man elected to the Senate. A former House member and state executive councillor, Pappas highlighted his family’s Greek immigrant roots and community traditions. His victory came amid Democratic gains that cost Donald Trump’s Republicans control of both houses of Congress, with voter discontent over rising prices and the Iran war cited as contributing factors.

Thousands of ethnic Albanians are protesting in Pristina against the Kosovo Specialist Chambers’ convictions of former KLA leaders Hashim Thaci, Jakup Krasniqi, Kadri Veseli and Rexhep Selimi for war crimes committed during the 1998–99 Kosovo war. The defendants received sentences ranging from 13 to 25 years, while being acquitted of crimes against humanity. Protesters say the case judges Kosovo’s broader wartime struggle and are demanding appeals, continued government funding for the defendants and changes to the court’s founding law. The Democratic Party of Kosovo has proposed that any retrial be held in Kosovo, while Prime Minister Albin Kurti has called the verdict factually and legally erroneous. Former ombudsperson Hilmi Jashari supports procedural reforms but rejects repealing the court’s law, and analysts warn that Serbia and its allies may use the verdict to advance their own narratives.

Women’s organisations held protests in 17 Croatian towns and cities ahead of the National Day Against Violence Against Women, demanding a specific law on gender-based violence, stronger criminal-justice responses, standardized risk assessments, specialist training and accountability for institutional failures. The campaign focused especially on the killing of a woman in Slatina after years of alleged abuse and criticized Family and Social Policy Minister Alen Ruzic for suggesting that the victim’s withdrawal of protective measures affected the case. Activists argued that women may withdraw reports because of fear, coercive control, economic dependence or concern for their children, and that the state remains responsible for protecting them. The protests also commemorated the 19 women killed in Croatia the previous year, including 10 identified as femicide victims.

Kosovo’s political leadership condemned the Hague conviction of former President Hashim Thaci and fellow former Kosovo Liberation Army commanders Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi and Rexhep Selimi as unjust and said they would appeal. Thaci received 25 years in prison, while the other sentences were 18, 13 and 25 years respectively. Protests and clashes followed in Pristina and The Hague. Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dacic hailed the ruling as proof that the KLA was a criminal organisation, while President Aleksandar Vucic criticized the dismissal of crimes-against-humanity charges. Western and EU officials stressed that the judgment concerned individual accountability rather than the legitimacy of the KLA or the broader historical status of the Kosovo war.

A live blog follows the verdict proceedings in The Hague for former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci and former Kosovo Liberation Army leaders Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi and Rexhep Selimi. The four men, who deny the charges, face prosecution allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity linked to the 1998–99 Kosovo conflict. Prosecutors sought 45-year prison sentences, while defence lawyers requested acquittals.

Serbia has been fighting around 20 wildfires for nearly a month, with the Deliblato Sands reserve among the worst affected areas. Although the European Commission has provided satellite imagery and says it is ready to mobilize further help through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, Serbia has not activated the mechanism and instead accepted a Russian Il-76 firefighting aircraft, citing its ability to drop up to 42 tonnes of water. The EU warned that relations with Russia cannot be treated as business as usual and urged Serbia to remain a reliable partner, while President Aleksandar Vucic said Serbia currently had sufficient forces and equipment to manage the crisis.

Saudi dissident and human rights activist Abdulrahman al-Khalidi was released in Bulgaria after four years and ten months of administrative detention. His lawyer said the release followed the approaching 18-month maximum for migration detention, after he had also spent time in asylum detention. Bulgarian authorities had classified him as a national security threat despite a 2024 ruling that he was eligible for asylum. Rights groups reported alleged beatings, poor conditions and a lack of transparency, while 18 members of the European Parliament urged Bulgaria to address the case. Al-Khalidi fled Saudi Arabia in 2013 after becoming politically active and later sought asylum in Bulgaria to avoid contact with Saudi officials; his case remains before the European Court of Human Rights.