Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov lost his majority in parliament 10 May after the resignation of his deputy Ivailo Kalfin, a member of the ABV party which withdrew its backing for the centre-right coalition.

The bill, which makes lay offs and longer working hours easier has triggered demonstrations and is opposed by MPs within the majority.

MEPs have stopped work on plans to give Turks visa-free access to the EU’s Schengen zone, putting a wider migrant deal in doubt.

Eurozone finance ministers yesterday (9 May) gave themselves until 24 May to reach a deal on debt relief and unlocking bailout cash for Greece as they lauded Athens for passing tough reforms.

54% of businessmen and women were in favor of staying, down from 60% in February, while support for leaving the EU rose from 30% to 37%.

Austrian chancellor Werner Faymann resigned on Monday and quit his position as head of the Social Democratic Party.

But barring a last minute breakthrough, the eurozone finance ministers will only discuss the state of the discussions and try to set political conditions for progress in the coming days or weeks.



Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan hardened his stance against the EU and announced new steps to strengthen his power.

Merkel yesterday urged European leaders to protect EU borders or risk a “return to nationalism” as the continent battles its worst migration crisis since World War II.

The European Union is unsure how the departure of Turkey’s PM will affect the deal he struck with the EU to curb migration, the EU’s foreign affairs chief said 5 May, as Brussels watched events in Ankara with unease.

Syrian government forces and their allies fought insurgents near Aleppo yesterday (9 May) and jets conducted raids around a nearby town seized by Islamist rebels.

NATO has a new supreme commander, whose job is to strengthen it as a defense force after years of reductions of U.S. troops in Europe.

When asked in testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee whether the Army was “outranged” by any adversary, General Mark Milley said: “Yes … the ones in Europe, really Russia.”

So what’s to be done with that first building block of the America-friendly world order?

Russian attack submarines are prowling the coastlines of Scandinavia and Scotland, the Mediterranean Sea and the North Atlantic aimed at contesting American and NATO undersea dominance.

Russia and Iran consider the transaction to be a good move that combats the region’s true source of instability: the United States.

But the status quo is not immutable. Change is the law of life. Both NATO and Ukraine must and will change to meet their many crises and make progress, while the system that Putin put into place will likely not change.

For the French, building a European military force around France and Germany is the necessary precondition for any solution to Europe’s growing challenges.

Fellow Republicans joined the chorus during a closed-door meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Capitol Hill, according to sources inside the room.

Obama's administration has announced a huge increase next year for NATO’s presence in Europe, in response to Russian aggression. But Poland, is upset that most of the new money and equipment will go into Western Europet.