—🇪🇺 EU no longer trusts rules-based order, von der Leyen warns

➡️ European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told EU ambassadors in Brussels that the Union can no longer fully rely on a post–Second World War “rules-based” international order, arguing that repeated geopolitical crises have deeply eroded the system and its multilateral mechanisms.

➡️ She called for a more “realistic” foreign policy focused on EU strategic interests, greater strategic autonomy, stronger defence capabilities and a review of current consensus-based decision making in external action.

✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English

—🪖🇭🇷 NEW: Croatia has formally reintroduced compulsory military service after nearly two decades, with the first 800 conscripts beginning a two‑month basic training program today at barracks in Knin, Slunj and Požega.

➡️ The draft, revived following legislative changes in late 2025, will see up to 4,000 young men called up annually for short-term training as Zagreb cites heightened security risks in Europe and the Western Balkans.

✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English

—🇮🇷/🇦🇱 NEW: An Iranian missile strike on Albania is assessed as theoretically possible but practically almost impossible due to layered NATO air and missile defenses over Türkiye and Greece, which would sit along the likely flight path.

✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English

—🏛 🇬🇷 Today in 432 BC, the Parthenon in Athens was consecrated and dedicated to Athena!

🔗 Today in History

✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English

—🇷🇸/🇦🇱/🇪🇺 NEW: Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said he and Albania’s PM support a “multi-speed Europe,” adding that Serbia would be “very happy” to join the EU politically and economically even without voting rights, veto powers, or its own commissioner.

✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English

—🇮🇷/🇧🇬 UPDATE: Bulgaria has received assurances from Iran that it faces no danger and is not considered a target, caretaker FM Nadezhda Neynsky said in an interview for bTV’s “Face to Face” on Monday, stressing that Sofia is not a party to the conflict and sees no direct threat to Bulgarian territory.

➡️ She added that Bulgaria relies on NATO air and missile defence in case of escalation, while domestic air and anti-drone systems remain on alert.

✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English

—🇭🇷❌🇭🇺 NEW: A US federal judge in Washington DC enforced a $236 million arbitral award against Croatia on March 6 in a dispute with Hungarian energy firm MOL over its stake in Croatian oil company INA.

➡️ The ruling stems from Croatia's failure to honor 2009 gas business obligations, including market liberalization and taking over loss-making operations.

✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English

—🇺🇸/🇹🇷 NEW: A NATO-assigned US Patriot air and missile defense system has been deployed to Malatya in eastern Türkiye, where it is being readied for operational use to reinforce protection of Turkish airspace amid heightened regional tensions linked to the Iran war.

➡️ The system is positioned near the Kurecik NATO radar base, which recently helped track Iranian ballistic missiles heading toward Turkish territory.

✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English

—🇷🇴 Romania’s Neptun Deep to reshape EU gas landscape

➡️ Romania’s Neptun Deep offshore project in the Black Sea is estimated to hold around 100 billion cubic meters of recoverable natural gas, with first gas expected in 2027 and plateau output of about 8 bcm per year, enough to turn Romania into the EU’s largest gas producer and a net exporter for the first time.

➡️ Developed by OMV Petrom and Romgaz with a total investment of up to EUR 4 billion, the field lies some 160 km offshore and will supply low‑emission gas via ten production wells, three subsea systems, an unmanned platform and a new pipeline to Tuzla.

✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English

—✈️ 🇭🇷 NEW: The Croatian government repatriated 870 of its citizens free of charge from crisis-hit areas in the Middle East, covering the full expense of €856,000.

➡️ Operations also brought back 101 foreign nationals from countries including Germany, Serbia, France, and Slovenia.

✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English

—🇷🇸❌🇽🇰 NEW: Serbia's oldest cultural-scientific body, Matica Srpska, called on authorities to raise the issue internationally to keep the University of Priština in Kosovska Mitrovica—serving 7,000 students and 1,000 staff—within Serbia's education system.

➡️ The group warns Kosovo's Law on Foreigners, set for March 15 enforcement, risks "unpredictable consequences" like a Serb exodus, violating UNSC Resolution 1244.

✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English

—❗️🇷🇴🤝🇺🇸❌🇮🇷 URGENT: Romania has approved a US request for temporary access to the Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base, Europe’s largest NATO installation, to support operations in the Middle East, including aerial refueling, fighter jet deployments and the stationing of up to 500 additional personnel.

➡️ Bucharest stresses the deployment is defensive and tied to monitoring and support missions rather than basing offensive strike assets on Romanian soil.

✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English