In addition to Romania and Ukraine, the founders of the bank are Canada, Albania, Belgium, Greece, Latvia, Luxembourg and Turkey. The decision comes at a time when Allied states are increasing their defense investments and expanding their industrial capacity. The signatory leaders recognized the need to support security and resilience priorities through solid financial mechanisms, capable of accelerating the production of essential military capabilities.

The bank’s headquarters will be in Canada, and the European office in Luxembourg. The founding states aim to mobilize around 133 billion dollars to finance, in particular, small and medium-sized enterprises in the defense industry. The bank is designed to expand access to capital, reduce financing costs and support the expansion of industrial capacity among member countries. The founding leaders announced that the financial institution could start its activity as early as 2027.

At the Ankara summit, US President Donald Trump reiterated his request for NATO member states to increase their defense investment contributions to 5% of their national GDP. Currently, all member countries have exceeded the 2% level and only the Baltic countries and Poland allocate over 4% of GDP for defense.

The post Romania, among the signatories of the intent agreement on the establishment of a Bank for Defense, Security and Resilience appeared first on ipn.md.

The agreement aims at creating a service and maintenance hub for the PAC-3 interceptors, produced by the American company Lockheed Martin, considered among the most advanced air defense systems in the world, capable of destroying ballistic missiles and other types of threats.

The Polish Minister of Defense, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, emphasized that the establishment of the center will significantly increase Europe’s capacity in the field of defense. According to him, the hub strengthens the European ability to maintain and operate these critical systems.

So far, the country that will host this hub has not been established, although the Polish Minister of Defense previously stated that Poland is among the favorite states for the production of Patriot interceptor missiles.

The post The first European center for Patriot interceptor missiles, established by five NATO member states appeared first on ipn.md.

Radosław Sikorski announced on Thursday that he received an official written confirmation from Hungary regarding the withdrawal of international protection and the invalidation of travel documents for the three Polish citizens. They had been granted political asylum status in Hungary during Viktor Orbán’s government.

The former minister Zbigniew Ziobro is targeted in a corruption investigation in Warsaw. He is accused of 26 criminal offenses, including abuse of power and coordinating illegal actions, causing damage of over 35 million euros from the Justice Fund, a budgetary reserve for compensations offered to victims of crimes. The District Court in Warsaw recently upheld the decision to apply the preventive arrest measure in absentia for the former dignitary.

After the parliamentary elections in Hungary, following the defeat of Viktor Orban, the former Polish minister left for the United States. According to prosecutors, he applied for a journalist visa, on the grounds that he would work in the US as a political analyst. Poland announced that it would initiate extradition proceedings.

The post Hungary has revoked the political asylum status of a former Polish minister under criminal investigation in Warsaw appeared first on ipn.md.

According to the Novinite news agency, the incident was caused by the automatic activation of code 7500 by the transponder of an Airbus A320 aircraft, operated by Electra Airways on behalf of LOT, which triggered air traffic control procedures. Following the alert, a Bulgarian Air Force MiG-29 was scrambled to escort the passenger plane.

The military response was initiated shortly before the aircraft entered Bulgarian airspace, based on notifications received through NATO monitoring systems. The fighter jet carried out the standard visual identification and escort of the civilian aircraft.

Subsequently, the aircraft continued its flight under military surveillance, and the responsibility of monitoring was temporarily taken over by Turkish military F-16 planes, after exiting Bulgarian airspace.

In the context of landing restrictions in several states, including Cyprus, the crew returned to Bulgarian airspace, where they were once again escorted to the Burgas airport for additional checks.

After approximately seven hours of inspections, the authorities confirmed that the alert was caused by a technical malfunction and there was no danger on board, allowing the aircraft to continue its flight to Tel Aviv.

The post Alert in Bulgaria: passenger plane escorted by a MiG-29 to Burgas following a false hijacking alarm appeared first on ipn.md.

Until now, all NATO units in the Baltic countries and northern Poland were under the coordination of a single multinational command center, located in the Polish city of Szczecin. The new structural reorganization stipulates that the multinational divisions in Estonia and Latvia will come under the authority of the German-Dutch Corps, headquartered in Münster, Germany, reports Reuters.

The new command center has the role of facilitating the rapid mobilization of a significant number of soldiers in the Baltic region. Although an army corps can coordinate between 40,000 and 60,000 soldiers when it is fully operational, in peacetime, it functions as a restricted command structure. The center maintains essential functions active, such as artillery, air defense, and medical logistics, to ensure the coordination of allied troops in the event of a crisis.

The commander of NATO’s land forces in Europe, General Chris Donahue, emphasized that European states are currently undertaking the largest defense commitments in the last 35 years. He also reaffirmed the U.S. support for the defense of the Baltic region alongside European allies. At the same time, the German Minister of Defense, Boris Pistorius, described the new structural reorganization as a demonstration of the military bloc’s unity and determination to defend every inch of allied territory.

The post A new NATO command center for strengthening the defense of the Baltic states appeared first on ipn.md.

The French Ministry of Health reported on Sunday about a thousand deaths in a single week caused by the heatwave, most of them being people over 65 years old. In Spain, the toll rises to at least 327 deaths. The temperatures are so high that several European countries have recorded absolute records: Germany reported 41.7 degrees Celsius, the Czech Republic reached 41.9 degrees and Poland recorded 40.5 degrees.

The heatwave has also triggered outbreaks of vegetation fires in France and Germany, including in areas where there were unexploded munitions from World War II, causing explosions and necessitating the evacuation of 650 people. Moreover, the extreme temperatures in Germany have caused damage to the transport infrastructure: In Leipzig, tram traffic was suspended due to rail expansion.

In Romania, meteorologists have issued a red alert for heatwave valid from Monday morning in almost the entire country, including Bucharest. And six counties, including the coastal area, are under an orange code warning. Temperatures of up to 41 degrees Celsius are forecasted. Until the morning of July 1, intense heatwaves, scorching heat, tropical nights, and significant thermal discomfort are predicted in Dobrogea and the eastern half of Muntenia. In some regions of the center, north and northwest of the country, storms are possible.

The WHO Director, Tedros Adhanom, emphasized that Europe is warming twice as fast as the global average, describing heat stress as a major risk factor for health systems.

The post Over 1,300 deaths in a week in Europe, due to the heatwave appeared first on ipn.md.

At the same time, the Prime Minister stated that the reconstruction of Ukraine should not be viewed merely as an economic and infrastructure effort, but as a strategic security project for the whole of Europe. “A sustainable recovery of Ukraine requires security, connectivity and long-term solidarity. The Republic of Moldova will continue to contribute to the strengthening of stability and resilience of the entire region. Supporting Ukraine means supporting European security and regional stability, including that of the Republic of Moldova”, declared Alexandru Munteanu.

The event brought together European officials who discussed security guarantees for Ukraine, the reconstruction process, and the role of the European Union’s expansion in strengthening regional stability. On the agenda were also the financing mechanisms for the reconstruction of Ukraine, coordination of international support, and strengthening governance and transparency standards in the recovery process. Moreover, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced the transfer of a first tranche of 3.2 billion euros from the 90 billion euro loan granted to Ukraine.

On the sidelines of the event, the Moldovan Prime Minister had a meeting with the Polish Prime Minister, Donald Tusk. The two officials discussed the European path of the Republic of Moldova, following the opening of the first negotiation cluster, Fundamental Values, an important stage in the process of joining the European Union. Alexandru Munteanu thanked Poland for the constant support provided and emphasized the objective of maintaining the pace of reforms and advancing quickly in the accession negotiations, based on merits and achieved results.

The discussions also focused on deepening cooperation in the field of security and defense, expanding economic relations and attracting Polish investments in the Republic of Moldova. Both leaders agreed that a stronger and more resilient Moldova directly contributes to the stability and security of the entire European region.

The post Alexandru Munteanu: Moldova will contribute to the reconstruction of Ukraine and to regional stability appeared first on ipn.md.

The leaders of the format assert that the current context allows for overcoming the tensions previously generated by divergent positions on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Poland’s Prime Minister, Donald Tusk, stated that the moment marks a return to cooperation based on mutual trust and solidarity.

During the discussions, the four governments reaffirmed their opposition to the new EU Pact on migration, advocating for strengthening control at the external borders. At the same time, they agreed on close coordination in the negotiations for the future multiannual budget of the European Union, with an emphasis on maintaining funds for cohesion and agriculture.

Additionally, the leaders discussed the expansion of the “V4+” format, for the involvement of partners such as Ireland in budget consultations, and Austria and Germany in industrial competitiveness issues.

In the context where Slovakia will take over the rotating presidency of V4 in July, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico stated that the central priority will be industrial competitiveness. He warned that high energy prices are affecting the European industry and proposed a common position on reforming the EU’s emission trading system.

At the same time, as a symbol of the new stage of cooperation, the Hungarian Prime Minister, Peter Magyar, proposed the development of a high-speed railway network that would connect Budapest, Bratislava, Prague, and Warsaw.

The Visegrád Group, also known as V4, is a political alliance established in 1991 by four Central European states – Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary – members of the European Union and NATO. The dialogue within this format has been in a deadlock in recent years due to divergences between member states regarding the military support provided to Ukraine, in the context of the widespread Russian invasion.

The post Relaunch of the Visegrád Group: Leaders have established a new cooperation agenda appeared first on ipn.md.

“For us, the reconstruction of Ukraine also means the development of regional infrastructure, strengthening financial corridors, and creating new economic opportunities for the entire region”, declared Alexandru Munteanu.

According to him, one of the projects recently discussed with the Ukrainian side is the relaunch of the Cosauti-Iampoli bridge construction, considered a strategic objective for both states.

“Recently, Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Bolea had discussions with the Ukrainian side about relaunching the Cosauti-Iampoli bridge project. This is a strategic project for both the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. We are entering the design phase. I understand that next week the technical teams will go to the site to evaluate and analyze the technical ways to start this project”, stated the head of the Government.

The International Conference for the Reconstruction of Ukraine brings together political leaders, representatives of international financial institutions, and business environment. On the meeting agenda is the attraction of investments for the reconstruction of critical infrastructure, the development of the energy and logistics sectors, as well as strengthening the security and defense dimensions.

The post The Prime Minister departs for Gdańsk, where he will participate in the International Conference for the Reconstruction of Ukraine appeared first on ipn.md.

The official handover of the goods took place in Berlin, during the Polish-German Forum, on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the signing of the Good Neighbourhood Treaty between the two states. The items were received by the Polish Minister of Culture, Marta Cienkowska, in the presence of the Polish Foreign Minister, Radosław Sikorski, and his German counterpart, Johann Wadephul.

The most significant piece recovered is a fragment of a 14th-century manuscript, which contains the hymn “Gaude Mater Polonia”, one of the oldest Polish-Latin religious hymns. The document was stolen by the troops of Nazi Germany in 1939 and transported to Königsberg, eventually ending up in the collections of the Berlin State Library.

The returned lot also includes the ring of King Sigismund I the Old, a jewel extracted in 1791 from the royal tomb at Wawel to be protected, but later stolen by German troops in 1939. Additionally, 11 miniature railway exhibits were returned, which belonged to the pre-war collection of the Warsaw Communications Museum and were recently identified in Berlin.

Minister Marta Cienkowska emphasized that these objects have major significance for Polish culture and identity, mentioning that this act represents the continuation of a new historical beginning in the process of restitution of cultural goods between the two countries. At the same time, German officials have assured that the process of returning heritage objects stolen during the Second World War will continue.

Currently, the Ministry of Culture of Poland is conducting over 200 restitution procedures in 22 countries, managing to recover over 900 objects from 2008 to the present.

The post Germany returns to Poland heritage goods looted in the Second World War appeared first on ipn.md.