Protests in Serbia and violation of "taboo" in Germany. What the media say

In Belgium, flights were canceled for technical reasons, which disrupted the meeting between Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fitzo and EC Chairwoman Ursula von der Leyen. Protests in Serbia threaten the country's President Aleksandar Vucic. Greek farmers risk being left without Bulgarian water. What the world media write about the situation in Europe - in Izvestia digest.

Politico: the meeting between Fitzo and von der Leyen was canceled due to problems with air traffic in Belgium

The plane carrying Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fitzo to Brussels for a meeting with the top leadership of the European Commission was turned around because of a technical problem that led to the closure of Belgian airspace on January 30.

Fitzo was due to meet with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to discuss gas transit. Slovakia, along with Hungary, wants to extend an agreement that allowed them to continue importing Russian fuel through Ukraine, but Kiev has rejected their requests.

Bloomberg: protests pose a threat to Vucic's rule in Serbia

Mass protests pose the biggest challenge to Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic's rule. The leader's efforts to quell student riots have failed, and his critics draw a direct line between his failure to rein in corruption and the deaths from a fallen canopy in Novi Sad.

Vucic has often called early elections to strengthen his position in times of crisis. His Serbian Progressive Party won comfortably in the last election in 2023, and so far public discontent with the president has yet to show up in opinion polls. He has no clear rival among protesters, the opposition or his own ranks.

Reuters: Germany is preparing to pass its first law with the support of the AdG

A vote to pass a law to tighten immigration controls in Germany will take place on January 31. It was backed by the Alternative for Germany (AdG) party, which could result in a law satisfying the far right for the first time in the country's post-war history. Merz, whose bloc is leading in polls ahead of the Feb. 23 election, said tighter immigration controls were a necessary response to a series of high-profile killings in public places by people with immigrant backgrounds.

The bill has very little chance of going into effect: Merz's allies in regional governments have said they will vote against any law that is passed with the support of the far right when it reaches the upper house of parliament. However, the AdG's role in passing the law would be symbolically important for Germany, as it would break a taboo that exists among the mainstream parties.

Euronews: Merkel criticized the favorite to become chancellor for cooperating with the AdG

Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel criticized the favorite for the post, Friedrich Merz (we wrote more about him here), for accepting the support of the far-right Alternative for Germany for restricting migration. A resolution calling for stricter border control and asylum rules was passed by a minimal margin thanks to the support of the AdG.

The migration vote was the first time an AdG-backed motion was passed in the German parliament. Merz has argued that Germany has had a decade of "erroneous asylum and immigration policies" since his predecessor Merkel allowed large numbers of migrants into the country in 2015.

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Reuters: Greek farmers' water supply agreement with Bulgaria has expired

Since 1964, water from Bulgaria's mountains has flowed freely through the Arda River to the 20,000-hectare Evros plain in Greece under a reparations agreement between the two countries after World War II. But the agreement expired last July and it is not clear whether it will be renewed as Bulgaria assesses its own water needs.

Concerned Greek farmers blockaded the northern town of Kastanias, accusing the government of not acting fast enough to strike a deal before summer. Officials at Greece's energy and environment ministry say political instability in Bulgaria and successive interim governments have stalled negotiations.