PJSC “Zaporizhkox,” one of Ukraine’s largest producers of coke and coke-chemical products and a member of the Metinvest Group, reduced its blast furnace coke production by 2.97% in January–July of this year compared to the same period last year, down to 497,750 metric tons.
According to the company, 63.4 thousand metric tons of coke were produced in July, compared to 74.9 thousand metric tons the previous month and 78.9 thousand metric tons in July 2025.
“Among the main factors that contributed to the decline in production volumes in July 2026 compared to the same period in 2025 were a decrease in coal concentrate shipments due to the blockade of Ukrainian Black Sea ports caused by the aggressor country’s constant attacks on international merchant vessels, particularly those carrying raw materials for the Ukrainian metallurgical industry,” the press release explains.
As previously reported, in 2025, “Zaporizhkox” increased its output by 2.7% compared to 2024—to 898,300 metric tons, while in 2024, output rose by 2.1% to 874,700 metric tons from 856,800 metric tons in 2023.
“Zaporizhkox” operates a full technological cycle for the processing of coke-chemical products.
Metinvest is a vertically integrated mining and metallurgical group of companies. Its major shareholders are the SCM Group (71.24%) and Smart Holding (23.76%). Metinvest Holding LLC is the management company of the Metinvest Group.
According to “Serbian Economist,” the Romanian company JT Grup Oil has received approval to build a new oil products terminal on the Danube near the port of Tisovica-Dubova, not far from Orșova in Mehedinți County, the company reported in a filing published on the Bucharest Stock Exchange.
The project involves the construction of four above-ground storage tanks for liquid fuel, as well as the engineering and logistics infrastructure necessary for the receipt, storage, and transshipment of petroleum products.
JT Grup Oil views the new facility as part of a larger regional logistics system. The Danube terminal is planned to be integrated with the company’s new terminal in the port of Constanța on the Black Sea.
According to the company, the platform being developed is intended to serve the markets of Romania, Hungary, Serbia, Austria, and Ukraine, leveraging both Black Sea logistics capabilities and the international transport corridor along the Danube.
Thus, fuel will be able to arrive via Constanta by sea and then be distributed throughout Central and Southeastern Europe using river, rail, and road transport.
For Serbia, the new facility is of particular interest due to its location on the Danube, relatively close to the Serbian border. Additional storage and transshipment capacity for petroleum products could expand fuel supply options to the Serbian market and enhance the Danube’s role in regional energy logistics.
For Ukraine, the project also creates an additional route for importing petroleum products via Romania. Since 2022, Romanian ports—primarily Constanța—have significantly increased their importance for Ukrainian trade and fuel supplies.
At the same time, JT Grup Oil is completing another major infrastructure project—the JT Terminal in the port of Constanța.
The terminal has already passed technical trials, and its commercial operation is scheduled to begin in October 2026, following the completion of all necessary procedures and the receipt of permits.
JT Grup Oil’s strategy effectively involves creating a Constanta–Danube–Central Europe logistics corridor.
The Black Sea terminal is intended to handle imported petroleum products arriving by sea, while the new facility near Orșova will bring fuel supplies closer to the markets of Serbia, Hungary, and Austria and utilize the Danube for further transportation.
“By developing the terminal in Constanta and the terminal in the Orsova area, the company aims to create an integrated logistics platform capable of effectively serving the markets of Central and Eastern Europe,” according to a statement from JT Grup Oil cited by Romanian media.
The project takes on added significance against the backdrop of the restructuring of European petroleum product supply routes and the region’s countries’ efforts to diversify their transportation infrastructure.
JT Grup Oil operates in the Romanian wholesale fuel trade and distribution market. The company’s shares are traded on the AeRO market of the Bucharest Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol JTG.
The Bulgarian government has proposed significantly tightening the rules for maintaining permanent residency for foreigners, including investors. According to the bill submitted to parliament, permanent residents may be required to be physically present in Bulgaria for at least 183 days during each calendar year.
Bill No. 52-602-01-29, amending the Law on Foreigners of the Republic of Bulgaria, was submitted by the Council of Ministers to the National Assembly on July 28, 2026, according to official data from the Bulgarian parliament.
The bill is currently under review, so the new regulations are not yet in effect.
The main change concerns the distinction between two residency regimes for foreigners.
For holders of EU long-term resident status, it is proposed to maintain the current principle, under which a prolonged continuous absence from the territory of the European Union may serve as grounds for loss of status.
For holders of a Bulgarian permanent residence permit, it is proposed to introduce a significantly stricter national requirement: a foreign national must actually spend more than half the year in Bulgaria.
Thus, if the bill is adopted in its current form, merely holding a Bulgarian permanent residence permit while residing permanently in another country will not be sufficient.
The new rule will affect investors
These changes are of particular significance for foreigners who obtained permanent residence through investment.
Current Bulgarian legislation provides several options for obtaining permanent residence through investment. Specifically, the official government portal lists investments of at least 1 million leva in certain Bulgarian investment funds and a number of other instruments, while a threshold of 2 million leva applies to certain types of securities.
Following Bulgaria’s transition to the euro, the corresponding amounts are converted to the new currency at a fixed exchange rate. The former threshold of 1 million leva corresponds to approximately EUR 511,300, while 2 million leva is equivalent to about EUR 1.02 million.
However, another significant change is taking effect: an investment will no longer automatically allow the holder of permanent residence to live permanently outside Bulgaria.
In the published version of the new requirement, no separate exception is provided for investment residents. This is precisely why the changes could significantly reduce the appeal of the Bulgarian investment program for people who viewed permanent residence primarily as an additional European status rather than as a basis for actually moving to the country.
The new rule potentially applies to a much broader segment than just investors. It may also apply to other foreigners with permanent residence in Bulgaria—including individuals who obtained permanent residence after a long period of residence in the country, certain family members of Bulgarian citizens, and foreigners of Bulgarian origin.
Thus, the proposed changes effectively alter the very concept of permanent residence: the state aims to more closely link the possession of this status to a person’s actual physical presence in the country.
This may prove particularly important for foreigners who hold Bulgarian permanent residence but spend most of the year working or conducting business in other EU countries, the United Kingdom, the United States, CIS countries, or the Middle East.
Investment Thresholds Are Converted from Levs to Euros
The bill also brings the financial requirements of immigration law into line with Bulgaria’s transition to the euro.
Specifically, the previous amounts in levs are replaced by their equivalents in euros.
The threshold of 1 million leva corresponds to approximately EUR 511,000, 2 million leva to about EUR 1.02 million, and 6 million leva to approximately EUR 3.07 million.
This is primarily a technical conversion, so the actual value of the investment requirements does not change significantly as a result of this change.
Permanent Residency Through Investment in Bulgaria Remains in Place; Citizenship-by-Investment Has Been Abolished
It is important to distinguish between the two programs.
Bulgaria previously abandoned the fast-track scheme for direct acquisition of citizenship through investment, which had drawn serious criticism from EU institutions.
However, the investment-based grounds for obtaining a permanent residence permit remain in place. Official government information still lists several types of investments that can serve as grounds for granting a foreigner a permanent residence permit.
It is precisely this program that may now become significantly less “passive”: it will no longer be sufficient for an investor to simply maintain their investment—if the amendments are adopted, they will also have to actually spend a significant portion of the year in Bulgaria.
It is not yet possible to speak of the mandatory 183 days as a rule that has come into effect.
The bill has only just been submitted to parliament and must undergo review by the relevant committees and the parliamentary procedure. The National Assembly currently lists it on its official website as a document submitted by the Council of Ministers, with no information regarding its final adoption.
During the review process, lawmakers may amend the 183-day requirement, add exemptions for certain categories of foreigners, or provide for a transition period for current permanent residents.
Legal experts have specifically pointed out the absence of a clear transition mechanism in the initial draft. Therefore, one of the most important issues to be addressed during parliamentary review will be whether the new requirements will apply to foreigners who obtained permanent residence under the previous rules.
According to Experts.news, Montenegro and Iceland may eventually become members of the European Union at the same time—the possibility of combining the two countries’ accession into a single package is being discussed in Brussels by representatives of the European Commission and European diplomats, Politico reports.
This option is being considered against the backdrop of Montenegro’s rapid progress in membership negotiations and Iceland’s possible return to the European integration process, which was put on hold more than a decade ago. The EU has not yet made a final decision on the countries’ joint accession.
A key event will be the referendum in Iceland on August 29, 2026, in which citizens will have to decide whether the country should resume negotiations on EU accession. The Icelandic parliament approved the referendum in May. If a majority supports resuming negotiations, the outcome will subsequently have to be put to a second referendum—this time directly on the country’s membership in the European Union.
European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos called Iceland a “special case,” as the country is already deeply integrated with the European Union through the European Economic Area and the Schengen Area.
In her assessment, if the referendum yields a positive result, negotiations with Reykjavík could potentially last only one or two years. Kos also stated that the EU is ready to seek special solutions for the issues most sensitive to Iceland, primarily fisheries and agriculture.
This theoretically allows Iceland to catch up with Montenegro and enter the final stretch of negotiations at roughly the same time as Podgorica.
Montenegro is currently the candidate that has advanced the furthest in the EU accession process.
All 33 negotiation chapters have already been opened, and following the EU–Montenegro Intergovernmental Conference on July 14, 18 chapters were provisionally closed. The most recent chapters to be closed were those on competition policy and the Customs Union.
Thus, Podgorica has completed more than half of the process of closing negotiation chapters and expects to conclude negotiations by the end of 2026.
The government of Prime Minister Milojko Spajić has officially set a goal of becoming the 28th EU member state in 2028. The European Union has already begun preparatory work on Montenegro’s accession treaty, and on June 30, the European Commission presented a financial package outlining the budgetary implications of the country’s future membership.
One of Politico’s sources at the European Commission stated that there is a significant likelihood of a joint package being formed for the two countries.
The economic rationale for this option lies in the substantial differences between the two countries.
Iceland is a wealthy economy and, upon accession, would likely become a net contributor to the EU budget. Montenegro, by contrast, due to its relatively low per capita income, would be a recipient of European funding.
According to European diplomats, combining the two countries into a single package could therefore simplify the political coordination of enlargement for current EU members.
Montenegro’s Minister for European Affairs, Maida Gorčević, told Politico that Podgorica is open to the possibility of linking its accession to that of Iceland.
Iceland’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Torgurdur Katrín Gunnarsdóttir, also called joint accession “absolutely” possible.
However, each country will have to fulfill the membership criteria independently. Merely combining them into a single treaty or political package does not eliminate the need to complete negotiations and secure the consent of all current EU member states.
Despite the high level of economic integration, Iceland’s possible return to the negotiations does not guarantee their smooth conclusion.
For Iceland, control over fishery resources carries significantly greater economic and political weight than it does for most EU member states. The country’s foreign minister has stated that retaining control over fisheries will be one of the fundamental conditions of any future agreements with Brussels.
However, Iceland already applies a significant portion of EU legislation thanks to its membership in the European Economic Area. That is why the process could potentially proceed much faster than for most current candidates.
Montenegro applied for EU membership in 2008, was granted candidate status in 2010, and membership negotiations officially began on June 29, 2012. Currently, all 33 negotiation chapters have been opened, of which 18 have been provisionally closed. Following an acceleration of reforms in 2024–2026, the country became the leading candidate for the next EU enlargement.
Iceland took a completely different path. Following the global financial crisis, it applied to the EU in July 2009, and negotiations began in 2010. By the time negotiations were suspended, 27 negotiation chapters had been opened, 11 of which had been provisionally closed.
After a new government took office in 2013, negotiations were frozen, and in March 2015, Reykjavík asked the European Union to no longer consider Iceland a candidate country. At the same time, the country maintained the closest possible integration with the EU through the European Economic Area and the Schengen Area.
In 2026, the issue of membership returned to the political agenda. Parliament scheduled a referendum for August 29 on whether to resume negotiations.
The format of several countries joining the EU simultaneously is not new. Spain and Portugal joined the Community at the same time in 1986; ten countries joined the EU as part of the 2004 enlargement; and Bulgaria and Romania joined simultaneously in 2007.
If Iceland votes to resume negotiations and is able to quickly resolve contentious issues with Brussels, 2028 becomes, for the first time, a theoretically possible date for the simultaneous accession of Montenegro and Iceland. For now, however, this is a political scenario rather than an approved EU enlargement timeline.
According to The Serbian Economist, Serbia has provided Ukraine with humanitarian aid totaling approximately 63 million euros since the start of the full-scale war, said Andon Sapundži, Serbia’s ambassador to Ukraine.
About 10 million euros of this amount was allocated to support Ukraine’s energy sector and restore damaged infrastructure.
Serbia also announced an additional contribution of 2 million euros as part of the UNDP’s “Green Energy for Ukraine” program.
The funds are planned to be used to install transformer equipment with a total capacity of 63 MW to meet the needs of Kryvyi Rih. The equipment is expected to be commissioned in early 2027.
According to the ambassador, Serbian companies are already exploring opportunities to participate in Ukrainian reconstruction projects. Areas of particular interest include energy, construction, the production of building materials, transportation infrastructure, and industrial cooperation.
He emphasized that Ukraine’s reconstruction should not be postponed until the end of the war, as some energy and infrastructure needs must be addressed immediately.
Serbian business participation in major projects is currently in the stage of assessing opportunities and seeking specific partnerships.
https://t.me/relocationrs/3406
According to “Serbian Economist”, Serbia has provided Ukraine with humanitarian aid totaling approximately 63 million euros since the start of the full-scale war, said Andon Sapundži, Serbia’s ambassador to Ukraine.
About 10 million euros of this amount was allocated to support Ukraine’s energy sector and restore damaged infrastructure.
Serbia also announced an additional contribution of 2 million euros as part of the UNDP’s “Green Energy for Ukraine” program.
The funds are planned to be used to install transformer equipment with a total capacity of 63 MW to meet the needs of Kryvyi Rih. The equipment is expected to be commissioned in early 2027.
According to the ambassador, Serbian companies are already exploring opportunities to participate in Ukrainian reconstruction projects. Areas of particular interest include the energy sector, construction, the production of building materials, transportation infrastructure, and industrial cooperation.
He emphasized that Ukraine’s reconstruction should not be postponed until the end of the war, as some energy and infrastructure needs must be addressed immediately.
Serbian business participation in large-scale projects is currently in the stage of assessing opportunities and identifying specific partnerships.
