The Albanian government has decided to further lower the cost of ID cards for different groups of the population, Minister of Interior Affairs Bujar Nishani said on Sunday. “The price for pensioners will drop from 500 lek to 300 lek (from €4.20 to €2.50), while for students the price will …

Romanian prosecutors on Monday indicted former economy minister Codrut Seres and former communications minister Zsolt Nagy for their involvement in “shady privatisation deals”. Four other persons, including a Czech and a Turkish citizen, were also indicted. Prosecutors say that, between May 2005 and November 2006, the defendants were part of …

Bulgaria’s Criminal Assets Forfeiture Commission on Tuesday imposed a ban on funds and property worth 828,000 leva (423,500 euro) owned by Alexander Tomov, a former deputy prime minister and now president of CSKA Sofia football club and executive director of Kremikovtzi steel plant. Tomov is under investigation for embezzlement while …

Romanian police have started an investigation in seven universities across the country, seizing graduation files that are suspected to have been forged, local press report. According to police officers, the graduation documents were compiled in several weeks, covering subjects such as economy, oil and gas engineering. Some universities now under …

Two moderately-strong earthquakes, just over 12 hours apart, have shaken Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The tremors caused widespread alarm but did little damage. The first tremor, at 15.27 on Monday, registered at 3.3 on the Richter scale and 5 on the Mercalli scale. The epicentre was some …

As the World Bank issues its latest report which forecasts the first global recession since World War II, the chill winds of economic slowdown are increasingly being felt in the Balkans. The current unprecedented economic downturn has forced the World Bank to adjust its estimates and warn that the recession …

The member states and institutions of the European Union are keeping a close eye on the rich energy potential of the Balkan countries, Western officials have said, urging local leaders to undertake necessary reforms and unlock this sector for potential investments. This message was delivered by several senior EU officials …

LJUBLJANA, Slovenia – Slovenian President Danilo Turk and Parliament Speaker Pavel Gantar signed on Friday (March 27th) the protocol for Croatia’s NATO accession, thus allowing the country to join the alliance at its April summit. Slovenia was the last of the 26 NATO members to ratify the protocol. The move …

ANKARA, Turkey – Six people, including opposition Great Union Party (BBP) leader Muhsin Yazicioglu, died in a helicopter crash in the southern province of Kahramanmaras, Interior Minister Besir Atalay said on Friday (March 27th). Yazicioglu’s helicopter crashed Wednesday in bad weather. Searchers took two days to find the wreckage and …

PRAGUE, the Czech Republic — EU foreign ministers reaffirmed on Saturday (March 28th) the EU’s commitment to the Balkan countries’ integration process. The Balkans remain on track for joining the EU despite the economic downturn in Europe, the ministers said.