Following criticism of the idea, the Albanian government has shelved plans to slaughter 1,000 lambs to mark the 100th independence anniversary on Wednesday.The idea for a mass slaughter of lambs was proposed by the Prime Minister, Sali Berisha. But it does not appear in the official calendar of festivities published …

Over 700 Romanian children have been adopted so far in 2012, while some 1,200 families have been cleared for adoption in the country, officials have announced.Romania eased adoption regulations in April, following adoption of a new law aimed at encouraging more adoptions. The goal is to slash the number of …

At the trial of the former Croatian Serb leader, Goran Hadzic, a protected witness has recalled being forced to walk through a minefield as a human shield in Croatia in 1991.The protected witness, GH-059, was living in the Croatian village of Loves when it was occupied by Serb forces in …

Croatia has prosecuted 27 war crimes perpetrated during and after Operation Storm in 1995, but none has yet ended in a verdict.According to the Croatian state prosecutor, published in the media on Tuesday, November 27, war-crimes cases linked to Operation Storm are in different phases of prosecution. Two are in …

Macedonia initialled a Chinese loan that will be used to build more motorway stretches, the Transport Minister said at Tuesday’s signing ceremony.“The agreement gives priority to infrastructure projects like road and railway networks, bridges, energy and telecommunications facilities… [and] encourages cooperation among banks and companies from both countries”, Macedonian Transport …

Albanians are marking the 100th anniversary of their country’s independence with concerts, exhibitions, fairs and new monuments in the capital, Tirana, and in Vlora.The festivities in Tirana began on Monday with the inauguration of a mosaic of the Albanian flag, with stones collected from battlefields linked to the struggle for …

EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule says Bosnia did not take the key steps that were needed for it to submit a credible EU membership application.Following the second High-Level Dialogue on Bosnia’s EU integration process, the Enlargement Commissioner, Stefan Fule, said Bosnia had not met its main commitments undertaken at the …

Valentin Inzko denies Croatian journalist’s claim that an investigation into Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik and his son Igor has been launched in Austria or Germany.The international community’s High Representative has denied a journalist’s claims that anti-corruption investigations have been initiated against the President of the Republika Srpska, the Serb-dominated …

EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele has said that he expects Croatia to successfully complete the bloc’s accession requirements ahead of its July 2013 admission date.Speaking in Zagreb on Monday, Fuele said he was also confident that Croatia would create a positive atmosphere for the EU aspirations of its neighbours. Zagreb …

Report names politicians running in next month’s parliamentary elections who once worked for the secret police, held senior positions in the former ruling Communist Party or have convictions for corruption.The Alliance for a Clean Romania, ARC, on Monday released a list of politicians that it says are either corrupt, or …