The government appears to have backed away from its earlier pledge to scrap a mass of costly government agencies, with only seven out of 130 earmarked for abolition.Serbia’s new government has backtracked on pledges to scrap costly state agencies that are widely seen as bodies for employing the friends and …

Minister says that medical tourism in Romania needs promoting as part of a drive to attract more visitors in general.As Romania seek to boost numbers of foreign visitors, the country’s medical services are being increasingly touted as an area deserving expansion on the grounds of quality and low prices. “Health …

Kosovo and Serbia honoured an EU-brokered deal on Tuesday by taking part in a meeting together in Brussels on the environment.Serbia and Kosovo officials finally sat down at the same table on Tuesday in Brussels, as both sides honoured an agreement on Kosovo’s representation at regional summits. The two parties …

An association of former Croatian prisoners of war has asked the Serbian president Tomislav Nikolic to allow them to visit the site of their former prison in Stajicevo, a village in the Vojvodina region.The Croatian ambassador to Belgrade passed on a letter from the NGO “Association of Jurists Vukovar 1991” …

In an attempt to rectify the EU’s expected negative assessment of its progress, Serbia is hurrying to address outstanding issues concerning the judiciary, education and Kosovo.Serbia’s new government is busy adopting last-minute reforms, in an attempt to impress EU officials compiling a progress report before its final version is released. …

The Greek and Macedonian Foreign Ministers, Dimitris Avramopoulos and Nikola Poposki, met in New York on Monday – but no substantive talks on the “name” dispute took place at the introductory meeting.The two ministers met for an unofficial conversation at Macedonia’s request at the sidelines of the UN General Assembly …

Ruling party leader’s announcement that a mainly Albanian area of the capital may become a municipality meets sceptical response, coming in the run-up to the October general election.Ethnic Albanian leaders in Montenegro responded cautiously to a pledge by the ruling party’s leader to re-establish a mainly Albanian municipality in the …

Deputy Prime Minister Suzana Grubjesic said the partition of Kosovo was no longer worth considering as an option, as the international community clearly opposed the idea.Suzana Grubjesic, Serbian Deputy Prime Minister in charge of EU integration, said that the partition of Kosovo might well be the most rational solution to …

The UN secretary general has told Kosovo leaders to preserve the country’s stability and solve all problems through dialogue.At a meeting held in New York, Ban Ki-moon has told Kosovo’s President Atifete Jahjaga and Prime Minister Hashim Thaci that the European Union’s role in the Balkans region is essential, and …

Kosovo’s high school pupils are taught incorrect facts about what really happened during the 1999 war, says the Humanitarian Law Centre study.The study by the Humanitarian Law Centre – Kosovo, was conducted at a number of secondary schools across Kosovo and is based on one-to-one and group interviews with children …