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Sacked Serbian Judges to Return to Courtrooms

The Constitutional Court of Serbia has decided to overturn a decision by the High Judicial Council and reappoint 126 judges sacked as part of controversial judicial reforms.The Constitutional Court of Serbia accepted the complaints of 126 judges who were dismissed from the courts after the judicial reforms of 2009. The …

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Shakeup at Top of Kosovo Politics

The deputy prime minister and the deputy finance minister resigned on Monday, facing corruption charges, while the recently resigned ministry of justice returned to his post.Deputy Prime Minister Bujar Bukoshi and Deputy Finance Minister Astrit Haraqija resigned on Monday while they are investigated for corruption. In a further shake-up of …

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Court Ruling on Vojvodina Divides Serbs

Constitutional Court ruling, that some provisions of the law on Serbia’s northern province are not in line with the constitution, reveals liberal-nationalist split.The court ruling has revealed sharp divides in Serbia between liberals who champion provincial autonomy and nationalists who see it as a threat to Serbian unity. Bojan Pajtic, …

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Attack on Prominent Kosovo Journalist Condemned

Reporters Without Borders has condemned the assault on Halil Matoshi, a reporter and political analyst, who was attacked this week in Pristina.Matoshi was attacked on July 10 by three unidentified men, one of them armed with a knife, on a street of the capital, but escaped with relatively minor injuries.

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Albania Parties Reach Deal on Election Reform

Albanian parties reached an agreement on Wednesday as the mandate of the parliamentary commission tasked with improving the electoral code was due to expire.The agreement covers a series of divisive issues, including the re-election of the members of the Central Electoral Commission, CEC, the use of technology in the electoral …

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EU Representative in Bosnia Meets RECOM Advocates

Head of the EU delegation to Bosnia and Herzegovina Peter Sorensen says that he hopes the RECOM initiative will help reconciliation in the Balkans.Following the meeting with the advocates of the Coalition for Reconciliation Commission, RECOM, Sorensen said that he commends all civil society organizations that pursue reconciliation in the …

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Serbia’s Nikolic Gives Some Ground on Kosovo

Serbian President says he doesn’t expect to be ‘President in Pristina’ – but authorities in Pristina should not expect to regain control of the Serb-run north of Kosovo either.Serbia’s new President, Tomislav Nikolic, on Tuesday conceded that Serbia was unlikely to rule the mainly Albanian ex-province of Kosovo, which declared …

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Serbia Indicts 12 For 2008 US Embassy Attack

Higher Prosecutor’s Office indicts 12 people for setting the US embassy in Belgrade on fire during Belgrade riots of 2008.Vlado Djordjevic, head of the state public prosecutor’s office, said the Higher Prosecutor’s Office has issued an indictment against 12 people for setting the US embassy in Belgrade on fire in …

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Macedonia Awaits Greek Reply to Olive Branch

Athens has yet to respond to Macedonia’s request for intensified bilateral cooperation and a declaration of friendship.Athens has yet to issue any official response after Macedonia at the weekend proposed a set of bilateral agreements with Greece to be crowned by a declaration of friendship and cooperation. But, off the …

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Serbia’s President Discusses Kosovo with Patriarch

After private meeting with Church leader, President says he remains open to dialogue with leaders of breakaway Kosovo.Tomislav Nikolic, Serbia’s new President, met with Patriarch Irinej, the Head of the Serbian Orthodox Church, on Monday to discuss the Kosovo issue. Addressing reporters after the meeting, Nikolic said he remained open …

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