Albania

The ambassadors of EU member states have agreed to proceed with Albania’s application for EU membership, local media reported on Thursday. The same sources said ambassadors from the 27 EU states decided at a meeting in Brussels to ask the European Commission to prepare an assessment of Albania’s readiness to …

The EU’s Enlargement Commissioner has appealed to Albania’s government and the opposition to find a solution to the current political stalemate and end the opposition’s month-long boycott of parliament. “It takes two to tango and I appeal to the opposition to end the parliamentary boycott which does not respect European …

Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu stated that “historical, legal and constitutional” arguments were on “Kosovo’s side” in the ICJ case. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has started proceedings to determine the legality of the February 2008 unilateral independence declaration by Kosovo’s ethnic Albanians, which Belgrade rejected as an illegal act …

Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo Đukanović said that Montenegro and Serbia “need to step out of the shadow of Kosovo”. “Differing relations towards Kosovo hinder our relations today. We understand Serbia and we are sorry about the problem it finds itself in because of this. And we believe that we are …

The Ambassadors of EU member states in Tirana urge a solution and a compromise for stopping the boycott of the opposition in the Parliament. Western officials send this message yesterday at the 20th anniversary of Berlin wall, in addition to the coming opposition meeting November 20.

EU officials in Brussels urged Albania on Monday to hasten the reforms necessary to lift the current visa requirements for its citizens, in order no to miss on the next wave of visa liberalisation in the Balkans. “You help us, we will help you,” was the message of the general …

There will be boycott of school classes and massive protests unless the government quits its plan to introduce Macedonian language as mandatory in primary schools, including schools in areas were Albanians are in majority, Albanian NGOs warned Thursday.

Macedonia’s junior government party, the ethnic Albanian Democratic Union for Integration, DUI set a deadline of December for its senior ethnic Macedonian partner to solve the ongoing “name” spat with neighboring Greece. In December the country hopes to get a date from the EU council to start EU accession talks, …

Albania and Bosnia-Herzegovina (BiH) agreement scrapping bilateral visa requirements entered into force on Sunday. The agreement will allow Albanians and Bosnians to visit each others countries for up to 90 days without having to apply for visas, Albania’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Albanian foreign ministry’s spokesman Ralf Gjoni …

Thousands of Kosovo Albanians welcomed Bill Clinton in Pristina on Sunday in a ceremony to inaugurate a statue of the former US President. Clinton, who first addressed the Kosovo parliament, joined thousands of his fans in the “Bill Clinton” boulevard.