Balkan News

The EU’s assessment of Serbia’s judicial reforms will not be positive, said the Serbian Minister of Justice after his meeting with the EU Commissioner for Enlargement.After his meeting in Brussels on Monday, the Serbian Justice Minister, Nikola Selakovic, said that the EU supports Serbia’s judicial reform programme, but is unlikely …

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 …

Kosovo’s leader says he wants the European Union to formalize its relationship with the country by opening negotiations on a Stabilization and Association Agreement – the first step towards eventual membership. Prime Minister Hashim Thaci made the call at a meeting with the EU’s High Representative, Catherine Ashton, in New …

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 …

Belgrade has told Brussels that it is ready to implement an agreed deal with Kosovo on joint control of the border.Dejan Pavicevic, head of Belgrade’s negotiating team in the EU-led dialogue with Kosovo, on Monday said Serbia had told the European Commission that it accepted the agreement on Integrated Border …

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 …

The President of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, has signed an agreement with the Russian company Gazprom to build a part of the South Stream pipeline network and two gas power plants in the entity.Dodik and other representatives of Republika Srpska, the Serb lead entity in Bosnia, signed the memorandum of …

Husein Kavazovic has been chosen as the new Reis-ul-ulema of the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina .The Mufti of the northeast Bosnian town of Tuzla, Husein Effendi Kavazovic, has been chosen as the new Chief Mufti of the country’s Islamic Community amongst two other candidates at a session of …