Balkan News

Obstructions by some Serb leaders and their confusion about the division of powers between different levels of government in Bosnia are keeping the country away from prosperity and democracy, a top international official said. “There is confusion in (Bosnia’s Serb-dominated part) Republika Srpska over the nature of the entity and …

Serbia on Monday opened its largest army base Jug (South) located near Bujanovac, just few kilometers off the border with Kosovo. Serbia’s top military and state officials attended the opening ceremony. The base is located some 30 kilometers off the border between Macedonia and Serbia. Local Albanian politicians warned of …

Serbian Minister of Infrastructure Milutin Mrkonjic says that works on the Serbian part of the pan-European Corridor 10 highway will continue next year, despite the tight government budget. Mrkonjic said he can guarantee that “the last section of 307 kilometers of Corridor 10 will be finished by May 2012.”

The Netherlands will support visa liberalization and the start of Macedonia’s EU accession talks, Dutch Justice Minister Ernst Hirsch Ballin said on Monday. He made the remarks after the signing of a Memorandum of Intent for the Dutch MATRA Programme – project on strengthening the national penitentiary system in line …

A high-level Slovenian Interior Ministry delegation, led by Minister Katarina Kresal and Police Commissioner Janko Gorsek, will visit Macedonia on November 23-24. Slovenian delegation will hold meetings with President Gjorge Ivanov and Interior Minister Gordana Jankulovska.

Bulgaria considers participating in the EU police mission in Afghanistan, announced Bulgarian Defense Minister Nikolay Mladenov. This is to say that Bulgaria will send one or more experts. Mladenov did not specify from which ministry the expert would be – Interior Ministry, Foreign Ministry or Defense Ministry. The type and …

European Parliament rapporteur for Serbia Jelko Kacin said that it is unrealistic for Serbia to apply for EU candidacy by the year’s end. After talks late Sunday with Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dacic, Kacin said that candidacy for membership is a game unlike poker that has clear rules by which …

Macedonia’s Prime Minister has failed to present a platform for resolving the country’s burning row with Greece, leaving a space that is wide-open for speculation, the former Foreign Minister Ilinka Mitreva said in an interview for local media. Macedonia urgently needs a national platform regarding this issue, she said. This …

Iordanka Fandakova was officially sworn in Monday as Sofia’s first female mayor. The ceremony took place during a special meeting of the city’s Municipal Council, where Fandakova received the official support of all municipal councilmen.

Tens of thousands of opposition supporters held a major rally on Friday evening in Tirana, seeking a partial recount of the ballots cast during the 28 June parliamentary elections. The rally, which was organised by the Socialists headed by Tirana’s mayor Edi Rama was also supported by smaller opposition parties …