Balkan News

Croatian President Stjepan Mesić says that relations in the region have reached a major impasse since Kosovo unilaterally declared independence. Normalization of relations between Zagreb and Belgrade slowed after Croatia recognized Kosovo independence, and Serbian indignation has begun to spill over into Bosnia-Herzegovina and is seriously undermining the situation in …

EU Special Envoy to Kosovo Pieter Feith has called on Serbs to participate in the local elections in Kosovo scheduled for November 15. Feith expects higher turnout in this election, adding that the results will have to be honored. “According to polls, we expect higher turnout this time round. The …

European Parliament Rapporteur for Bosnia-Herzegovina Doris Pack says that Milorad Dodik refuses to listen to any advice and that he is “obstinate.” “Milorad Dodik is so obstinate that I don’t think anyone can bring to bear on him or the moves he has in his head, let alone persuade him …

Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremić says that the countries of the Western Balkans have not a second to waste now that the Irish have adopted the Lisbon Treaty. After meeting with a number of foreign ministers in Budapest, Jeremić said that a summit of the European Union and Western Balkan countries …

SERBIA The Parliamentary Legislative Committee says that the draft law on the transfer of Vojvodina’s authorities is ready. The bill, which is necessary for the Vojvodina statute to be enacted, will come before the government for adoption very soon. The Vojvodina statute was enacted by the provincial assembly and passed …

The third report that assesses the fulfillment of key priorities of the Accession Partnership between the European Union and Macedonia will be presented in Skopje on Wednesday. The report, drafted in the framework of the project Accession Watch related to the period July-September 2009. The project is implemented by Macedonian …

Albanian Academy of Science has finally come up with its own stance on the newly-published Macedonian encyclopedia which triggered an avalanche of reactions in Albania.

Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov will pay an official visit to the Republic of Cyprus on October on October 9 and 10, 2009 on the invitation of the President Dimitris Christofias, Presidency press office informed. The Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov will be accompanied by his wife Zorka Parvanova.

Bulgaria is the only EU member state without strategy for cultural heritage but in the same time is the country with the biggest cultural heritage, said MP from Order, Law and Justice Atanas Semov during a discussion on the amendments to the Cultural Heritage Act.

An EU-Western Balkans conference about the economic crisis, regional cooperation and EU membership perspective is to take place in Brussels on December 9. The conference has been recently suggested by Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt. It will be unveiled by Bildt, Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos, European Enlargement Commissioner …