Balkan News

The UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon has called on Kosovo’s local institutions to take a more constructive stance towards UNMIK. The call was made in a report for the Security Council which outlines the work of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo. Kosovo authorities, according to Mr …

BRUSSELS, Belgium EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn met with Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic on Thursday (June 11th) to assure him of Union plans to scrap visas for Serbia and other Western Balkan countries by the end of the year. Rehn stressed that Serbia has been a constructive and reliable …

Serbia will invest 3.8 million euros in clearing unexploded bombs and ammunition dating from the 1999 NATO bombing from rivers in Belgrade, a government official said on Thursday. The project to remove unexploded ordnance from the Sava and the Danube will be jointly funded by the European Commission and Serbian …

SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) Exclusive footage aired Wednesday evening (June 10th) on Federal Television of BiH (FTV) that shows former Bosnian Serb Army Commander Ratko Mladic hiding in plain sight in Serbia.

SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) The House of Representatives adopted a set of laws Wednesday (June 10th) necessary for achieving a visa liberalisation regime with the EU. Prime Minister Nikola Spiric briefed lawmakers on BiH’s progress toward visa-free travel. To take effect, the new legislation needs the approval of the …

TIRANA, Albania Greek authorities are allowing Albanian immigrants to visit their country for the June 28th general elections. The Greek Interior Ministry said on Wednesday (June 10th) that all Albanian immigrants can go home twice this year and come back to Greece legally, between late June and late September.

PRISTINA, Kosovo The government is asking the OSCE mission to help organise local elections this autumn, Deputy Prime Minister Hajredin Kuci said in a press conference Wednesday (June 10th) after meeting with OSCE chief Werner Almhofer. “The Kosovo government invites the OSCE to work together, to have full co-operation,” he …

NATO Defence Ministers agreed yesterday in Brussels to reduce the KFOR troop presence in Kosovo, taking into account the steady improvement of the security situation there. “The decision to gradually reduce troop numbers will reflect this [security situation] development,” reads a report issued by NATO headquarters.

The Bosnian Serb leadership has delivered another blow to the waning international presence in Bosnia, by ignoring a western ultimatum and deadline to abolish a disputed Assembly declaration, media reported on Friday. The Assembly of the Serb-dominated Bosnian entity of Republika Srpska by Thursday evening failed to discuss the demand …

A concluding meeting between Serbian officials and the European Commission will take place today in Brussels before any decision can be made on abolishing the visa regime for Serbian citizens traveling to EU countries. Officials will study the EC report on Serbia to determine whether the country has met the …