Eurasia Press & News
Tirana – Opposition is mounting against a deal between Albania and Italy to build one of Europe’s biggest wind farms, after a Balkan Insight investigation lifted the lid on shady aspects of the agreement. In a protest held on Tuesday when the agreement for the wind farm was signed in …
Read More »Talks over New Romania Govt Begin
Bucharest – Romanian President Traian Basescu has ended the first round of talks with political parties over the future Prime Minister, following the November 30 general election. “There were just preliminary discussions, so no final conclusion was reached yet. Negotiations will continue in the days to come,” said sources close …
Read More »Northern Kosovo Town Still Tense
Pristina – Representatives of security and political authorities in the northern town of Mitrovica said on Friday that the atmosphere remains tense after several cars carrying the KS sticker denoting they were from Kosovo were demolished and an Albanian girl attacked. The head of the municipality, Bajram Rexhepi, said he …
Read More »EULEX ‘Will Function in Tense Kosovo Town’
Pristina – The EU’s law-and-order mission, EULEX, will have a small presence in the Serb-dominated north of Kosovo when it launches on December 9, says a mission spokeswoman. Karin Limdal told the BBC that the European Union mission will be present at six police stations and the court in the …
Read More »Minister: Croatia Not Yet Ready for EU
Zagreb – Croatia is not yet ready to become a member of the European Union, a Dutch newspaper quoted European Affairs Minister Frans Timmermans as saying. NRC Handelsblad reported that Timmermans said that he “completely disagreed’ with the assessment of EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn after the EU Commission said …
Read More »Kosovo to Open 22 Embassies in 2009
Pristina – Kosovo’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it will open some 22 new embassies in countries around the world in 2009. In the Pristina daily newspaper ‘Zeri’, the ministry’s spokeswoman Albana Beqiri said these embassies will be set up by ambassadors, adding the that ministry will soon begin hiring …
Read More »Kosovo Security Force Delayed Until January
Pristina _ The transformation of Kosovo’s Protection Corps, TMK, into Kosovo’s Security Forces, KSF, has been postponed until January because of delays in appointed a chief. The Kosovo’s Protection Corps, which is mostly made of former fighters from the Kosovo Liberation Army, will continue providing additional security along with NATO …
Read More »Outcry at Bosnian Government’s Pay Rise
Sarajevo _ There are calls for new elections after leaders in Bosnia’s Bosniak (Bosnian Muslim)-Croat dominated Federation entity, upped their salaries despite a looming economic crisis. Calls for a campaign of ‘civil disobedience’ are coming from Bosnian trade unions, non-governmental organisations and media. “They have completely lost any connection with …
Read More »Balkan Police Ministers Debate Croat Attack
Sarajevo – Interior ministers from Serbia, Bosnia, Montenegro, Croatia and Slovenia meeting over the weekend have backed a need for greater cross-border cooperation following the murder of a Croatian journalist. The ministers were also unanimous that the recent assassination of Croatian journalist and publisher Ivo Pukanic had confirmed that mobsters in …
Read More »EULEX December 2 Launch ‘Not Guaranteed’
Pristina – The EU has not decided on a definite date to launch its Kosovo law-and-order mission, EULEX, says the spokeswoman for the bloc’s foreign policy chief, Javier Solana. “(The previously stated launch date of) December 2 is not guaranteed,” Christina Gallach said, adding that “the date will be decided in …
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