Eurasia Press & News
During a week of meetings, EU officials urged Bosnian politicians to move forward towards ending electoral discrimination by allowing minorities to run for top positions.The EU’s delegation to Bosnia stepped up pressure for the implementation of a key human rights ruling that would allow minorities to run for top governing …
Read More »Campaigners Sound Alarm over Attacks on Media
A south-east Europe press freedom group has raised concerns about political pressure and hate speech directed against media across the Balkans in recent months.The South East Europe Media Organisation, SEEMO, said that some politicians had threatened journalists while some media had flouted professional standards and endangered press colleagues. SEEMO said …
Read More »Montenegro Brings in Crisis Tax Rise
Montenegrins whose wages are higher than the country’s average now have to pay more income tax to plug gaps in the state budget.Montenegro on Friday introduced a 6 per cent income tax hike on salaries which are higher than the country’s average of 720 euro gross, as the government tries …
Read More »Albania Activists Protest Fatal Riot Verdict
Activists rallied on Saturday in front of Tirana’s main court, protesting against the acquittal of senior officers accused of killing three protestors in the January 21, 2011 riots.“We are sounding the alarm that the justice system is being held hostage by an autocratic system,” a political commentator, Andrea Stefani, told …
Read More »Opposition Parties Muster for Belgrade Elections
The Liberal Democratic Party and United Regions of Serbia are readying for snap local elections in Belgrade, as tensions grow between the city’s ruling Socialists and Democrats.The Liberal Democratic Party, LDP, and United Regions of Serbia, URS, have started preparations for local elections in Belgrade. No official statements have been …
Read More »Balkan Countries Withdraw Suspect Croatian Milk
Bosnia, Croatia, Macedonia and Montenegro have taken milk produced by two Croatian dairies off the market amid fears of contamination by potentially dangerous aflatoxin M1.The four countries moved to withdraw the suspect products after a scientific analysis in Vienna at the weekend showed that the amount of aflatoxin M1 in …
Read More »Moody’s Lowers Croatia Rating to Ba1
Moody’s on Friday downgraded Croatia’s credit rating from Baa3 to Ba1, citing poor economic growth prospects and the government’s lack of fiscal flexibility.The agency also changed the outlook on Croatia’s rating from negative to stable, citing only a limited risk of a significant deterioration in the government’s fiscal position and …
Read More »US Pans Albanian Verdicts on Protestors’ Deaths
The US Embassy in Tirana has expressed shock at the acquittal of two Republican Guard officers accused of the murder of three protesters during the January 21, 2011 riots.“We are dismayed by the decision of the Tirana District Court to acquit the two defendants who stood trial on charges related …
Read More »‘New Witness’ in Kosovo Organ Trafficking Case
Serbia’s war crimes prosecutor said there were new leads in the investigation into alleged organ trading by Kosovo fighters during the late 1990s conflict.War crimes prosecutor Vladimir Vukcevic told the Novi Magazin weekly that Serbian prosecutors had informed the EU’s rule of law mission in Kosovo that a new witness …
Read More »Bulgaria ‘Will Pay Price’ For Accusing Hezbollah
Bulgarian nationalist party takes government to task for blaming pro-Iranian militants for last year’s terror attack in Burgas.Bulgaria will pay a high price for maintaining that Hezbollah was involved in last year’s terror attack in the Black Sea resort of Burgas, the leader of the country’s nationalist Ataka party has …
Read More »