Balkans

During the Southeastern Europe Co-operation Process (SEECP) meeting in Zagreb earlier this month, regional foreign ministers tapped Croatian Deputy Foreign Minister Hido Biscevic as the first secretary-general of the new Regional Co-operation Council (RCC) that will be based in Sarajevo.

Corruption is undermining judicial systems around the world, Transparency International (TI) warned in a new report issued on Thursday (May 24th). As a result, citizens are denied access to justice and the basic human right to a fair and impartial trial, sometimes even to a trial at all.

BUCHAREST, Romania — Traian Basescu returned to the presidency on Wednesday (May 23rd) after the Constitutional Court formally validated the results of the May 19th impeachment referendum. Voters overwhelmingly rejected Parliament’s decision to dismiss Basescu last month for alleged constitutional violations. In his first statement since returning to the job, …

BRUSSELS, Belgium — KFOR personnel will remain in Kosovo if the UN Security Council does not pass a new resolution on future status, NATO spokesman James Appathurai said in Brussels on Wednesday (May 23rd). The decision followed a meeting between NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer and US President …

In a controversial move last week, the Macedonian Parliament approved a group of amendments to the legislation on public law and order that slap violators with stiffer penalties. In some cases, the fines are twice the average salary.

BBC News – A suicide bomber has killed two people and injured at least four others in the Afghan capital, Kabul, police say. The bomber, who was riding a motorbike, blew himself up next to highway police guarding a road construction project. Nato said a separate bomb blast in the …

Four candidates will be running for the top post in the main opposition Social Democratic Party (SDP), following an approval process Saturday (May 19th). SDP deputy chairperson and acting leader Zeljka Antunovic, senior officials Tonino Picula and Zoran Milanovic, and the head of the Zagreb branch, Milan Bandic were chosen …

Top Estonian officials accused Russian authorities on Thursday (May 17th) of involvement in cyberattacks that have hit the country, amid a dispute with Moscow over the removal of a World War II monument in Tallinn late last month.

Over President Traian Basescu’s strong objections, the Liberal Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu has postponed European Parliament elections until the second half of this year. An “inappropriate domestic political climate” would hamper serious debate on European issues in the campaign to elect 35 Romanian MEPs, Tariceanu said, citing opposition attempts …

After years of reforms, the public is regaining their trust in banks and are no longer stuffing mattresses with their hard-earned money. The country’s banks currently hold about 3.2 billion euros in savings accounts. This is a 44.6 % increase in just one year, amounting to as much as 2.9 …