Balkans

Serbia “will face huge challenges in the course of its EU accession talks, as it needs to implement European standards in many important and sensitive areas.” The normalization of relations between Belgrade and Priština

The European Commission is to present its latest report on Macedonia on October 16.

The European Commission has called on Serbia to choose a chief negotiator and a team for the membership negotiations with the European Union immediately.

Slovenian President Borut Pahor is to pay a two-day visit to Macedonia. He is expected to meet with his Macedonian counterpart Gjorge Ivanov. The delegations of the two countries are to hold a meeting as well.

Greece on Tuesday braced for a fourth general strike of the year against fresh austerity measures the government is imposing in order to keep receiving EU-IMF loans. Unions have called for a one-day national mobilisation against a new bill that

The political consultations were held between the Georgian and Cypriot Foreign Ministries in Batumi on Monday.

Mark Gray, a spokesman for the European Commission, has stated that the upcoming oral Cooperation and Verification Mechanism report on Bulgaria will be factual and will not contain political assessments.

EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule will arrive on a two-day visit to Belgrade Wednesday. He will meet with Serbia’s senior officials to discuss Serbia’s

Bulgarians kept on Sunday demanding early elections during the protests against Prime Minister Plamen Oresharski’s government.

Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev called on all political parties to engage in dialogue, although remaining skeptical whether this can be achieved soon. “I will be pleased to seek dialogue among political leaders, but at the present moment I cannot achieve the prerequisites for trust and agreement,” said Plevneliev.