Balkans

The 7th round of dialogue between Kosovar Prime Minister Hashim Thaci and his Serbian counterpart Ivica Dacic have lasted 12 hours under the observation of Ashton, in the Belgian capital of Brussels. EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Catherine Ashton has stated that they have come close to …

In an attempt to resolve a territorial row over the Prevlaka peninsula, the Montenegrin government will form a new commission to help demarcate the border with Croatia. Montenegro’s Foreign Minister Igor Luksic announced on Wednesday that

As Cyprus crisis worsens, secretary of Serbian banks association says Belgrade should compile a list of Serbian savers and help those most in need.Veroljub Dugalic, from the Association of Serbian Banks, says Serbia should compile a list of its citizens with savings in Cypriot banks and offer them aid if …

Croatian public broadcaster HRT replaced two editors and a presenter after Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic said they allowed hate speech to be aired on prime-time news.Katja Kusec, presenter of the evening news show Dnevnik 3, and two of Dnevnik 3’s editors, Ruzica Renic and Denis Latin, were replaced on Tuesday …

Politicians are routinely misusing public resources and offering electoral sweeteners to voters ahead of the March 24 polls, leading NGOs say.In its preliminary report on the campaign for the March 24 local election, Civil, a Skopje-based NGO, highlighted numerous violations of the campaign rules. Alleged abuses range from promises of …

The annual report of the High State Audit office says poor management of state-owned companies cost Albania twice as much in 2012 as it did the previous year.The head of Albania’s State Audit Office, Bujar Leskaj, told parliament on Tuesday that audits in 2012 brought to light €97.3 million worth …

Prime Minister Ivica Dacic and Foreign Minister Ivan Mrkic are to attend the March 22 Security Council session on the latest report of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Kosovo.The Security Council session was scheduled for February 22 but was postponed by a month in order to allow the EU-mediated …

Prime Minister Ivica Dacic and Foreign Minister Ivan Mrkic are to attend the March 22 Security Council session on the latest report of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Kosovo.The Security Council session was scheduled for February 22 but was postponed by a month in order to allow the EU-mediated …

Workers in Croatia earn only a quarter of the average hourly wage in the European Union, according to the country’s statistics bureau.The gross hourly rate in Croatia is just 6 euro, four times less than the EU average, five times less than the rate in Germany and Austria and half …

The organisation Global Financial Integrity has ranked Serbia worst of all Balkan countries when it comes to illegal financial flows.About 5 billion dollars worth of money has “disappeared” every year in Serbia from 2001 to 2010 through illegal financial flows, the research and advocacy organisation Global Financial Integrity says. It …