Balkans

Romania and Bulgaria’s Schengen entry has been postponed indefinitely again. Romanian Foreign Minister Titus Corlăţean has said Bucharest may give up joining the Schengen Agreement. We have been living without Schengen up to now

EU foreign affairs head Catherine Ashton will meet Serbian and Kosovo leaders next week for further talks on normalising relations between the two sides. Ashton will first meet Serb President Tomislav Nikolic, Prime Minister Ivica Dacic and the deputy premier in Brussels on Monday, a statement said Friday.

Before his controversial appointment as defence minister, Talat Xhaferi received a suspended jail sentence for obstructing a policeman in his duties, Balkan Insight can reveal.Balkan Insight has discovered that Macedonia’s controversial new defence chief received a six-month suspended jail term in 2008. A court in Tetovo found him guilty of …

Tomislav Nikolic has handed a posthumous award to the late Hugo Chavez for his contribution to strengthening relations between Serbia and Venezuela.Tomislav Nikolic on March 6 awarded Venezuela’s late President, Hugo Chavez, with the Order of the Republic of Serbia. Nikolic honoured Chavez for “developing and strengthening peaceful cooperation and …

The 2013 US State Department Narcotics Control Report highlights startling growth in marijuana seizures in Albania over the past year, which hints at increased production.“The drastic increase in marijuana seizures, a 175 per cent increase over 2011, signifies an increase in local production after trending downward over the prior two …

Prime Minister Ponta says a new law should finally resolve the prolonged dispute about property seized by the Communists after the Second World War.The centre-right government of Victor Ponta said it will seek parliament’s approval for a law compensating former owners of properties confiscated by the Communist regime after the …

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu met with his British counterpart William Hague in London. The two foreign minister discussed latest developments in Syria, the Middle East peace process, situation in Iraq and Egypt.

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili had a meeting with the Prime Minister of Greece Antonis Samaras during his visit to Greece, the administration of the president announced. According to the statement, the meeting took place within the scope of an official dinner of the European People’s Party.

The retired general who commanded Dutch peacekeepers in the Bosnian enclave of Srebrenica when Bosnian Serb fighters overran the town and massacred some 8,000 Muslim men won’t be prosecuted for involvement in the slayings, authorities announced Thursday.

Bulgaria’s outgoing parliament confirmed on Thursday a government decision to pull out of the long-stalled Burgas Alexandroupolis oil pipeline project. A total 115 lawmakers in the 240-seat legislature voted to throw out a 2007 agreement with Russia and Greece for the 280-kilometre (175-mile)