Balkans

The Zagreb municipal court on Thursday released the well-known journalist Jasna Babic – who was taken into custody earlier this week for missing her own libel trial.Babic was released two days after being jailed on Tuesday, January 22nd, to ensure that she attended the libel trial against her initiated by …

If Bosnia fails to act fast on the 2009 ‘Sejdic and Finci’ rights ruling, Brussels may not recognise the next Bosnian elections, the EU Enlargement Commissioner has warned.Speaking to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the EU Enlargement Commissioner, Stefan Fule on January 24 said that Bosnia’s failure …

In a move whose legality is disputed, Montenegro’s ruling party has declared Filip Vujanovic, the current head of state, as its presidential candidate in the April election.The main board of the governing Democratic Party of Socialists, DPS, unanimously voted for Vujanovic’s candidacy on Thursday. The party decribed his previous incumbency …

As Albania’s Central Electoral Commission, CEC, remains in political deadlock, observers warn that standards for the 2013 general election are already in jeopardy.“An independent and well functioning CEC is one of the main poll standards sought by international observers,” Premto Gogo, head of KRIIK Albania, an NGO that is part …

The largest producer of the traditional beverage NAVIP in Serbia and in the Balkans has closed after 84 years, another victim of the economic crisis in the region.Miroljub Spasojevic, director of the NAVIP factory, said the remaining 20 workers stopped coming to work on Monday, as the company that produced …

Lulzim Peci may be the first Kosovo diplomat to represent the country in Serbia, although the nature of his appointment is likely to be interpreted differently by the Serbian government.Kosovo’s Foreign Minister, Enver Hoxhaj, has proposed Lulzim Peci as Kosovo’s ambassador to Serbia, Artan Behrami of the foreign ministry told …

The European Commission is referring Bulgaria to the EU Court of Justice over the way it assigned its digital broadcast spectrum.The European Commission on Thursday said the procedure followed by Bulgaria was based on disproportionately restrictive award conditions, which had led to the exclusion of potential candidates. This hampered competition …

After chairing Serbia’s prestigious Red Star football club for only a month, Dragan Dzajic, a football legend, resigned on Wednesday following a physical altercation with Nebojsa Covic, the club’s vice-president. It is not clear exactly why the incident occurred, but media reports said that Miodrag Zecevic, the club’s secretary, had …

The Office of the High Representative has failed to break the deadlock between Bosniaks and Croats over Mostar’s electoral system after calling a meeting of the main parties.A meeting in the ethnically divided southwestern city of Mostar on January 23 – called by the Office of the High Representative, OHR, …

The EU Enlargement Commissioner, Stefan Fuele, on Wednesday paid an unannounced visit to Macedonia, where he apparently urged leaders to resolve the ongoing political crisis and focus on the EU agenda.Commissioner Fuele met President Gjorge Ivanov, the Prime Minister, Nikola Gruevski and the opposition Social Democrat leader, Branko Crvenkovski, but …