Balkans

Croatia’s Zoran Milanovic will arrive in Belgrade on Wednesday on a visit aimed at improving the currently tense relations between the two countries.Milanovic will meet his counterpart, Ivica Dacic, on his first official visit to Belgrade, after ties deteriorated following the election of a new government in Serbia last year. …

Several fiscal bodies are to merge into one, in a bid to improve efficiency and lighten the load on companies struggling under the weight of numerous inspections.Romania’s centre-left government plans to merge several fiscal authorities into a single structure in a move to reform the tax system and increase the …

Ministers from Belgrade and Moscow have signed a deal on a 600 million euro Russian export loan to finance rail infrastructure in Serbia.The Serbian and Russian finance ministers, Mladjan Dinkic and Anton Siluanov, have signed a deal in Moscow on a government loan for Serbia’s state-owned railway company. The contract, …

Serbs in Kosovo have welcomed the Serbian parliament’s resolution, which lays down the principles and guidelines for Belgrade negotiators in their dialogue with Pristina.Kosovo Serb leaders say they back the Serbian parliament resolution on Kosovo, as it will help solve open issues with Pristina and improve the status of Kosovo …

Albania’s opposition has accused the government of harbouring Peru’s fugitive ex-Foreign Minister Augusto Blacker Millier after he was revealed to be in Albania.Opposition Socialist MP Erion Brace accused the government of Prime Minister Sali Berisha of protecting Millier, who is wanted in Peru for his involvement in a coup. “[Berisha] …

Belgrade has warned ethnic Albanians against involving Tirana in a dispute over a controversial memorial to guerrilla fighters that the Serbian authorities want removed.“South Serbia Albanians have sought to internationalise the problem; however, their rights here are not endangered,” Serbia’s deputy prime minister Aleksandar Vucic said on Sunday after local …

Police suspect a man wounded in the second of two recent explosions in Zagreb, although the motive for the attacks remains unclear.Vojislav Blazevic, 54, who is in hospital recovering from his injuries, is suspected of staging explosions in the Croatian capital on January 9 and 11. The investigation is continuing …

Moves to allow the formation of a fourth, Croatian-language public broadcaster stir accusations that it is paving the way towards the creation of a third Bosnian entity.Bosnia’s Council of Minister has agreed on changes to the law on public broadcasters, allowing for the formation of a fourth public radio and …

Parliament’s consitutional committee will discuss moves that will help address EU concerns about judicial independence.The committee will meet on Tuesday to discuss proposals for constitutional amendments, with Montenegro under pressure from the European Union to implement reforms. Changes aimed at increasing the independence of the judiciary are among the key …

Prime Minister says draft budget for this year will put Romania back on the path to economic growth.Romania’s centre-left government is planning to a growth oriented budget for 2013, with a target growth of 1.8 per cent and a public deficit of under 2 per cent. “We want to end …