Balkans

Federation entity Premier Nermin Niksic said he may dismiss eight ministers who did not show up at Wednesday’s government session, which thus failed to adopt a 2013 budget.The entity Prime Minister, Nermin Niksic, of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, said he might dismiss eight of his 14 ministers for not …

The lustration process is being conducted contrary to Constitutional Court rulings and is violating human rights, a round table in Skopje organized by the Open Society-Macedonia foundation heard.“Lustration is hampering human rights and undermining [Macedonia’s] security system” by exposing an informants’ network, Vladimir Pivovoarov, a law professor at FON University, …

Order to place picture of President Nikolic on embassy walls draws mocking response from some at home.Serbia’s Foreign Ministry has told embassies and diplomatic missions across the world to place a photograph of President Tomislav Nikolic on an appropriate wall. “We inform you that it is necessary that in appropriate …

Following criticism of the idea, the Albanian government has shelved plans to slaughter 1,000 lambs to mark the 100th independence anniversary on Wednesday.The idea for a mass slaughter of lambs was proposed by the Prime Minister, Sali Berisha. But it does not appear in the official calendar of festivities published …

Following the condemnation by the Kosovar government of Fatmir Limaj’s detention, EU says that political interference in judicial processes in unacceptable.According to Michael Mann, Chief Spokesperson for EU High Representative, Catherine Ashton, current political interference in the judicial processes in Kosovo is unacceptable. “EULEX [EU Rule of Law Mission to …

Over 700 Romanian children have been adopted so far in 2012, while some 1,200 families have been cleared for adoption in the country, officials have announced.Romania eased adoption regulations in April, following adoption of a new law aimed at encouraging more adoptions. The goal is to slash the number of …

Deputy Assistant US Secretary of State and Serbia’s Prime Minister, Ivica Dacic, agreed on the need to continue EU-led Belgrade-Pristina talks.As part of a regular working visit to the Balkans, Deputy Assistant US Secretary of State Philip Reeker met with Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dacic in Belgrade on Tuesday to …

At the trial of the former Croatian Serb leader, Goran Hadzic, a protected witness has recalled being forced to walk through a minefield as a human shield in Croatia in 1991.The protected witness, GH-059, was living in the Croatian village of Loves when it was occupied by Serb forces in …

Marking 68 years since the first radio station started in Montenegro, the head of the public broadcaster, RTCG, says many challenges lie ahead, starting with digitalisation and financial stability.Speaking at the celebration on Tuesday in Podgorica, Rade Vojvodic, head of RTCG, addressed the many challenges facing the country’s oldest broadcaster. …

Croatia has prosecuted 27 war crimes perpetrated during and after Operation Storm in 1995, but none has yet ended in a verdict.According to the Croatian state prosecutor, published in the media on Tuesday, November 27, war-crimes cases linked to Operation Storm are in different phases of prosecution. Two are in …