Balkans

Ivo Sanader has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for taking bribes from two foreign companies.A Zagreb court on Tuesday sentenced Ivo Sanader to three-and-a-half years in prison in the “Hypo Alpe Adria Bank” case and for seven years in the “MOL-INA” case. He was also ordered to pay …

Stepping back from earlier talk of vetoing EU budget cuts, Romania’s parliament is now taking a more conciliatory line, merely opposing the cuts in principle.Romania’s parliament on Tuesday adopted a resolution opposing cuts in the EU budget to funds for farming and development. New EU member states, Romania included, are …

The prosecurion in the case of Mevlid Jasarevic who atacked the US embassy in Sarajevo in 2011 has finished presenting its evidence and the final words will be presented in early December.The prosecution has finished presenting its evidence in case of Mevlid Jasarevic, who attacked the US embassy in Sarajevo …

Police arrest more suspects in the case of the state-owned bank, including former deputy Prime Minister Jozef Kasa.Prime Minister Ivica Dacic confirmed on Tuesday that police had arrested a former deputy prime minister and former director of an Agrobanka branch office, Jozef Kasa, and three other persons. They are suspected …

Veneta Markovska has decided to retire from the Court following accusations of corruption and conflicts of interest that had already caught Brussels’ eye.Judge Veneta Markovska on Tuesday filed an application for retirement from the Court. She reiterated that she had not committed any violations and was only quitting to end …

Census scheduled for April could be postponed, experts say, if the ruling ethnic parties suspect that many citizens do not wish to line up as members of the three main ethnic groups.The upcoming census is likely to reveal a much bigger than expected group of people who do not wish …

The corruption trial known as ‘Tolaj et al’ will start in January, a judge from the EU rule of law mission, EULEX, announced on Monday.A court has set January 10 2013, as the first date for the trial of Kosovo’s former Deputy Prime Minister, Bujar Bukoshi, accused of corruption in …

Forbes magazine has rated Slovenia and Macedonia as the best countries in the Balkans in which to do business. Serbia is rated worst.The US financial magazine in its annual list ranks Slovenia in 23rd position out of 141 analyzed countries worldwide. Macedonia is second in the Balkans, ranked in 37th …

Poor market conditions force Bucharest to change plans to sell a minority stake in the Transgaz gas companyRomania is to cancel plans to sell a 15-per-cent stake in the gas pipeline operator, Transgaz, as agreed with the International Monetary Fund, citing poor conditions on the stock market. “The stock market …

Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras will reshuffle his cabinet once he secures a vital loan tranche to make his government more effective in a new wave of austerity measures demanded by international lenders, government officials said on Monday. Samaras will hold separate meetings with his two coalition partners, Socialist PASOK …