Balkans

Ashton praises Hashim Thaci and Ivica Dacic for agreeing on Wednesday to continue Kosovo-Serbia talks and implement deals agreed earlier.Kosovo and Serbian leaders held “open and honest” talks, focusing on different ways of normalizing relations between the two sides, the EU Foreign Policy Chief, Catherine Ashton, said on Wednesday.

Kosovo and Montenegro have started consultations aimed at signing the international agreement on border demarcation, a legacy of the breakup of the former Yugoslavia.The commissions in charge of demarcating the borders between Montenegro and Kosovo met on Wednesday in the Montenegrin capital, Podgorica. They agreed on further activities necessary for …

Zlatko Lagumdzija, leader of the Social Democratic Party, has proposed two new ministers and a deputy after the SDP expelled its former coalition partner from government.SDP head Zlatko Lagumdzija on November 7 asked Vjekoslav Bevanda, Chairman of the Council of Ministers [Bosnia’s Prime Minister], to appoint new security and defence …

The European Council this December should extend a start date for Macedonia’s EU membership talks, the European Parliament rapporteur on Macedonia Richard Howitt said.“This country has reached a point when negotiations should be opened,” Howitt said in Macedonia. “All of my efforts and energy are focused on the attempt at …

Croatia’s economy will decline faster than was expected this year – and no recovery is in sight before 2014, the European Commission predicted on Wednesday.The Croatian economy could decline by about 1.9 per cent this year, the Commission said in it’s regular overwiew, correcting it’s April predictions that the fall …

As the head of the Bulgarian Orthodox Christian Church dies after 41 years in his post, the government has declared a day of mourning.Bulgaria’s Council of Ministers has ordered a national day of mourning on November 9 for Patriarch Maxim, who died 98 on Tuesday.

A new poll suggests people are broadly satisfied with the work of the government after its first 100 days.Some 31 per cent of Serbian citizens support the government in part, 27 per cent support it fully, while 30 per cent do not support it at all, according to a survey …

After loggers ravaged many forests in Romania in recent years, the authorities are planning to revive areas stripped of their vegetation by planting millions of saplings.“Let’s reforest the country,” an initiative of the Environment Ministry, plans to plant around 26 million saplings in November alone, mainly in areas worst affected …

Greek lawmakers are preparing to vote Wednesday on new austerity measures required for another infusion of bailout funding from the European Union, as a public workers’ strike is in its second day. Prime Minister Antonis Samaras is expected to narrowly win support for the austerity package, which includes $17 billion …

Hashim Thaci and Ivica Dacic are meeting for a second time in Brussels to discuss normalization of relations between the two estranged neighbours.The Kosovo and Serbian leaders are expected to hold a joint meeting with the EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton in Brussels on Wednesday, Ashton’s office has confirmed. …