Balkans

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. …

The European Parliament’s rapporteur for Serbia wants the issue of missing persons to be included in the upcoming Belgrade-Pristina talks.Jelko Kacin, the European Parliament rapporteur for Serbia, urged the authorities in Kosovo and Serbia to address the pressing issue of more than 1,700 people still missing since the Kosovo war …

Several MPs from Montenegro’s opposition alliance were absent from the chamber when the national anthem was sung at the parliament’s inaugural session, a gesture which may complicate inter-party relations.The new Montenegrin parliament was constituted on Tuesday. However, some of the 81 parliamentary seats still remained empty at the very start …

Bosnia’s aviation authorities have promised to look at new evidence from Macedonia concerning the 2004 plane crash that killed President Trajkovski.Sotir Kostov, head of the Macedonian state commission for the investigation of aviation accidents, confirmed the fresh information, which is likely to revive speculation that Boris Trajkovski may have been …