Balkans

Trying to convince increasingly sceptical international lenders that it is serious about slashing its debts, Greece named a new privatisation chief today and said it would sell a loss-making bank that has been draining state coffers.The latest visit to Athens by inspectors from the European Union, European Central Bank and …

EU official warns Bosnia that a significant amount of its exports to Croatia may be cut off next year, owing to its failure to impose EU hygiene standards.After Croatia joins the European Union in July 2013, Bosnia may face sharp reductions in its exports, as the country has not harmonized …

Supporters of Traian Basescu are being urged to abstain from the vote at end of July, in order to invalidate the result of the referendum on impeaching the President.Romania’s opposition Democratic Liberal Party, PDL, on Tuesday urged its followers not to vote in a July 29 referendum on whether to …

As Serbia’s new ministers are due to be sworn in on Friday, key parties have started the distribution of state-owned companies, breaking promises to end the party politicisation of public enterprises.Talks on the distribution of plum posts in public enterprises have started in Serbia, following the conclusion of a coalition …

An official from the Kosovo Missing Persons Commission says no evidence has been found at Zhilivoda to support Serbian claims of a mass grave.Digs at a suspected mass grave site in Zhilivoda, where Serbia suspects Kosovo Serbs are buried, have shown no results to date and the final results of …

Tirana. Albania’s new President Bujar Nishani, who is due to be sworn in later on Tuesday, wants to tackle stalled legal reforms and the ongoing political crisis which threatens the country’s EU integration, AFP reported. “The justice system will be my priority. I have decided to fully engage in favour …

BRUSSELS – European commission president Jose Manuel Barroso will visit Greece Thursday in his first trip to the country since the outbreak of the financial crisis. President Barroso will meet Prime Minister Antonis Samaras to “discuss the overall situation in Europe and obviously particularly focusing on Greece,” a commission spokesperson …

Ban Ki-moon said Belgrade and Pristina need to reach a solution through compromise and embrace their common European future.On his first official visit to Serbia and Kosovo, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged the two countries to continue dialogue to improve the lives of ordinary people and move ahead toward …

As the hot, dry weather continues, forest fires are breaking out throughout the Western Balkans, claiming one life in Croatia and injuring dozens elsewhere.Three people are fighting for lives after suffering severe burns and another 11 were injured in a wildfire that raged on Monday night near the southeastern Macedonian …

Top politicians in the region are still struggling to live with criticism, accusing journalists of undermining national interests and of mafia ties, media organisation says.The Vienna-based South East Europe Media Organisation, SEEMO, an affiliate of the International Press Institute, IPI, observes with growing concern the way top politicians in South …