Balkans

Ruling parties push through motion suspending Traian Basescu from his position while setting date for referendum on removing him from his post.Romania’s parliament late on Friday voted to suspend Traian Basescu as the country’s President for 30 days and announced the date of a referendum as next stage of a …

Serbian and Bulgarian museums holding archeological treasures found on Macedonian soil have turned down a Macedonian request for them to hand over copies.Archeologist Pasko Kuzman, head of the Macedonian Cultural Heritage Bureau, says that national museums in Belgrade and in Sofia had “turned us down politely”. Macedonia hoped to be …

Kosovo institutions have achieved a good deal since 2008, but progress is still needed in the field of the rule of law, the 2012 EULEX report says.The latest report takes stock of the work done by European Union mission in Kosovo, EULEX and its Kosovo counterparts since the launch of …

The head of the Army’s Secret Service, Colonel Ylli Zyla, resigned on Thursday following media reports linking his wife to arms traders.“I am resigning to protect my integrity, the integrity of my family and the integrity of the army’s secret service as an institution part of NATO member state,” Zyla …

Srebrenica mayoral candidate Camil Durakovic and his campaign manager Emir Suljagic said the October local elections represent a critical point not only for the iconic town but also for the country.“The war is not over,” Suljagic told students attending a two week summer university in Srebrenica, occurring during the annual …

The OSCE Chairmanship representative has welcomed Montenegro’s democratic reforms but urged further action in the fight against organized crime and corruption.The representative of the Irish chair of the OSCE, Minister for European Affairs Lucinda Creighton, welcomed Montenegro’s progress in democratic reforms during a visit to Podgorica on Thursday.

New Minister of Interior Flamur Noka on Thursday admitted that stopping the cultivation of drugs was a challenge – but promised a war without tolerance or compromise.“The cultivation of narcotics in the country remains one of the key challenges facing the state police and the community,” Minister Noka told the …

Unidentified individuals have stoned the municipal building in the Serb-run northern Kosovo town of Mitrovica but nobody was injured.The stones broke a window on the Serb municipal building in the divided town of Mitrovica, in northern Kosovo, at around midnight. Two security guards were inside the building at the time …

Anti-government campaign takes on a more musical flavour with the launch of a month-long arts programme.The NGO, the Network for Affirmation of Non-Governmental Sector, MANS, the main organizer of frequent civic protests in Montenegro, has announced the launch of a series of cultural events under the name of Resistance Month. …

The latest addition to the grand revamp of the Macedonian capital known as Skopje 2014 will be a brand new building for the Central Bank.Macedonia’s Central Bank plans to swap its modernist headquarters for a new one that will match the profile of the city’s grand makeover, known as Skopje …