Balkans

European Union economics commissioner Olli Rehn said euro-zone governments may have to increase their contribution to Greece’s debt deal and declared he was hopeful agreements could be struck soon to increase euro-zone bailout funds and International Monetary Fund resources. 

The Bulgarian government decided yesterday to grant visa exemption to Turkish citizens who have special (green) passports. The resolution will allow Turkish citizens holding valid special passports to enter and transit through the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria without visas and reside temporarily therein for a period not exceeding …

Serbian President’s “four-point proposal” to resolve the stalemate in ethnically riven North Kosovo has received the thumbs down from local Serbs and from the nationalist opposition in Serbia. Kosovo Serbs have dismissed Serbian President Boris Tadic’s plan to end the turbulence in Northern Kosovo, saying they rejected a similar plan …

Slovenia’s Foreign Minister, Samuel Zbogar, will take over as the EU’s leading envoy in Kosovo, while Washington has named Tracey Ann Jacobson as its new ambassador. The European Union foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, appointed Zbogar, who has

EU mediator in the Belgrade-Priština dialogue Robert Cooper met with Belgrade team chief Borislav Stefanović on Wednesday. The main topic of their meeting was Kosovo’s regional representation.

Counicl of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) will discuss Wednesday the report on Serbia’s fulfillment of conditions arising from the CoE membership. According to the report, Serbia has met a great number of obligations and achieved considerable progress.

Greece is aiming to complete negotiations on its debt swap deal by the end of the week, the government’s spokesman said Wednesday, adding that the talks were at their “most delicate phase.” Charles Dallara, head of the Institute of International Finance — the body representing banks and other investment firms …

Bulgaria’s Cabinet approved, at a scheduled meeting on January 25 2012, a proposal to accept Schengen visas as equivalent to Bulgarian visas for short stays. This means that travellers who have Schengen visas will be

Bulgaria’s new President Rosen Plevneliev, who was officially inaugurated on Sunday, has been congratulated by his Macedonian counterpart George Ivanov in a phone conversation.

FYROM Vice Prime Minister Teuta Arifi and her Greek counterpart, Theodoros Pangalos, are to meet on Wednesday in Athens in a move to revive moribund talks on the ‘name’ dispute. The meeting of the senior politicians will be the first formal contact between officials from two countries since Greece formed …