Balkans

Croatian President Ivo Josipovic urged voters on Friday not to miss a “great opportunity” and back their country’s entry into the European Union in a nationwide referendum on the issue this weekend. “Sunday is a big and important day. Our citizens have an opportunity to say

Serbian Deputy PM and Interior Minister Ivica Dačić met Thursday with Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Rapporteur Bjorn von Sydow. Dačić stressed that when it came to the situation in Kosovo, reaching a political agreement and finding a solution to the problem were necessary as soon as …

The European Commission on Thursday launched its visa liberalisation dialogue with Kosovo, a long-awaited decision hailed by Pristina. The European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Cecilia Malmstrom, said in Pristina on Thursday that the EU had set the

In the run up to a crucial referendum on Croatia’s EU membership bid, Foreign Minister Vesna Pusic tells lawmakers that joining the bloc will ensure the country’s stability. Pusic said in parliament on Thursday that stability was the most important argument in favour of Croatia’s EU entry.

The IMF has given approval for discussions on new rescue loans to Greece, the Greek finance minister said today. The International Monetary Fund has given approval for discussions on new rescue loans to Greece, the Greek finance minister said today as the country held crucial debt-cutting talks.

Rossen Plevneliev was sworn in as the president of Bulgaria on Thursday. Plevneliev, who is the country’s fourth democratically elected president, took the

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will visit Cyprus in February, an official said on Thursday, becoming the country’s first premier to visit the island nation. Details on the objective of the visit are unknown yet. Netanyahu’s trip will follow on from last week’s visit by Cypriot Defence Minister Demetris Eliades, …

Belgrade faces a dilemma on whether to include Kosovo in its next round of national and local elections, as Germany has directly asked Serbia to abandon its so-called parallel institutions in Kosovo. Serbia’s Ministry of Public Administration and Local Government is busy preparing electoral rolls. The job must be done

A top US State Department official is in Belgrade on Thursday to discuss the Kosovo issue and overall stability in the region. Philip Reeker, Deputy Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs, has arrived on a three-day visit to Belgrade as part

On a visit to Skopje, top US state department official says that the name dispute between Greece and Macedonia must be resolved before Macedonia can join NATO. Philip Reeker, US deputy assistant secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs, said on Wednesday that despite a recent court ruling in favour of