Balkans

France and Germany plan to block the start of Montenegro’s EU membership talks, Montenegrin newspaper Vijesti writes, citing an unofficial document. According to the newspaper Paris and Berlin made a decision not to allow the negotiations to kick off at the summit in December and to set new requirements before …

Greek Prime Minister Georgios Papandreou has given his principle agreement to a coalition government, but he does not plan to resign, the Greek national television reported, citing government sources.

CoE Political Affairs Committee Rapporteur on Kosovo Committee Bjorn von Sydow met in Kosovska Mitrovica with heads of four Serb municipalities in the north. The meeting on Wednesday focused on the situation on the ground, issues related to the return of property, internally displaced persons and Kosovska Mitrovica’s court, Sydow …

European Parliament (EP) President Jerzy Buzek on Thursday called for a resumption of the Belgrade-Priština dialogue. Addressing Serbian MPs, he said it was in Serbia’s interest to advance its efforts to normalize relations with Priština.

The place of Greece is within the euro zone and there are instruments in place to ensure that, the European Union’s executive arm said on Thursday, adding that it considered this was the only option on the table.

Europe says the blame game over Serb-run northern Kosovo must end and the two sides need to return to the negotiating table. A European diplomat says Europe wants mutual accusations to end between Kosovo and Serbia over who

The eurozone leaders will hold extraordinary talks about Greece, which unexpectedly decided to put the new EU bailout to a referendum. Athens has made one more surprise to the world. The government has supported Prime Minister Georgios Papandreu about

Greece’s cabinet has given unanimous backing to a controversial plan by PM George Papandreou to hold a referendum on a EU debt rescue package. He told an emergency cabinet meeting that a referendum would offer “a clear mandate” for austerity measures demanded by other eurozone members. Stock markets recorded big …

Hague Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz says the prosecution would do everything it could so that the trial of Ratko Mladć would be sped up as much as possible. The former military leader of Serbs in Bosnia was indicted for war crimes and genocide.

Romania’s President Traian Basescu has reiterated during a visit in Belgrade his country’s position that it has no intention whatsoever to recognize the independence of Kosovo. After meeting with his Serbian counterpart Boris Tadic on Tuesday, Basescu stressed that “at this point there is not a single condition under which …