Balkans

EP committee backs Bulgaria and Romania’s Schengen accession

The European Parliament’s (EP) civil liberties committee on Monday (May 2nd) adopted with significant majority a recommendation to allow Bulgaria and Romania to join Schengen. The recommendation will be voted on at an EP plenary session next month. The final decision is in the hands of EU interior ministers, who …

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UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to visit Bulgaria

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will travel to Bulgaria on Wednesday for the first leg of a three-country European tour. Ban will meet with Bulgaria’s President Georgi Parvanov, Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and Foreign Minister Nickolay Mladenov as well as the

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Serbian Deputy PM meets with Greek FM

Greece will “certainly support Serbia’s efforts to become EU candidate and receive the date of the beginning of the relevant negotiations”, says Božidar Đelić. The Serbian deputy prime minister for European integrations made the statement after a meeting with Greek Foreign Minister Dimitris Droutsas in Athens.

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Pieter Feith’s Kosovo mandate ended

The EU has officially confirmed that Pieter Feith will no longer be exercising the role of an EU Special Representative (EUSR) in Kosovo, it was announced last Saturday. Feith also holds the post of International Civilian

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Tihomir Purda wants compensation from Bosnia for his arrest

Croatian war veteran Tihomir Purda will seek compensation from Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) for his arrest. Purda was detained in February at the border between Croatia and BiH, based on a Serbian arrest warrant. Authorities in Belgrade suspected him of involvement in war crimes committed against Serbs in Vukovar early …

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Bulgaria and Romania ready to join Schengen, says Civil Liberties Committee

Bulgaria and Romania’s bid to join the Schengen border-free area won the Civil Liberties Committee’s green light on Monday. They have met the necessary conditions, based on the evaluation reports on their preparations, say MEPs. However, Parliament must be kept informed of additional measures to be taken in the Bulgaria-Turkey-Greece

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