Balkans

Bulgaria would join the Schengen area, but France needs more time to be convinced of its readiness, French Interior Minister Claude Gueant said on Monday. “Accession to Schengen requires a number of conditions to be completed — from technical preparedness and general behavior, to tackling crime

Bulgarian Socialist MEP Kristian Vigenin’s appointment as the new rapporteur to the European Parliament on all matters concerning Macedonia, has made officials in Skopje unhappy, media reports in Macedonia said. “The next rapporteur on Macedonia has to be a MEP who enjoys a great reputation and is well respected,” Macedonian …

Bosnia’s two main Croat parties will officially launch the Croat National Assembly, HNS, on Tuesday in Mostar, a move they say will give a true voice to Croats in Bosnia. The Croatian Democratic Union, HDZ, and its sister party the HDZ 1990, along with several minor Croat political organisations, launched …

Croatia plans to launch initiatives to refute the findings of the UN war crimes court that Croatian political and military leaders participated in a joint criminal enterprise during the war in the 1990s. Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor said on Monday that the government was planning to take action to …

Bulgaria’s Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, is meeting Monday with the French Minister of Interior, Claude Gueant, who will be on an official visit to Sofia. Gueant is also going to be in Bucharest in neighboring Romania.

The EU believes that the political differences in Serbia must be solved through normal political process, a spokeswoman has said. “We followed the development of the situation in Serbia this weekend with growing concern,” Maja Kocijancic, a spokeswoman for the EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, said in a statement …

The Peace Implementation Council (PIC) ambassadors condemned on Friday (April 15th) a decision by Republika Srpska’s (RS) Parliament to call a referendum on High Representative-imposed laws, particularly regarding

On April 15, Armenian Ambassador to Bulgaria Arsen Mghoyan submitted his credentials to Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov. The ceremony took place in Bulgarian President’s residence and was followed by a personal conversation focusing on Armenia-Bulgaria relations and regional issues. Further, Armenian Ambassador laid a wreath to the Eternal Flame at …

Belgrade and Pristina are set to begin a third round of direct talks in Brussels on Friday afternoon. With the mediation of the EU, the two sides are to continue discussion today, and new topics are expected to be opened. “On the agenda are several issues in three areas that …

Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor briefed visiting British Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke on Wednesday (April 13th) about efforts to reform the judiciary. She assured him that the government is committed to fighting corruption and strengthening the rule of law. Kosor reiterated that Croatia’s aim is to wrap up its EU …