Balkans

The EU foreign ministers extended on Monday (February 21st) the mandate of the EU Special Envoy to Kosovo, Pieter Feith, for additional two months, local media reported Tuesday. Feith’s contract — due to expire in the end of February — will be valid through April. The EU Foreign Affairs Council …

The UN mediator in the Greek-Macedonian name dispute Matthew Nimitz has met with U.S. administration officials just before the visit of Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski to Washington. After the latest round of talks Nimitz took a leave. After that he is expected to visit Skopje and Athens to present …

The European Commission’s first expert mission in charge of verifying Serbia’s answers to the EC questionnaire Belgrade recently completed is due to arrive in the country on Monday.

Hague Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz will arrive in Belgrade on Monday on a regular visit. The main topic of Brammertz’s talks with the Belgrade authorities will be Serbia’s cooperation

Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski has called on opposition leader Branko Crvenkovski to challenge the ruling party in early elections. He called on the opposition to immediately stop its parliament boycott in order to vote on the new election law so that snap polls can be called “as soon as …

Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic arrives on Monday on a two-day official visit to Bulgaria at the invitation of his counterpart, Boyko Borisov. The two leaders will hold a private talk at the Council of Ministers building later on Monday, to be followed by a delegation-level meeting and a press …

The European Commission (EC) published interim progress reports Friday (February 18th) on Bulgaria and Romania in the field of judiciary and interior affairs within the so-called Co-operation and Verification Mechanism. The reports conclude that the two countries have made progress in judicial reform and fighting corruption but must make more …

Acting President Jakup Krasniqi asked Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) leader Hashim Thaci to form the new government Friday (February 18th). The PDK finished first in the December 12th snap parliamentary

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will visit Belgrade in March, local media reported on Saturday (February 19th), quoting unnamed sources close to the Serbian government. Putin’s last such visit was in 2001 when he was president. According to Blic daily, the visit will take place on March 23rd. Putin is …

The special prosecutor’s office has charged two former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) fighters with war crimes committed against civilians in a camp in Albania, local media reported on Saturday (February 19th). The two, Haki Hajdari and Sali Rexhepi, allegedly participated in the activity in 1999. Two former Kosovo Albanian commanders, …