Balkans

The Serbian government has decided to scrap visa requirements for Albanian citizens, publishing the decision signed last week in the Official Gazette on Wednesday (December 1st). Albania abolished visa requirements for Serbian citizens in April. Albanians will be free to travel without visas within the EU as of December 15th.

Serbian President Boris Tadic stated he hopes for sooner initiation of the dialog between Belgrade and Pristine. Tadic has made that statement within the sidelines of the OSCE summit in Astana, Kazakhstan.

UNMIK chief Lamberto Zannier was quoted as saying on Wednesday (December 1st) that the UN supports dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina and will be involved in it. “For me, it is important to periodically

The House of Representatives of the central parliament held its first session Tuesday (November 30th) since the October 3rd general elections. The chamber is composed of 42 lawmakers — 28 from the Federation of BiH and 14 from Republika Srpska. The Social Democratic Party, which emerged as the most popular …

The EU-Macedonia Joint Parliamentary Committee ended its two-day meeting in Brussels on Tuesday (November 30th) recommending the start of EU accession talks with Macedonia as soon as possible. The committee praised the country’s progress in the economic sector and cited progress in advancing political dialogue. The committee urged all political …

An amendment was adopted by the EU-Macedonian Joint Parliamentary Committee to the protection and maintenance of Bulgarian monuments and graves on the territory of the Republic of Macedonia.

The Serbian government has adopted a strategy for negotiations with Pristina. Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic said the strategy covered all disputable issues and was in coordination with Serbia’s state policy. According to informal reports only experts will be included in the talks. The dialog will be led by a …

Azerbaijani Ambassador to Bulgaria Emil Karimov presented his credentials to Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov this week. The Bulgarian anthem was performed in accordance with national protocol. During the meeting, Parvanov

European Parliament Rapporteur for Kosovo Ulrike Lunacek said in Priština yesterday that the EU had not set any official date when visas for Kosovo would be lifted. The statement was Lunacek’s reaction to Hashim Thaci’s recent comment that, if he were reelected as prime minister, the EU would

Bulgaria’s Finance Minister Simeon Djankov is on a three-day visit to Georgia. On Monday, Djankov he participated with a public lecture in a conference entitled “Making a Difference for Entrepreneurs: Reforming Business Regulation in Eastern Europe and Central Asia” in Georgia’s capital Tbilisi.