Balkans

Croatia closed three more negotiation chapters in the EU accession process on Friday (November 5th), for a total of 25 out of 35. At an intergovernmental conference in Brussels, Zagreb closed the free movement of capital, transport policy and institutions chapters. The institutions chapter regulates Croatia’s representation in EU institutions. …

The head of the European Commission (EC) delegation to Serbia, Vincent Degert, said on Saturday (November 6th) that authorities should use the upcoming EC progress report on Serbia as a roadmap. He says the report, scheduled for release Tuesday, will hail the country’s progress in several fields but will also …

Albanian PM Sali Berisha says that the EU should not fear increased inflow of Albanians if it lifts visa regime for Albanian citizens next week. Berisha stressed that, although his country was still poor, the EU could open its borders for

Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in Priština that he “does not believe there will be changes of borders in the Balkans” or a partition of Kosovo. Erdogan, whose country recognized the Kosovo Albanian unilateral declaration of independence, said such a

Romania will not change its stance regarding recognizing Kosovo “because it is a matter of principle”, Romanian FM Teodor Baconschi said in Bucharest. A unilateral act cannot turn an area into

An almost unanimous assessment of Serbian President Boris Tadić’s first visit to Vukovar is that it is a new page in history of Belgrade and Zagreb. However, what comes next is solving of specific

The European Commission is expected to approve Montenegro’s bid for European Union membership next week, while it is set to reserve its judgement on Albania, the German Press Agency dpa reported after seeing draft papers.

High Representative Valentin Inzko announced on Wednesday (November 3rd) that he has discontinued the vetting of candidates for ministerial posts, effective immediately. The decision was adopted following

Turkey is ready to mediate future talks between Kosovo and Serbia in order to contribute to sustainable peace in the Balkans, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said as he kicked off a two-day visit to Kosovo on

Kosovo institutions are asking the EU and the United States to act as observers during the December 12th snap elections. Acting President Jakup Krasniqi addressed a letter to EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, EU