German Chancellor Angela Merkel has made it clear Turkey’s potential EU accession was not on the agenda of her meeting with Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov in Sofia. “We talked about bilateral affairs, not about Turkey’s EU accession. We hardly started to talk about the EU prospects of the Western …
Read More »Macedonian opposition stages anti-government protest
The protest in the central Macedonian town of Prilep gathered some 15,000 people. Several minor political parties joined the event under the so-called Front For European Macedonia. Speakers at the rally accused the conservative government led by Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski’s VMRO DPMNE party
Read More »UNMIK to chair CEFTA for Kosovo
UNMIK will chair the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA) on behalf of Kosovo next year, taking over the presidency from Serbia. This was announced by the Serbian Ministry of Economy and Regional Development in a statement in Belgrade
Read More »Spanish Ambassador to Serbia: no topic should be avoided during the planned Belgrade-Priština dialogue
Spanish Ambassador to Serbia Inigo de Palacio Espana stated on Monday that no topic should be avoided during the planned Belgrade-Priština dialogue. Speaking in Belgrade, the top Spanish diplomat in Serbia also stated that the talks should start soon and that they should
Read More »Germany opposes IMF on giving Greece more time to repay loans
Germany would not support the idea of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn that Greece could get more time to repay a bailout from the European Union and IMF, German Finance Ministry said Monday.
Read More »US Secretary of State calls for reforms in Bosnia
The US Secretary of State has begun a tour of the Balkans to press for political reforms, hoping that the changes will lead to the region’s full integration into the European Union and Nato. Hillary Clinton arrived in Bosnia on Monday night to urge the country’s new leadership to make …
Read More »Serbian appeals court orders retrial for Bosnian national Ilija Jurisic
An appeals court in Belgrade on Monday (October 11th) overturned the 12-year sentence of Bosnian national Ilija Jurisic, convicted last year of war crimes committed during the 1992-1995 Bosnian conflict. The court
Read More »EP rapporteur on visa liberalisation for the Western Balkans, Tanja Fajon, urges Albania to inform public about visa liberalisation
The EP rapporteur on visa liberalisation for the Western Balkans, Tanja Fajon, is urging authorities in Tirana to inform citizens about the rules of EU visa liberalisation in order to avoid possible abuse. Lifting the regime may be used in different ways and this may become a
Read More »Feith: Kosovo parliament will be dissolved by year’s end
International Civilian Office head Pieter Feith said on Saturday (October 9th) parliament could be dissolved by the end of the year, in the wake of President Fatmir Sejdiu’s resignation last month. “As soon as the assembly’s autumn season
Read More »US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to start Balkan visit to push EU integration
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is pressing political reforms to the restive Balkans with the hope that such changes will lead to the region’s full integration into the European Union and NATO. Clinton is set to visit Sarajevo on Monday, the capital of ethnically divided Bosnia-Herzegovina, which
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