Balkans

NATO peacekeepers and European Union police have stepped up patrols in Kosovo’s tense north in a bid to fight a surge in violent incidents, including arson and explosions, officials said. The top NATO commander in Kosovo, Maj. Gen. Erhard Buehler, and police chief Udo Moeller said they have more foot …

The European Union said its estimates for Greece’s budget deficit and government debt will be revised higher for the years 2006-2009. Greece pledged to reduce its budget shortfall, the second largest in the EU last year, and increase tax revenue in return for emergency loans from the bloc and the …

Bosnian Serb president-elect Milorad Dodik on Tuesday repeated his hardline position dismissing Bosnia as an “impossible state” cooked up by the international community. “Bosnia is impossible as a state. It was never a state and it will never be one (…) Bosnia is only possible as a union of republics,” …

EU representative in Macedonia Erwan Fouere said on Monday (October 4th) that he expects both the ruling parties and the opposition to make more efforts ahead of the European Commission’s (EC) progress report on the country, due in November. During a meeting with Branko Crvenkovski, leader of the opposition Social …

A contingent of ten Albanian soldiers trained as mine-clearers headed to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) on Monday (October 4th), to help locate and destroy remaining ordnance from the 1990s conflict. “You are part

Acting President Jakup Krasniqi said on Monday (October 4th) that there will be no early general elections this year. Just last week, the ruling coalition partners — the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) and the Democratic

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will arrive on official visit to Belgrade on October 12-13. In the frames of the visit Clinton will meet with Serbian President Boris Tadic, Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic, Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic, Minister of Defense Dragan Sutanovac. Talks will be dedicated to the Belgrade-Pristina …

Catherine Ashton, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the Commission made the following statement: “According to the preliminary assessment of OSCE/ODIHR and their International Election Observation Mission for the general elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the elections on 3 October proceeded …

Slovak FM Mikulas Dzurinda stressed at the meeting with Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Cvetković that the Slovak government will not consider recognizing Kosovo. He also said that Bratislava supports the initiation of the dialogue between Belgrade and Priština.

Serbian President Boris Tadić says Serbia can join the EU in 2016 at the earliest, but that it could come a lot later if reforms in are carried out at a slow pace. “The earliest possible date of Serbia’s EU accession is 2016, on condition that negotiations start late in 2011 …