Balkans

The finance ministry announced on Wednesday (May 12th) that Greece received 5.5 billion euros from the IMF as part of the international aid to help the country overcome its financial crisis. The money will be used to repay part of the country’s huge debt. In other news, Greece’s two main …

The European Commission (EC) is pressing BiH to approve a law on holding a population census across both entities. The head of the EC delegation to BiH, Dimitris Kourkoulas, said on Wednesday (May 12th) that Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele and Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Olli Rehn have sent a …

Hague Chief Serge Brammertz had a meeting with President of the Serbian National Council for Cooperation Rasim Ljajić on Thursday. Brammertz will also confer with Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Cvetković and War Crimes Prosecutor Vladimir Vukčević later in the day.

Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha will visit Macedonia later this month, Albanian media quote government sources as saying. During the stay in Skopje, Berisha is expected to reiterate Albania’s support to peace and stability in Macedonia. The same sources said Albanian prime minister and his Macedonian counterpart Nikola Gruevski are …

The European Commission is expected to announce on Wednesday whether it will target Bulgaria with an excessive deficit procedure for exceeding the ceiling of 3% of GDP as it issues its report on euro hopefuls. The Commission will say whether Bulgaria, Denmark, Luxembourg and Finland are in breach of the …

Republika Srpska (RS) Prime Minister Milorad Dodik told High Representative Valentin Inzko on Tuesday (May 11th) that his entity is willing to resolve state and military property issues but others are not. At a meeting in Banja Luka, Dodik also said that while RS is ready to comply with December’s …

Croatian President Ivo Josipovic said that he believes the trial of Dragan Vasiljkovic, who was arrested in Australia yesterday, will be fair. “I do believe that today in Croatia everybody can expect a fair trial. As in any legal system, we have all that is needed to monitor the quality …

Croatia’s Justice Minister Ivan Simonovic is optimistic that Croatia will open the judiciary chapter of its EU accession negotiations in June, and will be able to wrap up talks by the end of the year. In an interview with Europolitics Tuesday (May 11th), Simonovic said that

EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele expressed concern again Tuesday (May 11th) about the political stalemate in Albania that he says is hampering the EU integration process. A ten-day hunger strike by the opposition is complicating the situation, he noted. Spain, current holder of the rotating EU presidency, is urging politicians …

EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele said on Tuesday (May 11th) that Kosovo must do two things — implement re-admission agreements and integrate returnees — before the EU can even consider initiating a dialogue on visa liberalisation. “It is important that Kosovo too understands and knows the conditions,” Fuele said, adding …