Balkans

Bosnians will head to the polls on October 3 in what has been described as a crucial post-war general election, with the outcome likely determining wether the country will move forward on its EU path or remain stuck in political deadlock.

Both private and public sector trade unions are staging a general strike in Greece, the latter for 48 hours, to protest against the government’s austerity plans. It is against the backdrop of a black wednesday for the euro, hit by financial worries the Greek crisis may spread to other EU …

In 2009 there were around 14,200 asylum applicants from Kosovo, who sought asylum in some of 27 countries of the European Union (EU). This is according to the statistical office of the EU Eurostat, which published a report that said applicants from Kosovo make up five percent of the total …

The trial of former Bosnian Serb political leader Radovan Karadžić continues on Wednesday before the Hague tribunal with more witness testimonies. The prosecution’s fifth witness will be former Sky News reporter Aernhout van Lynden, after which former EU mission chief in Bosnia-Herzegovina Colm Doyle will take the stand.

Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini is chairing the 12th Council of Ministers of the Adriatic-Ionian Initiative, AII, which began in Ancona, Italy on Wednesday. The Council, which brings together the foreign ministers of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Greece, Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia and Italy, is aimed at preparing an EU …

Members of the European Parliament meeting in Brussels with their Albanian counterparts did not succeed in attempts to help find a compromise between representatives of the Albanian ruling and opposition parties. The two sides notably failed to produce a final declaration, which is generally issued at such meetings.

Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nikolai Mladenov, who has underlined the Western Balkans’ place in his country’s foreign policy priorities, has started a tour of the region that from May 5 to 14 2010 will take him to Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Albania. Mladenov, Foreign Minister in the …

Direct dialogue between Macedonia and Greece is the best way of overcoming the long lasting bilateral “name” dispute, visiting Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman told media in Skopje. “Direct dialogue between the two parties is the best way to resolve the issue. Both Greece and Macedonia are stable and they …

Pristina and Belgrade may begin talks on decentralisation, cultural heritage and the northern part of Kosovo later this year. The possibility that talks will be held has increased after several EU and US officials visited Kosovo and Serbia. Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini also said indirectly in Pristina that Kosovo …

The Serbian Parliament Collegium will discuss a draft declaration condemning crimes against Serbs, it has been announced. These crimes were committed during the 1990s wars in Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Kosovo during the NATO bombing. Parliament Speaker Slavica Đukić-Dejanović distributed the draft to MPs, which will be discussed on Wednesday. The …