Balkans

The detailed planning of Nabucco will be carried out by five engineering companies from all countries participating in the project, Mr Reinhard Mitschek, Managing Director of Nabucco Gas Pipeline International GmbH, said.

Bulgaria’s new EC commissioner designate responsible for international co-operation, humanitarian aid and crisis response, Kristalina Georgieva, seemed to impress her inquisitors in the EU Parliament during her confirmation hearing on Wednesday. Several MEPs congratulated Georgieva’s command of her new proposed portfolio, including British Labour MEP Michael Cashman, who praised Georgieva’s …

Greek President Karolos Papoulias was re-elected for a second five-year term in office Wednesday after winning majority support in a parliamentary vote.

Kosovo Parliament Speaker Jakup Krasniqi called on Britain to continue to support Kosovo’s efforts to join the United Nations and other international organizations. During his stay in London, Krasniqi met with House of Commons Speaker John Berkow. Krasniqi called on British government to hail the strategy of the authorities in …

Spanish FM Miguel Angel Moratinos says the integration of the Western Balkans into the EU is one of the Spanish presidency’s priorities. Moratinos said that Spain expects that the EU member-states will be able to unfreeze the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) with Serbia by June. The agreement was signed …

We cannot miss saying that this is some long-awaited agreement. It is a result of the work of many governments since 2002 till now, MP Ramadan Atalay from the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) party said, commenting on the ratification of the Nabucco Agreement.

Bulgarian MPs passed the draft bill for ratification of the Agreement among Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Turkey on the construction of the Nabucco gas pipeline project. The draft bill on the ratification of the Nabucco Agreement has been passed with 156 votes.

Bosnian Police arrested on Monday (February 1st) a former Muslim commander suspected of committing war crimes against civilians and prisoners of war during the 1992-1995 Bosnian conflict. Zulfikar Alispago allegedly did not take appropriate measures to punish subordinates who committed war crimes in the village of Trusina, near Konjic, on …

Croatia’s President-elect Ivo Josipovic and Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor held their first official meeting Monday (February 1st), following Josipovic’s victory in the January 10th run-off election. They discussed the EU integration process, the economic crisis and ways to fight corruption while agreeing to meet the day after Josipovic’s February 18th …

Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha said that the questionnaire Brussels sent to Albania before it can be granted visa liberalisation has been completed. Experts from Brussels will visit Tirana in the coming weeks to evaluate the process.