Balkans

Croatia made progress on Monday towards its goal of wrapping up negotiations next year to join the European Union but entry talks were stalled in some areas by neighbouring Slovenia, an EU member. A dispute over borders between Croatia and Slovenia had kept talks frozen in many policy areas, making …

Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov has refused to attend an informal meeting of leaders from several countries scheduled for January in Prizren. Albanian language newspapers in Priština write today that the “informal summit, planned to be held on January 7 and 8 in Prizren, is organized by Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu”.

Newly appointed Albanian Ambassador Villi Minarolli Monday submitted his credentials to Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan. During the meeting, Serzh Sargsyan highlighted the importance of intensifying political dialogue and extending legal-contractual cooperation.

Serbia is to submit its formal application to join the European Union today, but the largest republic of the former Yugoslavia faces a tough fight to join the 27-member bloc. Even its own parliament is split on the issue with delaying tactics employed by nationalist MPs. Eventually Serbia’s president and …

The deadline for providing the answers to the three questions posed by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) judges expires on Tuesday. The judges posed the questions to the countries taking part in the nine-day hearing before that court on the legality under international law of the Kosovo Albanian unilateral …

“Our red lines are well-known-we will not make any compromises on Macedonia’s identity and will not change the Constitution,” said Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov in his annual statement before the MPs. The name issue, Macedonia’s accession to NATO and the European Union, co-operation with the neighbor countries were the issues …

Serbian President Boris Tadić is to visit Kragujevac and Kragujevac-based carmaker Zastava on Monday, his press office announced. According to an annex to the agreement between Serbia and Fiat, the Italian automobile manufacturer will take over Zastava by the end of 2009, the statement issued in Turin, where Tadić was …

Slovenian President Danilo Turk is in Kosovo today for meetings with Fatmir Sejdiu and Hashim Thaci. The visit, described as official, will also see Turk meet with the Kosovo assembly president, Jakup Krasniqi. As he meets with the Kosovo Albanian president and prime minister, they will discuss “bilateral relations between …

Once Serbia becomes a candidate for European Union membership, it will receive EUR 250mn from the European IPA funds. Economic analyst Goran Nikolić said that Serbia is currently using two installments from the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) funds worth EUR 200mn, and that once it becomes a candidate for …

Leader of the Democratic Union for Integration (DUI) Ali Ahmeti, as expected, was reelected at the Congress Saturday to rule the party next four years. In the 40-minute address to delegates at the Congress, Ahmeti has turned more attention to the implementation of the Framework Agreement, foreign policy, economics, reforms, …