Balkans

EU Board for Slovenian parliament accepted accession conference with Croatia in order to open six and close five negotiation chapters. This was confirmed by a MP from the leading party of social democrats, after the closed board session in Ljubljana, adding that with the opening and the closure of the …

The Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov will confer high state orders and honorary sign of the President of the Republic of Bulgaria, Presidency press office informed. Parvanov will confer the Order of the Balkan Range, First Class on Professor Alexander Dzherov for his big contribution to the development of political and …

An international conference on climate change will be held in Sofia, set to start on September 28, and it will be inaugurated by Deputy Environment Minister, Ivelina Vassileva, the Bulgarian National Radio, the BNR has reported on September 28 2009. More than 30 countries have been invited and will participate …

European Union member states are expected to give a green light in December to visa-free travel for Serbia as it has made “relatively satisfying” progress, Justice Commissioner Jacques Barrot said Monday. “An expert mission will come to Belgrade in mid-October” to assess if Serbia met all the requirements and “if …

Vice-President of the European Commission and EU Commissioner for Justice, Freedom and Security Jacques Barrot, arrives in Belgrade today for talks with Serbian leaders for the abolition of visas for Serbian citizens to travel within the Schengen area, media reported. Barrot will meet with President Boris Tadic, Mirko Cvetkovic, First …

Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu yesterday assessed after returning from New York as “irrational” the protest note of Belgrade because of the participation of the Kosovo delegation at the session of the UN General Assembly. Sejdiu said that Kosovo delegation has responded to the protest of Serbia with a large number …

Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski on Sunday distanced himself from the publication of the controversial Macedonian encyclopaedia, and blamed the offending pages in the book on ”dark forces” who wish to harm his country. Without pointing fingers, Gruevski said that the passages in the book saying that Albanians were ”settlers” …

Several ethnic Albanian parties from Macedonia, Thursday will stage a protest in front of the government building to express their objections to the new publication of the Macedonian encyclopaedia. Calling it a “political pamphlet” that “inflicted great evil upon the Albanian population” the parties say they cannot guarantee that all …

Albania’s Prime Minister Sali Berisha gave an impassioned speech this weekend to the UN General Assembly appealing for more countries to recognise Kosovo’s independence. Arguing that further recognitions would strengthen peace and stability in the region, he thanked the 62 countries who have already recognised the country’s independence.

Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Boyko Borisov will on Monday consult with the German power company RWE about its future role in the Belene nuclear plant project, following reports last week that it may quit the project due to rising costs, local media report. Bulgaria’s previous government chose the German power utility …