Balkans

Netherlands Presses for Delay in Bulgaria, Romania Schengen Entry

NETHERLANDS The Dutch government has dealt another blow to the new EU member states Bulgaria and Romania, saying they are still doing too little to tackle corruption and organized crime, and their management of EU funds is still below par. The conclusions were announced on Wednesday in response to the …

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Bulgaria could cut VAT rate – Finance Minister

BULGARIA Simeon Dyankov, Bulgaria’s Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, says that the flat income tax rate will stay unchanged, while Value-Added Tax (VAT) could be cut from the current 20 per cent to 18 per cent in 2010 and by a further two per cent by the end of …

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Bulgaria says former cabinet ministers to be indicted ‘in next few days’

BULGARIA Former government ministers will be indicted in the next few days, Bulgaria’s Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov said on September 3 2009. Tsvetanov declined to give names, saying that it was up to prosecutors to complete the indictments. Bulgarian news agency BTA reported Tsvetanov as telling …

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Greek PM calls snap election, date yet to be announced

GREECE Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis on Wednesday evening announced the holding of a snap general election in a television speech to the nation. In prefacing announcement, Karamanlis underlined the need for immediate and significant reforms and measures to deal with the repercussions of the international economic crisis and what …

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US Worried about Bosnian Political Rifts

BOSNIA The US is concerned about the current situation in Bosnia and its leaders’ commitment to securing EU and NATO membership, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Stuart E. Jones said. “The American government is concerned because we haven’t seen practical actions which reflect [Bosnian officials’] commitment to Euro-Atlantic integration,” …

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Rehn Praises Macedonia’s Reform Progress

MACEDONIA Macedonia has a serious chance of receiving a recommended start date for EU accession talks this autumn if the positive progress of recent months continues, EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn says. Rehn’s comments come only a month before the European Commission, EC, prepares its annual report on the country’s …

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Albania’s New Coalition Takes Shape

ALBANIA Albania’s conservative Prime Minister Sali Berisha and former Socialist premier Ilir Meta signed a coalition agreement on Wednesday, shaping the core of the cabinet that will govern the country for the next four years. The deal has been two months in the making and was announced after Berisha’s right-wing …

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Commissioner Says EU Must Reward Serbia

SERBIA The EU Council of Ministers could soon unblock the Interim Trade Agreement with Serbia, EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn says. “The authorities in Serbia continue to work hard on achieving the necessary reforms. At the same time, Serbia is unilaterally applying the interim trade agreement too, despite the economic …

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Terrorism in Greece

GREECE Recent news updates from leading Greek media citing commentary and exclusive information from high-level police and security circles indicate that arrests are underway regarding domestic terrorist groups that have managed over the past 5 years to launch impressive attacks against a variety of state, diplomatic and police targets. According …

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Darko Elez iza rešetaka

BiH Darko Elez, trojica policijskih službenika u BiH, kao i još 17 osoba uhapšeni su u Srbiji i BiH zbog sumnje da su kao pripadnici zločinačke organizacije odgovorni za više ubistava, trgovinu drogom i oružjem, iznude, razbojništva i druga djela. Elez je označen kao vođa ove kriminalne grupe, koja je …

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