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 …
Read More »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 …
Read More »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,” …
Read More »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 …
Read More »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 …
Read More »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 …
Read More »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 …
Read More »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 …
Read More »Supreme Court to hear Ulemek appeal
SERBIA The Supreme Court is to consider the appeals of Milorad Ulemek and Zvezdan Jovanović, found guilty of the murder of late Prime Minister Zoran Đinđić. The Supreme Court’s public session, where it is due to consider the appeal, is scheduled for September 8 in the special courtroom at the …
Read More »Srebrenica trial enters final stage
HOLLAND The trial of seven former Republic of Srpska Army (VSR) officers, accused of genocide and war crimes, will hear closing arguments at the Hague Tribunal. The prosecutor will start his final argument today, at the end of a process that started in July 2006. RFE reports that the court …
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