Balkans

EU to seek visa-free travel for Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia

BRUSSELS, Belgium The European Commission (EC) will ask the EU Council next week to offer visa-free travel to citizens of Montenegro, Serbia and Macedonia, EU Justice Commissioner Jacques Barrot said on Thursday (July 9th). Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn will officially present the proposal in Strasbourg on Tuesday. It will require …

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Thousands rally in Athens against racism

ATHENS, Greece An estimated 2,000 people marched in Athens on Thursday (July 9th) to protest racism and government plans to deport illegal immigrants. They rallied outside parliament chanting “No to expulsion!” The demonstration was organised by trade unions, the Committee for Protection of Immigrants and leftist groups. Several far-left groups, …

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Borissov asks for moratorium on big energy deals

Sofia mayor Boiko Borissov, expected to be nominated as prime minister-designate next week, asked outgoing economy and energy minister Petar Dimitrov for a moratorium on all negotiations concerning big energy deals. “GERB is hearing worrying news about the activities of state companies, which do not take into account the financial …

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Bulgaria is traditional partner of ours in the Balkans: Andrei Nesterenko

MOSCOW At his regular briefing Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Andrei Nesterenko touched upon the recent events in Bulgaria. “We respect the parliamentary election result in Bulgaria and Bulgarian people’s will. Bulgaria is a traditional partner of ours in the Balkans and we hope the new Bulgarian government will preserve stable …

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Absence of European affairs minister will be loss for Bulgaria: Gergana Passy

SOFIA Europe knows different systems of management and coordination of European processes. It is a matter of political judgment whether a country will have a European affairs minister or not, Minister for European Affairs Gergana Passy said at the presentation of the priorities of the Swedish EU presidency. “In 2005 …

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Mass Grave Uncovered in Kosovo

The remains of eight people have been discovered in a mass grave dating back to 1998, the EU rule-of-law mission in Kosovo has confirmed. Following a tip-off that land next to the Gjilan to Kamenica road, in eastern Kosovo, had been dug up in 1998, EULEX and Kosovo Police began …

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Macedonian Parliament in Heated Reshuffle Debate

The start of a Macedonian parliamentary session to debate the recent reshuffling of the cabinet of centre-right Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski and to appoint new ministers has so far been marked by a heated verbal exchange between the PM and the outgoing Finance Minister Trajko Slaveski, who was fired on …

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