Balkans

BRUSSELS, Belgium A new round of talks including Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Jandrokovic, his Slovenian counterpart Samuel Zbogar and EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn will be held on Wednesday (June 17th) in Brussels in a last-ditch effort to find a solution to the border dispute that is blocking Croatia’s EU …

BELGRADE, Serbia Rasim Ljajic, head of Serbia’s National Council for Co-operation with The Hague war crimes tribunal (ICTY), rejected Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) media reports Tuesday (June 16th) that alleged it has been holding negotiations on the arrest of war crimes fugitive Ratko Mladic.

The 16th Summit of Central and East European Heads of State, featuring 14 presidents, is getting under way in Novi Sad today. Three-day summit will cover issues related to overcoming of 3 E challenges – economy, energy and European integration. Last year’s summitt was held in Ohrid, Macedonia.

Author: Mirza Čubro LUKSEMBURG, SARAJEVO – Vijeće EU na jučerašnjem zasjedanju u Luksemburgu ocijenilo je da sve zemlje regiona, uključujući i BiH, ostvaruju napredak u ispunjenju uslova za ukidanje viza. “Vijeće pozdravlja usvojeni i osvježeni izvještaj Evropske komisije o dijalogu sa zemljama zapadnog Balkana o liberalizaciji viznog režima. Izvještaj pokazuje …

LUXEMBOURG EU foreign ministers gave Serbia, Macedonia and Montenegro the green light for visa liberalisation on Monday (June 15th). “The ministers encouraged the European Commission [EC] to launch a procedure to scrap visa requirements for compliant countries with a view of achieving a visa-free regime, ideally by the end of …

PRISTINA, Kosovo The former UN envoy for Kosovo status talks, Martti Ahtisaari, received a warm welcome in Pristina on Monday (June 15th), the first anniversary of Kosovo’s constitution.”Kosovo’s independence is irreversible and this is evident from all the recognitions which continue to come from all around the world,” Ahtisaari said. 

The activation of a new safeguard clause regarding Bulgaria and Romania has been requested by the Netherlands’ Minister of European Affairs, Frans Timmermans, Romanian news agency NewsIn reports Wednesday, quoting his open letter. According to Timmermans, the implementation of the clause must happen with the publishing of the new EU …

Phone lines are melting between EU and US diplomats as countries around the world hunt for a solution to the latest Bosnian Serb challenge. According to media reports, a group of diplomats led by the US and UK have been increasing pressure on the EU foreign policy chief, Javier Solana. …

Cyprus’ Defence Minister, Costas Papacostas, told reporters in Belgrade yesterday that his country will never recognise Kosovo’s independence. “This is the consistent stand of the Republic of Cyprus and one that we advocate in the European Union,” Papacostas said at a news conference in Belgrade after formal meetings with Serbian …

Convicted war criminals in the Hague could serve their sentences out in Slovenia. Hague Tribunal President Patrick Robinson opened the subject for discussion with Slovenian President Danilo Tuerk in Ljubljana. They met to finalise plans for phasing out the court’s work and close all cases by the end of 2013. …