Balkans

ZAGREB, Croatia Croatia could join the EU no earlier than 2012, European Parliament (EP) rapporteur for Croatia, Hannes Swoboda, told the Vienna-based newspaper Die Presse on Tuesday (June 2nd). He added that this assumes the maritime border row with Slovenia is resolved soon. Slovenia has been blocking the opening and …

SKOPJE, Macedonia The government on Tuesday (June 2nd) rejected media reports suggesting Skopje may withdraw its recognition of Kosovo’s independence. “Recognition was a very delicate process, which went through all the necessary procedures, and in the end was endorsed with a resolution by parliament,” government Spokesperson Sherif Duraku said. Separately, …

TIRANA, Albania Albania has started implementing a visa regime for foreign visitors, media reported on Tuesday (June 2nd). Under the new regulations, the visitors will have to follow procedures similar to those Albanians must follow when travelling abroad. In order to obtain a visa, foreigners will have to book a …

Vidin. Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev visited Thursday the construction site of the second bridge over the Danube River between Bulgaria and Romania, FOCUS Radio-Vidin informs.

The European Commission’s mission to examine the state of Bulgaria’s judiciary and law enforcement will arrive in the week after June 15 2009, EC spokesperson Mark Gray was quoted as saying on June 3 by Bulgarian news agency BTA. Earlier, news agency Focus quoted Romanian newspaper Libera as reporting that …

A former High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina has declined an invitation from Radovan Karadzic to appear as a witness in regard to an alleged immunity agreement between Karadzic and former US envoy Richard Holbrooke. Carl Bildt, the first High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina and current Swedish foreign minister, …

Kosovo’s government has earmarked 16,000 euros for the construction of a new house for a Serbian family recently returned to Kosovo, lauding the move as a demonstration of the government’s commitment to ensuring that Kosovo is a true home for all of its ethnic groups. Kosovo’s Prime Minister Hashim Thaci …

A group of some 20 people, some of them reportedly wearing masks, stormed a press conference late on Tuesday in Athens during which the Rainbow party of Macedonians in Greece was promoting a new Greek-Macedonian dictionary, according to local media reports. Local Kanal 5 TV aired footage of the incident …

Serbian Defence Minister Dragan Sutanovac told Parliament yesterday that the government was in full compliance with a parliamentary ruling on military neutrality, underlining his ministry’s commitment to membership responsibilities in NATO’s Partnership for Peace, PfP, programme. Discussing recent military exercises held in Georgia from May 9 to June 1, Sutanovac …

Macedonia has no intention of rescinding its recognition of Kosovo, Macedonian Deputy Prime Minister Musa Xhaferi told local media Tuesday in Skopje, following intense media speculation. Rescinding recognition of Kosovo as an independent nation is “not an option”, Xhaferi told reporters, adding that the government, on the contrary, was working …