Balkans

Macedonia is cutting expenses and introducing a set of fresh measures to help its economy caught in the world economic downturn, the government said Tuesday. The announcement came late yesterday, of a nine percent cut in the state budget previously set at 2.5 billion euros. In addition, predictions released in …

The mission of European Commission arrives in Belgrade today for talks with Serbian officials on a financial help package worth EUR 100 million. The financial support for the Serbian Budget will be provided for by the European Union’s Instrument for Pre-Accession assistance, or the so-called IPA funds. Serbian Government and …

A three-day planning conference started in the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo, on Tuesday, is preparing for NATO exercises which will be held in the country later this year. Alliance’s “Joint Endeavor 2009” military exercise will be held in northwestern Bosnia and Herzegovina in September later this year. This is not …

Head of EULEX, Yves de Kermabon has said that EULEX is able to ensure the safe visit of Serb politicians to Kosovo. “The escort can be managed by Kosovo’s Police or in case we consider this not to be enough we can help”, said Kermabon in an interview for Serbia’s …

A former senior adviser to the British government has defended military intervention in Kosovo, ten years later, defining it as a “just war”. David Clark, who once served as European Advisor at the UK’s Foreign Office between 1997 and 2001, argued that the conflict in Kosovo was “a response to …

The provisions from the Ohrid Peace Accord are partial and need to be widened to provide greater rights to the ethnic Albanians, says Rufi Osmani, a controversial local ethnic Albanian leader. In an interview for the local Dnevnik daily this charismatic figure, who was re-elected as mayor of the western …

A court in the city of Vlora Albania, sentenced on Tuesday, to a six-month prison term and a 500,000 Lek (€3,800) fine, an ethnic-Greek mayor who was indicted for ordering the dismantlement of road signs because they were not bilingual, causing subsequent traffic chaos and damage to public property. Mayor …

Anti-corruption experts urge for changes to party financing laws and advocate for stricter auditing. Verica Barac, President of the Council for the Fight Against Corruption told Blic Daily that there is a reason political parties in power are “desperately defending public funds, public purchases and public enterprises”. They are not …

Visa restrictions for Serbs traveling throughout the EU are expected to be abolished by the end of the year, says Foreign Affairs Minister Vuk Jeremic, after his meeting with EU officials Javier Solana and Oli Rehn. Jeremic also announced that he expects the EU to make decision on financial help …

Kosovo recognitions will very much depend on the authorities’ commitment to the process, says James Rubin, Diplomatic Advisor to the US Secretary of State. In an interview for Kosovo’s private television, RTV21, Rubin declared that “the long battle for recognition will depend on the policies Kosovo’s leadership is about to …