Balkans

The government of Macedonia proposed an ambitious plan to invest 8 billion euros in the country’s infrastructure through 2016. Fresh off a commanding victory in the April 5th presidential and local runoff, the ruling VMRO-DPMNE-led coalition in Macedonia now has a chance to make good on its plan to invest …

Belgrade hopes that the International Court of Justice will rule that Kosovo’s unilateral declaration of independence violated international law, while officials in Pristina expect the court to rule in their favour. Serbia has finalised its argument against Kosovo’s independence and will forward it to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) …

Two new mass graves containing the bodies of Bosnian Muslims who had been killed during the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina have been discovered in the east of the country, the Bosnian Missing Persons Institute (INO) reported. The mass graves were discovered on Thursday and Friday on Mount Romanija and near Tuzla. …

SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) Foreign ministers of the EU Troika, consisting of past, current and future EU presidency holders, urged the BiH authorities on Thursday (April 9th) to speed up key reforms aimed at moving the country closer to the EU. The call was issued as the Czech, French …

PRISTINA, Kosovo Kosovo is ready to defend its 2008 independence declaration before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), media reported on Friday (April 10th). British expert Michael Wood will lead Kosovo’s legal team at the ICJ to debate Serbia’s motion questioning the legality of Kosovo’s declaration of independence in February …

BUCHAREST, Romania The prince of Hohenzollern-Veringen, Radu Duda, son-in-law of former King Mihai I of Romania, announced his candidacy for president on Thursday (April 9th). The election will be held in November.

ATHENS, Greece Unknown attackers planted explosive devices in three cathedrals across Greece on Thursday (April 9th). One went off inside the church of Agia Triada in Piraeus but caused no injuries.

TIRANA, Albania Parliament has decided to send a unit consisting of 63 commandos to join the UN peacekeeping mission in Chad, media reported on Thursday (April 9th). The defence ministry says the Albanian troops will be in charge of security at the UN headquarters in Chad’s capital, N’Djamena. The unit …

The US Secretary of Commerce, Gary Locke, has congratulated Bulgarian Foreign Minister Kalfin on Bulgaria’s stable economy and banking system. Kalfin completed his two-day visit to the USA with a meeting with Locke, thus becoming the first high-ranking foreign official that the US Secretary of Commerce has welcomed since assuming …

An arsenal of surveillance equipment – including bugging and tracking devices and night-vision telescopes for sniper operations – is being assembled by the EU rule of law mission in Kosovo, EULEX. The EU rule of law mission has issued a 162-page tender for the high-tech tools, to be used in …