Balkans

George Ivanov, the conservative candidate of the ruling right from centre VMRO DPMNE party won Sunday’s presidential elections the State Election Commission data show. This election”opens the European perspective for Macedonia” Ivanov said. He noted his priorities would be EU and NATO membership and solving the long standing name dispute …

The election campaign for the second round of joint presidential and mayoral elections in Macedonia, seen as crucial for the country’s democratic image, ends at midnight on Friday. Following the pre-election pause, Macedonia is set to elect its next president in a run-off election on Sunday. Voters will choose between …

Albanian environmental NGOs contested on Thursday the environmental impact study by Italian company Enel of its Porto Romano coal-fired thermal power plant, demanding that the government should either revise or cancel the project. The Ekolevizja movement, a front organisation comprising several Albanian environmental NGOs, accused the Italian energy giant of …

The International Energy Corporation Group revealed on Thursday that it is willing to invest in geothermal energy in Kosovo. The head of the corporation, Wolfgang Hertel, declared that his company had already received the support of Kosovo’s government to invest in Kosovo, adding that, if the project takes off, it …

Serbian and Russian officials will today sign a special protocol to expand their Free Trade Agreement, the Serbian Government announces. Serbia’s Ministry of Economy declared earlier that this protocol relates to the export of medicines, meat, confectionery products and wine. Co-presidents of the Russian-Serbian Economy Cooperation Committee, Ivica Dacic and …

Slovaks are voting Saturday in a presidential run-off election between the popular incumbent and a strong opposition challenger. President Ivan Gasparovic won nearly 47 percent of vote in the first round of elections last month. He now faces the top opposition candidate, sociologist and former social affairs minister Iveta Radicova, …

Slovenia will not change its view ad maintains that the outstanding border dispute has to be solved in order for Croatia`s European Union accession talks to be deblocked, said Slovene Prime Minister Borut Pahor on Thursday, commenting the situation as the meeting of Croatian Foreign Affairs Minister Gordan Jandrokovic, his …

Croatian President Stjepan Mesic told the Austrian Ö1 Radio that Croatia has offered an agreement on accessing the open sea to Slovenia, which Ljubljana has been demanding from the start, Slovene Dnevnik reports. Mesic explained that he meant the option of Slovene ships passing through Croatian territorial waters to the …

Supplies of Russian natural gas to southeastern Europe are under control following a pipeline explosion this week, European Union gas experts said on Thursday. The blast on a 30-year-old pipeline in a separatist region of ex-Soviet Moldova caused a drop in deliveries on Wednesday. “After hearing reports of the countries …

Serbian unions said on Thursday they would stage mass protests within two weeks unless government officials take their share of spending cuts agreed last week to secure an IMF loan. Serbia plans to freeze wages and pensions for 18 months and impose a 6 percent income tax surcharge to achieve …