Balkans

Sofia – Bulgarian banks put up loan rates and fees, pulled consumer lending products and ended promotions in February as the global financial meltdown raged on, data from personal finance website moitepari.bg shows. DSK Bank, Raiffeisenbank and Emporiki Bank dropped unsecured consumer loan offers from their portfolios. Additionally, Emporiki now …

Hard currency loans to Serbia, Estonia and Latvia are the most at risk of default in central and eastern Europe, according to the International Monetary Fund. The IMF says that Western banks risk losing US$160 billion of a total US$1.6 trillion placed in the central and eastern European region, daily …

CHISINAU – Moldova will introduce visa regime with Romania starting from Thursday, April 9, Andrei Stratan, Moldovan Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign and European Integration Minister, announced on Wednesday. According to the official, the decision was approved at a government meeting on Wednesday, so as to consolidate efforts of maintaining …

Romania dismissed on Wednesday claims by Moldova’s president that it had interfered in his country’s internal affairs, and threatened to expel the Moldavian ambassador. Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin earlier on Wednesday accused Romania of involvement in the riots in Chisinau over the election results, announcing visa restrictions for Romanians and …

Moldova’s president has accused neighboring Romania of instigating violent protests against the newly elected Communist government, and declared the Romanian ambassador in the Eastern European country “persona non grata.” Wednesday, president Vladimir Voronin said the protests were a part of attempts to overthrow his government.

BUCHAREST -Romania Wednesday rejected accusations by Moldova’s President Vladimir Voronin that it had played a role in the anti-Communist unrest that have shaken Chisinau. “This accusation is a provocation aimed at the Romanian state,” Romania’s foreign ministry said in a statement issued shortly before Moldova told Bucharest’s ambassador in Chisinau …

CHISINAU – Moldova has ordered the Romanian ambassador to leave the country within 24 hours, the Moldovan foreign ministry said on Wednesday after officials blamed Bucharest for bloody riots a day earlier.

Moldova sank deeper into political crisis on Wednesday when its government accused Romania of organising an “attempted coup” and ordered its ambassador out of the country. Mobs ransacked Moldova’s parliament and its presidential office on Tuesday after the Communist party won a general election. President Vladimir Voronin, a Communist, said …

Sweden’s foreign minister said on Tuesday that Bosnia would not be able to apply for European Union membership as long as it was supervised by an international peace envoy. Carl Bildt said the country was not ready to apply during his country’s EU presidency in the second half of this …

TIRANA, Albania – A four-year-old Albanian boy is among the victims of the earthquake that rocked central Italy early on Monday (April 6th), according to the Albanian Embassy in Rome. Four Macedonian nationals of Albanian ethnicity are also among the victims.