Balkans

PRISTINA, Kosovo – Lithuania wants to withdraw its small military component from Kosovo, local media reported on Wednesday (March 25th). Vilnius cites the stable security situation in the country and the strain of the global economic crisis.

BUCHAREST (Romania) – TWO government offices in Romania have come up with a novel way to cut expenses during the economic downturn: Turn off the elevator for most of the day. Cristian Roman, the government representative in the northern county of Botosani, has decreed that elevators at the prefect’s and …

Bulgaria’s parliament drastically reduced the number of prisoners to be pardoned under the amnesty act, which was approved at second reading on Thursday. The amnesty will apply to people, who were sent behind bars prior to July 1, 2008 on charges of criminal negligence. It will not be valid for …

“The demise of three east European governments in six weeks suggests the region faces instability at a time when strong governments are needed,” the Financial Times wrote, commenting on the political situation in Eastern Europe. It points out that Bulgaria may see turmoil, though on a less dramatic scale, with …

The US Ambassador to Bulgaria, Nancy McEldowney, has stated that corruption and organized crime are the most serious problems that Bulgaria faces. McEldowney said that during her visit to Washington last week she talked to the new US administration about the “very important” problem of the global economic crisis and …

Kenyan police are investigating a man whom they suspect may be wanted by the Yugoslav war crimes tribunal, Agence France Press reported. The man, whose identity has still not been released, was arrested Thursday in Mombasa. According to this agency, the Kenyan police have sent the man’s fingerprints to Interpol …

The new head of the Office of the High Representative, OHR, and EU Special Representative, Austria’s Valentin Inzko, officially took up his challenging position from the outgoing Miroslav Lajcak on Thursday. “I fully appreciate the responsibility and importance of this new role,” 59-year-old Inzko said at a joint press conference …

Four prison guards from Skopje’s prison, recently suspended for brutality against convicts, claim they have been framed. The four allegedly tied several convicts to radiators and showers on March 16, beating them brutally. They were suspended and are now charged with use of undue force after several domestic and international …

The Office of the Public Prosecutor in Bosnia’s northern district of Brcko, has pressed charges against a local Bosnian Serb Orthodox priest, who is accused of sexually abusing two underage girls, local media reported on Thursday. The priest was charged after police investigated the case for more than a year. …

The EU will find practical and pragmatic ways to prevent Kosovo from becoming the ‘black hole’ of Europe, says EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn. Rehn welcomed the fact that “the Balkans is to be on the EU agenda, after the latter was filled with financial and economic problems”. Even though …