Eurasia

The Chief ICTY Prosecutor begins a three-day visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina on Monday. During his stay in Sarajevo Serge Brammertz will meet local and international officials and representatives of non-governmental organizations, as part of preparing a regular report to be submitted to the Security Council of the United Nations. …

Inter-parliamentary relations have been agreed between Kosovo and Croatia during a two-day visit to Zagreb by Kosovo’s speaker of parliament Jakup Krasniqi. Krasniqi met his counterpart, Croatian Parliament speaker Luka Bebic, on Wednesday. He thanked Croatia for its recognition of Kosovo’s independence and support for the country’s development.

Concern is growing among locals and international representatives over escalating Serb protests in Kosovo’s northern town of Mitrovica, which have now gone on for several days, and have forced the EU’s Rule of Law Mission, EULEX, and NATO troops to respond with tear gas and stun grenades. EULEX used tear …

The two largest religious communities in Macedonia are so powerful they could breach the state’s constitutional secularism, a UN official visiting Skopje said on Wednesday. The Macedonian Orthodox Church, MPC, and the Islamic community have a substantial influence over Macedonian politics, the special reporter on freedom of religion and belief …

An alleged secret Greek document, disclosing Greek plans for suppressing Macedonian identity in its territory was revealed on Wednesday, local media report. The detailed document dating back to February 1982, is said to be issued by the then Greek National Security Service chief Dimitris Kapelaris, and was unveiled by the …

Serbian President Boris Tadic said changes should be made to the country’s constitution in order to reduce the number of deputies, streamline and decentralise government. In the interview for the Vecrenje Novosti newspaper, Serbian President Boris Tadic also said that election laws must be changed, along with laws for the …

TIRANA, Albania Prime Minister Sali Berisha on Tuesday (April 28th) officially submitted Albania’s application for EU candidate status to the current Union president, the Czech Republic. During a ceremony in Prague, Berisha described it as “a dream come true”.

LUXEMBOURG, Luxembourg The European Court of Justice (ECJ) on Tuesday (April 28th) backed the right of Greek Cypriots to reclaim property in northern Cyprus that they abandoned during the 1974 Turkish military intervention. Foreigners later bought the abandoned property.

SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) The head of the European Parliament delegation for Southeast Europe, Doris Pack, said on Tuesday (April 28th) the situation in BiH is more serious than she thought. During her visit, Pack said “I’ve been monitoring Bosnia for a long time, and it’s now worse than …

STRASBOURG, France Despite a period of turbulent transition, Serbia is moving forward and making progress on its road to EU integration, the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) concluded on Tuesday (April 28th).