Montenegro

Montenegro’s parliament has voted to cut short its current mandate, setting the stage for early elections likely to be held in October.The parliament’s session was shortened at the initiative of the ruling coalition, which wanted a fresh mandate for the country’s EU accession talks. Montenegro started membership talks with the …

Almost a hundred Kosovo Roma, who were made homeless after a fire destroyed parts of the Konik refugee camp, staged a protest on Wednesday in front of the Montenegrin government headquarters.The Roma were protesting because they had only been given tents as temporary housing after a fire burned down their …

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will start a six-day tour of the Western Balkans on Friday. He will visit all countries created after the breakup of the former Yugoslavia, with July 23 reserved for Serbia.

A fire on the hill above Podgorica briefly threatened homes and nearby embassies – one of several blazes attributed to the prolonged hot dry weather and the wind.Residents of Podgorica were shocked on Monday night when Mt Gorica, the hill after which the capital is named, caught fire. The blaze …

Montenegro and its Bosniak community marked the 17th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide by saying that the country has still not fully faced up to its past, and naming one of the streets in the capital after a Bosnian war hero.An NGO forum of Bosniaks and Muslims, the Parliament of …

The OSCE Chairmanship representative has welcomed Montenegro’s democratic reforms but urged further action in the fight against organized crime and corruption.The representative of the Irish chair of the OSCE, Minister for European Affairs Lucinda Creighton, welcomed Montenegro’s progress in democratic reforms during a visit to Podgorica on Thursday.

Anti-government campaign takes on a more musical flavour with the launch of a month-long arts programme.The NGO, the Network for Affirmation of Non-Governmental Sector, MANS, the main organizer of frequent civic protests in Montenegro, has announced the launch of a series of cultural events under the name of Resistance Month. …

The new so-called Democratic Front, which hopes to coordinate opposition to the government in Montenegro, will be headed by former foreign minister Miodrag Lekic, it was confirmed.Miodrag Lekic, Montenegro’s former foreign minister, is to coordinate a new opposition coalition, the Democratic Front, Andrija Mandic, chairman of the opposition New Serbian …

Milan Rocen has confirmed that he is bowing out, following the country’s recent achievements in advancing its EU and NATO membership prospects.One day after he announcing his intended withdrawal to the daily newspaper, Pobjeda, Rocen officially confirmed his decision on Monday at the opening of the fifth diplomatic “Gavro Vukovic” …

The EU opened accession negotiations with Montenegron on Friday – the start of which are being marked in the country with the issue of commemorative stamps and a celebratory cocktail party.At its summit on Friday, the European Council confirmed Tuesday’s decision of the EU General Affairs Council to open membership …