The impact of the Russia-Ukraine gas dispute on the Balkans reached crisis point on Thursday, leaving hundreds of thousands without heating and forcing businesses to cut production or shut down altogether. Many Balkan countries have no alternative routes and rely almost entirely on Russian gas, which stopped flowing completely on …

Albania will officially apply for EU candidate status in the coming months, Prime Minister Sali Berisha said on Thursday. The announcement came during a meeting with the Czech Ambassador in Tirana on the occasion of the Czech Republic assuming the six-month rotating presidency of the EU in January. Stressing his …

Serbia clinched a deal with Hungary on Thursday to buy gas from the reserves of its northern neighbour, averting at the eleventh hour a heating crisis sparked by the Russia-Ukraine gas dispute. Local media quoted the cabinet of Serbian President Boris Tadic as saying said Tadic struck the deal with …